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

No. 12,] Sixth Bituminous District. 439
this colliery is g"ood; haulage is done from the mine by means of
main and tail rope system.
The system of mining- is all double heading's, but rooms only allowed
to be turned off of one heading-, the other being used entirely for a return
air-way from the face of each heading. Mine-boss, Alex. Snedden.
Monastery Slope.—There has been a great improvement made here
during the year 1891. There was a small shaft sunk near the face of the
slope which is run down on the pitch of the coal seam, and they have now
Avidened this out to 6'x8' and timbered it with heavy timber and lined
it with flooring boards, and erected a head frame about 25 feet in height
and put on a steel cage 5' XT' fitted with safety catches, etc., and a new
hoisting engine, size of cylinders 9" X 12' and a 1" steel wire rope. They
hoist the coal they need for their boilers which furnishes steam for
pumps at this shaft, but it is principally put here as a safety to hoist
men from the mine in case of an accident. In addition to this, they
have another shaft on the opposite side of the mine from where the shaft
just spoken of is located, in Avhich they have ladders, where men could
escape from the mine, in case of an accident, to either of the other openings.
To improve the drainage of the mines they have put in a new
Gordon pump with a capacity of 10,000 gallons every 24 hours. And
to improve the ventilation they had a new fan put up, 15 feet in diameter
and five-foot face, which gives 39,200 cubic feet per minute, running
at 48 revolutions per minute. This fan can be speeded up to give more
than double that quantity without any injury to the fan or engine. An examination
of the mine is sufficient evidence that those operating it desire
not only to live up to the law, but to improve on the same, Avhere it is
necessary to insure health and safety. The mine is operated by the
Frick Coal and Coke Company. Mine-boss, Enoch Rowley.
Loyalhanna and Pandora Mines are owned and operated by the Loyalhanna
Coal and Coke Company, and are located about one mile east of Lat-
robe. The Loyalhanna Mine has been in operation over eighteen years; the
face of the workings is therefore a great distance from the hoisting
shaft, but the coal is hauled out by the main and tail rope system
the workings are south from this shaft and on the dip of the seam. The
plan of mining is all double headings. The new shaft, the Pandora, is
opened on the coal lying north of the old shaft, this is one of the model
plants of the district.
They have erected at this shaft a Guibal fan 25' in diameter by 8 feet
face, by which this mine and the Loyalhanna is ventilated.
The system of ventilation at the Pandora is separate splits for each
section of work, thus doing away with doors in the mines. There is also an
electric motor of 110 horse power which weighs 21,000 pounds, and runs
on a 44" gauge track, in use for hauling out the coal on the main gangways.
Since the erection of this fan there is quite a brisk ventilation
in both these mines.
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