Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-03-28
MINE BURNS FOR 60 YEARS
Fired in 1859, 1t Has Ragged Con-
tinuously Ever Since.
Over e1,OOO.OOO Expended ON 1t in Vain
They Are Now Engaged in strip
ping IL Down to the
Coal.

Of the second of it's distinctions. The first
Of these is, of course, the switchboard
railroad that runs there from Mauch
Chunk. The other is the fire that has
been raging in Greenwood mine since
1858. says the New York Sunday World.
This fire now holds all records for sub
terranean burning-barring volcanic. 1t
has destroyed nearly so acres of the finest
quality of anthracite coal, and menaces
an enormously greater area than that.
Considerably more than 81, 900, 900 has al
ready been spent in efforts to bring it un
Ser control. For two generations it has
been the marvel of lay and professional
minds alike.
Every known way Of fighting mine fires
has been used at Summithill Just now
The Lehigh Coal & Navigation company,
which owns Greenwood, as well as the
endangered mines about 1t, has under
taken new project which will either
solve the problem or establish the fact
hat solution is beyond human craft.
GOING TO UNCOVER IT NOW.
Greenwood mine is being stripped. The
mountain top that overlies it is being
dug up and carried away. The veins of
coal are being taken from the path of
the fire. precisely as buildings in the path
work has been going on for year; it will
take four years more to complete it,
1t Is impossible to estimate how much
excavation embraces a stretch of surfac
about 400 yards in width 1t will be per-
haps mile in length. So far the average
depth has been about 40 feet; before the
work Is over the average may prove to
have been considerably more than that.
Miles of narrow gauge railroad have
been laid along which ''dinky" locomo-
lives haul the lettering dumpcarts load
ed with rock and soil. Half dozen steam
shovels of the largest capacity are gnaw-
Ing at the earth, and a gang of $50 men
tolls through all varieties of weather.
Tor the fire keeps on whether the men
work or not.
Edwin Ludlow, managing vice. president
OF the Coal & Navigation company, is in
charge of the work. To his specialized
mind the most interesting thing about II
all Is the estimates that the coal taken
out in this way will defray the expenses
of the entire project. If that proves to be
true, putting out the fire will have cost
nothing. and the other mnes freed from
hazard. will be worth 100 per cent OF
their value.
NUMEROUS METHODS TRIED.
0icSHWOOu IIllHe was HTeQ FeDruary B.
1858. by the flaring lamp in the cap OF
a miner on his way out at the end OF
his days work. The flame ignited an oil.
soaked timber. and the next morning the
tunnel was found to be the mouth of a
roaring furnace.
The usual methods of fighting fires
were tried-water was poured on, bulk
heads were built, barricades of earth and
culm were erected. The fire disregarded
them all 1t spread along cuts and
through chambers; it followed crevices In
rock, 1t disappeared completely in one
place to reappear with new fury in an.
other.
In 1901 the fire made it's appearance In
Spring Tunnel mine, thereby serving no.
tice that others than Greenwood lay in its
path. Thirty-five acres of coal had been
consumed by that time, and the company
began to consider heroic measures. Pub
LEGATION of this fact brought on an avail
anche of suggestions and proposals from
every corner of the world.
Dear Sir" one Of them ran, 81 see
by the papers that your mine is on fire
will undertake to put out the fire on the
following terms: $4,000 down and $5O,OO(
on completion of the work"
For some reason this figure of 500, OO(
was quoted in nearly every offer. II
might have been a union rate.
None or these proposals was taken un.
der consideration. Plans were laid b,
the company itself for extraordinar,
measures against the fire, however. A
pumping station was erected along the
Schuylkill river, and two pumps with 8
capacity of 1000 gallons a minute each
were installed. They forced waite,
through 10-inch pipe to Summithill, 1,6O,
Feet above the station. There eight incl
holes were drilled at intervals down t.
the burning coal. Through these holes {
mixture OF water and "slush." or culm
IN proportions of 10 to one. was poured
Tor eight hours day. Then for 16 hour,
oay clear water was poured in, to carr!
the "slush' into the rock crevices ant
corners where the fire was raging. Thi
method has, on the whole, been the mos
effective ever devised for fighting sucl
nres. The "slush" packs in until the fir
Is blanketed out. the force of the waite
carrying it into places that could not b.
reached otherwise.
III tnlS way more than 1850, 0OO 900 gal
IONS OF water a year was poured int,
GREENWOOD mine. Now and then the fir
would seem to be yielding In every in
stance, however, this merely presaged II
appearance at some new point. which
meant that 1t would follow fissure in tn
rock until it could spread out again. II
presence in new places would be heralde,
by terrific rises in temperature, $50 de
grees often being registered at the sur
face.
In 1909 the fire had gained such headwa,
that an entirely new mode of procedur
was decided upon. This was the buildin
OF a concrete dam, or f1rewall, across tn
PAIN OF the names The structure wa
made IL feet thick. 1t extended for
wioth OF l'aV feet, and had an averag
depth OF 40 feet At some places the con
crete was carried to the surface. at other
piers would be sunk and Joined beneat
the surface at various depths.
Building this dam was work that on
taiied great hardships. At places the hea
was so great that the men could not stan
II Tor more than 20 minutes at a time
sometimes they were overcome by su]
pnur Fumes and by gases, but the protee
was carried on without actual interrur
ton until the task was completed.
Ana IN the meantime the fire kent n
ttsway. Columns of steam and of smol
rising at unexpected places would mar
Its vagrant progress and officials Of m
company gladly would have quit thinkin
about the matter IL they had dared. b,
they had too much at stake.
Two years ago the plan for strippir
the mine was got under way. 1t involve
the removal OF earth clear down to Il
Mammoth vein, In which the fire W,
burning. This vein does not run lev
but bends and folds, so that at son
places 1t is comparatively near the an
face; at others many feet below; at son
places actually at the surface But II
being laid bare Wherever II liao OLA a,