The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, December 2, 1885, Page 9

h.P ells : a od . : ¢ < : 3 . wy 3 , . ‘ a > 3 e Z . : ’ b.. Ab netand en agitate every little trouble bety | the operators and men, whoare only | capable of seeing one side of a ques | tron, and do not stop to consider | wnether the grievance is reat or) jmayimary, but advocate a strike, a resort to force. Such coal fields are capable of doing much mischief alike to men and operators by their lovua talk and socialistic asced of discord,which can only bring torth There are times when the men the views sowing turmoil trouble. ; coal trade will justify # rise in’ price | to the diggers and at Other times a} i | | and } | | Ifthe miners and ope- reduction would and | come together rators settle this matter by believe st would save mucn valuable ' arbitration, Ij | } time and money to operators, and} would save a great deal of suffering | and privation on the part of the | miners and their families, and there would be none of that bitter feeling which a strike always No miners’ organization should ever engenders. | advocate a strike untilevery possible | j mears for anoanmit abe tement bas been exnatsted, tor th Hon wre | run. Men whose lives are largely co. fined to the dark and gloomy interivi of a mine, where they are constantly confronted with the treacherous tap root above, and ebnoxious and ex- surrounding them: | plosive gases who take, as we might Well say,therr fives in their hands oa entering the mines, baring the body to the wazrst and braving the perils to bring forth of in dustry cannot move without, should have all the legislation that surroundings demand. Rich are a blessing, without them a Coun- | acommodity that the whecls their men try would be poor indeed, in every | sense of the term: yet Ihave always thought they found means of pro- tecting their interests in) Legislative Halls which were not harmony with right From some cause our poor are get- altogether in justice. and ting poorer aud more while the rich are growing richer, the middle man gradually disap- pearing. This is not a good showing for our republican form of govern- numerous, ment. The statistics of the past few years show a vast amount discontent among underground coal miners; 3 great amount of time has been lost in strikes and suspensions, which is paralyzing to the coal business,often tesulting in the destruction of mining property and suffering among miners and their families. The cause of this discontent the Legislature should diligently enquire into and remove af possible AREA OF COAL. Itis utterly impossible to give the area ot workable coal in Bates county, as required by Jaw. The Walnut coal fields, which have with- ina short time secured railroad facilites, are being developed. The indications are that trom the amount ot croppings on the hillside and in Tayines, that they cover a large ter- fitory and will prove a source of vast Wealth to Bates county. The Mul- bery is the same series. From indi- Cations L am inchned to believe there is less barren ground in these fields thanin the Rich Hill coal series. The Hudson coal, I think, lays only | wemall troughs and basins. The } aumber of prospect holes put down i in the Glbrezth neighborhood with | adrill will justify this conclusion, The coal lunds purchased by the Kansas Missouri Coal Company, in forth ot Prairie City and northeast ; of Papinville, from what I could see | ina Short stay, judging from surtace | indications, form a rich cowl deposi, | and ere long will witness the busi-j Ress scenes of a coal mining com- Munity, From a careful study the coal interests of Bates county for Years, Tam led to beheve that the | Kk diamond 1 almost inexhausta- dle. at ot ACCIDENTS IN MINES. Tvery much regret to have to sav Wa this respect that a large per cent. of the accidents in our nines afe traceable to carelessness or reckless ~ | R€SS On the part of the miners them- Selves, Men, their With danger, beconie cateless and Teckless. them putting in more props mo their Toms, when bly say ably say, ime enough yet. To haves in familiarity T have often insisted on they nearly invari ‘shaft to the top landing, seen men go through black damps and white damps, when there was no necessity forir. [have seen num- bers of them pass through the cage wher ef par . when.down, and under it when uo, | | when there was a man-way around, | avery dangerous proceeding. Num- bers of times the mule d have rs passed me with mules in a trot or gallop, with one foot on the tail chain the otner on the i halt projection at the hottom of the box Many ot the » and one neces Sary Caution in handling powder and tamping ; some in returntag too soon 0 a squid that had b ind was hanging fire. During tour men have been killed by falling roofs and cight seriously injured Two men have been killed by pre mature discharge of powder in shost hg. or squibs hanging fire and re- turning too soon to examine same while eight have beeninjured. One has been killed while passing under a cage, and three seriously injured. Six mule drivers have been enppled, | more or less seriously. One man j was injured by blast blowing through | ing a shot oa the rib, went into an adjoining 190m when the shot blew through and crippled him. Ihave no means of knowing how many of the injured die. IThadtime of injured some time ago, and am sat last to call on one the unfortunates, isfied he cannot much longer. He was a young, stout, noble look- The abe i part of the accidents, as many of 4 less serious character the law does not require ot me to investigate. I vould recommend that there be a a law passed requiring the county or carried district where mining is on to crect aud maint a or crippled miners. NO. OF MINES IN OPERATION. It would be very difficult and te !- ious to give the number of mines in operation in this county. A large majority ot which 1s surface mines or strip pits; they would run up into the bundieds. [I will) endeavor to give a description of the leading mines on the Mo. Pacific and Gulf R.R. The Rich Hill Coal Mining Company operate the mines on the Mo. Pacific. R. M. McDoweli, 1s general manager; T. Fleming, sup- erintendant; J. T. Reavly, assistant superintendant. The tollowing their principal miaes: Mine No. 1 1s worked by slope; the coal is drawn up the slope to the tipple with an engine. ‘Lhe pitt boss is James Donelson. The number of men em- ployed about fifty. The coal has ! been worked out of the rooms ot this mine, the men are engaged in draw- ing the pillows excepting a pocket or urm, passed by the tormer managers, laying southwest trom entrance. The of this was good at the last inspection, Nov. 13, About the rst of October I tound considerable black damps and some white damps in parts of this mine, leaking in from the oid workings, which was promptly shut off. This mine has alarge turnace. Coal runs trom six feet down to two; located 1a sec. 36 township 39 range 32. ventilation mine Mine No, 6, Birch & Brown con- tractors, owned by Rich Hiil Coal Co. This mine is worked by shaft, 1s iv 31 township 39 ated in sec. j range 31, and employs about 175 men. Eight to nine mules are em- ployed to haul the coal from the roonis to the bottom ot the shaft. The pitt boss is Louis T, Bradford. Vhis mine is in a good condition rel- ative to ventilation, about two rooms was short, and Mr. Bradford was using all reasonable ettorts to remedy them, There are several places that the root 1s exceediagly treach- erous, bei g soap stone, or, as called by miners, white top. Generally speaking, all the mines of the Hill diggings have a fine top of hard slate or shale. The cars ot coal are horsted by a steam engine up the which is about twenty feet above the surface. Where a track laid on the floor cor- responding with the on tne cage the car is now run from the cage track to the scales and stops long enough to be weighed by the weighman, thence roiled a few feet tarther to the tipple ! | { 4 and dumped on the screens passing into the R. R, cars below. There “are often two checkwaymen here, one employed by the company and 4 i one by the digge The diggers pay their man the average made by all the men in the mine a day or month. Mine No. 5. Hill Coal Co., is located on N. operated by the Rich Ww. | corner of section 36 township 39, range 22; pitt Boss, Thomas M. | Brennen. Ten mules are used in this mine drawing coal There are in the ner mine The smoke has been hang- {and aorth = er s too ¢th | for the comfort ot tt men, but Mr. Brenne pitt boss, every reasonab t doors. sracticing uy ng up | There 1s an exhaust pan at this mine | capable of throwing out 40,000 cubic | This mine | is worked by shatt, and, like No. 6, | fect of air every minute. jit has steps to go down and out. All the mines in this county have The coal in all the Rich Hill neighborhood is found on sufficient escapes. an uneven floor being thickest on swamps ot the ; mine, grows gradually thinner as it the low places or | extends up the sides of the swamps or troughs and loses itself altogether or dips over into an adjoining basin and regains its lost height. | Mine No. 10, ot the Rich Hill j Coal Co., is operated by shatt. Men | are | with mact The patent satety j catches are on the cages; pitt buss E. | Allison. Thisisa new mine, working 1 16 men. Coal about three teet shick j and rather sott. Up to a tew weeks ago the mine was regarded by the company as a tailure, but in driving north lately the lead is im- able coal may vet be found. It 1s located in S. E. 1-4 sec 26 township 39 range 32. Ventilation is reason- able good. Men push the coal to the bottom of the shaft lieu of | mules. Mine No. 12, of the Rich Hill Coal Co., is worked by drift, and is located on S. E. 1-4 of sec. 25 town ship 39 range 32, Pete Pearson. The pitt boss ‘1s No. of men employ- ed, about 50. This mine will only last a short time having but a few acres of coal to take out. The depth below the surface of all this company’s mines will run from 5 to go feet. Other men have contracted to take out coal for this company as yet are working on a small scale and the company themselves are working other mines in a small way. Since my last report mine No. 4 ot this company has been worked out and abandoned, also the Frank Brown mine. The company has a large amount ot capital employed in mining here, but how much I am unable to say. Their annual out putreport of coal will approximate 480,000 tons. The output of the county will reach be- tween $00,000 te 1,000,090 There are many other things con- nected with mining and operating mines together with the lay of the stratus that [ would lke to speak otf but this report I give 1s now too long, MULBERRY COAL. Some valuable veins of coal have been opened and worked, on a smaii scale this fall west of Mulberry creek and north ot the Marias des Cygnes river, thatin quality 1 have never seen surpassed in the west. The roofing so far as I examined, was first-class. Iregret that I had not the time to make a thorough exam- ination ot these coal fields. vein, where I examined, was e@ httle over three feet and can be worked without the use of powder. The Keith & Perry Coal Com- pany operate the mines on the Gult R.R. George R. Sweeney, is sup- Rich j erintendant. Mine No. 5, of the Keith & Perry Co., is located on S. W. 1-4 sec. 35, township 39, range 32, 18 operat- ed by shaft. hbornood of 150 men in this | g in a number ot rooms on the 3rd | long | the } i . was making ts to right it by | proving and considerable good work- | | The | | | the Rich Hill steps for the men to go in and out. The coalis from five to sixty feet be- tow the surface. The roof, like coalis a No. 1, lack slate. all being a hard ¢ Here and there are pate s of white top (soap stone) a & f rous rec in places t ° bosses abandon the coal and work around it. Mr. Mckev, the pit boss, trequently lets his mine come | some short regarding yentilation, powder smoke hanging too lor m IZ some rooms. <A new air shatt is bee ing sunk which, when completed, 1 i will give better satitaction to the In- spector and th Mine No. 4 & Perry Coal Co., is located on the S. E. 1-4 sec. 25, township 39, range 32; is worked by drift a off the 1d stripping the covering coal. in and around this mine, 75, 7 The coul output for the year of this company will reach 165,000 tons, NO OF MEN IN COUNTY. I would judge there are in this coun- twelve hundred men mining and as- sisting one way and another in run ning the mines. | NAPHTHA, PETROLEUM, ROCK OIL, LUBRICATING A Mr. Henderson in drilling for water on the N, E. corner ot sec. 25 township 42, range 33, some three OIL. months ago, at a depth of 225 teet | struck a vein of naphtha rock from which about one barrel of oil a day has been pumped. It is undoubted- ly a genuine article of oil. Inacon- versation with the family at the well I concluded the oil rock in which the oil lays in cavaties had not been pen- etrated far enough to test the capac- T regard it isa ity of the vein. great discovery and will be an incentive to others to prospect thoroughly until the great veins that undoubtedly lays about this coal region willbe tapped at the right place. The strata will,in ail probability, not be very wide and wind like the bed of our most crooked river. The general opinion of geol- ogists is that this oil-bearing strata has been produced by the decompo- sition of both vegitable and animal matter; while coal is composed ot Coal oil matter. alone. of animal vegitable matter has the addition According to the teachings of geol- ogy we must conclude that while the country now forming the western states and territories ot North Amer- ica bordering on the Pacific ocean, Canada and the eastern states as far south as North Carolina, bordering on the Atlantic ocean were, to a great extent, dry land, haying been forced up and their mountain ranges formed by the pressure of the two great rendered possible by the thin crust of the globe. That for ages yet a belt ex- tending north and south inclucing a large portion of the Mississippi val- ley, was a low, flat plain, interspers- ed with inland, seas, swamps and jungles on the borders of which grew oceans mentioned, a dense vegitation of terns, calo- metes and conifers. Roaming through and around this growth swarmed reptiles of various species in great numbers, of immense size. aad the fish some and am- of which In the decay is conclusive waters swarmed with reptiles, were forty feet long. ot this in some way it phibious petroleum was produced. BROILER TESTS. Al! boilers used to generate steam for the engines at the mines have been tested by hydrostatic pressure and warm water every six months and the papers filed in my office. About five months ago I handed my reisgnation as Mine Inspector to j the county court. from whom I hal | | 130 colored men (ne- | groes) and 55 white men work in} this mine. Ten or twelve mules are | used to draw the coal from the men! to the hoisting shatt, some of which are sixteen hands high. Anexhaust tor runs with a steam engine, is used tor ventilating purposes. The coal in the swamps of this. mine cc- casionally gets seven feet thick, thin- sides. There is a manway | ning out gradually as it goes up the | with received my last appointment. They } did not accept the same until the November term of court to take ef tect the rst ot December, when they appointed Mr. John Whitehead, ot Rich Hill, my successor. I have held the position ever since the Rich Hill mires opened up prior to which time I had spent several vears in mining and prospecting in Bates countv. I have endeavored, to the best of No. ot men empioyed | my ability, to do justice | to men and operators, duly consider- | ing the respective mzhts of both; how well I have succeeded I leave st to them to say. I teel considerable attached to the mining element ot our county, and were it not that my private business demands more of my attention I would have stayed with then: awhile longer. There are many good, noble men who dig M. L. Worre, coal for a living Mine Inspector. ‘ Max Weiner’s Stock of BOOTS AND SHOES, Immense Having been damaged by the late fire, will placed on sale at Greatly Reduced Prices! [ am determined to clese out my entire stock. and will make Prices so Low That it will induce you to BUY NOW If you want anything in my line. Call and see for yourselves. Max Weiner. ilansieciemepinniniticsesnsaatliiinibienesdaptiacnabiticarsiilcneninasiintie