Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-11-19
WINS FIFTY YEAR
| FIGHT WITH FIRE
bal Worth S2,OOO,OOO,
Saved BY Engineer.
lANY PLANS TRIED N VAIN

eeess Comes Finally With Building
y Concrete Wall, Cutting OF From
Flames Main Body Of Threatened
Fuel In Gigantic "Thumb."
IN order TO save 100000. 900 tons OF
ii from a mine that had been burn
! half a century one Of the most re-
arkable operations In the history Of
nerican engineering has just been
mpleted at Mauch Chunk. Pa.
Che fire was discovered in the mines
Feb. 10. 1859. During all the time
has been raging, while two genera
|ns were coming and going, 1t has
psumed 100000 tons Of coal. esti-
ted to be worth $25.00OOOO.
succeeding administrations of the
npany owning the land have recoR-
ed that the greatest service they
I'D do the company was to stop the
gress Of the flames before they
billy got into the main deposit and
troyed all the coal.
Coal Worth Billions In Danger.
our hundred million tons Of that
in danger, and this represented a
pc of $4,000, 100000.
was a stake well worth playing
and well worth exerting the last
sn Of ingenuity and spending a
une In cash II the advance Of the
hes could be checked.
ne plan after another was tried by
ineer after engineer, but the result
always the same-failure and a
outlay Of money for which no re-
b could be shown.
the early stages the blunder was
lie of attempting to subdue the
les with water, but this only made
situation worse. The water COM
In contact with the flames pro-
ed explosions that cracked the coal
and made new paths along which
fire could make its way.
bmetimes the fire would slow up a
and engineers would get the idea
they had succeeded. On one oc-
on. indeed, it seemed to have stop
altogether. but just when this
e dawned the flames broke out
hsh in still more powerful volume,
the sacrifice of valuable coal land
BIT on undated.
Gigantic aThuuobn oF Coal.
ply one fortunate circumstance
e to the aid of the man who has
finally succeeded in making the
ming fight against the fire. W. A.
hrop. This Is the shape Of the de-
it, The general shape OF the Pan
creek coal basin has been likened
that Of a mans hand. with the
NIB extended and the other fingers
a together. The spur that marks
thumb extends to Summit Hill.
at the end of the thumb the slope
originally opened up.
be point where the fire started fifty
rs ago was on the outside OF the
NIB. 1t has taken fifty years for
flames to eat up this giant thumb.
after the accomplishment of the
the next step Of the work Of dew
ton would be TO get into the
D part of the hand.
bee into the hand there would have
nothing to stop the progress, and
1000 tons of coal must inevitably
been sacrificed.
pt there is where science. in the
on of Engineer Lathrop. came to
rescue. In addition to being an
ri on engineering subjects Mr..
lrop is also the president OF the
pany, and he has been for a long
devoting himself to study OF the
ect In order to save the great coal
psit
first tried in vain the plan OF
shing holes" Long borings were
e across the spur and in advance
be rapidly moving flames. 1t was
Fult work. for the heat was great.
the men who gave the battle had
? constantly relieved.
ose 700 holes were driven down to
water level and were then dlled
mud, the idea being to form q
Ter of wet clay between the IRE
the main coal deposit.
slush No 5arto Flames.
deepest OF the holes was so deep
1t took 5000 tons of the slush 20
But ten times that much would
proved unavailing. The flames
right through the slush the same
1t had been so much combustible
rial.
December. 1905, the IRE went
agh the last Of the mud defenses
brought Mr.. Lathrop to the de-
that oniy one thing could save
main coal deposit. A solid con-
wall must be placed ahead OF the
5.
was TO be built exactly on the
lines as the tireproOf wall that
IS dwelIing-for instance. a the
J in this case was presented the
nously difficult project Of sinking
wall ITO feet deep into the
II had 10 be twelve feet thick
he sure that no fame could get
On II. and 10 order 20 make a
enough nnutms.f #n the 8nuaa