The Florida star., 1900-10-05

GROUP OF MINERS.
processes of bringing the dusky dia-
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 un-
initiated that the breakers are large
and very high shell buildings in which
the coal as Ii 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 its own grav-
ity. The buildings. II old. are OF wood:
II 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" u slate pile. vary
ing in size according 10 its age. Ii is
composed OF the refuse slate which 1t
is impossible 10 separate from the coal
in mining and which must therefore
be separated in the breaker. and. as the
proportion OF slate is quite large ana as
there Is no use TO which Ii can profit
ably be put. il is piled by a system Of
chain buckets that can reach any dis
tance and any height day after day
and year after year In Il growing heap
whose size is only limited by the Ca
pacity OF the mines. Naturally the
slate pile Is Il very conspicuous ad-
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 10 the
location OF the coal strata. Little II
any surface mining is now carried OH
In the Wyoming district. which | re-
Gently visited, as the cOllieries that
were Il few years ago removing anthra-
cite from near the surface and upper
workings have been compelled 10 open
up and develop the deeper deposits.
Coal was. Of course. much more easily
and economically mined III the shallow
seams, the natural air currents fur
nishing II portion OF the ventilation,
while common mining machinery was
sufficient 10 do the work. Now the
mines are sunk deeper. AMI new ana
improved and coStlicr machinery has
superseded the old. Mammoth venti-
lating fans have been erected at the
various collicrics i'm the Wyoming dis
trict, and in some instances two OF
these immense ucccSSiunS to the Vcnti-
latiOn appliances are required in order
10 remove the great bodies Of gases
that accumulate in the workings of the
lower seams. menace 10 life and
property.
Some years ago an output of 800 tons
a day from a single mine was consider
eel an excellent average product. hut
now there are numerous cOllleries
where 800 or 1000 tons Of merchant
able coal are raised from Il single shaft.
broken. sized. cleaned ol slate and
loaded for shipment To market from
single breaker in ten hours. This IL
equivalent 10 from 40 10 200 tons an
hour as The Weld Of shaft raising one
ear AT time. Some idea of the speed
and precision with which the work is
performed in these cOllierics may he
gained from the fact that the time oc-
cupicd i'm taking from the hoisting 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 il diSap-
pears going down again. working almost
as uniformly as the beat Of Il pendulum.
is about seven seconds. And the depth
OF the shaft is anywhere from 400 To