Year: 1879

ANSoi Viii 3 VIC ouoIeldueau me- liz eAo
vicinity of Pompey Smash. You
seem to think that it is lenthening and
spreading, and you sound the alarm
as true chronicler of events of the
day. There is no doubt the smoke
and vapor You refer to, seen from
Frostburg, verify the truth of the
words of the poet when he says:


"Tis distance lends enchantment to the
view


Now, with your permission, will
lay before your readers and the pub
lie the progress that the fire you re-
fer to has made in the 81 < years it has
been burning. 1t has burned round
the outcrop tho whole length of Old
/ spruce Hill mine, (nain heading)
which is 2,4OO feet in length, and in
that distance there are no surface in
dications that it ever crossed the
main heading referred to until it came
near the mouth Of Spruce Hill mine.
There it crossed the heading, going
down a room driven from the above
mine to Thomas Carrs old mine, and
from there it was discovered that it
had got into No. heading of the old
Astor mine, where there were some
pillars standing, together with some
outcrop coal. The surface indications
showed that the fire was spreading in
that direction, but the fire itself was
discovered by one of the miners of the
village when digging coal in small
mine opened by the miners of the
place fer the purpose of supplying
themselves with fire coal, the said
mine leading into the pillars and out
crop coal above mentioned. The
Superintendent of the Consolidation
coal company was at once notified OF
the fact. He visited the fire coal
mine the next day and gave orders to
shut eff al the air possible from it,
which were carried into effect But
finding it impossible to shut off all
the air, he gave orders to the min
ers to take out their winters fire coal
at once. Accordingly they COM
menced timbering the stump of coal
next to the fire and mined the last
ounce out of it, and next morning the
strata above was broken clear to the
surface, taking down with ii patch
of oats belonging to one of the miners,
thereby shutting off all oxygen from
it. Nothing has been seen Of the fire
in that direction since the surface in
dications where it had crossed, have
all disappeared, and the miners OF
Pompey Smash are taking out their
fire coal where the fire was discover
ed without any trouble-seeing nor
hearing anything of it.


In the meantime when the fire was
discovered in the fire coal mine, the
Superintendent, Mr.. Thomas, gave no.
tice to his superior. Mr. Mayer, pres
ident of the Consolidation coal COM
pany, with the Superintendent and
other officials, visited the locality
made a personal examination of the
surface, and came to the conclusion
that there was no immediate cause foI
alarm for the safety of their property
To carry out the plans then agreed
upon, improvements are going on now
with a view of crossing the main
heading of the old Astor mine for the
purpose of taking out all the pillars
that we're left in said mine. The GOV.
ering being light, and with the prop
er attention that will be given to il
in regard to timbering, tho surface
will be all all broken, thereby making
doubly sure that the fire will make nc
progress in that direction. The man
a9ement of the Consolidation Goa
company has other plans laid out
which would efectualty stop the pro
gress of the fire, that l am not at liber.
ty to make known, bu, they never ex
pect to be compelled to put them In
to execution.


Now, Mr.. Editor, such is a brie
history of the progress of the fire
which you as journalist was com
PEELED to notice. Hoping the above
facts will have a tendency to calm
your fears concerning the danger o
coal property in the county, whethe
from Madame Rumor, or the sight o
the vapor and smoke from your hom
in Frostburg. To the contrary not