The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-06-01

ne some OF the heaviest and best coal
mining machinery that Is TO be found
Ia any mining region anywhere in mel
world. As a illustration Of The PAINS
taking manner ID which the Jones
brothers 70 about blitldiIlg their coal
NAM III e etiod 81 putting The foiitl;
difi "a nnde tlie power iouse VIII AZ.
ford an ap example Under the tilrse;
tfoII of their CHIEF en- glnee solid
slab Of concrete ave feet thick e2terds
under the entire length and breadth
81 the building and from this slab the
found ation piers are started Seven
mammoth boilers Asith double hosting
engine. compressers fans and dyna,
mos 70 10 make up the equipment irl
the power plant. To give a technical
description OF the machinery would
take more space than Is afforded 70
this article, but a more detailed DC,
scription Of the plant Is promised OF
some future time. One piece OF ma.
ctinery that attracts unusual attention
Is the large fan, which is 35xS feet
and is large enough to keep the air IN
good condition throughout the entire
operation. at all times. being one Of the
largest fans ever erected.
The shaft, which is a solid concrete
wall with an opening 2sxt2 feet, goes
down 800 feet, from which the head.
ings are being driven. The shaft y AZ
double one and two hoisting cages
may. be operated at once.
The ripple. a
Before reaching the plant on going
up the creek the huge structural steel
work OF the tipple Is to be seen, re-
sembling very much that OF a big city
sky.scraper. This tipple stands over
the shaft ITO feet in the air and covers
almost as much ground as a city block.
The system Of handling the coal, shift.
ing the cars and the automatic screen.
age and conveyance OF the coal after
1t is brought to the surface makes this
tipple as near perfect as the art Of
mine engineering can make It. The
coal is carried from the shaft TO the
car in which 1t goes to market In that
same careful manner that farmer
would handle his eggs except that II
is all done by an automatic process OF
machinery. The coal is not dropped
from the tipple into the cars, but Is
carried down to the. yard where the
car is waiting to be loaded by a grad
ual incline, the coal being carried on
a conveyer very much like a moving
sidewalk, from which 1t Is gently low
cred into the car without breaking or
waste of any kind.
The noisy work OF riyeting and plac:
ing,t the frame work Of. the tipple con-
tinues from day to day and within a
few weeks time the model ttpple Of
West Virginia will be ready for use,
i A duplicate OF the tipple is TO be
built q few hundred yards above 1t to
handle the coal that will be mined
from the slope mine.
When 1t Is known that this company
owns 1000 acres Of coal that will run
the plant for fifty years, II It is yoper-
ated at full capacity, there is no won
der to be found inthe fact that the
best possible preparation is being
made to handle in the best and most
economical manner the immense pro-
duct Of these seven thousand acres OF
Pittshurg coal. 4. AZ
3 The tipple Is being built by the
Jeffreys Manufac curing Company. The
store and supply house ia. not vet up,
but Will soon be built near the forks
Of the road si,l ~ ~
Y This plant, while not yet near ready
to commence full operation, Is losing
no time, The work has been in pro-
gress for more than year and before
The railroad was built to the mine,
supplies and material wereihauled over
the rough roads. In this way the mine
will be ready for full operation about
year sooner than 1t would have been
liz the railroad had been waited for.
Some coal has been shipped already,
shipment commencing last November
from temporary tipple, which-ts sun
being used while the steel tlpple Is be-
| ing constructed. About Sly miles Of
entries have been driven and It Is ex
pected that 1900 tons Of coai per day
will be handled by October first. "A
new machine is being used for driving
entries, called a punching machlnet
which will drive an entry about ~
feet day through the six feet OF coal,
Such is, in brief, a review OF some
Of the work that Is being done up this
little stream back in the, hills. And
what is being done here Is being done
in many sections of West Virginia
but possibly not on such an elaborate
land perfect scale. The tendency
among West Virginia coal operators t.
make model mining towns and provide
Ibetter homes for the miners is grow
ling and this sentiment seems to have
been fully developed at Annabelle.
The only difficulty that is being ex
perlenced with the work at this tint
is the shortage Of water. The littlt
stream is about dry but water I'M
lis being laid to Buffalo creek and al
immense dam is being built between
the hills at the head OF one OF thu
forks OF the creek which will storl
sufficient water to carry the worl
Through the dry season hereafter.
To carry on work OF this magnl
Itude, to lay out and build town, opel
up the earth to the depth Of 300 feet
build tIpples and power houses, brlcl
plants, stores. and all that Is rleces
sary to make living possible require
the expenditure Of much money an
more too, 1t requires the best there !
in men, men with good sense and bus
ness ability, with fortitude and tn
willingness to ostracise themselye