128 Coal Mines of Virginia. 
opened, at convenient distances apart, shorter galleries, runi- 
ning westwardly, and these are again connected by passages 
parallel to the first or principal gallery. Pickaxes are the 
only tools used in working the coal, as it breaks very readily, 
in the direction of the strata. The roofs of some of the pas- 
sages are perfectly smooth; and in such, the light of the lamps, 
reflected from the great variety of colours in the coal, pre- 
sents a very brilliant sight. The gloomy blackness, however, 
of most of the galleries, and the strange dress and appearance 
of the black miners, would furnish sufficient data to the con- 
ception of a poet, for a description of Pluto’s kingdom. A 
strong sulphurous acid ran down the walls of many of the gal- 
leries ; and I observed one of the drains was filled with a yel- 
lowish gelatinous substance, which I ascertained, on a subse- 
quent examination, was a yellow, or rathtr a reddish, oxide 
of iron, mechanically suspended in water. 
I mentioned above that a part of the coal was on fire: I could 
not ascertain when this fact was first observed to exist ; and if 
is not impossible that the coal may have been burning a cel 
tury, or more. It is highly probable, however, that a comp® 
ratively small quantity of the coal is consumed, as the combus- 
tion must be greatly retarded by the absence of a sufficient 
portion of atmospheric air. A strong sulphurous fume issues 
from an irregular hole in the side of the hill of about 2 feet 
diameter. The hole appears to be only 4 or 5 feet deep, 
the smoke rises into it from cracks, partly filled with loos 
clay. The earth is very much cracked around the hole, to 
e distance of 12 or 15 feet; and these cracks are from i 
4 inches wide. ‘The mouth of the hole is incrusted with act 
cular crystals of pure sulphur. Attempts were formerly made 
to extinguish the fire, by turning water into this hole ; and, 
after every attempt, there was a temporary disappearance 
the smoke for several weeks; but never longer than 
months. For several years, however, they have desisted 
from such vain attempts, and have taken advantage of the fact 
lity afforded, by the existence of this fire, for ventilating the 
mines, in the following manner:—They opened a passage | 
their present, to the old deserted, works; this they ca? ope? 
