Year: 1879

One of the most interesting and exten-
sive fires ever known in this country has
been raging in a colliery in Schuykill
county for nearly torty-five years. Thou
sands of dollars have been spent in vain
endeavors to extinguish the fire, but at
last the idea was abandoned, and since
the beginning of the war nothing has
been done to subdue the conhagration,
which RACES withoutlinterruption. The
history of this mine is very interesting,
and, strange to say, though hundreds of
travellers visit the coal-fields of this and
adjoining counties every year, hardly any
of them hear of this great curiosity. The
vein that is burning is called the "Jugu-
lar" and the surface crop was first
worked in 1888 by Lewis E. Dougherty,
at place called Coal Castle, one and
half miles west of what is known as
Mount Laffee. The coal taken out was
of excellent quality and the mine very
productive. When drift is worked
above water level it is the custom to
keep huge crate filled with burning
coal just outside the mouth to prevent
the water in the cutters from freezing.
Such CRATE was in operation in the up
per drift of Mr.. Dougherty's mine in the
winter of 1895. One Saturday night the
CRATE was filled with an unusually large





their homes. On the following Monday
morning when the mine was visited it
was found to be filled with flames. 1t
is supposed that the fire in the CRATE be-
came communicated to the timbers, and
moving along the upper drift was, by
means of an air. hole, carried into the
lower drift. At any rate, the coal in
both drifts was on fire when the men
came to work on Monday morning, and
two of the miners recklesslJ went in to
save their tools and never returned.


Efforts were made to extinguish the
fire, but, after working for several weeks,
M. Dougherty gave up all hopes, and,
abandoning the place, opened another
colliery about half a mile west of it.
During the winter of 1867, Mr.. John
McGinnis. of Pottsville, heard of the
large body of coal that lay near the
abandoned mine and concluded that
some of it could be got out without
reaching the fire. He put in a slope on
the east side of the vein and below the
water level. The work, however, pro-
gressed slowly, and owing to heavy
masses of rock encountered was very eX-
pensive. He was finally rewarded by
striking the "Jugular" vein at point
where there was q deposit of coal so
thick that two or three miners could
keep the breaker going, and although it
was worked for months, they never sue
ceeded in getting through it. The coal
proved 10 be first-class, and four hun
dred yards of gangway had been driven
when the miners began to complain of
excessive heat, and then Mr.. McGinnis
knew that they were approaching the
fire in the mine Dougherty had aban-
doned. This was about year after the
ClOnn had bpn11 etaI,fn6 onH Mr., Ma(Nip-
mis- saw that it would be necessary to
open an air-hole. This work began
ut once, but after driving twenty
or thirty yards the heat became
so intense that the workmen were al
most suffocated, and many of them re-
fused to continue. By paying double
wages n number of men were found will.
ing to work in the air-hole; some idea
of the Intense heat may be had when it
is stated that the men worked perfectly
naked, and were relieved every ten min
utes. After the air-hole had been opened
about fifty yards the heat became unbear-
able, and the men tainted when exposed
to it n minute or two. Seeing that it
was impossible to complete the air-hole,
work in it was given up, and at a fortu-
nate time. for 1t was afterward discov-
cred that if the hole had been carried up
a few yards further it would have struck
thewater on the upper level and drowned
eve ry one in the mine. About this time
the miners noticed that when a shot
was fired, and the coal came rolling
down in huge masses, it was so warm
that it could not be comfortably handled
Every day the miners expected to Sc.
| fire break out, and at last, when comine
to work one morning, they found tg
gangway filled with smoke and 1lamhe
| As this was expected to happen sooneres.
later, preparations had been made to or
tinguish the fire, and the mine was sex =
filled with water. This treatment oon
the desired effect, and when the whad
was pumped out work was resumed. .ater
From this time forward it was almost
continual fight with fire, and no less
! than eight times was the colliery filled
with water and pumped dry again. The
ninth time the mine was filled with water
the machinery got out of order and the
| pump refused to work. AS Mr.. Mc(Iin-
mis- had sunk all his capital and could
not raise enough money to purchase new
machinery, the mine was abandoned in
! the winter of 1859. The fire continued
to burn until the barriers between the
mine were consumed, and the timbers in
Mr.. McGinnis' mine gradually rotted
away, and finally the slope caved in.
! From that time until now the fire has
continued without interruption, and the
coal has been consumed for half mile
in every direction. The ground has
caved in in many places, leaving great
chasms that vary from fifty to one hun
dred feet in depth. Travel over the
! burned district is exceedingly dangerous
| to any one not familiar with the coun-
| try, for in many places great holes are
only covered by shell of burned earth
three or four feet thick. Mr.. McGinnis
states that even as familiar as he is with
| the locality, he came very near losing
his life there a few years ago by falling
! through the crust. He was crossing a
| portion of the burnt field when he felt
| the earth giving way under his feet, and
on starting to run for firmer ground ne
sank up to his armpits in dry ashes and
/ burned earth. Fortunately he managed,