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

304 REPORT OP THE INSPECTORS OF MINES. Off. Doc.
will be erected soon. The ventilation is now produced by a small furnace,
and I measured 9,000 cubic feet of air per minute near the face
of the entries in the mine.
Henry Bros.—The narrow work of this mine has all been driven to
the boundary lines of the company's coal property. There may be
sufficient coal in the pillars of the mine to keep it in operation for a
year or two at least. With the exception of one point in the interior
workings of the mine, I found it well ventilated. The drainage was
also good. I measured 9,000 cubic feet of air per minute being distributed
to the face of the works here.
Mines Situated in Beaver and Lawrence Counties.
There are twelve mines located in these two counties.
At the Darlington
mine, the number of persons employed has been reduced to
less than ten, hence, it is not now under the provisions of the mining
act. The other mines, when not on strike, were doing a fair business
during the year.
Beaver.—This mine is running steadily at present and producing
a large tonnage daily. The coal is being mined by coal cutting machinery
of the Ingersoll type — punchers—which are driven by compressed
air. While the coal seam does not average three feet in
thickness, the machines are apparently being operated economically
and successfully. The weight of these machines is greatly to their
advantage in contributing to their successful operation, especially
where the coal seam is as thin as it is in this mine. I found the
mine in very good condition, both in regard to ventilation and drainage.
The ventilation was produced by a double fan, six feet in diameter.
I measured 21,000 cubic feet of air per minute in circulation,
which was well distributed to the face of the workings. The
single entry plan of working out the coal prevails here. The coal is
hauled for nearly one mile from the workings to the tipple by the
tail rope system.
A new drift opening has been made in connection with these works
into an upper seam (Lower Freeport). The coal from thts new opening
is brought down to the tipple of the lower mine from a station
inside the new drift, by a branch of the tail rope system in use at the
lower mine. The distance from the mouth of this drift to the tipple
is about 2,300 feet and the ])lane on which the mine wagons are lowered
thereto is on an angle of about five or six degrees. A fan, eight
feet in diameter, is the power used to product the ventilation, and
I measured 9,600 cubic feet of air j)er minute produced by it. This
I)lace is not yet subject to the regulations of the law from the fact
that there are not a sufficient number of persons emploj'ed.
Rock Point.— I measured 10.000 cubic feet of air per minute at the