The weekly true Democrat., 1909-11-05

l0Ia II .I.. .i..u 0N.. - ltN Al.4. -
n1 al But cen times that mach would
have proved un4FalIins. Th4 6amca
weat right through the slusb tho aauaa
- q b bad been - much combostbie
material.
In Dscember. 1908 the ore vent
lbroush gbe lasi Of the mud dsfanses
aDd brooKht Alr. LathEop TO the de.
elsIon that only ono thing could aavs
tie main coel deposit A solid con-
crete waI must Be placed ahead of enc
namea.
This Wae % be bailt exactly on the
came Hines as tho frepr0of wall hat
guards 4 DWELLING for instance. Z ths-
aier.
Only 81 this case vas pgcsonted DE
enormously dinculi psoiect og sinking
such a wall 175 feet deep Int the
earth. It had 10 BE- twelve feet tldek
% nake sure that 40 fame could Bet
thr6ueh &, and IL order 70 make Z
long enough contact b the flames,
something that thay could noe WORK
around. 4 was nscassary 70 have 1s060
feet of it oF neariy one-ofth of q uaile.
IN some places 4 was found that tIB
feet of depth mas aot ana TIE
wan had % he carried doWn q & depEh
of 2tI feel.
Ihe building of this van vas ~
roIc taSk. shafts weg6 ssdk. end thsn
tha eut was walled up o. az sides with
cement.
The are was only 600 lsel away
when the work started. Tba e1glneors
sso6aniEod that this uas too close Cor
safety. but they had nc CHOKE. Cor if
the wall had been buflt any larlher
away 4 would uot bhFo cut 81 tie
main body ~ the c0ei basin and hence
would have been useless q q bafrlaA
Therefore all the risks had TO BE-
borne. Az soon as the arst shafts were
sunk they created draft that carried
the ORE literally roaring toward the
barrier llne
Fire Fl0htsFs oysrooms.
The ground was 60 shattered that 4
sesmed almost IKE cutting through
auickaand. Tbe rocks through which
the men had 10 cut became 10 hot that
q miner could not touch them With his
bars hands. An insidious gas came
through the cracks IN the rock, and L
diled an the shafts. Lights would not
burn 10 Il. and men who were subject
"a 70 It's FUMES quickly colispseh
When this are damp nrst began its
work Il created panic, and volunteers
could not Be induced 10 90 down into
the shafts. undefoated, President La
throp Immediately installed powerful
ventllatine machinery. and iield hos-
pital on the ground vas equipped with
the most powerful rest0ratives,
Thirty minutes at q time was all
that a man could stand IN the shaft.
aud % every half hour the force at
work had 70 Be changed add even
with this prscaution there were fro
Quent cases of prostratiol. Dut 20 wen
did the hospital fOree work that not .
single daath occurred "a the midst Of
the entire 0Degatio1.
The work Of excavation is practical
" eOmpIeled. The line Of shafts and
the open cut have been filed up with
nrepfeof material The alternating
shafts have been sunk and Allied up.
There h q 6reprocf wEli 100 feet Ions.
i2 feet tbick. running from the top 0s
the hll where the coal outcr0pa 10
the Iaat shaft. which at = depth of iT5
6eet reaches the pegmanent water level.
From thls shaft b the boundary Of
TIE coal seam 2l7 fest below the sur
face, q tunnel q being driven. This
Win cut the lower coal Seaui 10 two.
leaving not q scrap Of combustibIe ua-
torlai
when the tunnel is cut through it
WIN b walled up with cement and
slled with mud. THIS Will make the
Ore wall 1850 feet over lts total length.
400 Of which gees 70 tie surface o.
the grouDd and d IN some places i75
feot from its Top base Bnder ground.
The cost q the WOrk b estimated
at s2OO00. but n Il does It's awork.
ana there ara 10 misgiringB on thia
point. & will save q four hundred mil.
lion ton coal aIled Geld and exiinEuish
3 nre that has burned. for dfty years
in the rsceosss 0f lba earth.
uannef.