New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-28
NEW ANTHRACITE NINE.
A PHENOMENAL COAL POCKET-EIGH-
TEEN MILLION TONS ESTIMATE.

r9o.tsvfue Sept 27 (SpeciaD.-ConsderabIe in
terest has been aroused among coal consumers
all over the country by the news emanating from
+,i region from time to time concerning the devel-
opment shown by the company working the Black
Diamond Anthracite Coal properties. -Four shafts
have been sunk the property recently locating
the ten foot vein 1t is now proved TO the satisfac
lion ne tho coonany's engineer, Frank G.. Clemens,
,+ This vein underlies the entire property This is
the last Of the veins 10 be explored there Deng the
phenomenal number Of fourteen veins already
t,n N ,nderIIe the entire property, varying from
,,,-o IN twelve feet in thickness. together with
,,b.+ &c known as the thrty-sfx-foot mammoth
vajn which lies some eighteen hundred feet from
the surface The estimate OF Such a coal expert as
Mr. Frank P Christian, of scranton VINO Is now
on the nropertv that the property contains 1900
900 tons as the result OF the engineer investigation
r1acas this mine as the wonder OF the anthracite
region MI Christian said to-day; III my esulnate
is four times too high the STOCKHOLDERS cannot
complain as they will even then De receiving ~
ner cent a year upon their investment Tor twenty
&c ,,e.rs 70 come Mr.. F. a. Coray, coal ex-
mort and capitalst. said after the reports Were
made public that $4,000 would De cheap
rr,ce for the mine" This price seems enormous
hut many coal men say it would be very cheap at
the price The samples exhibited IN fous'lhe To-
A., sboxp the product to be absolutely Clean
bright red ash COAL resembling the proouct Oh 'he
Otto colliery. When examined oy eAPeI'S' ho"-
ever they pronounce It the best proouct from any
coal mine in the SIX CoutAbCS NNAiAf--"-''o >O
anthracite coal fields. short history OF lhS prop
ertv is interesting It been owned by the Starr
family for over hundred years. out up 10 d
comma lively recent date the property mas peen In
litigation The title was finally vested in the name
Of David Starr nephew Of the original starr ana
the present occupant of the place. man OF some
sxty-odd years, who has spent hfty-lhree years
on the property. It was always supposed Ilere was
coal underlying the property, as II Is adJdcehI 10
the famous Otto and Phoenix Park mines. whlch
rl,edt been Tor the last nIty
years In fact Samuel B. Fisher the civil engineer
and surveyor. who died in the early sixties ana
whose notes and maps are taken as authority To-
day on all mining contentious said as early as
1886 there was coal the Starr tract and but lit
tie attention was given his statements until re-
Gently.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad Company wanted the
property and so cid the Philadelphia and Reading
Coal and Iron Company but Mr.. Starr, at the ad-
vice of counsel, Colonel George ". Ryon, held off
for better offers A preliminary survey was made
| and MI T Y. PowdeTly. the labor leader. was
asked TO accept the presidency and Edward Pay
| son Cone. of 100 Broadway the treasurership, Of
| company organized by New-York capitalists. in
| Guiding Mr.. David Bonner. brother Of the late
Robert Bonner, founder of The New-York
Ledger" who took over the property They &C NC
the market and sold to commence active work
Engines and pumping machinery are now at the
the shafts already sunk of water. Mr.. B. E.
has contracted to build the breaker. which is TO
be completed by April l next and which is TO have
cost, when completed $4,000. The Philadelphia and
& s fh m p6 Pt les Pbs aS once 70 c JaG
reason contains not only every vein OF coal that
cite 20 &c but on ha In 9u veins G Wc
vary from six to twelve feet in thickness. All Of
Of red ash, and that being of the highest quality
main drift will be at the lower END of the property
and all shafts now opened will De deepened. There
a af fa u Ph om a f 1 one os R1hTe
and thirty-five feet The breaker will not only be
fed with coal from its own shaft. but from each
Of the others The coal will be conveyed to the
nearly half a mile long This viii give the advan-
tage Of large track storage which VIII allow the
time Most breakers rely upon single shaft for
ammed with coal that the output OF the breaker is
The geological map of this district, which shows
the dip Of all coal veins IN the Southern coal field
pared by Samuel B. Fisher above referred to. in
1885. and its correctness has been questioned
mine lies in the almost geographical centre Of
this feld which extends from Mauch Chunk west
four to seven miles. giving II the OF the
The Black Diamond Anthracite Mine has ar
ranged TO sell ITS entire output no matter what il
position to underseIi The old n0InRaries na en-
and still make ENORMOUS profits. The Black Ola
Inond Anthracite Coal Company owns its property
In fee sP or and b6n 5as no Toyetes to pay
acteTiZes 80 per cent OF all mines in this region
The longer the coal stays in the ground the
more valuable IT becomes. Some expert has figured
that the anthracite coal supply Will be exhausted
in two hundred and fifty years: in any event il Is
being exhausted very rapidly Anthracite coal will
never be so cheap as 1t has been. Some of the
largest mines in the upner district are Incoming
exhausted, The prices Will gradually Increase and
the Black Diamond Anthracite Coal Company has
agreed with the miners 10 allow Them "a
work the contract plan and then the company
always predict the maximum charge a ton the
coal will cost them at the mouth of the mine
Under the contract system with the miners each
miner becomes a contractor. He digs nv contra ~
at least eight tons Of coal daily He paws for his
own helper, buys powder for blasting OH for bie
lamps. and pays for sharpenng his tools The com
pany pays him from 81 81 IS ner car as soon
as loaded. Miners before the present strike have
made from Sc TO $40 a day under this system
The mine Will be In working order hy, AnriI
next and the president promises IL viii he q 5t,,i
dend payer in thirty days thereafter Those in
terested in the company point out that the location
Of the property in the Southern coal field gives n
an advantage in freight rates over the Tackawerro
mines II is from fifty TO seventy miles nearar
20 tdewater than the mines of Scranton or Willxas
barre.