burrows.]       BARNESBORO-PATTON  COAL  FIELD,   PENNSYLVANIA.       303 
by  machine  and  the  mine  is  ventilated  by  fan.  At  Mitchell's  mines, 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  south  of  Hastings,  the  Lower  Freeport  was 
opened  in  1892.  This  mine,  which  is  about  100  feet  above  railroad 
level,  has  a  complete  electric  equipment,  comprising  machines  for  min- 
ing the  coal  and  motors  for  inside  haulage.  The  coal  is  lowered  to  the 
tipple  on  a  plane,  the  weight  of  the  loads  pulling  the  empties  up. 
Ventilation  is  maintained  by  fan.  After  the  coal  reaches  the  tipple,  it 
is  charged  together  with  Lower  Kittanning  or  "  B"  coal  into  beehive 
ovens,  and  the  resultant  coke,  although  it  lacks  the  beautiful  cellular 
structure  of  Connellsville  coke,  possesses  fair  hardness  of  body.  The 
mines  and  coke  plant  are  owned  and  operated  by  the  Pennsylvania 
Coal  and  Coke  Company. 
Van  Dusen  &  Cosgrove  operate  the  Oak  Ridge  mine,  which  is  situ- 
ated just  south  of  Hastings.  This  mine  has  been  worked  since  1888. 
It  is  equipped  with  rope  haulage  and  compressed-air  mining  machines, 
and  most  of  the  product  of  the  mine  is  converted  into  coke. 
The  Rich  Hill  Coal  Company  opened  a  mine  on  the  Lower  Freeport 
coal  in  this  vicinity  in  1891.  It  is  a  small  operation  and  has  none  of 
the  modern  mechanical  equipments. 
At  Bakerton  the  Sterling  Coal  Company  has  two  mines,  Nos.  2 
and  4,  on  the  Lower  Freeport  coal.  Mine  No.  2  was  opened  in  1903. 
It  is  equipped  with  electric  haulage  and  fan  ventilation,  but  at  present 
the  mining  is  done  by  hand.  The  output  is  small,  but  probably  this 
will  be  greatly  increased  in  the  near  future.  Mine  No.  4,  which  is 
operated  in  conjunction  with  Nos.  3  and  5,  on  the  Lower  Kittanning 
or  "B"  bed,  is  inadequately  equipped,  and  as  considerable  trouble  is 
experienced  from  water  in  the  forward  end  of  the  mine  it  is  only 
intermittently  worked. 
Two  miles  northeast  of  Bakerton,  in  the  vicinity  of  Carrolltown,  on 
the  New  York  Central  Railroad,  are  two  very  large  mines,  operated  by 
Peale,  Peacock  &  Kerr,  namely,  Victor  No.  2  and  Victor  No.  3, 
formerly  known  as  Brauley  and  Snyder,  respectively.  The  coal  from 
these  mines  is  hauled  to  the  tipple  by  electric  motor,  and  the  same 
power  is  applied  in  cutting  the  coal,  with  excellent  results.  The  mines 
were  opened  in  1901,  and  are  ventilated  by  fan. 
One  of  the  greatest  centers  of  activity  in  the  region  is  on  Walnut 
Run  just  east  of  Barnesboro.  The  easternmost  mine  in  the  valley  is 
Manion,  which  is  operated  by  the  Maderia  Hill  Coal  Mining  Company. 
This  mine  was  opened  in  1900,  and  both  Upper  and  Lower  Freeport 
coals  are  worked.  The  plant  is  equipped  with  fan  ventilation,  rope 
haulage,  and  compressed-air  mining  machines.  No  effort  is  made  to 
keep  the  coal  from  each  bed  separate,  and  it  is  mixed  indiscriminately 
for  the  market.  Farther  down  the  run  is  the  Cymbria  mine  with  its 
very  complete  equipment  of  electric  coal  cutters,  haulage,  and  fan,  in 
addition  to  which  there  is  a  complete  sawmill  and  car  shop,  making 
