1873 - Old Forge Coal Mines

INSPECTORS OF MINES. 273
Jeansville Colliery, Luzerne and Carbon counties.— Landowners and
operators, Spring Mountain Coal Company.
These collieries consist of four slopes, one drift and three coal breakers.
Slope No. 1. Length, 880 feet ; vertical, 304 feet. There are two veins
worked in this slope, the Big vein and the Wharton. The former averages
in thickness 25 feet ; the latter 9 feet. This slope is sunk in the Big vein,
and a tunnel is driven to the Wharton. No gangAvay going on in the Big
vein owing to the east driven to line and west side to a rising out in the
vein. The gangway in the Wharton starts from tunnel east and west.
These gangways are driven on each side about 200 feet, and a few breastings
started. The vein looks well and the coal is of the best qualit}\ Air
good, averaging about 15,000 cubic feet per minute. Machinery consists
of 1 hoisting engine, 60-horse power ; 1 breaker engine, 40-horse power ; 2
pumping engines, 250-horse power; total horse power, 350; 16 boilers.
Mine boss, A. Williams. Men and boys employed inside, 84 ;
outside, 57 ;
total, 141. Mules inside, 14 ;
outside, 4 ;
total, 18. Coal shipped in 1873,
42,000 tons. Powder used, 1,197 kegs.
Slope No. 3, south dip. Length, 420 feet; vertical, 144 feet. This slope
is sunk in the Big vein, and a tunnel is driven to the Wharton, with a gangway
driven considerable distance, but the Wharton proves better now than
in my last report. Big vein is abandoned. Coal goes to No. 1 breaker.
Air good. Machinery consists of one hoisting engine-, one pumping engine
and eight boilers.
Slope No. 4. This slope is a new one, sunk to the basin. Direction of
gangways is east and west. I have had occasion to stop east side gangway,
owing to water lying in old No. 4 workings, until it is pumped, which the
the company is at present doing. Air good. Machinery consists of 2
hoisting engines, 80-horse power ; 1 breaker engine, 40-horse power ; 1
pumping engine, 80-horse power ; total horse power, 200 ; 9 boilers. Men
and boys employed inside, 49 ;
outside, 27 ;
total, 76. Mules inside, 3.
Coal shipped in 1873, 10,000 tons. Powder used, 343 kegs. Mine boss,
John Probert ; outside foreman, F. Jones.
Slope No. 5, south dip. Length, 775 feet; vertical, 298 feet. Sunk in
the Big vein and a tunnel driven to Wharton, which is ten feet thick. They
have two gangways going east and west and several breastings. The coal
is of excellent quality, with a range of 200 yards from this gangway to
the Wharton drift gangway. But this is parted into two ranges by putting
a slope down of 100 yards in the Wharton drift, taking one-half through
the Wharton drift to breaker. No gangwa3 r s in operation in the Big vein.
Air good, averaging about 20,000 cubic feet per minute. Still the air is
weak in some portions of the workings, owing to so man}- openings caused
by fallings in and loss by brattices in the Wharton vein.
Machinery consists of 3 hoisting engines, 140-horse power; 2 breaker
engines, 40-horse power; 1 pumping engine, 80-horse power; total, 6 engines,
of 360-horse power; 1 large steam pump; 9 boilers. Men and boys
employed inside, 90; outside, 39; total, 129. Mules inside, 24; outside,
2 ; total, 26. Coal shipped in 1873, 90,000 tons. Powder used 1,664 kegs.
Mine boss, Wm. Morris.
Tunnel No. 1, or Wharton drift. The workings above water level are
now abandoned, but a slope is sunk here in an air-way from No. 5 and an
engine put on top to hoist the coal from one-half the range between these
workings and those of No. 5 slope. Engine inside. Boilers at mouth of
tunnel. Coal goes- to No.. 5 breaker. Air Ls good, except a little in east