Year: 1873

Visit to the Empire Coal Mine.


A correspondent of the Nion Citizen
describes descent into the above
named coal mine near Wilksbarre as
follows


We gladly put ourselves under the
guidance of the clerk in the office OF
this Company, while he led us out and
back amid the bIackness of darkness,
mile or more from the foot OF the per
pendicular shaft, 800 feet beneath the
surface. This mine has been worked
for fifteen years; its avenues ana
viaducts honeycomb the entire plateau
for distance of one or two miles In
different directions. It's full working
force Consists of about 500 men and
boys 9. d so mules; many Of the latter
are never brought to the surface. We
saw one old gray beast, a veteran
in the service, genuine galley slave OF
a mule, that had not seen daylight since
his stable was chiselled in the wall OF
anthracite fifteen years ago. But l an
ticipate.


On the surface there was no land
mark originally to indicate the presence
of coal unT erneath. Now, the usual
buildings, 9TH their machinery for
hoisting and sitting, are erected over
the opening, and the inevitable pile OF
refuse dust lies heaped in the distance.
The entrance is about eight feet square
and the descent perpendicular.


After indulging in little natural
feminine shrinking, the ladies OF our
party divested themselves Of their hats
and cloaks, and, without other special
preparation, we took our places upon
the elevator with our guide. Each has
q miners lamp in hand. All being
ready the guide, by a touch, adjusts
the gearing, and down we drop towards
the realms of Pluto.


The descent is rapid but steady, 80
there is no jumping to catch lost
breath. The sheet iron canopy, at.
tached to the elevator, .precludes all
gav.ug upward. Our lamps emit q
ghostly light struggling against fearful
odds of ,cimmerian darkness. In
a minute, or less, a peculiar sensa-
ton is felt in our ears, and we instinc-
tiyely look at each other with COM
mon recognition Of the phenomenon.
At that point, I locate the dividing line
between the hum and buzz and racket
of the outer world, and the deep, per-
feet silence Of the region below. AT
the foot of the shaft, which, in the
Empire mine, reaches a depth OF three
hundred feet before tie coal deposit is
found, the excavations extend in main
horizontal lines or canals for long dis
noes and in various directions. The
height of these channels is gauged by
the thickness OF the layer of coal, or
about seven feet, and the width as
much or more, according to conven-
ience.


From these main lines, lateral chan
nels are dug at short distances apart,
and between these again, transverse
cuts are made at successive steps, as
the coal is taken away, care being Ia
ken to leave pillars enough to support
the mass of earth and rock overhead.
In some places, large, roomy excava:
tions have been dug, and the usual
columns of coal had given place to
huge posts of wood, carried in from
the surface.


The coal is broken from the solid
mass by blasting, after which picks are
used to reduce the large pieces to sizes
that may be readily handled. 1t is
Immediately thrown into small cars.
holding about two tons each, and
drawn to the foot of the shaft or eleva-
tor by mules. These railroads, having
three feet track, are extended
throughout the mine as far as the exca-
vations are made.


Mining is done by the ton or car
load. No single miner, as o rule, can
work alone to advantage /; 30 they COM
monty operate in companies OF half
dozen or more, and have their special
diggings assigned them. Two men only
find room enough to do the ordinary
work of excavating in single partition
of the rocky wall, while others wait
Upon their work with mules and cars,
as above mentioned. These are fur
nished by the company owning a mine:
In an hours travel We saw only a small
portion of the men then at work and
vet at no time did our lamps fail to re-
veal TIE presence of some of them.
They appeared, to our hasty glances, to
look pretty much alike, begrimmed as
they were with coal dust from head TO
foot, while every eye looked vicious,
and all the surroundings easily sug-
gestive of violence, robbery, and pos
sible murder.


Concerning the matter of drainage.
which requires the constant use OF
powerful force pumps, and ventilation,
which is q consideration of chief i'm
portance in the management Of mines,
I will not lake time to enlarge upon
here. Our guide informed us that
from the bottom of the Empire mine,
at distant point which he did not
visit, another shaft was already sunk
to depth of 800 feet, where another
and more valuable vein of coal was
about to be opened and worked on an
extensive scale.