History of Springfield, Illinois, its attractions as a home and advantages for business, manufacturing, etc. Pub. under the auspices of the Springfield board of trade, by J. C. Power.

48 SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, AND
his machinery, after that gentleman hbid son & Beard, commenced Feb. 10, 1867,
gone as deep as he desired; but when about one and a half miles north of the
Mr. Howlett decided to bore a second State House, and just outside of the city
time, Mr. Loose sent to the oil regions of limits, at the east side of the Chicago and
Pennsylvania, obtained a complete outfit St. Louis Railroad, to sink a shaft. At
and commenced boring in June, 1866. a depth of sixteen feet they struck a vein
He went down to the coal, satisfied of quicksand, which admitted so much
himself, and commenced sinking a shaft water that they abandoned the spot and
in Sept.. He kept the work moving the moved about three hundred yardsfurther
entire winter, and in April, 1867, reached north and to the west side of the railthe coal. In a very short time he was road.
ready to supply the market, being the Here they again commenced sinking a
first man in the county to take coal from shaft, and after passing through several
a shaft. strata of coal too thin for mining, they
His mine is 237 feet deep, and curbed came to a six foot stratum, at a depth of
with timber eight inches thick. It is 248 feet. The shaft was completed July
caulked with oakum down to the first 15, 1867, but it'was not until September
stone, seventy feet, in order to keep out that the buildings and machinery were
the water. The shaft is eight by sixteen ready for active operations. The works
feet, and divided into three compart- complete cost $40,000. In December,
ments-two of equal size, for the down- 1868, Charles Hickox was admitted a
ward and upward movement of the partner. and the styleof the firm changed
cages, and a smaller one for ventilation. to Saunderson & Co.
A furnace is built about seventy feet During the winter months,about sixty
from the eye of the shaft, inside the miners are employed, but in summer the
mine, and is connected by a horizontal number is reduced about one-half They
flue with the compartment for ventilation, take out of this shaft, on an average, the
A fire kept burning in the furnace, pro- year round, about 100 tons, or ten car
duces a vacuum in the mine, which loads of coil per day, and have all the
causes a current of cold air to flow down building;, hoisting machinery and steam
the two main compartments in the shaft, power, to take out 240 tons per day, if
and the heated air passes up through the the market required it. Wm. Beard is
ventilating compartment, thus keeping is the Superintendent.
the air in the mine pure.
The works of this firm being at the
The money expended in sinking this
side of a railroad track, and between the
shaft and fitting it up with steam engine,
city and Sangamorn river, are finely
hoisting machinery and buildings, is situated tract manufactories around
a situated to attract manufactories around
about $80,000. Mr. Loose employs from
them. They are prepared to offer special
fifty to one hundred miners, and takes
inducements in the way of land grants,
out an average of about 200 tons per s
and the cheapest and best of fuel, to parday. Being at the crossing of two rail- s
ties desiring to engage in any branch of
roads, he has his machinery so arranged manufacturing. Their facilities for
manufacturing. Their facilities for
that he can coal two engines, load two natural drainage is unsurpassed and
cars and three wagons, at once, and if all their close proximity to the water works
their close proximity to the water works
were ready at the same moment, it could
would make communication easy for any
be done in one minute of time.
business that might require it. ManuSAUNDERSON & CO. S MINE-NORTH SHAFT. facturers looking for a location should
William Saunderson and William not fail to call on Messrs. Saunderson &
Beard, under the firm name of Saunder- Co.