Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-27
MINING ANTHRACITE
How the Pennsylvania Coal
Fields Were Worked
BEFORE THE STRIKE
THE INDUSTRY IS ONLY A CEN
TURY OLD.
Bringing the Product to the Surface
and Preparing It for
Market.
THE STRIKE
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Anthracite! This is the word that is strik-
ing terror and alarm to millions Of Amer-
cans today. It is not a new word, but It
has a new meaning. Originally it repre-
scented nothing but the coal bin, which
could be filed by telephone call at a mo-
ment's notice. Now it means a vision Of
pinching cold. 1t brings to view the horri-
BILE spectacle Of rioting mobs. 1t pictures
want and desolation when the miner and
his family are thought of, and it pictures
suffering and misery when the worlds poor
who are dependent on the miner for coal
are considered.
This word which has become such vital
part Of the life Of the American people is a
striking example Of how the world becomes
dependent on what may be termed the lat
ter-day progress Of mankind. Just one hum
dred years ago Philadelphia received her
first shipment of anthracite COAL It came
to the city in two river arks, and was used
to gravel the sidewalks. A small quantity
of this coal was burned in a CRATE. but the
experiment was not success. and in 1906.
when another ark load of coal tied up at
the wharf in the Quaker city 1t was re-
1ected-no one wanted 1t. In 1903 Judge
Fell Of Wilkesbarre successfully burned
anthracite in a CRATE. In 1919 another eff
fort was made to market anthracite in
Philadelphia, but nine wagon loads which
were sent there from Pottsville had to be
given away.
coal in the region of Pennsylvania so rich
in this product were so evident that anthra-
cite must have been known to the Ind ans.
the first authentic date in connection with
anthracite lie 1852. In that year ParshalI
Terry and company Of Connecticut pon-
GERS found coal at the mouth Of Mill creek,
on the banks OF the SusQuehanna, near the
site of the present city Of Wilkesbarre. In
a aolx init
thracite for fuel in his forge. In ITS the
proprietary government Of Pennsylvania
had coal foated down the Susquehanna
river from Wilkesbarre to Harrisburg-then
Harris Ferry-from where it was hauled in
wagons to the arsenal at Carlisle for use
in the manufacture Of munitions Of war,
and similar shipments were made annually
during the revolutionary war.
The First Mine.
The operation of the first anthracite coal
mine was begun by John and Abijah Smith
of Derby. Conn.,. who settled at Plymouth,
Pa, in 1865 and bought up large tract Of
coal lands. They began shipping by arks
Immediately to points along the Susque-
hanna river. 1t was necessary, however
to create demand for anthracite and the
Smith brothers usually accompanied their
cargoes and taught the people how to burn
anthracite. At this time anthracite sold
for $40 ton in Baltimore and S12 ton in
New York, where it was used almost ex-
clusively in FORCES.
The real history of the anthracite coal
coal were shipped to Philadelphia from the
Lehigh region. During the next ten years
the trade from the Lehigh region was firm
ly established. and the Schuylkill region
was opened up upon the completion of
water communication with Philadelphia
During the latter part Of this period the
Delaware and Hudson Canal Company was
organized and began the shipment Of an
thracite from Carbonate by the canal and
the gravity railroad
From this time on the trade rapidly in
piled. only to be replaced by locomotives |
on their advent. One Of the first locomo-
tives used in this country was for the pur-
pose of hauling anthracite. |
Mining Methods.
The process of mining anthracite coal |
consists Of two MISUNDERSTANDING and
closed work. Stripping is the process
where the coal lies near the surface of the |
ground as it does in many instances in the |
anthracite field. The closed work is that
done under ground. or at the bottom of a
shaft. Owing to the character Of the de-
posits the room and pillar system Is en-
ployed. When the shaft cannot be placed
SO as to reach the lowest point OF the de-
post the coal below Is reached by inside
or blind shafts or inside slopes. These
shafts, which are sometimes sunk to a
depth OF over thousand feet, usually have
several compartments. one for the pump
way and ladder and two or more for hoist
Ing. A common size Of the hosting COM
partments Is 7x12 feet. The coal is brought
to the bottom of the shaft from the inside |
or blind shafts by means of small cars and
In some instances sheet iron chutes, accord |
ing to the inclination of the shaft accord
ing as the blind shaft slopes up or down
from the bottom of the shaft from the sur |
face.
Anthracite IL mined with hand rotary, i
drills and by black blasting powder. Dyna- |
mite or giant powder IL used for rock work. |
sometimes for driving gangways, and I'm !
some locations for blasting the coal itself I
where fire damp necessitates hameless ex- |
plosive. The mines ara ventilated by rotary /
fans. The law requires that each miner /