The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-08
MINING COAL
BY STRIPPING
WAY THE WORK 10 CARRIED
ON ABOUT HAzLEToN.
Writer in the Coal Trade Journal
Describes the Way in Which Coal
IL Taken from the Immense Pits
of the Hazleton Region-The strip
ping of the Great Mammoth Vein
Il One That Is Of Particular In
terest-way the Coal Is Prepared
for Market.

recently, writes about the method of
mining known as stripping. as seen In
the Hazeton region. The article says:
"That Hazleton stands high in point
of altitude is evidenced by the fact
that this place forms a divide for
water. this being the source of the
Black Creek and the Lehigh Creek; the
former emptios into the Susquohanna
river at Berwick, twenty miles west of
Hazleton; the latter forms the Lehigh
river and flows into the Delaware AT
Eastor, Pa. The city. some $4,000 popu-
lation. is beautifully stuated Is mod
ern in its aspects. lighted by electricity
and has an ample trolley car system
that runs in every direction from a
central point.
"In the vicinity of Hazletou there are
several large COllieries operating in the
Mammoth vein, both by a process
called stripping and by slope. The for
Nor is of particular interest. as coal is
found by removing few feet of earth
and mining thus done from the sur
face. one Of these cullicTies is that OF
the A. :. Van WiCkle estate at Mines
Vile the output of which goes to Coke
Bros. n co. This stripping has been
in operation for nine years and as
result of 50 much blasting ana picking
and Carting away We see cavity 23OO
feet long. COO feet wide and an aver
age of over 200 feet deep ,?3j in plac"s),
in the bottom Of which men are still
digging.
SEEM LIKE MITES.
standing on the brink of this chasm
a tendcrfoOt is seized by an attack OF
dizziness as he tries to pick ont with
naked eye the moving mites at the
other end ot the pit. which John Har-
vay, the superintendent. tells MS are
men and mules. Now and then a car
coal lader. will he seen creeping up the
smooth surface of the rock, thus
hauled by cable tn the top. 1t is cstl-
mated that out of this stripping have
been taken 2.OoO.o00 cubic yards of clay
and rock and about 900 OOO gross tons
of coal. The Mammoth vein at this
point has an average of about forty
feet in thickness but in places it runs
eighty or even 100 feet in thickness.
This concern is also working the
Wharton vein, which lays Immediately
under the Mammoth.
1--WE are told the Lehich valley is
working the Sterling. the Packer. Orch
ard and Primrose, all overlaying the
Mammoth at their point of operation.
Under the Mammoth vein are the
Wharton. Gamma and Buck Mountain
VEINS. Inc MllnPSNlllt tOll'lN mas
practically nothing above the Mann
moth, but the LehiGh has both those
mentioned above and below. Thus it
will be seen that the Mammoth vein,
which practically crops out here, dips
southwark, and 4 I PottSviltc is said TO
be 500 or 1000 feet below the surface.
At short intervals as we stand on this
precipice the noise of blasting, with
powder or dynamite, from this work
ing and that of the adjoining one of
Calvin Pardcc Il CO.. is not unlike that
of artillery Between these two strip
pings is being left a huge pillar of
coal; this in Observance of the law.
A GREAT BOULDER
"Mr. Harvey pointed out gigantic
boulder laying at the bottom of the
pit, which had dropped from "A posi-
tiOn go feet above. This stone looked
comparatively small from where We
stood, but its actual measurements are
3iX34Xl6 feet. and its weight about 1900
tons. Coal from the Mammoth vein in
the Lehigh region is always considered
of superior quality: il is of long frac-
ture and is claimed to contain a greater
per cent. of carbon.
The Calvin Pardoc d 60. colliery at
l.attimor. near Milnesvile is an extern
Siyc plant with "A daily capacity nf
about 200 gross tons. The scam of
coal runs cast and west and in This
basin rises at the eastern and Western
houndarv forming ahou, q Ooo roat nF
coal bctycon those hnundarins Suner-
intcudent Ny Drake shnvad ne ahout
the entire rlana Thero arc u, this
limo seven stoam sbovaIs at v,orl, 30
moving TN, surface rrou, tho cnol an.
s,ripping il. This rrocess is of course
similar tn cutting throurb an enhanlf.
ment for = railroad At rho noints Vie
tied the coal laws but , fow foo, h.ro,,
the surface. sn thar the r,iuor ,na,.
here pursue his vacation hv d,vIlrbt
without tho aid of his lon,r H., h,s no
uge for the fan Ventilation hore aY ,bo
mountain broczos furnish him, oi,. F,r
summer time one ,yo,IId s,,rn,i.c mi,
to be Il desirable location for = nipo,
but i'm the extremc ,ynotbo. NJ ,,ir,a,
It may not be as comfortahIo :, bor,b
as underground. The rock and c,av
surface removed from the ton or tbo
coal is hauled by cable nm an inc,ino
where "A small shifting engine takao :,
and distributes.
ii'r' - hAM 81 'fFLN'
Running about this plant are thous.
ands of feet of siX-inch pipe, through
which steam is supplied to operate III,
various pumps and plane engines and