fills with water and stops operations; employment is given to about

25 men.

Peter Pearson operates a strip-pit near Rich Hill; the coal is hauled to railroad switch in wagons, and shipped to market over the Mo. Pac. R. R.

Contract mine, operated by D. Rees, located 4 miles north of Rich Hill; slope opening, and the product is brought to the surface by steampower. Ventilation is produced by a 10-foot fan, which was giving good results. Coal about 4 feet thick, and worked on the pillar and room plan; from 40 to 50 men employed.

Rich Hill Coal and Mining company, Major R. M. Reavley, general manager, and J. T. Reavley, general superintendent. This is one of the largest coal companies in the State; the output of its mines constitute one-sixth of the coal production of the State. All of its mines are worked on the double entry room and pillar method, and the coal is mined by blasting it off the solid. The coal varies in thickness from 3 to 5 feet, and 50 cents per ton is paid for mining unscreened coal. Ventilation is produced by fans, and the mines are well ventilated and well managed. Three inspections were made of each mine during the past year, and their condition found as follows:

Mine No. 4 is located 3 miles northwest of Rich Hill; slope opening; the work during the past year has been confined to drawing pillars, and on my third visit to the mine, I found men taking out the track, and the mine is now abandoned.

Mine No. 13 has been worked out, and the houses and equipment of the same moved to the company's mines south of Rich Hill.

Mine No. 15, E. Allison, foreman. Mine located 2 miles south of Rich Hill, and connected with the Mo. Pac. R. R. by a switch; shaft 106 feet deep, and equipped with first-class machinery for hoisting and ventilating. This is the largest coal producer as well as the best equipped mine in the State; in fact the output of this mine exceeds the coal productions of 20 counties, and the output would have been considerably larger if the demand for coal would have justified the mine being run to its full capacity. A 15-foot fan is furnishing the ventilation, which was making 75 revolutions per minute, and removing 56,350 cubic feet of air in same time, which was conducted around the working in 5 separate currents, and each current ventilating a different part of the mine; thence returning to the upcast over air-crossings. I made a careful examination of all the abandoned workings and found them clear of gas, and a good current of air traveling through. There were 245 men and boys employed at date of this visit, October 5th, and the mine had a daily output of 1400 tons of coal.

Second inspection was made January 11, and owing to the depression in the coal trade, the mine was only running about one-half the time; but the day hands are always found at work in the mines of this company, making repairs and keeping the mine in good working order. Third inspection was made May 11, and the mine was found in good condition, with the requirements of the law closely observed and obeyed. As the coal is mined by blasting off the solid, a very large amount of powder is used, but every precaution is taken to avoid accidents; the sanitary conditions of the mine and the safety of the men are well looked after; shot firers are employed by the company to fire all shots after the miners retire from the mine; gasmen are also employed, whose duty it is to go around the working every morning, examine all working or suspicious places, and report that everything is safe before the miners are permitted to enter the mine. The coal is from 3 to 5 feet thick, overlaid with good slate roof, easily secured with timber; mine dry, with good high roadways and in good condition generally.

Mine No. 18.-I. B. Watson, foreman; this is a slope opening from the bottom of the strip-pit, and the product is brought to the surface by steam-power; ventilation is produced by a 10-foot fan, and the mine is well ventilated. The coal varies in thickness from three to four feet, and is very faulty; from 40 to 50 men employed, and the coal is shipped over the Missouri Pacific railroad to Kansas City and points north and west.

Contract Mine.-Operated by J. M. Wise; it is located about three miles north of Rich Hill; slope opening, and the coal is brought to the surface by steam-power; ventilation is produced by a 10 foot fan. First inspection was made October 9, and a deficiency in the ventilation was found at the head of the workings, owing to the leakages in the doors and stoppings. The attention of the company was called to the matter, with instructions to remedy it at once. Second inspection was made January 10, and only one part of the mine was working, owing to water breaking in from old abandoned mines. I visited the mine again on May 12, found it idle and the miners on strike, so no inspection was made; coal from four to five feet thick, worked on the room and pillar plan, and employing about 40 men.

Wm. Sullivan is operating a drift mine and a strip-pit, 1 mile south of Rich Hill, and has shipping connections with the Missouri Pacific railway, over which road the product is taken to market.

J. M. Harrison is stripping coal near mine 18 and loading the coal on cars and shipping to market over the Missouri Pacific railway.

J. B. Williams, strip-pit, north of Rich Hill. Coal hauled in wagons and shipped to market over the Mo. Pac. railway.

McMahon & Page, strip-pit, northeast of Rich Hill, and shipping the product to market over the Mo. Pac. railway.

Frank Martin, strip-pit, located north of Rich Hill. The coal is hauled in wagons, loaded on cars and shipped to market over the Mo. Pac. railway.

R. E. Allen is operating a strip-pit east of the Sullivan mine, and hauling the coal in wagons, loading on cars at Rich Hill and shipping to Kansas City over the Mo. Pac. railway.

Chenney & Beatey operate a strip-pit south of Rich Hill, and ship over the Mo. Pac. railway.

ROCKVILLE POSTOFFICE.

A large deposit of coal is worked about 6 miles northwest of Rockville, which runs in thickness from 5 to 6 feet, but owing to the shallowness of the covering over the coal; under-ground mining is impractical, and the coal is obtained by stripping off the dirt and slate, and quarrying the coal.

Other veins of coal are supposed to exist in this locality, and considerable prospecting has been done here lately by different parties, and I have no doubt but an extensive mine will be opened here as soon as railroad connection can be had to the mines.

John A. Ford operates a strip-pit, located 6 miles northwest of Rockville; the coal will average 5 feet in thickness, and is consumed in the surrounding country.

D. D. Peeler operates a strip-pit in the same locality. The coal is about the same thickness as that of the other mine, and is consumed in the immediate neighborhood.

As these mines are located away from shipping facilities, the output is confined to the local demand.

WORLAND POSTOFFICE.

The same seam of coal is worked in the surroundings of Worland, as that of Amoret and Foster. It is about three feet in thickness, but has a very shallow cover over it, and is very faulty. Most of the coal is obtained by stripping off the overlying surface, and quarrying it out. All the coal from these strip-pits is hauled in wagons to the railroad and shipped to market over the Mo. Pac. R. R. There are about 20 strip-pits in the surroundings of Worland. Some of them are large producers. The names of all operators, and the output of each, will be found in the statistical table of Bates county.

F. A. Raney & Company operate a mine one mile east of Worland, at Ward's switch; shaft 40 feet deep; horse-power; coal 3 feet thick; worked on the pillar and room plan; ventilation produced by a furnace giving very fair results. Coal is hauled from the mines in wagons, loaded on cars at Ward's switch, and shipped to market over the Mo. Pac. R. R. Employment is given to about 15 men.

Thomas Manchester & Son operated a slope in the same locality the fore part of the winter, but have since leased the mine to other parties. Very little work has been done at the mine during the year.

BOONE COUNTY.
Production, 19,038 tons.

Boone county is underlaid by the Coal Measures, and mining operations are carried on in a small way in different parts of the county. The same seam of coal so extensively worked in Macon and Randolph counties is found and worked. Twelve mines were in operation during the past year, producing in the aggregate 19,038 tons, which is a decrease of 6564 tons compared with the previous year's output. The amount realized from the sale of the product was $28,428, an average of $1.49 per ton at the mines. For a description and location of each of the mines operated, see remarks following:

CENTRALIA POSTOFFICE.

L. Severs is operating a mine 3 miles north of Centralia. Shaft 30 feet deep; horse-power; coal about 2 feet thick, and worked on the long-wall method. It is hauled in wagons to Centralia, where it is consumed.

COLUMBIA POSTOFFICE.

There are a great number of mines in the surroundings of Columbia, operated in the fall and the winter to supply home trade. B. S. Benefield operates a mine 3 miles northeast of Columbia. Drift opening; coal 3 feet thick; worked on room and pillar plan; mine operated in fall and winter.

Shaft

Blackfoot Coal Co., formerly known as the W. A. Gooding Co.Mine located 5 miles north of Columbia, on the Gravel road. 120 feet deep; horse power. This is a new mine sunk in the fall of 1893, when a 4-foot vein of coal was struck at the above-mentioned depth. The coal is of good quality, and is the same seam as that so extensively worked in Macon and Randolph counties. The roof is a hard slate, requiring very little timber. The coal is hauled in wagons to Columbia, where it is consumed, and consequently the capacity of the mine is limited to the local demand; while it could be operated

very extensively, if it had railroad connection to ship the product to other markets.

Carter & Smith.-Mine located 4 miles north of Columbia. Shaft 20 feet deep; horse-power. Coal 3 feet thick and worked on the room and pillar plan. The roof is soft and requires great care to keep it secure with timber. Coal hauled in wagons to Columbia, where it is consumed.

Columbia Coal Company.-E. L. Hubbard, superintendent. Mine located 4 miles north of Columbia, at Henry station. Shaft 120 feet deep, equipped with steam-power for hoisting.

This mine changed hands in the summer of 1893, and the present operators took down the horse power apparatus and built a new pithead, and moved the cages, ropes and machinery to this point from a mine in Randolph county, and through these improvements increased the capacity of the mine. Ventilation is produced by a fire basket, located at the foot of the air-shaft, which is inadequate to ventilate the mine with its present force. The company has been instructed to build a furnace. Coal about 3 feet in thickness, and is worked on the longwall plan. The soapstone, forming the roof, is soft and friable, and very difficult to keep it secure, requiring a large amount of timber to be used. The mine is connected with the Columbia branch of the Wabash railway, which road consumes the entire output of the mine. About 30 men employed.

Thomas Rees is operating a mine near Columbia to supply local

trade.

George Kimball, drift opening, supplying home consumption. Scott Gordon, mine located in the vicinity of Columbia; operating in winter to supply home trade.

Will Mortica operates a mine in the same vicinity, to supply home demand.

James Rouse operates a mine three miles from Columbia, supplying the home trade.

John Goffett, drift opening; supplying local trade.

Paul Wright operates a mine to supply winter trade.

Arthur Clarkson, drift opening; supplying home demand.

Sam Sublett operates a mine to supply home demand.

BROWN STATION POSTOFFICE.

James W. Gaither operates a mine near Brown station during the winter months to supply home trade.

M. C. Pedro operates a strip-pit near Brown station; coal consumed in surrounding vicinity.