in good repair; ventilation is furnished by a 14-foot fan, making 80 revo lutions per minute, and passing 18,3 0 cubic feet of air around the work ings in the same time; the air travels from the down-cast to face of south entry, where it divides, part going to the east and part to thewest side, making its return to the fan through the face of the workings, giving equal proportion of the current to each man in the mine; considerable heat is discovered at parts of this mine from the slow combustion that steadily exists in the refuse of the mine stored away in the gobs; but as the air-current is strong enough to sweep it away, the miners do not have it to contend with. Coal from 2 to 3 feet in thickness, and worked on the long wall plan; mining is paid for at the rate of 85 cents per ton in winter, and 75 cents in summer; roadway high and dry and in good condition. While this mine has been in operation longer than any other mine in the county, and worked more extensively than any other three mines, yet it is in better condition now than any of the new mines. It gives employment to 75 men. The coal is shipped over the K. C Ft. S. & M. R. R. to points north and south along the line.

Joe Hurst has opened a new mine half a mile south of Deepwater. Shaft 25 feet deep; horse-power; coal consumed at Deepwater.

LEWIS STATION POSTOFFICE.

Co-operative Coal company, J. M. Johnson, superintendent.-Mine located mile west of Lewis and connected by a switch with the M., K. & T. railroad. Shaft 70 feet deep; steam-power; ventilation furnished by a 10-foot fan, and the mine is well ventilated. Coal 30 inches thick, and worked on the long-wall plan, using the movable face track. The pay for mining is 70 cents per ton. Mine dry and in very fair condition. About 25 men employed, and the coal shipped over the M., K. & T. railroad to Sedalia, where it is consumed.

D. B. Pigg Coal company.-Mine located 1 miles northeast of Lewis station. Drift opening, and the mine is ventilated by a small furnace. Coal 30 inches thick, worked on the long-wall plan, using the movable face track, and paying 70 cents per ton for mining. Employment is given to 15 or 20 men. Coal is hauled from the mine over a tram road for of a mile and loaded on cars and shipped over the M., K. & T. railroad to Sedalia.

Tebo Coal Co.-John Bowen, superintendent. Mine located 2 miles northeast of Lewis station and connected with the M., K. & T. railroad. St 60 feet deep, and operated by steam-power. Mine ventilated by a furnace, which was giving good results at dates of inspections. Coal 30 inches thick, worked on the long-wall plan, using the movable face track, and paying 70 cents per ton for mining screen coal.

The roof which overlays the coal seam in the surroundings of the Calhoun and Lewis station mines, is a good, hard slate, very suitable for the long-wall method of mining, which is used at all the mines. The product of this mine is consumed by the railroad company.

have been erected at the mine to coal engines.

NORTH POSTOFFICE.

Chutes

North Clinton Coal Co.-W. A. Bridges, manager. Mine located at North station and connected by a switch with the K. C., Ft. S. & M. railroad. Shaft 50 feet deep, using steam-power for hoisting. This mine remained idle during the summer and fall, up to November, 1893, when Mr. Bridges took charge. I inspected the same December 22, and found it in a very bad condition. The air-courses were nearly closed, and no air in the mine, and the roadways wet and muddy. Instructions were given to the officers of the company to clean and enlarge the airways and get more air through the mine.

May 3, I made another inspection, and very little improvement had been made in the ventilation since my former visit. I was informed that the mine would soon change hands again. Coal 3 feet thick, worked on the pillar and room plan. The coal is mined by blasting off the solid.

I have been informed that another company has purchased the mine, and that another shaft will be sunk, the, machinery moved to it, and the present shaft be used as an escape-shaft.

WINDSOR POSTOFFICE.

B. Beaman operates a mine 6 miles north of Windsor. Shaft 35 feet deep; horse-power. Coal 5 feet thick, worked on the room and pillar plan. From 6 to 10 men employed. The coal is consumed at Windsor and the surrounding country.

W. E. Hughes operates a mine 2 miles south of Windsor. Shaft 25 feet deep; horse power. Coal 5 feet thick. Employment is given to 6 or 8 men to supply the home market.

Wm. Shook operates a mine 6 miles north of Windsor. Coal from 5 to 6 feet thick, and brought out through a shaft, the hoisting being done by a horse power. The coal is consumed in the surrounding country, but some is hauled in wagons and loaded on cars at Windsor and shipped.

JACKSON COUNTY.

Production, 6729 tons.

KANSAS CITY POSTOFFICE.

Kansas City Clay & Coal Co., E. A. Phillips, receiver; James Russell, superintendent.--This mine is located about 2 miles southeast of the city limits of Kansas City, and is the only mine in Jackson county. The shaft is sunk to the lower vein, which is 400 feet below the surface, but the seam that is worked is 80 feet above, or 320 feet to the landing. The mine is equipped with good machinery, and money has been lavishly employed in order to make it a first-class mine. A 10foot ventilating fan is used to ventilate the mine, and the same is set at east end of hoisting shaft, exhausting through an air-chamber partitioned off one end of main shaft. The fan is connected by a belt, and is very poorly constructed. In fact, it was condemned on my first visit to the mine in 1893, but was informed that the present fan was put up temporarily, and that a larger one would be used as soon as the air-shaft was sunk. I am very much opposed to connecting and ruuning fans by the aid of belts, as they are unreliable and subject to contraction and expansion with changes of temperature, and to frequent breakage. The constructors of fans have remedied the above evils by connecting the engine direct to the fan-shaft, which can be easily regulated in speed according to the requirements of the mine.

This is a very gaseous mine, and several explosions of gas have occurred here during the past year, which will be fully explained in this report, together with the personal attention given it by this department. The gas comes down from the roof, and as the mine is worked on the long-wall plan, a new supply is given off with every fresh break in the slate, and which, if the fan works properly, is quickly carried away and diffused at the face of the workin gs by the air-current constantly traveling in that direction. The seam being low, a large amount of the roof had to be taken down on roadways in all the entries to give height, and as the air current was being conducted around the face of the workings, the gas would accumulate in the brushing in large quantities, as not enough air was caused to travel over the entries to take away the gas as it was generated from the roof, the result was dangerous quantities accumulated there. Realizing the situation at this mine, the company was notified by this department on the 1st day of May, 1893, to sink an escapement-shaft at once, as required by section 7063 (R. S.) of the mining laws of Missouri, and the same to be completed within six months from date of notice. On the 27th day of

, same year, the following letter was received:

KANSAS CITY CLAY AND COAL CO.,
KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 26, 1893.

Mr. CHAS. EVANS, State Mine Inspector, Jefferson City, Mo.:

DEAR SIR-Some time since we received a communication from your office instructing us to put down an escapement-shaft, and to have same completed by November 1, 1893.

This company has spent a great deal of money in opening up our mine, and this, with the great stringency in the money market, has caused us to be hard up. Our ready funds were tied up in one of the suspended banks here, and at the present time we have no capital with which to do the work that you desire to have done. It is also impossible to borrow money for the purpose mentioned. We are running along now, getting in just about money enough to meet our pay-rolls, and with the great cost of production attached to the opening up of a new mine, and especially where the product is sold at summer prices, you will readily perceive that there is a positive loss in operating now. We are willing to stand a little loss on our productions in order to open up our mine.

If we are compelled to go on with the sinking of the air-shaft we will be compelled to shut down now, and throw from 60 to 70 men out of employment.

If we can be permitted to ruu along as we are now, we will agree to begin to work on air-shaft not later than May 1, 1894, and will prosecute the work diligently until the shaft is completed. We trust that you can see your way clear to grant

this request.

By J. M. PERRY, Secretary.

Yours truly,

KANSAS CLAY & COAL Co.

To the above, this department answered as follows:

JEFFERSON CITY, August 2, 1893.

To the Kansas City Clay and Coal Company, Kansas City Mo.:

GENTLEMEN-I am in receipt of your favor of the 26th ult. Because of the evident danger to human life involved in the operation of your mine under existing condition, 1 deem it important that means of escape should be provided at the earliest practicable day. I appreciate the force of what you say, and the difficulty likely to be encountered in sinking the escape-shaft at this time; and while not disposed to be too exacting in matters of this kind, I do not feel at liberty to say that I consent and agree to such postponement as proposed by you in beginning, and prosecuting the work to be done to furnish an avenue of escape to the miners in the event of accident. I do not feel that I could safely authorize uch postponement. If the work is delayed, I could not well consent to have it said that it is done with my approval. And whatever postponement is had, if any, must be undertaken on the sole responsibility of those concerned in the mine, both as operators and miners. Respectfully,

CHAS. EVANS, State Mine Inspector.

I made the first visit to the mine during the past fiscal year in September, 1893, and learned that the company had failed, and found the mine idle. December 9, of the same year I visited the mine again, and was informed that the same was in the hands of a receiver, who started to operate it in November. A careful inspection was made at this date of all the workings. The fan was making 72 revolutions per minute, and was removing 12,344 cubic feet of air around the workings in the same time. This volume of air was coming down the hoisting-shaft, and was

conducted to the face of the first northwest entry, where it was split into two currents, one going north and the other current traveling south, along the face of the workings, until it united again at the first northeast entry, at which point it returned to the upcast. The face of the workings was well ventilated at date of this inspection; in fact, double the amount of air required by law was found passing, but gas was found in small quantities in the brushing, in all the entries. The attention of the superintendent, Mr. Jas. Blair, was called to that fact, and he was instructed to provide air enough to travel over all the entries, to keep them clear of standing gas. The mine having changed management, and nothing having been done toward the commencement of sinking an escapement-shaft it became the duty of this department to notify the present managers of the requirements of the law, and the following letter was sent:

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., January 2, 1894. E. A PHILLIPS, Esq., Receiver of the Kansas City Clay and Coal Co, Kansas City: DEAR SIR-The change in the management of the Kansas City Clay and Coal Co. makes it necessary that the instructions given to its former managers in connection with the sinking of an escapement-shaft be repeated. The situation at the mine of which you are receiver, demands of me more than ordinary care and attention. The depth of shaft, the amount of gas in the mine, the number of men employed, with but one way of escape, taken together, with the location of the top-buildings, presenting as they do in case of fire such fearful possibilities of cutting off all escape, is a risk I cannot take. I am, therefore, with a due appreciation of the stringency in money matters, and with the best wishes for the general good of the mine, and the welfare and prosperity of its operators, compelled to insist on the immediate commencement and prosecution of the same with the utmost speed it the sinking of an escapement-shaft at the mine of the Kansas City Clay and Coal Co., and for which you are the receiver. I have no discrestion in the matter; the law is plain, and the instructions herein are given in obedience to the same. 1 trust you will at once comply, and thus avoid compelling me, much against and in opposition to my wishes, to resort to extreme measures.

Respectfully,

CHAS. EVANS, State Mine Inspector.

January 23d I visited the mine again and found it idle; the miners were striking against a reduction in the price of mining. I also found that nothing had been done toward commencing the sinking of the escape. February 1st the following letter was sent from this department: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Feb. 1, 1894.

Kansas City Clay and Coal Co., Kansas City, Mo.:

GENTLEMEN-Ever since last May your company has been urged to sink an escapement-shaft. On the 2d of January, 1894, the receiver of your company was informed of my position in the premises, and urged to commence work on escapement at once; work has not only been delayed, but so has reply to my communication. I now expect to find work commenced at your mine on sinking escapementshaft within the 10 days next succeeding this date, or I will visit your mine and or it closed. Respectfully,

CHAS. EVANS, State Mine Inspector.