burrows.]       BARNESBOKO-PATTON  COAL  FIELD,    PENNSYLVANIA.        305 
Clearfield  Bituminous  Coal  Corporation  to  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad  for  locomotive  purposes  comes  from  these  mines,  their  com- 
bined daily  output  exceeding  1,500  tons.  The  similarity  of  arrange- 
ment and  equipment  of  these  mines  shows  a  policy  of  uniformity 
characteristic  of  the  large  corporations  that  have  but  recently  gained 
a  strong  foothold  in  this  field.  Both  mines  are  tolerably  free  from 
water,  they  are  ventilated  by  fan,  have  electric  haulage,  and  cut  their 
coal  by  air  machines.  The  surface  arrangements  at  the  Empire  are 
crowded,  necessitating  a  sharp  curve  in  the  sidetrack,  which  prevents 
quick  communication  with  the  motor  by  signal  and  imposes  a  great 
strain  on  the  cars.  The  West  Branch  mine  has  ample  room  for  its 
railways  and  buildings  and  with  the  exception  of  the  part  in  which 
the  "fault"  occurs,  is  symmetrically  laid  out,  giving  to  the  mine  an 
air  of  permanence  and  safety  that  is  lacking  in  many  of  the  hastily 
developed  mines  of  the  district. 
The  only  mining  operations  of  note  northwest  of  Barnesboro  are  in 
Punke}r  Hollow,  where  the  Greenwich  Coal  and  Coke  Company  have 
opened  three  mines  since  1901.  This  company  proceeded  very  cau- 
tiously at  first,  opening  and  working  No.  1  in  a  most  inexpensive  man- 
ner. Finding  that  the  quality  of  the  coal  warranted  more  elaborate  meth- 
ods, they  opened  two  other  mines,  one  in  1902,  and  the  other  in  1903, 
built  a  power  house  for  compressing  air  to  supply  the  cutters  and 
erected  steam  fans  at  Nos.  2  and  3.  They  are  now  preparing  to  install 
electric  haulage  in  Nos.  2  and  3,  but  contemplate  no  improvements  in 
No.  1  as  it  is  soon  to  be  abandoned. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Spangler  a  large  amount  of  coal  is  being  shipped 
from  Summit,  Victor  No.  4,  Gussie,  Susquehanna  No.  1,  Maucher, 
and  Eclipse  mines.  The  first  of  these  was  opened  in  1891  and  is 
located  in  the  town  of  Spangler,  about  75  feet  above  and  some  dis- 
tance back  from  the  railroad.  The  coal  comes  down  to  the  tipple 
over  a  plane  crossing  the  county  road.  The  inside  hauling  is  done 
by  mules  and  the  mine  is  ventilated  by  furnace,  as  there  is  no 
power  supply  here.  The  mine  is  operated  by  the  Maderia  Hill  Com- 
pany. Victor  No.  4,  the  most  active  of  these  mines,  was  opened  in 
1892,  but  recently  it  has  passed  into  the  hands  of  Peale,  Peacock  & 
Kerr.  The  coal  is  mined  entirely  without  power.  The  section  of  the 
coal  in  this  mine  is  somewhat  abnormal,  a  thin  bed  of  very  clean 
cannel  coal  coming  in  on  top  of  the  main  bed,  from  which  it  is  sepa- 
rated by  a  shale  parting  varying  from  6  to  8  inches  in  thickness. 
Where  the  cannel  coal  attains  a  thickness  of  6  inches  it  is  taken  down 
and  used  locally  for  domestic  purposes.  Gussie  and  Susquehanna  No. 
1,  the  former  operated  by  Spangler  Coal  and  Coke  Company  and  the 
latter  by  Derringer  Brothers,  lie  just  across  the  ravine  from  Victor 
No.  4,  and  extend  back  into  the  disturbed  zone  previously  mentioned. 
They  are  greatly  hampered  by  this  "fault,"  frequently  having  to 
Bull.  225—04 20 
