Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-09-04
The last plane in the first south entry

which furnishes an auxiliary intake for
the air that circulates through the ex-
IRENE south workings of the entry. The
air coming down the main slope splits
or goes both ways, at the bottom, re-
turning on either side through the
workings, and up the parallel slopes,
which are parallel to the main slope and
so feet distant. Each air current then
travels its respective side of the mine,
through all the workings, and out
through the fans. The mine is thus kept
thoroughly ventilated through all it's
parts.
The outside plant consists of the main
holster, small battery of boilers, black
smith shop, ~trestle, tipple, scales, etc,
and three large air compressors. These,
as we'll as the whole outside plant con-
nected with the Lucas mine, are run by
a battery of eight large boilers.
Owing to the nature of the formation
in the mines at Madrid a greater por-
ton Of roof has to be supported by TIM
bers where the coal has been taken Out.
1t would doubtless surprise one not ac-
quainted with the workings of a coal
mine to see how many car loads of tim
Der Is used in the mine Zach month.
These mines are we'll equipped for the
rapid and safe handling Of o a Elec-
trio bell signals are used throughout the
workings. Compressed air furnishes the
power inside Of the mines and steam
outside.
The classes of occupation at the mines
are numerous, there being work for the
coal miner, timbermen, tracklayers,
rope riders, drivers, engineers, machin-
lists and blacksmiths.
The White Ash mine, owned by the
S feet 6 inches in thickness. The total
output for the last fiscal year was 5000
tons, worth $89, 900. The average num-
Der Of men employed at the mine is
eighty eight. The mine was worked 1852
days last year.
The Lucas mine is also owned and OPP
| Grated by the Cerrillos company. 1t is
an anthracite mine, and a vein 3 feet 9
inches thick is being worked. 1t pro-
duced during the last fiscal year $4,000
tons, worth $105, 900. The depth of it's
| slope is 1900 feet. Over Els men find
employment at the mine, which was
worked 1872 days last year. The mine
has a capacity of $50 tons per day, and
is ventilated by a double 6-foot Murphy
fan.
The Lucas seam is the middle n of
three coal strata lying close together,
and which are the top of all the coal
measures in the canon. In some places
the three seams are SO close together as
to be all workable at one time, blu as
a usual thing only the middle one is
mined. This varies in thickness from 3
feet to 3 feet 6 inches, and dips the
same as the Cook and White. The
methods of working are similar to those
OF that mine, and the method of ventila-
ton is the same except that there Is
one fan instead Of two. This fan is To-
Gated on the north side of h main
slope. The air current travelling on the
south side of the mine crosses the slope
and thus reaches the fan through what
is known as the overcast or alright
I wooden box, built over the top of the
/ slope and crossing it at right angles.
| The Lucas is at present practically a
one-sided mine, as the entries to the
north nave all been extended to that
| portion Of the vein in which the coal is
Of a bituminous nature. The prospect
ing and the work that has been done in
| the White Ash indicates that as the Lu-
cas- slope is extended a large field of an
| thracite coal will be opened up on the
north side.
THE COAL BREAKER.
The most interesting part of the out
side plant at the Lucas mine is the
to the huge building containing the ma
| chinery for crushing and asserting the
coal. This building is $50 feet long, so
feet wide and ITO feet high. The top Of
| the breaker is on a level with the mouth
| of the mine. AS the coal is hoisted in
| pit cars it is run into the breaker n
dumped. On its descent to the storage
bins the coal first passes between two
large, rough iron cylinders revolving
rapidly, and at such a distance apart
largest pieces weigh from S to 6 pounds.
| This size is known as "grate." The coal
| then passes through long, cylindrical
screens, which are kept slowly revolv-
ing. The meshes of the screens vary
from one-fourth to four inches. They
are set with one end higher than the
| other, the coal entering the screen at
| the higher end, and as he screens re-
volve the pieces of coal work from the
higher to the lower end, falling through
| the screen as soon as the part is
| reached where the mesh is large enough
to permit. The different sized pieces Of
coal fall into different troughs, which
lead on down to the storage bins.
There are fifteen or twenty boys en-
| ployed on the breaker as slate pickers,
! whose duty 1t is to pick out all slate as
| the coal passes through the breaker.
| They receive 10 cents per hour for their
1 labor. The boys employed on the break
err are from IL to 16 years Of age.
The coal is graded into sizes known as
CRATE, egg, stove, nut and pea. The
storage bins, which hold seventy-1ve
tons each, are filled with those grades!
OF coal, and from the storage bins the
coal is easily loaded on the railroad
cars and shipped to Colorado, Kansas,
California and Mexico.
The Omara mine Is located about
seven miles south Of Ortiz station, and
is owned by Frederick Mueller and OPP
Grated by w. p. Gould, lessee. The
vein is 4 feet thick, and the total output
for the last fiscal wear was 1,130 tons,