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24 COAL AND TIMBER March, 1905
JUDGE RODGERS IS COUNSEL.
Pittsburg Coal Company Position Will Be
Accepted by the Jurist.
Leaves Bench in Few Weeks.
Judge Elliott Rodgers of the Allegheny
county bench has been chosen by the board
of directors of the Pittsburg Coal Company
to the position of general counsel of the
company. It was the desire of President
Francis L. Robbins that the head of the
legal department should give to the company's
affairs his undivided attention. It
was impossible for A. M. Neeper, who has
been general counsel from the formation
of the company to the present time, to do
this on account of his large practice, including
other corporations of equal importance.
Mr. Neeper does not terminate his
connection with the company, but will be
associate counsel, his knowledge of the
company's affairs and his ability as a corporation
lawyer being widely recognized.
Judge Rodgers has accepted the position.
He expects to be able to close up the
duties of his present office as a judge in
common pleas court No 2 in a couple of
weeks and will probably be able in less
than a month to enter actively upon the
conduct of the new position.
The full roster of officers chosen by the
Pittsburg Coal Company board on its organization
yesterday for the year, follows:
Chairman and president, Francis L. Robbins;
vice presidents, W. R. Woodford, C.
E. Wales and L. R. Doty; secretary, F. J.
LeMoyne; comptroller, J. B. L. Hornberger;
treasurer, F. M. Wallace; general
counsel, Elliott Rodgers; associate counsel,
A. M. Neeper.
The only change, excepting that regarding
the general counsel, is due to the
resignation of M. H. Taylor from the board.
He was elected last year a vice president.
COAL MINERS CARELESS.
Pennsylvania Inspectors Call Attention to
Number of Unnecessary Accidents
In his annual report, Mine Inspector
Moore, of the First Anthracite district, calls
attention to the large number of deaths due
to fall of roof and coal, and states that had
more care and judgment been exercised, the
number of accidents would have been much
less. He urges that the miners should be
more careful in examining their working
places, and thus prevent the many fatalities.
The output for the year was 3.638,194 tons,
being 614,120 less than for the previous
year. There were 28 fatal accidents and 60
non-fatal accidents.
Mine Inspector Prytherch, of the Third
Anthracite
district, calls attention to the
large percentage of deaths due to the careless
manner in which miners observed the
rules for preventing these accidents.
He
points out that the law provides regulations
which are so simple that with a little care
and attention to the warnings given from
day to day, there would be greater safety.
Until this is done, he states, the number of
accidents from
this cause will always be
large.
During the year the total production in
the district was 4,380,324 tons, with 36 fatal
accidents and 84 non-fatal accidents. Twentyone
wives were made widows and 43 children
made orphans.
SAVE THE FORESTS.
Our Supreme Court twisted the forestry
law out of shape in the decision that th"
running of Senator Clark's smelters in Arizona
was a form of domestic cookery that
justified him in helping himself to all of
the timber on our reserves that he needed.
What we require now is a law that cannot
be misconstrued. Our timber reserves aremore
important to the prosperity of the
country than all the smelters in the world—
or-all the Senators.
POCAHONTAS COAL LAND.
Mr. H. C. Hull, of Altoona, Pa., obtained
an option February 8, 1905, on 3,000 acres of
Pocahontas coal land in McDowell county,
West Virginia, for the Appalachian Coal'&
Lumber Company, at $45.00 per acre.
This 3,000-acre tract is situated near
Perryville, McDowell county, West Virginia,
on the Dry Fork of Tug river, a
branch of Big Sandy river.
A railroad is under construction to and
through this property from Jaeger by the
Norfolk & Western Ry Co. and 1,000
men are now at work on this road and by
April 1 next, 5,000 men will be engaged
upon it. The Berwind-White Coal Company
owns a large tract adjoining and further
up the stream. A 5-foot 9-inch scam
of No. "3" Pocahontas coal underlies the
whole tract, 70 to 80 feet below the surface
of the stream. A 5-foot 3-inch coal seam
lies above the water level. Above this is
a 3-foot 9-inch seam; in all four workable
seams.
CAMBRIA'S NEW MINE.
Two Hundred and Fifty Men to be Put to
Work in Short Time.
The lease which the Webster Coal &
Coke Company held on the Lemon coal
mines at Gallitzin, having expired last October,
the property has fallen into the hands
of the Cambria Steel Company, Johnstown,
Pa., through whose efforts it has been made
one of the most up-to-date mines in the
state.
Thousands of tons of dirt have been removed
from the mine and there have recently
been installed 4 of the latest coal
mining machines. An immense pump for
draining the mines of water is also one of
the improvements. Forty-six sets of new
timbers have been placed in the drift, adding
protection to the mine and the employees.
The mine will be lighted throughout
with electricity.
Tracks have been laid from the mines
to the Gallitzin "U," and 2 dinkey engines
will arrive in a few days to haul coal from
the mines to the new tipple. Two large
boilers have been placed at the mine to
furnish power to convey the cars from the
mine to the top of the hill, where they will
be received by the dinkey engines.
In about two weeks 50 coal miners will
be placed at work, and it is expected to ship
1,500 tons of coal every 24 hours. The men
will work 3 8-hour shifts.
When the new tipple is completed, which
will be some time this spring, all Conemaugh
and Altoona helping engines will
take coal at that place. The coal is considered
superior for making steam to that
which the company is now using. Two
hundred additional men will also be employed
when the tipple is in operation.
The mine is in charge of Superintendent
John Buck and Mine Foreman William Mc-
Hugh, who have had charge of the renovating
of the mine. Through their labors the
mine has been made one of the most productive
in this section of the state.
QUICK COKE SERVICE.
Co-Operation Brings About Vastly Improved
Condition in Pittsburg District.
Coke shipments from the Connellsville
regions during the past few weeks
have
been conducted with such regularity and
smoothness that they are attracting attention
on the part of both the railroads and
the shippers. Co-operation between the
shipper, the railroad and the consignee is
credited with much of the improvement in
service. This was demonstrated recently
by the Pittsburg & Lake Erie Railroad,
which took heavy trains of coke from the
Connellsville region to furnaces in the val
leys, unloaded the cars and returned them to
the ovens in a little over 20 hours.
When the custom has been from 4 to 6
days for the operation, ^he full extent of*
the gain is realized. Prompt loading,
prompt handling and prompt unloading at
the points of destination gave the cars
double and even
triple service, increased
the tonnage and kept furnaces going that
would have otherwise had to be banked,
pending the arrival of supplies.
The demand for coke is greater than for
years. In spite of the severe weather the
movement has been kept up to a high standard,
and there has been less inconvenience
than ever before under similar conditions.
There has been no change of importance
in the prices, and while spot coke is above
the established rates in some instances, the
market remains steady.