A brief description of the condition of the mines, and of the circumstances under which each fatal accident occurred, together with the usual statistical tables will be found in their proper places in this report, all of which is respectfully submitted.

Yours respectfully,

JAMES BLICK.

Mines Abandoned, New Mines Opened and general Improvement Made at the Mines of the Seventh Bituminous District During the Year.

Two mines, viz: Beach Cliff and Fort Pitt have been worked out and abandoned.

Lick Run.-Is a new mine opened by the Keeling Coal Company on the Wheeling division of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. A tipple has been erected and the main entries driven into the hill for a considerable distance. A temporary furnace has also been erected to produce the ventilation.

The First Pool Monongahela Gas Coal Company, has sunk a new shaft and built a very substantial steel tipple with all the latest improvements at Willock Station on the Wheeling division of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad.

Margerum.--Is a new mine opened at Imperial, on the Montour Run railroad. A tipple, incline plane and other improvements necessary for its operation were completed early in the year.

A new mine has been opened and equipped at the Fort Pitt station on the Pan Handle railroad.

At the Cherry mine a new ventilating furnace has been built. At Bridgeville a mine ventilating fan of the Vulcan-Guibal type, 16 foot diameter has been erected and set in motion.

At the Moon Run mine a double inlet Capell fan 8 feet in diameter, and 7 feet wide has been provided. I understand that this is the

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first improved Capell fan erected in the United States. This type of fan is, I consider, far superior to any other ventilator that I am acquainted with for the small airways of our bituminous mines, and parties desiring to equip their mines with new ventilators, would do well to inquire into the merits of this type of fan. The fan was built by Carlin Bros., Allegheny City.

At Hite mine a single inlet Capell fan 8 foot diameter has been provided and is ready for operation.

The Nickle Plate mine has been equipped with a mining machine plant of the Harrison type, operated by compressed air.

The Beadling mine has also been equipped with a mining plant similar to the above.

The Essen mines Nos. 2 and 3 have been equipped with a very costly mining and haulage plant, both being operated by electrical power.

A new shaft about 100 feet deep has been sunk at the face of the main face entry in the No. 3 mine to be used as an inlet for the ventilating current.

For further information in regard to the above improvements, refer to our remarks upon the condition of the various mines.

DESCRIPTION AND GENERAL CONDITION OF THE MINES IN THE SEVENTH BITUMINOUS DISTRICT FOR THE YEAR 1895.

Mines on and Near the Monongahela River.

Bellwood. This mine when last inspected was found in a very favorable condition.

Quantity of air in circulation, 35,000 cubic feet per minute, being well distributed to the working places; the drainage is also in good condition.

This mine was in operation only about three months during the year.

Calhoun. This mine has been operated very steadily throughout the past year, but it is very seldom that they employ a sufficient number of men to bring them under the provisions of the law.

When last inspected, the mine was in very fair condition. The ventilating furnace will produce about 12,000 feet of air per minute. Streets Run. The general condition is favorable. About forty men are employed, and the quantity of air circulating through the mine is about 16,000 feet per minute, which is ample for all purposes.

Hays Street Run Nos. 2 and 3 and the Becks Run Mine.-These mines have resumed operations after a shut down of several years, but on account of the very low stage of water in the river, caused by the long drought of the past season, they were unable to run the mines more than about two months during the year.

Each mine when inspected was in good condition. Quantity of air passing in Nos. 2 and 3, 72,000 feet per minute, and 40,550 feet were circulating through the Becks Run mine. The drainage in each mine was also good.

First Pool Nos. 1 and 2.-Everything about these mines is kept in first class order. The health and safety of the employes is well cared for in every particular. Both mines are ventilated by the same fan, which will produce upwards of 100,000 feet of air per minute, this being ample for present needs.

No. 2 is a new operation, the shaft having been sunk during the past summer. The tipple machinery, and all other equipments are among the best obtainable.

Both mines combined are a very valuable property, and are destined to become very large producers of coal in the near future.

Lick Run. This is a new operation, opened during the past year by the Keeling Coal Company.

As yet, only a few men are employed in driving entries. The general condition of the mine is favorable. A small temporary furnace has been provided to produce ventilation for the time being.

Walton. At the time of my last visit to this mine, everything was found in favorable condition, the ventilation was good and the drainage was well arranged so that all parts of the workings were kept as dry as possible.

Quantity of air produced by the fan, 52,000 feet per minute.

Castle Shannon.-During the early part of the year, the distribution of the air current to the different parts of the workings was not satisfactory, but at the time of my last visit, I observed that considerable improvement had been made and all parts of the mine were at that time reasonably well ventilated.

Quantity of air produced by the furnace, when last measured, 24,800 feet per minute. This volume of air is sufficient for all needs at the present time, if properly conducted to the working places.

Ormsby. The general condition of this mine is favorable. They have of late, had considerable difficulty with the furnace upcast shaft, it having caved or fallen in necessitating the lining of the shaft with a brick wall from the bottom to the surface, a distance of 260 feet.

This mine was operated steadily the greater part of the year, the product being used for mill and domestic purposes in the city of Pittsburg.

Quantity of air in circulation when last measured, 33,000 feet per minute, but at the present time, while they are bricking the shaft, the furnace is not in use, and the small fan erected for temporary use, will not produce quite as large a quantity of air as that given above.

Enterprise. The general condition of this mine is good. A good supply of fresh air is forced through the various working places. The drainage is also good.

Average quantity of air passing near the face of the different entries is about 10,000 feet per minute for each entry and the total quantity produced by the fan is about 100,000 cubic feet per minute.

Venture. No. 1 section of the workings is in good condition, and a good sweeping air current is passing near the face of the entries and other working places. But in No. 2 section, there is considerable difficulty experienced in keeping the workings free from blackdamp. This is accounted for from the fact that this portion of the mine is almost surrounded by old abandoned territory from which the above noxious gas is constantly escaping, in large volumes and mingling with the air current.

Quantity of air at the outlet, 56,000 cubic feet per minute.

Fox. Is in fairly good condition, except in one of the butt entries where I observed that two or three rooms were turned away in ad vance of the ventilating current. Quantity of air passing at the fan, 16,000 cubic feet per minute, this volume of air is more than sufficient for all requirements if forced to the working places, for there are not. often more than thirty persons employed in the mine.

Mines on the Panhandle Railroad.

Idlewood. The condition of this mine is about as good as it has been for some time past, but the system of operation and the general layout of the workings are somewhat crude. Consequently the airways leading forward to face of the mine are not in the best condition, a fact which makes it difficult to conduct the ventilating current to the working places in sufficient volume to keep them in a healthfu! condition.

. Quantity of air at the outlet, 14,350 feet per minute, but I found only 5,000 feet passing at the extreme end of the workings, the remainder having been lost by escaping through the old workings into the return airway.

The ventilating conditions will be improved in the near future by making an inlet at the face of the mine.

Grant. Is in reasonably good condition, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

The roadways are usually wet and muddy, and the ventilation in

the summer season is not of the best. Quantity of air produced by the furnace is about 16,000 cubic feet per minute.

Cherry. During the past summer, the ventilation in one section of the mine was below the requirements, but at the time of my last visit, they were building a new ventilating furnace which is now completed, and I am informed that the quantity of air now circulating through the mine is sufficient for all needs.

Previous to the erection of the new furnace, I measured a volume of 12,100 cubic feet of air per minute passing at the outlet.

On June 29th an oil pipe line which is laid over this property and buried about two feet beneath the surface, was broken by the subsidence of the strata where the coal had been mined out, and the oil Hlowed into the mine through the broken strata and was accidentally ignited by one of the miners in his working place as soon as it entered the mine. This resulted in one miner having been slightly burned and the timber and coal was set on fire, necessitating the immediate sealing of that part of the mine. Fortunately the break occurred near an opening to the surface, which had been made for drainage, and the oil flowed out of the mine through the opening as fast as it came in through the broken strata. Had the opening not been there, to give the oil free egress, in all probability, the mine fire would have gotten beyond control, but under the conditions that existed, it was overcome without much difficulty, after burning about one week.

It was noticed during the progress of the fire, that considerable quantities of explosive gas were generated from the burning oil, but by means of bulkheads, this gas was kept back from other parts of the mine and forced out through a small aperture left in the bulkhead at the drain opening.

It may be said that the mine owners had no knowledge of the existence of the pipe line overlaying their mine, it having been placed there a number of years before they purchased the property.

Champion. The ventilation of this mine is not of the best; the volume of air produced by the two small furnaces is not quite suffi cient to maintain a pure, healthful atmosphere in all parts of the mine, but this defect will be remedied in the near future by the introduction of a more powerful ventilating apparatus.

Total volume of air passing through the mine when last measured, 28,000 cubic feet per minute.

Nickel Plate.--Is in reasonably good condition. The surface strata above the coal is very shallow, consequently where the coal is mined out, the strata breaks up to the surface allowing a large volume of water to pass into the mine during wet weather, and this, together with several local swamps inside of the mine makes it very difficult to keep the roadways well drained and in good condition.