Report of the Bureau of Mines of the Department of Internal Affairs of ...

132 REPORT OF THE INSPECTORS OP MINES. Off. Doc.
A 12 inch Blake pump was placed at the bottom of the Buck
Mouutaiu slope.
The iuipi'oved Stockton valve has been placed on all the pumps
at this colliery which increases their capacity one-third.
A new return tubular boiler was added to the boiler plant, capacity
150 horse power. This boiler was made by the Vulcan Iron
Works at \Vilkes-Barre and is considered the best yet introduced
into Ihis region.
Two new Vulcjin mine locomotives were added to the motive
power at this collier3\
The railroad from old No. 1 to No. 2 has been relaid with 00
j)Ound rails.
Evans Colliery.
A. S. Van Wickle purchased the Evans Colliery, April 10, 1897,
i-nd improvements were at once made in all directions.
A large reservoir was built for the storage of water at the mine.
A new line of water pipes was laid, also a line of steam pipe was
laid from the boilers to the pumping station for a distance of 3,960
feet for the purpose of doing away with the stationary boiler at the
pumping station.
A new railroad was built connecting Evans Colliery with Coleraine,
about two and one-half miles in length, laid with 60 pound rails. A
trestling 900 feet long was built, ranging from 20 to 39 feet high to
cross the ravine and Lehigh Valley Railroad above grade. This
railroad was completed and coal taken to Coleraine breaker from
the Evans Colliery on July 0, 1897.
In the meantime the old breaker at Evans Colliery was leased to
Kennedy &, Warner as a washer}-, who ran this place successfully
until the breaker was destroyed by fire on September 21, 1897. The
fire was discovered about half past six in the evening, and although
G>ery effort was made to extinguish the flames, it was totally destroyed.
This tire was of incendiary origin beyond (piestion, as there
bad been no lire or even steam in use at the br(siker for more than
a week before the fire took place, but the perpetrators having escaped,
the cause conseiiuently is a mystery.
The plane connecting the breaker with tlu^ slo|»e was also destroyed
by fire. As soon as the debris was cleared away, the work
of reconstruction of plane and ])ockets was commenced, so as to re
sume operations at the Evans Colliery, and Ihis colliery commenced
operation again on October 18, 1897, by shi|)|iiiig the coal to Coleraine
bi-eaker.
The pumps were rei»aii('d and a 1." inch Stockton ]>lunger pump
was added to tlie ]MiMiping jdaiit at tliis colliery, the capacity of
which is 2,000 gallons per minute.