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34 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
ALABAMA MINE DISASTER.
At Virginia City. Ala., near Birmingham, an
explosion on February 20 caused the deaths of
about 120 miners—the exact number not being
definitely known—and the destruction of about
$100,000 worth of mine equipment and entry. The
disaster occurred in the mine of the Alabama
Steel & Wire Co. The cause of the explosion has
not been fully determined but it is probably that
coal dust and fire damp were jointly responsible.
The mine was noted for being exceptionally free
from gas. The force of the explosion was extra­
ordinary and the interior of the mine was so
badly wrecked that no bodies were recovered until
some 48 hours after the accident. At this writing
there are still from 40 to 50 bodies in the mine,
some of which probably will not be recovered for
a week or ten days. It is estimated that three
months' work will be necessary to make the mine
ready to operate again. The responsibility for
the accident has not been fixed.
Seek Damages From Gas Company.
Suit for $20,000 damages has been entered
against the Philadelphia Co. by Patterson & Robins,
Pittsburgh vein operators, in Mifflin and
Baldwin townships, who allege that the defendant
company has caused operations to cease in por­
tions of their mines by reason of laying a main for
carrying natural gas across their property. The
main, they allege, is a menace to the men employed
in the mine, and the mining inspectors
nave ordered further work in that portion of the
mine stopped. They aver that the main crosses
the mine at an angle and they are unable to re­
move props or to continue to mine coal.
New Ship Coaling System.
A new system of coaling ships has been invented
by John B. Honor, of New Orleans. It is
called the Honor elevator system and is designed
for the purpose of loading steamers from coal
barges running alongside. The coal is lifted by
means of a bucket into a hopper and transferred
from the hopper through a chute into
any desired bunker. It is expected to elevate,
trim and bunk 150 tons of coal per hour. The
cost of handling coal by wheel barrow is estimated
to be about five times the cost of handling it by the
Honor system.
British Mining Machinery Exports.
The exports of mining machinery from the LTni-
ted Kingdom during 1904 were valued at £873,221,
as compared with £781,773 in the previous year.
The value of the exports to South Africa was
£331,540, a decrease of £27,526 from the shipments
during 1903, but great increases were recorded in
exports to Europe, Australia, South America and
the East Indies, amounting to 60 and 76 per cent.
respectively in the cases of the first two men­
tioned continents. Shipments to the United States
decreased to £1,493, about one-half the value for
the preceding year. Imports during 1904 were
valued at £29,116 as compared with £54,302 in the
previous year.
Open Air Anthracite Mining.
Open air mining of aninracite coal on the larg­
est scale ever known in Pennsylvania is to be
started in Schuylkill by the St. Clair Coal Co., of
Scranton. This company will strip three million
cubic feet of earth, which will enable it to mine
enormous quantities of coal from the surface, a
novel condition for Schuylkill miners. Some of
the best veins in the anthracite region will be
tapped by these workings, and the fact that the
mining will all be done by daylight, will con­
siderably decrease the cost. The veins in this
section run close to tne surface. Two miles away
is the Pottsville shaft, where the Reading company
spent half a million dollars to sink a shaft
1,800 feet deep, and to find coal in profitable quan­
tities.
Castle Shannon Annual Meeting.
A reduction in the deficit of the Castle Shannon
railroad was accomplished by the management last
year. Since the Pittsburgh Coal Co. obtained
control of the road two years ago this deficit has
been reduced steadily. The total earnings of the
company amounted to $246,382, and of this amount
$142,344 was paid in wages to employes. The road
sold 129,264 tons of coal, earning $161,664. At the
annual meeting of stockholders the following directors
were elected: F. L. Robbins, John A. Bell,
A. H. Anderson, A. M. Neeper, W. H. Brunt, F. J.
LeMoyne, F. M. Wallace, W. R. Woodford, S. P.
Woodside, J. B. Hornberger and G. W. Schlueder­
berg. The former officers were re-elected, Mr.
:Robbins being president, Mr. Woodward Vicepresident,
Mr. LeMoyne secretary and Mr. Wallace
treasurer.
Large deposits of coal have been discovered in
the state of Santa Catharina, Brazil. The field is
said to extend over a length of more than 400
miles, and the coal is reported to be of a very
good quality. Keen interest is taken in this discovery
in Rio de Janeiro, which city imports every
year over 1,000,000 tons of coal from England. A
railroad is to be constructed to the port of Massiambu,
to connect with the coal field.