Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1926-03-25
GREAT MINE FIRE
GOES ON FOREVER
t@aillions of Tons of Coal is Consumed
= By King of Mine Fires; Now
Burning After 81 Years
5000, 900 BEEN SPENT IN
EFFORT TO CURB FIRE

pSrently goes on forever.
1t has been burning for 81 years
ever since February, 1859, and is the
naost destructive, expensive and ia
Isous mine fires in the history OF
aining in the United States.
The area involved is about one
9ile long and 1900 feet wide. More
than $3,0O0,0OO have been expended
ss fighting the fire. The tonnage OF
coal consumed by this "king" of mine
Hires can only be guessed, but esti-
aates'run as high as 14,OOO,OOO.
The coal area embracing the scene
OF the fire is owned by the the LIE.
nigh Coal and Navigation Company
sounded in 1920.
Summit Hill lies in the Panther
Greek valley, in what is known as the
Schuykill of Lower coal field of the
anthracite regions
In the years since the fire first
was discovered, many stories have
been told of its origin. But the true
STORY, vouched for by the company, is
Shat it was started through hot Goals
being mixed with ashes, the cause of
many fire in the homes of coal
consumers.
1t was common in the days before
Hhe Civil War to have large stoves
at the bottom of the slopes for the
comfort of the men. The bottom
Iaan" at old No. l slope when the
fire started was one Daniel Boyle.
Among other thing it was his duty to
attend to the stove. One morning he
was little late in arriving, and,
karrying to get the stove burning,
gave it severe raking, shaking down
rod hot Goals with the ashes.
An empty car was standing near
and he shoveled the ashes and hot
Goals into it. The cars in those days
we're built entirely of wood, sheet
lpon bottoms not as yet being used.
by the time he finished, one of the
cyivers hitched his mule to the car
and hauled it to one ct the unused
sangways. He had been ordered to
khce ac "a there by the foreman the
ssevious day, in accordance with the
fsrman's intention to place several
nen in that section to do some re-
pair work. The foreman, however,
changed his mind, and the car, as
well as the repairing was forgotten
Ser couple weeks.
When they started to do it they
found the fire well under way, the
hot Goals, mixed with the ashes, hav-
ing ignited the wooden car and the
fire having spread to the timbers. As
N was an old, workcd-out gangway,
the fire spread rapidly to the loose
zeal.
There was little, if any, experience
then in fighting mine fires. The only
method employed was to flood the
place. This was done but on pump
ing out the water it was found that
the fire had gained considerable
headway and showed plainly that
water was of little use in combating
il
There was such an abundance of
coal, the vein here being fifty feet
thick, and many of the workings be-
ing under-developed, it was felt the
fire would burn itself out in time. 1t
was decided to abandon the old slope
and sink a new slope (No. p farther
west. With the development of the
slope passed the glory of Summit
Kill as mining town.
In fighting the fire in the early
sixties, an pen cut Was made which
seemed to isolate it for many years.
Eventually the fire travelled past this
cut into the coalareas beyond
The next method used was sinking
ej-inch diameter bore holes, spaced
rs feet in each direction, across the
basin west of the fire to establish a
barrier $50 feet wide and extending
from the soutcrop on the north to a
point where water seal on the south
would prevent the spread of the fire
Fine silt or coal dirt mixed with wa.
ter was run into the bore holes tc
fill the crevices and openinsg in the
coal seam and the rock everything it
thus creating a barrier which, it was
believed, would check the fire. II
failed.
The next attempt was the sinking
Of 12-feot gap 100 feet into the
earth, which was lined with concrete
and the intervening space filled will
clay, making a fire wall 700 feet
long. The fire travelled so rapidly
that it pressed close to the barrier
before it was completed and necessi
tated the engineers working theil
men in Commute shifts The wal
was finished, notwithstanding tn.
hardships and great expense. Consid
cradle heat filtered through, but tn,
defense halted the fire. For doubl,
security, howevey the west face O.
the wall was cleared and waite
seal constructed.
4 Engineers are now certain the fir,
cannot vault the barrier
Today there is still evidence ol