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

INSPECTORS OF MINES. 155
•west side to cut the Wharton ou the south dip. The ventilation is very
commendable in this slope.
Slope No. 5.—Sunk on the south dip of the Mammoth or E vein, a distance
of G62 feet, vertical 2*29 feet, and at the top of the slope is feet,
above mean-tide at the bottom feet. The bottom lift has been worked
out. The work done in the big vein consists of robbing pillars, &c. A
tunnel about 150 feet long has been driven at the bottom of the slope, cutting
the Wharton or D vein on the north dip, at an angle of about 20°, in
9 feet of very good coal. The east gangway in the Wharton vein has been
driven around the point of the basin into the south dip. The west gangway
has been. driven for a considerable distance, and is now being worked
around the circumference of the basin. The breast workings connect with
the drift slope gangway. The working of this vein is considered safe, but
there is a slate of about 4 to 6 inches, called the clod, next to the top rock,
which, unless it is taken down as the miner advances, is very apt to fall
Avithout giving any warning, but if the miner takes it down as he works
ahead there is not the least apprehension of danger. The air is rather
scarce in this vein, and has always been so by what I have been informed.
Drift or tunnel No. 5 is 300 feet long, cutting the Wharton on the north
dip, at an angle of about 18^-°. The water-level working has been worked
out, and an inside slope sunk ou the east side of the tunnel, a distance of
303 feet, for the purpose of shortening the range from the west Wharton
gangway in slope No. 5. The west gangway has been driven 1,042 feet,
and the east gangway 1,328 feet, with 11 breasts
with 10 breasts working ;
work-ng. This slope connects by an air-hole with No. 5 slope, and No. 5
connects by an air-hole with slope No. 1, on the south dip of the Wharton
or D vein.
They have three breakers on the property, with a capacity of 1,900 tons
of coal per day, 189 mine cars, and 20,410 feet of T iron track in and about
the mines, and G7 mules. They employ 4 bosses, 120 miners, 135 laborers,
27 company men, 36 drivers, 2 door boys in the mines ; 4 bosses, 15 mechanics,
59 breaker men, 6 drivers, 112 slate pickers, in all 520 men and
boys. They shipped 174,816 tons of coal during 1875, and used 2,719
kegs of powder, and worked 133 days.
Ventilation is produced by the steam exhaust from the pumps. Slope
No. 4 is very satisfactory ventilated. There is no fault to find with the air
in any of the slopes in the big vein workings, but in the Wharton it is very
defective in some parts. The inlet being the drift, thence it circulates
through down to No. 5, through the tunnel to the outlet. I have requested
the superintendent to cause a greater quantity of air to circulate through
the Wharton vein to carry off the powder smoke which remains in clouds
in the face of the breast, causing it to be very injurious to the health of the
men.
Machinery.—They use 5 hoisting engines of 275-horse power, 4 breaker
engines of 90-horse power, 4 pumping engines of 460-horse power, total
number of engines 1.3, aggregate horse power 825, two plunger and three
steam pumps, all in good condition.
Stewart Macfarlam, superintendent. .
Beaver Brook Collieries.
Located at Frenchtown, about 3 miles south of Ilazleton, on the estate
of the French coal company, and operated by the Beaver Brook coal company,
and consists of 4 slopes and 2 breakers.
Slope, No. 1.—Sunk on the south dip of the Mammoth or E vein a distance
of 270 feet, at an angle of about 41|° ; perpendicular depth, 180 feet.