Reports of the Inspectors of Mines of the anthracite and bituminous ...

146 Reports of the Inspectors of Mines. [Off. Doc .
the ash heap of the boilers was turned into the airway, while down the
steam pipe hole was sent coal dirt brought in cars from the screen building-,
307 cars of six tons each of this dirt were sent down the steam pipe
hole, while down the airway 12,600 cart loads of ashes were dumped.
The dumping of dirt and ashes was stopped on May 15, as the holes
were full to the water level and there was no indication of any more fire.
• The steam pipe hole, the airway and the pumpway were then cleaned
out and retimbered. Work was resumed on October 20, after being- idle
five months and eleven days. Very great credit is due the ofiicials
in charge for the prompt action on their part, and the faithful work of
the employes in this time of peril, doubtless saved the colliery from being
damaged much more seriously.
At No. 6 colliery, work is still being pushed to confine the fire in the
Mammoth vein workings, on the mountain above water level, and the
dam at the east end of the fire, made in the summer of 1889, by washing
7,000 tons of coal dii't down a bore hole that passes through the Cen-
tennial tunnel, has been found to answerthe purpose of its construction,
as it holds the fire in check, and during the past year, 4,500 tons addi-
tional of coal dirt have been washed in between the dam and fire, thus
confining the fire to a smaller area.
The fire has not advanced westward and the company has worked an
open cut on thab side and are taking out the coal thirty feet below the
level of the west outcrop tunnel and are prepared to move on the fire
from both sides, and will thus ultimately succeed in extinguishing one
of the most stubborn of mine fires.
Eemarks on Fatalities Occurring During 1891.
In reviewing the fatalities of this year, I desire to be just to all parties
in any way connected with these sad occurrences and shall endeavor to
present the simple facts in the cases, and will use the numbers as they
occur in table No. 4.
No. 1. Waldic Petschnezski, a Polish miner, 29 years old, was asphyx-
iated by fire damp or carburretted hydrogen gas on January 23, at the
top of a breast where he had gone to rap to a party in a cross heading
from the second level of the Wharton vein, in East Sugar Loaf No. 1.
Deceased had been at the same point on the preceding day, and when
he came on to work this day, on finding that the cross heading had not
been holed into the top of this breast from the lower level, he started to
go and rap again, and at his request the fire-boss was allowed to go
with him. When they had reached nearly to the top of the breast, the
fire-boss made an examination and told deceased it was not safe to go
any farther. But he had been there the day before and he thought the
gas would not harm him if he went up in the dark, and going up he was
almost immediately overcome by the gas which was there, and although
strong efforts were made by miner Charles McGuire, who fire-boss Park-