The Works Of Messrs. Schneider And Co.

16 MESSRS. SCHNEIDER AND CO.’S WORKS. 2. The Longpendu Mine, which was concédée! to the Marquis de Montaigu, by a Royal decree dated October 6th, 1832. Both properties were acquired ai a later date by Messrs. Schneider and Co. They are served by the Mont- chanin station on the Nevers and Chagny branch of the Paris, Lyons, and Mediterranean Railway, and are connected with Creusot and with the Canal du Centre (Bois Bretoux and Longpendu ports) by a railway, one of the first con- structed in France. The concession of Montchanin consista of 4,240 acres, and that of Longpendu of 1,754 acres. The coal forma- tion rests, southwards, on granité, and northwards it is covered by the Permian system. Three pits, the depth of which does not exceed 600 ft., serve for extracting the coal ; they are, as will be seen from the plan, Fig. 34, the ' Wilson pit to the west, the Quètel pit in the centre, and the i Grand Puits de Longpendu on the east. The length of the seams extends east and west. In the places where the beds show a sufficient thickness, the method of work- ing is horizontal, in the same way as in the Creusot mine, and with complété filling up af'ter extraction. Most of the output consists of a long-flamed bituminous coal, i containing 35 per cent, of volatile matter. The bed at Montchanin is interrupted by longitudinal and trans- verse faults, which divide it in masses o£ varions forms. One of these masses, ineasuring 200 ft. in thickness and 2,000 ft. in length, lias formed the output of the Quétel pit for many years. The nunibers on Fig. 34 refer to the following buildinejs, &e., connected with the con- cession : 1- Stores. ö. Workmen’s dwellings. 2. Offices. 6. 3. Girls’ school. 7. Stores. 4. Boys’ school. 8. Workmens’ town of Longpendu. The varions shat'ts in this district are marked on the plan as follows : A. Puits des Mès-irmes. B. Puits Sorot. B1. Puits Wilson. C. Puits St. Vincent. D. Puits Quétel No. 2. E. Puits de Ségur No. 2. F. Puits Ste. Barbe de Mont- chanin. G. Puits Louise. H. Grands Puits. I. Puits Ste Barbe de Long- pendu. At Longpendu five beds of 3 ft. to 9 ft. in thickness are worked ; these also are irregulär owing to faults. but it has been possible, notwithstanding, to work the seams very regularly and on an important scale.