RICHMOND POSTOFFICE. Black Diamond Company.-Wm. Pence, superintendent; mine located at Richmond; shaft 83 feet deep; horse-power; ventilation is furnished by the aid of a stove, which was sufficient for the capacity of the mine. The mine is only operated in fall and winter to supply local demand, although some coal is hauled in wagons, and shipped; coal 23 inches thick, and worked on long wall plan, giving employment to 8 or 10 men. Old Black Diamond mine is located at Richmond, near the new Black Diamond, and has an underground connection with same. Shaft 80 feet deep; horse-power. Mine operated in fall and winter to supply the home demand. Darneal Coal company.-John Hubbell, manager, and John McCart, superintendent. Mine is located one mile west of Richmond, and known as Mine No. 10. Shaft 110 feet deep; horse-power. Ventilation is produced by a furnace. First inspection was made September 7, 1893, and the mine found in very good condition; roadways high and dry, and the ventilation up to the requirements of the law. Second inspection was made the 7th of March, 1894, when the mine was again found in good condition. On this visit, the attention of Mr. McCart was called to the safety-catches, which were not in good order. An underground connection is kept open between this mine, and No. 11, as an avenue of escape in case of accident. Coal 22 inches thick, and worked on the long-wall plan; from 40 to 50 men employed. Coal consumed at St. Joe and points west. Douglas & Hastings.-Mine located at Richmond. This is a new mine; shaft sunk in the summer of 1893, coal being found at a depth of 80 feet; horse-power is used for hoisting; from 4 to 8 men employed in fall and winter to supply the home demand. Mine No. 8 is located west of Richmond, and is connected with the St. Joe branch of the Santa Fe railroad. Shaft 110 feet deep; steam plant; ventilation is produced by a furnace, which was found deficient on date of first inspection, September 7, 1893, owing to obstruction in the airways. One of the safety-catches was also found in poor condition. Instructions were given to the mine foreman to rem. edy these deficiencies at once. This mine was formerly operated by the Hubbell Mining Co., but in August, 1893, went into the hands of a receiver. On my second visit the mine was not running, and no inspection made. The coal at this mine, like that of the surrounding mines, is 24 inches thick, and worked on the long-wall plan, employing from 15 to 20 men. Coal consumed west and north. Hubbell, Hyat & Hubbell Coal Co., John Hubbell, manager; John McCart, superintendent.-Mine located within the limits of the city of Richmond, and connected with the St. Joe branch of the Santa Fe R. R. Shaft 115 feet, steam-power, and ventilated by a furnace, which was giving poor results at date of inspection, September 8, 1893. The mine has been and is very extensively worked, and the air has a long distance to travel through the face of old workings; and as the coal is worked on the long-wall method, the roof is necessarily setling and lessening the area of the air-course, which is one of the greatest difficulties met with in retarding mine ventilation. The furnace is inadequate to produce that quantity of air in the mine required by law, and Mr. McCart was notified that it must be enlarged, or a fan substituted. During the summer, when there is no demand for coal, this mine is usually closed down for a few months, which causes more or less damage, as no repairs are made when the mine is idle. On the whole, there is too much economy practiced here to keep the mine in a good sanitary condition. The air passes down the main shaft and travels to face of work, where it is split to the right and left entries; thence returning to the upcast through the face of the workings. An underground connection has been made between this mine and mine No. 8, for an avenue of escape for the men in case of fire or accident of any kind in either of the mines; it is always kept in good condition. March 10, another visit was made, but as the mine was closed down for the summer no inspection could be made. Coal 24 inches thick and worked on the long-wall plan; about 70 men are employed. Coal consumed at Kansas City and St. Joe, and points west and northwest. Murray & James.-Mine located two miles southeast of Richmond. Shaft 60 feet deep; horse-power; mine only operated in fall and winter to supply the local demand. The coal is 24 inches thick, and is the same seam as that so extensively worked throughout the county. Ben Conroy operates a mine north of Richmond to supply home trade. Pickering Coal Company.-Mine located one mile northwest of Richmond, and connected with the St. Joe branch of the Santa Fe railroad. Shaft 110 feet deep; equipped with very fair machinery for hoisting; ventilation produced by a furnace located near the bottom of hoisting shaft, and exhausting through an air chamber, partitioned off from the side of main shaft; it was giving good results at dates of inspections, September 8, 1893, and March 7, 1894. The air current is conducted around the face of the workings in two volumes; passing in at the east side, it is then divided to the north and south, meeting again at face of west entry, from which point it returns to the upcast. The airways are high and wide, giving free access to the air; this largely assists in making it the best ventilated mine in the county. Coal 24 inches in thickness, and worked on the long-wall plan; mine dry, with good high roadways, and in good condition. A connection is made between this mine and the Darneal Coal company's mine, for escapement for the men in case of accident, and is kept in good condition. From 40 to 50 men employed. The coal is consumed at St. Joe and points west. Wm. Main, foreman. Rooney Bros. are operating the mine formerly operated by W. Douglas, which is located 1 mile from Richmond. The shaft is 60 feet deep; horse-power. Coal seam is the same as that worked in other sections of the county, and worked on same plan; from 4 to 6 men employed to supply local demand. Sandy Rankin.-Mine located 1 mile northwest of R. & L. Junction, and connected with the St. Joe branch of the Santa Fe R. R. Drift opening, and ventilated by a furnace, givining very good results. This mine has been in operation over 18 years, and is worked very extensively. There is considerable water in the mine, but it is readily handled by a powerful pump. Roadways high, but wet in places, otherwise the mine is in good condition. Coal and mode of mining the same here as in other parts of the country. From 30 to 40 men employed. The product is consumed at points west and northwest. Richmond Coal Co., J. S. Hughes, president; John Gibson, manager; Sandy Gibson, superintendent. This company owns and is operating 7 mines in this county, which are great factors in the coal production of the State, exceeded only by two companies during the year 1893. Two of the mines are located 1 mile west of Camden, and are connected with both the Wabash and Santa Fe railroads; the five other mines are located near Richmond, and connected with the St. Joe branch of the Santa Fe R. R. All of the mines are worked on the long-wall plan, as with the claymining and a strong rock roof, the general surroundings are well adapted to this method; in fact, this is the only practical and profitable method of working thin seams of coal. The thickness of the coal at the Camden mines is about 18 inches. It is overlaid with 10 inches of draw slate, which comes down with the coal, and is used to build walls to secure the roof, as very little timber is used in these mines. The coal in the vicinity of Richmond will average about 24 inches in thickness, and is overlaid with an excellent rock roof. A movable face-track is used at all the mines in this cour which is a great convenience to the miner in loading his coal, as it saves the extra labor of re-handling it. The mines of this company are all well ventilated and drained, with good, high roadways, and in very good condition generally. Following is a description of each mine, with a statement as to the general condition and location as found at dates of inspection: Mines Nos. 1 and 2 are located one mile west of Camden, and each connected with the Wabash and Santa Fe railroads. Both shafts are equipped with good machinery for hoisting. All the safety appliances, ropes, gates, cages and safety-catches were found in good repair. An underground traveling way connects the two mines, so that either one may act as escapement to the other in case of accident. Both mines are working the same face of coal, and might be termed one mine with two openings. Both mines are ventilated by a furnace located at Mine No. 2; the air passes down the hoisting shafts, and travels north to the face of work No. 1; here it splits to the east and west, the part going east returning to the upcast, and the part going west traveling through the face of the workings, uniting with the air from No. 2 at the second west entry, and returns to the upcast. The ventilation was very good at dates of inspection, December 13 and April 13. The furnace is inadequate to meet the demands made by the law in all parts of the mine, and the company con templates sinking another shaft 1500 feet west of Mine No. 2, moving the machinery from No. 2 to No. 3, and erecting a 12-foot fan at No. 2 to ventilate both mines. There is no doubt that these changes would have been made in the summer of 1893, but for the depression in the coal trade and the stringency in money matters. Coal 18 inches thick and worked on the long-wall method. layer of draw slate comes down with the coal and is used to build packwalls, to secure the roof. The roadways are high, wide, dry, and in very good condition. About 125 men employed at both mines. Ten coal chutes have been erected at Mine No. 1 to coal the trains of the Santa Fe Railroad Company. A large amount of the product is consumed in this way, and the balance is shipped to Kansas City and points west. Mines Nos. 3, 4 and 5 are located 1 mile south of Richmond, and connected with St. Joe branch of the Santa Fe railroad. These three mines are connected by an underground roadway, and are all working on the same coal face, which is one mile and a quarter long, and all three are ventilated by the same fan, which is set on top of an air-shaft near mine No. 5; and for all practical purposes the three may be called one mine with three openings. |