12x24 feet. The shaft will be sunk to Buck Mountain vein, which they expect to cut about 200 feet from surface.

They are also taking water out of a trial slope, that was sunk some years ago a short distance west of the Silver Creek dam, with a view of opening work. A gravity plane has been made at the breaker, and about two miles of road graded from head of plane to new shaft. A gravity plane has also been made near shaft and about two miles of road graded to bring coal from slope near Silver Creek dam. They have also purchased the interest of Croxton and Donkin in the old Eagle colliery, and will work the Mammoth vein lately worked by that firm.

The Pine Hill Colliery.

The Pine Hill Coal Company has sunk a slope on Buck Mountain vein three hundred and forty feet long, from surface to the level of the lower Serrill water level tunnel. A pair of hoisting engines 14x30 inches have been erected at slope. A new breaker has been erected on the site of the old Black Heath colliery breaker close to the Lytle colliery branch of the Pennsylvania railroad about one and a half miles northwest of Minersville. The improvements are nearly completed and shipments will soon begin.

Howard Colliery.

E. C. White & Co., have pumped the water out of the Primrose vein slope of this colliery, which was drowned out in spring of 1894 and abandoned. A new breaker has been erected which is ready for operations to begin with the new year. This colliery is situated at Wadesville.

Little Diamond Colliery.

Near Minersville a slope 64 yards deep below the water level has been sunk on the Little Diamond vein.

Tuscarora Colliery.

Mr. J. J. Slattery has reopened the old Palmer water level tunnel on lands of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company at Tuscarora, and built a small breaker with a view of working small veins overlying the Mammoth which have not been worked.

Mt. Hope Colliery.

A tunnel two hundred feet long has been driven south from the "Seven Foot" vein to the "Four Foot" vein, cutting the vein three feet thick of good coal.

IMPROVEMENTS MADE BY THE PHILADELPHIA AND READING COAL AND IRON COMPANY.

Brookside Colliery.

A new slope is being sunk in the No. 4 vein, directly over the No. 3 slope, which is on the No. 5 Lykens Valley vein and is now nearly down to the water level gangway. At the old No. 1 slope a slope is being sunk in the basin towards the bottom of the No. 4 slope to work the coal remaining in the basin, and to use as a tender slope for the No. 4 slope. At the East Brookside No. 5 vein slope, a pair of first class hoisting engines with 45 inch cylinders, 60 inch stroke, first motion, with drum 18 feet diameter have been placed in service. A new slope has been started on the No. 4 vein for a tender slope. Eight new return flue boilers have been erected.

Middle Creek Colliery.

Tunnels have been driven from new lift of shaft to the Holmes and Primrose veins on the south, and to the Mammoth top and bottom benches on the north. The breaker is being built and will soon be ready for operation.

Otto Colliery.

A tunnel in White Ash slope plane level now in about 100 yards is being driven south through anticlinal to Mammoth vein. A slope on north dip of Primrose vein in "Mud" drift is being sunk and is now down 100 feet.

Glendower Colliery.

A new pump slope with a ten foot collar, fifteen foot spread and seven feet high is being sunk on Lelar vein and is now down 540 feet. A tunnel has been driven from the north to south dip of Church vein about 1.100 yards west of the Taylorville slope, second lift.

Richardson Colliery.

An overhead return air tunnel on level of first headings has been driven from No. 27 breast in south dip West Daniel, to the Crosby vein west south dip.

Thomaston Colliery.

A new double track slope is being sunk on Lelar vein and is now down 100 feet.

Wadesville Shaft.

A new shaft 12 feet by 25 feet divided into two compartments of 7 feet by 12 feet each and one compartment 9 feet by 12 feet, is being

sunk a short distance southwest of the old shaft; it is now down 28 feet. Four new return flue boilers have been erected.

Pine Forest Colliery.

A tunnel has been driven on first lift of the Primrose vein slope from the Orchard to the Diamond vein 289 feet long. Two new return flue boilers have been erected east of the breaker to supply steam for the new Buck Mountain slope.

Eagle Hill Colliery.

The tunnel north from new or fifth lift has been driven from the Skidmore to the Buck Mountain vein, a distance of 312 feet, cutting the Buck Mountain eight feet thick of good coal.

Silver Creek Colliery.

The water in the old Butler colliery which is north of the Silver Creek shaft has been successfully tapped by bore holes from the tunnel in old Neal slope which was extended for that purpose. The main tunnel north from bottom of shaft has been extended to five hundred and fifty feet from Skidmore vein with a view of cutting Buck Mountain vein. Several leaders have been cut but no workable vein.

LEHIGH COAL and NavigaTION COMPANY.
Colliery No. 8.

A slope has been started from the water level gangway in Mammoth vein to work the chain pillar below the water level gangways. The Primrose vein has been opened in water level tunnel and gangways are being driven.

Colliery No. 11.

A new traveling way for men and mules has been driven on Skidmore vein from bottom of shaft to the water level tunnel, a distance of 600 feet on pitch of twenty-two degrees. This is a great convenience and makes an available and good second outlet as the veins at this colliery are nearly vertical.

A new traveling way has also been made to surface about 2,800 feet east of shaft in Skidmore vein. Also one in west "D" gangway to surface between breasts Nos. 82 and 83. A drill hole has also been bored from surface to pump room at bottom of shaft, twelve inches in diameter and 560 feet deep to take steam from surface boiler plant to pumps.

Colliery No. 12.

The new slope on the "F" or Primrose vein has been sunk 93 yards and gangways for new lift turned, which opened up a good vein of

coal. A tunnel is being driven south across basin at bottom of old lift, and is now in 255 yards, having previously been driven 165 yards, and has about 200 yards yet to go.

MINE FIRES.

Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, colliery No. 10.

On July 12a fire was discovered at the bottom of an old chute on what is known as the Old "Fiery" gangway, about four thousand feet west of the bottom of the slope. How the fire originated no one seemed to know, as no work had been done in this gangway for over a year, except to put some relief timber in gangway. After the fire in sight had been extinguished, an attempt was made to open the old chute, when a large body of fire rushed down from above. It was then decided to let this alone, keeping water on to prevent gangway timber from burning, and to drive a chute in the pillar outside of the fire and drive headings from the chute to get above the fire. Also as the vein was very thick, to drive a heading from counter gangway above to top rock, with a view of getting water in above the fire, or to find out how far it had got up the pitch. A large force of men was put on at driving headings and branch headings, and for a time it appeared doubtful whether the fire could be extinguished as the vein at this point was over 300 feet high and was supposed to have been extensively robbed. Fortunately however the fire as far as was yet known was confined to one breast, the pillars of which on both sides and above, being sufficient to prevent it from spreading. Water was put in this breast from above which cooled it off, but in order to be sure that the fire has been extinguished, chutes and headings are yet being driven through and around it.

Thomaston Colliery, Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron

Company.

In 1891 a fire started in the west south dip Daniel vein counter gangway. The breasts from below ran through and brought the fire down to the lower gangway. After some time had been spent in trying to extinguish it the gangway and airways were sealed up and deprived of air. In June last the batteries were opened and the lower gangway has been reopened through the burned district and holes are now being driven up the pitch. They have gone through a great deal of burned material, but so far have found no fire, and it is thought that it is extinguished.

The Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company have sunk a rock slope 56 yards deep on dip of about 28 degrees through the top rock to the Daniel vein, a few feet above the water line west of the abandoned West Pine Knot colliery near Heckscherville. This

vein had been burning for several years, the openings and breaches having previously been silted. A gangway has been driven 50 yards east from bottom of slope through old gobs. Some burned material has been gone through, but no fire has been found as yet.

Colliery Abandoned.

The Beechwood colliery situated at Mt. Laffee which has been in operation for the last sixty years and which has been worked for the last twenty-three years by the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company was stopped December 26, 1895. The pump and rails have been taken out of the underground slope, which will be allowed to fill with water. The water however will be kept out of the main slope until the workings of the new shaft, now being sunk at Wadesville are extended far enough west to tap it.

Description of Fatal Accidents by Falls of Coal and Roof. August Brenner, a Polish miner, aged 28 years, was killed about two o'clock in the afternoon of January 8. He was working breast No. 20 in West Daniel vein gangway at Richardson colliery, with Charles Ditzell as a partner. The breast which had a pitch of 65 degrees was about finished and had struck free coal, and the miners were expecting the face to run and they were anxious to get their manways built close to face before it ran, so as to secure all the measurement they could. They had gotten the inside manway finished and were working on the outside one, when the face ran suddenly, catching Brenner in the breast side of the manway and Ditzell near upper juggler, covering both men with the loose coal. The breast ran through to level above, letting a small quantity of water down and filled the outside manway with loose coal for some distance. When help arrived it was found that the next breast outside had been drawn empty and there was no way to get at the men above except to draw the outside manway or to drive through loose coal across breast from inside manway near top. From the top of the inside manway, Ditzell could be heard calling and said his partner was near him and was dead. It was thought best not to disturb the coal in this outside manway, for fear that Ditzell would be killed by the moving coal, so men commenced to drive a heading through the loose coal from the inside manway. After working at this heading until the morning of the 10th, and not making much headway owing to the manway being so narrow that poles could not be turned long enough to catch the loose stuff, it was feared that Ditzell could not be reached by this heading in time to save his life, and it was then decided to open the outside manway by building a battery close to the stuff, so that it could be drawn gradually