COAL - Clpdigital.org

30 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
INTERESTING FEATURES OF THE MODEL NEW MINING PLANT AT ISELIN, PA.
By .1. L. Dixon. Mining Engineer of the Ingersod-Rand Drill Co., Pittsburgh.*
The Pittsburgh Gas Coal Co. was organized
during the year 1903, and owns 6,000 acres of the
highest grade coal of the great Pittsburgh seam,
which exhaustive tests have proven to be a first-
class gas and steam coal. The seam averages
7 feet in thickness. The Iselin plant of the Pittsburgh
Gas Coal Co. is an allied interest of the
Jefferson-Clearfield Coal & Iron Co. and of the
Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal & Iron Co.. and is
only one of the many notable plants of this combination,
which is one of the greatest coal and
coke producing concerns in the world, its daily
production being more than 30,000 tons, and even
I his enormous output is being very much increased.
There is hardly a mine belonging to
this company which is not worthy oi special and
detailed notice, some of them having a daily output
of from 3,500 to 4.000 tons. One of them.
the Ernest colliery, will in a comparatively short
time be handling 6,000 tons per day over one
tipple equipped with two Phillips Mine & Mill
Supply Co.'s dumps.
The Pittsburgh Gas Coal Co.'s colliery is located
at Iselin, Indiana county, Pa., on a branch of the
Indiana division of the B. R. & P. R. R., which
extends 18 miles from Creekside in a southwesterly
direction to the valuable gas coal fields of
the company, and was built especially for the
transportation of eoal from these mines. There
are two openings known as No. 1 and No. 2. The
conditions for mining are almost ideal, tns coal
cropping in the hills at tipple height, and giving
sufficient distance for tne handling of long trips
from the mine openings. The mines are practically
self-draining, which is an added value to
the property, making it easy to maintain dry
haulage roads, dry working peaces and reducing
cost of subterranean transportation to a minimum.
The method of mining is known in mining par­
lance as the triple entry system. It is a method
which admits of perfect ventilation, the highest
economy of ultimate extraction of coal, concentra­
tion of operation and greatest facility of haulage.
While all of these are
necessities, too much can­
not be said regarding the
importance of ventilation,
both from an economic and
humanitarian point of view.
Upon this largely depends
the health and safety of the
workmen and consequently
the successful operation of
the mine. For this pur­
pose each mine is equipped
with a fan of ample siza and
capacity to supply an abund­
ance of pure air, even when
the mines shall have at­
tained their ultimate development.
At No. 1 a rever­
sible, double inlet Clifford-
Capel fan, 16 feet by 6 feet,
Fig. 1. Iselin Plant Power House and Til Iilc.
has been installed; this is
driven by a 20-inch by 18-inch Harrisburg stand-
»Eevlsed from article by Mr. Dixon, appearing in "Coniprossed
Air, Now \ ork, in (September. Cuts by courtesy of "Mines and
Minerals, Scrauton.
aid engine, and is capable of producing 300,000
cubic feet of air per minute. No. 2 is ventilated
by a fan of tbe same make and description, 12%
inches by 5 inches, run by an electric motor, and
capable of producing 200.000 cubic feet, or a combined
capacity of half a million cubic feet of air
per minute. This is an enormous volume of air,
and far in excess of actual demands, but even this
would be of little value unless properly distributed.
The workings are ventilated by the "split air
system." which by means of brick stoppings, overcasts
and regulators gives each division of the
mine a sufficient current of pure air.
The boiler house and power house are under
one roof (Fig. 1); the rooms are separated
by a 12-inch brick partition; the building is 128
feet long, 89 feet wide, 35 feet from floor to lower
cord of roof truss, and is fireproof, being built of
stone and brick, with iron roof trusses and slate