Year: 1869


aster-The Miners safety Lamps-In the In
byrinthe Of Darkness-The Fire. Damp.


The Avondale mine has been worked for Two
wears Three months ago the miners struck. They
resumed work on Thursday last The mine Is en-
tered by shaft on the hillside. This Is the only
entrance Wooded buildings 100 feet high and 200
feet long covered the mouth OF the SHAFT. The mine
was nlled with narrow passages from four to ten
feet high which occasionally opened into immense
pockets or caves, A railroad track was laid on the
bottom of each Of these passages The cars were
filled with coal three-quarters of mile from the
shaft, by the miners at work. The coal cars were
then run through the various wooden-supported
passages to the shaft. They were then run uPona a
platform which was raised to the top of the shaft,
the same as a common elevator or vertical railway
When the reached the earths surface they were
run out over trestle railway through the wooden
buildings and dumped. The coal would fall in huge
screens, where in some cases, II was properly as
sorted and then dumped into the cars of the Blooms
burg and Lackawanna Railroad, by which means it
was taken to market.


ENTERING THE MINE.


A person wishing to enter the mine would get into
an empty coal car which was then run upon the
elevator at the top OF the shaft. At given sig
nal the empty car would drop. and at the same time
a loaded car would ascend the double shaft. AS the
bottom was struck, the empty car would glide OFF
into dark passage, and loaded car would take its
place. In an instant mule would be hitched to the
empty car, which would be drawn at rapid rate to
the foot OF an inclined plane Here train of light
cars would be formed, which were then drawn up
the plane by the simultaneous descent Of train OF
loaded cars.


THE LAMP AND DARK TUNNELS


The various veins of coal in the Avondae mine





slope. passage way is cut along each vein. These
tunnels are fearfully dark Their only light is that
from the miners lamps. These safety lamps are
worn on the miners hats.


THE BREASTS AND THE POCKETS.


The ''breasts" in which the mining is carried on
sometimes resemble huge halls and rooms. One
the gallery along this vein is cOrrespondlngy large
The mine Is simply vast network OF black laby
rDths, expanding occasionally into immense pockets
or ''breasts, where larger blasts than usual are
made The coal is cracked by these blasts, and
oosened by the pick and shovel after which the cars
are filled. The miners work in these dark galleries
in groups Of from five to q dozen men. The cars
hold about two tons apiece In brisk times the
mine will turn out about five hundred tons day.
The miners proper work by the carload, and easily
make five dollars per day. The mule boys generally
get five dollars per week. The men who handle the
cars and attend to the hOistng are also paid by the
week.


THE DEADLY FIRE AND CHOKE DAMP.


AS there was but one main shaft to the AvOndale
mine, its ventilation was difficult. 1t had not been
worked for some time, and much foul air had col
ected in the damp places. Beside the bad air gene
rated by the men and horses, and by the burning of
lamps and gunpOwder, infammable gases issue from
creyices in the coal. These gases mingle with the
foul air of the mine, and will explode on the ap-
proach of lighted candle This gas is the fire
damp so much dreaded by the miners. To breathe
it thirty seconds is sure death.


The tre-damp is composed of carburetted HYDRO
gen, and the choke-damp of carbOnic When blast
ing for coal it will frequently issue in jets called
blowers. At times, when the cavities are broken
into the coal by picks or crowDars, these blowers
will burst out, creating singing noise by the force





reservoirs holding under great pressure immense
bodies of gas disseminated through large areas of
COAL or collected in abandoned workings.


AN EXPLOSION.


When such bodies are inGamed, the whole atmo-
sphere OF that portion OF the mine expodes and the
The mine is like the interior of fiery furnace The
flames rush through the long corridors, causing re-
Shafts as II issuing from the crater Of the Volcano
The subterranean walls are frequently shaken as if
thnir iUh nn nv no nj fhn
hasten through the dark passages, stumbling over
heaps CT rubbish.


THE FATAL FURNACE


1t is possible that the accident at the Avondale
mine was caused by one of these explosions Per-
sons entering the mine complain of the sulphurous
fumes choking up the corridors The mine was
ventilated by furnace at the bottom Of the shaft.
BY this furnace the air was made to circulate
air for feeding the furnace was of course drawn
from the lower part of the mine.


DEADLY VENTILATION


Avondae mine has but one shaft. That was dvi-
ded by a ar-tight partition into an upcast and
downcast. The fresh air across the passages below
caused the air to pass to any and all desired points
before it reached the passage leading to the fur
mace. Ingenious expedients were adopted to regu-
late the currents of air, and to cause only the air
which had passed through the purer portions of the
mine to feed the fire. lest the most impure currents
should become inhamed, and the explosions fellow
back into the most remove workings. The partitions
across the great gangWays along which the coal was
were opened and shut as the coal cars passed
through. Thus the furnace was the sole means of
ventilation.


THE PIT OF THE DEAD.


The cause of the disaster will never be known.
At early stream OF nre shot up the shaft with
fIghtful rapidity, and the buildings above were
wrapped in names quickly that the engineers and
others barely had time to escape. The wood OF the
shaft either caught fire from the furnace or the
rushing blaze came from the lighting of tre-damp
within the mine. The dryness OF the mine favors
the former suppositon, but the sulphurous gases
choking the explorers, and the heetness OF the fire,
would indicate an ignition OF nre-damp. IN eltner
case every soul in the mine has perished. The tele
graph has failed to tell who attended to the fur
mace or whether any dead bodies were found at the
bottom of the shaft.