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

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No. 10. MINE INSPECTORS' REPORT. xxxvii
three waj's and elbows into the different chambers. At the bottom
or the entrance of these chambers, a wall is built—well timbered on
the gangway side, to dam the diil that comes from the pipe. If the
pitch of strata is light, the culm pipe must be brought down near
this wall and the whole length of the cliamber. The mouth of the
pipe is raised against the roof in order to completely fill this section.
When this is done, the contents of the main culm pipe must be
turned into another chamber while the men are taking so many
lengths of i)ipe off in the first chamber to give it another section to
fill. AMien this is ready, they must do the same with chamber No. 2.
The pipe goes into the chambers in, or as near as possible to, the face,
and continues to fill them thus, upwards. It would be well to notice
here, that the lighter the grade the more expensive the work The
pipe must be put in nearly the whole length of the chambers and
must be taken out as they fill up. There is a saving in pipe and
labor where the pitch is heavy enough for water to carry the dirt
such a pitch is exceptional in the Wyoming Valley.
The Pipe.
1. Size of Pipe.—At the Dodson mines we use G-inch pipe from
the culm plant down the shaft, along the Bennett gangway and Bennett
vein, and down the Rock slope to the Ross vein, but in branches
that turn to different chambers we use 4-inch and 5-inch pipes. At
the Black Diamond mines we use two lines of i)ipe—one 3-incli line,
which takes the breaker culm into the mines, and the other, 4-incli.
which takes the bank culm to different points in the same veins.
At Dodson mines the bank culm and the breaker culm enter the
mines through the same pipe. We intend to do this at Black Diamond.
2. Nature of Pipe.— -We have tried three different kinds of pipe-
-
wrought iron, steel ahd cast iron pipes. The first is the best. The
second is too soft and will soon wear out, while the third is harder
than either, but the friction of the culm in flowing through makes it
very rough. On account of this roughness the friction becomes very
great and the casting is soon eaten out.
3. The Wear of Pipes.—The w^ear of the i)ipe used depends on the
nature of the water and the material that is to be treated.
a. With fresh water and small culm from fhe buckwheat screen, it
will last some eighteen months.
b. When carrying bank culm from dust to pea coal and some chestnut,
it will last say nine months.
c. When this is mixed with ashes, it will not last more than six
months.
d. When small culm from the buckwheat screen and bank culm
run together through the same pipe in the ratio of two small sizes to
one large, the pipe will last some twelve months.