Lgilpin] coal mining IN PICTOU COUNTY 171 



und the tirsl pit reached the coal in February, 182S. The plans show 

 that eight pits were sunk in working this section of the seam, the deepest 

 being 199 feet. The coal worked extended from the river along the crop 

 for a distance of 1,300 3'ards and a width of 175 yards or over, about 48 

 acres. 



On December :i9th, 1832, the coal was found to be on fire in these 

 pits, and fourteen horses were burned to death. As the coal was found 

 to have been on fire at widely separated points incendiarism was sus- 

 pected. This view was confirmed by an investigation held on behalf of 

 the government by Mr. C. E. Fairbanks, but the guilty parties were 

 never discovered. It was believed that the fires had been started by 

 persons who considered themselves aggrieved by the action of the o-ov- 

 ernment in granting the lease to the company instead of to local parties. 

 The pits were closed and water let in, and after nine months of pumping 

 work was resumed. The expense of pumping and loss of material by 

 this fire was estimated at $6,000. 



In 1837 an explosion of gas occurred at the east face of the workino-s 

 by which three men were killed, and work interrupted for six months. 

 In 1839 a more serious explosion occurred by which forty horses were 

 killed. The loss by this fire was estimated at $25,000. This section of 

 workings was then abandoned and allowed to fill with water up to the 

 level of the river, but the fires continued to burn for several years in the 

 upper workings. Prior to this, however, it had been decided that as the 

 coal at each extremit}' of the workings had deteriorated fresh and deeper 

 pits were needed. 



The company starting its operations in 1827 began in what may be 

 called a wilderness. It is true that the district was well settled and jiro- 

 duced easily enough to support its poi^ulation, but at that day the 

 engineering development of the pi'ovince showed little beyond a black- 

 smith's shop. They were compelled to build foundries, machine and 

 rej^air shops, etc., in fact a self-supporting establishment. The first pre. 

 liminary appears to have been a brickyard which was continued for a 

 number of years. The foundry appears to have received much attention, 

 and it had a chain factory added to it, but the cost of labour led to the 

 early abandoning of the latter. 



A small blast furnace Avas built and an attempt made to smelt iron 

 ores brought down from Bridgeville, a few miles up the river. The 

 experiment proved a failure, as the man brought out from England to 

 take charge of the furnace was accustomed to smelting ores softer and 

 more easily reduced than those they selected. 



The brickyard furnished a large supply of material for engine 

 houses, residences, etc., bvit the imported prejudice against wood as a 

 building material must have proved an unnecessar}" expense. 



