Reports of the Inspectors of Mines of the anthracite coal regions of ...

INSPECTORS OF MINES. 137
driver, 29 slate pickers, in all 143 men and boj's in and about tbe mines.
They shipped 56,211.09 tons of coal during the year ending December 31,
1875, and used 1,060 kegs of powder, and worked 132| days.
and 21 mules.
They have
a breaker capacity of 500 tons of coal per day ;
Machinery.—They use 2 hoisting engines of 80-horse power, 1 breaker
engine of 30-horse power, and 3 steam pumps and 18 boilers, (including G
at No. 2,) cleaned and examined, and reported safe and in good condition.
They have a brake on their hoisting drum, steam gauges on their boilers.
They have no speaking tube, owing to the distance being too long to conduct
the free pasisage of sound.
John Turner, general mine superintendent; Peter Brown, mine boss;
William Mills, outside foreman.
Buck Mountain" Mixes.
This colliery is situated about 11 miles north-east of Ilazleton, on the
estate of the Buck Mountain coal company, and operate^ by said company.
The mines are located in Luzf^rne county, and the tower and breaker in
Carbon county.
Slope, No. 2.—Sunk on the north dip of the Buck Mountain or B vein,
at an angle of about 35^-°, and is 270 feet long; vertical, 160. Tlie top
bench or seam is about 9 feet thick, and the bottom seam about 6 feet. A
slate from 2 feet and upwards separates those seams. The slope has been
sunk in the 9feet seam. A tunnel has been driven on the west side, cutting
the same vein on the south dip. An underground slope has been sunk
on the cast side of the tunnel, and contains several counter-gangways.
There is also a counter-gangway about 100 feet on the pitch above the gangway
proper, from which the coal is dumped into a shute and re-loadtd on
the main gangway into the regular mine cars. The system of working those
seams heretofore has been to mine the upper seam first, then the lower or
Gfoot. There is aL^o an underground slope on the west side of the tunnel,
with numerous gangways. Neither of those slopes are sunk to the basin,
but a dip heading in the west gangway has.
Slope, No. 4.—Sunk on the south dip of the same vein, at an angle of
about 34°, and is 72Q feet long. This slope is located about 2 miles north
of the breaker, and reached by balance planes. The coal from this slope is
first let down from the top of flie slope by a balance plane 525 feet long to
the bottom of the first valley ; then it is hoisted 1,825 feet by a stationary
engine to the top of the mountain ; thence the cars run by gravity to the
second balance plane, 5,376 feet; then they are let down this plane, v/hich
is 2,500 feet long, to the level of slope. No. 2, from which place the cars
are let down by another balance plane, 1,400 feet long, to the breaker.
Slope, No. 5, or "Owl Hole."—Is sunk on the north dip of the same
vein, at an angle of about 25°, and is 270 feet long. This is a new slope,
sunk to the basin, and located about a mile east of No. 4. A small tunnel
has been driven from the foot of the hill to the east gangway, connecting
on a level with the same for the purpose of drainage.
Slope, No. 6 —Sunk on the north dip of the same vein, at an angle of
about 40°, and is 300 feet long. These two slopes (Nos. 5 and G) are new
and not much work has been done. The coal from this slope (No 6) will
be let down by another balance plane to a level of No. 2. This vein, including
both the seams, is about 15 feet thick, and of superior quality of
coal. They have about Z\ miles of T iron railroad in and about the mines,
and 222 mine cars, with, a breaker capacity of 825 tons of coal per day.
They employ 4 bosses, 122 miners, 44 laborers, 25 Co. men, 12 drivers, 3
door boys, in all 'the mines ; 4 bosses, 24 mechanics, 25 head and plate men,