128 Coal Mines of Virginia. 



opened, at convenient distances apart, shorter galleries, inin- 

 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 rather 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 it 

 is not impossible that the coal may have been burning a cen- 

 tury, or more. It is highly probable, however, that a compa- 

 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 6 feet deep, and 

 the smoke rises into it from cracks, partly filled with loose 

 clay. The earth is very much cracked around the hole, to 

 the distance of 12 or 15 feet; and these cracks are from 1 to 

 4 inches wide. The mouth of the hole is encrusted with aci- 

 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 of 

 the smoke for several weeks ; but never longer than three 

 months. For several years, however, they have desisted 

 from such vain attempts, and have talcen advantage of the faci- 

 lity afforded, by the existence of this fire, for ventilating the 

 mines, in the following manner : — They opened a passage from ' 

 iheir present, to the old deserted, works ; this they^an open 



