Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-10-13

processes OF bringing the uuSkN uld-
monds from the cavernous depths Of
the earth and getting them ready for
the use of mankind.
The hillsides and valleys throughout
the anthracite regions are dotted with
huge coal breakers, about which are
clustered the homes of the miners. 1t
may be said for the benefit of the I'M
initiated that the breakers are large
and very high shell buildings in which
the coal as 1t comes from the mine Is
broken and sorted ready to be shipped.
The great height is required in order
that the coal, once elevated, will aid
the various processes by it's own grav-
ity. The buildings, if old, are of wood;
if new, are of steel or corrugated iron.
The breaker does not stand out entire
ly alone, for within 100 yards of it
stands the dump" slate pile, vary
ing in size according to it's age. 1t is
composed of the refuse slate which 1t
is impossible to separate from the coal
In mining and which must therefore
be separated in the breaker and, as the
proportion of slate is quite large and as
there is no use TO which it can profit
ably be put. it is piled by system Of
chain buckets that can reach any dis
lance and any height day after day
and year after year in growing heap
whose size is only limited by the ca
pacity of the mines. Naturally the
slate pile is a very conspicuous adj
junct to a breaker and surrounding
country. 1t forms a very unique fea
ture of the coal land scenery.
Shafts are sunk in the mountain sides
at varying depths, from few feet to
several hundred feet, according to the
location of the coal strata. Little IL
any surface mining is now carried on
in the Wyoming district. which | re-
Gently visited, as the collieries that
We're few years ago removing anthra-
cite from near the surface and upper
workings have been compelled to open
up and develop the deeper deposits.
Coal was, of course, much more easily
and economically mined in the shallow
seams, the natural air currents fur
nishing a portion of the ventilation.
while common mining machinery was
sufficient to do the work. Now the
mines are sunk deeper, and new and
improved and costlier machinery has
superseded the old. Mammoth venti-
lating fans have been erected at the
various collieries in the Wyoming dis
trict, and in some instances two Of
these immense accessions to the venti-
lation appliances are required in order
to remove the great bodies Of gases
that accumulate in the workings of the
lower seams, menace to life and
property.
Some years ago an output of 500 tons
day from single mine was consider
ed an excellent average product, but
now there are numerous collieries
where 1900 or 1000 tons of merchant
able coal are raised from a single shaft,
broken, sized, cleaned of slate and
loaded for shipment to market from a
single breaker in ten hours This is
equivalent to from 80 to 200 tons an
hour as the yield of shaft raising one
car at time. Some idea Of the speed
and precision with which the work is
performed In these collieries may be
gained from the fact that the time oc.
cupied in taking from the hosting cage
the loaded mine car carrying from two
TO three tons of coal and pushing the
empty car back on the cage is less than
six seconds in regular work, or the time
from the instant the cage shows itself
coming upout of the shaft until 1t disap-
pears going down again, working almost
as uniformly as the beat of a pendulum,
is about seven seconds. And the depth
of the shaft is anywhere from 400 to
LOO feet. From this 1t may also be
inferred that there is pretty vigorous
and prompt work going on among the
diggers and leaders at the bottom of
the shaft down deep under ground.
In trying to tell How Coal Is Mined"
] use for example one Of the principal
collieries of the Lehigh and Wilkes
barre Coal company, which l visited
Just before the strike was ordered. 1t
Is situated in the beautiful and pic