Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-11-13
WINS FIFTY YEAR
FIGHT WITH FIRE
Coal Worth $4,000,
Saved by Engineer.
MANY PLANS TRIED IN VAIN.
Success Comes Finally With Building
of Concrete Wall, Cutting OFF From
Flames Main Body of Threatened
Fuel In Gigantic Thumb"

In order to save 4oo000.0OO tons Of
coal from mine that had been burn
/ ing half a century one of the most re-
markable operations in the history of
American engineering has just been
completed at Mauch Chunk, Pa.
The fire was discovered in the mines
on Feb 10. 1859. During all the time
| it has been raging, while two genera
lions were coming and going, it has
consumed 100000 tons of coal. esti-
mated to be worth $25,0O0,0Oo
Succeeding administrations of the
company owning the land have recog
niZed that the greatest service they
could do the company was to stop the
progress of the flames before they
finally got into the main deposit and
destroyed all the coal.
Coal Worth Billions In Danger.
Four hundred million tons of that
lay In danger, and this represented a
value of $2,000,0Oo,000.
1t was a stake well worth playing
atom of ingenuity and spending
fortune in cash If the advance of the
flames could be checked.
One plan after another was tried by
engineer after engineer, but the result
was always the same-failure and a
big outlay of money for which no re-
turn could be shown.
In the early stages the blunder was
made of attempting to subdue the
flames with water. but this only made
the situation worse. The water COM
ing in contact with the flames pro-
duced explosions that cracked the coal
open and made new paths along which
the fire could make It's way
Sometimes the fire would slow up
bit, and engineers would get the idea
that they had succeeded. Ga one oc-
casion, indeed, 1t seemed to have stop
ped altogether, but just when this
hope dawned the flames broke out
afresh In still more powerful volume,
and the sacrifice of valuable coal land
went on undated.
Gigantic Thumb" Of Coal.
Only one fortunate circumstance
CdlilG W lIC anu Va LhC man W nv LAS
now finally succeeded in making the
winning fight against the fire. w. A.
Lathrop. This is the shape of the de-
posit The general shape of the Pan
ther creek coal basin has been ikened
to that of a mans hand, with the
thumb extended and the other fingers
held together. The spur that marks
and at the end of the thumb the slope
was originally opened up.
The point where the fire started fifty
years ago was on the outside of the
thumb. 1t has taken fifty years for
the flames to eat up this giant thumb,
but after the accomplishment of the
job the next step of the work of dew
astation would be to get into the
main part of the hand.
Once into the hand there would have
been nothing to stop the progress, and
400,000,000 tons of coal must inevitably
have been sacrificed.
But there is where science, i'll the
person of Engineer Lathrop, came to
the rescue. In addition to being an
expert on engineering subjects Mr..
Lathrop is also the president of the
company, and he has been for long
time devoting himself to study of the
subject in order to save the great coal
deposit.
He first tried in vain the plan of
"slushing holes" Long borings were
made across the spur and in advance
of the rapidly moving flames. 1t was
difficult work, for the heat was great,
and the men who gave the battle had
to be constantly relieved.
Those 700 holes were driven down to
the water level and We're then filed
with mud. the idea being to form a
barrier of wet clay between the fire
and the main coal deposit.
slush No Bar to Flames.
The deepest of the holes was so deep
that it took 5000 tons of the slush to
fill it. But ten times that much would
have proved unavailing. The flames
went right through the slush the same
as If it had been so much combustibe
material.
In December, 1908. the fire went
through the last of the mud defenses
and brought Mr. Lathrop to the de-
cision that only one thing could save
the main coal deposit. solid con-
crete wall must be placed ahead of the
flames.
This was to be built exactly on the
same lines as the fireproof wall that
guards a dwelling-for instance. the
alter.
Only in this case was presented the
enormously difficult project of sinking
such a wall 175 feet deep into the
earth. 1t had to be twelve feet thick
to make sure that no flame could get
through it, and In order to make
long enough contact to the flames,
something that they could not work
around, 1t was necessary to have 1850
feet of 1t. or nearly one-tifth OF mile.
In some places 1t was found that ITS
feet of depth was not enough, and the
wall had to be carried down TO a depth
OF 247 feet