ANTHRACITE MINING

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ANTHRACITE MINING RESCUE

• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
  Protection
• Paul W. Wagner
• Deep Mine Safety Emergency Response Training
  Specialist
• Anthracite Industrial Minerals Division

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• Anthracite Coal
• Anthracite coal is mined mainly in eastern
  Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania anthracite mining
  region lies within an eight county area located
  in the northeastern part of the state. It is
  estimated that anthracite coal is located in a
  484 square mile area.

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• The region is divided into four district fields
  the northern, eastern-middle, western-middle, and
  the southern. The southern field is the largest.
  The coal beds of the northern field are of
  comparatively flat pitch. The eastern-middle
  field is comprised of shallow basins. The
  remaining two fields have steep pitching,
  twisting and folding of the coal veins and
  surrounding rock strata.

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• Up to 35 coal seams and splits are available for
  both underground and surface mining.
  Underground mining is currently confined to the
  western-middle and southern fields. Excessive
  flooding and other economic reasons have forced
  suspension of underground mining in other areas.
  Underground mining is practiced in seams pitching
  from flat to inverted pitch.

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• At one time Porter Tunnel, a mine in our area
  mined 14 coal seams from a single tunnel entry by
  driving rock tunnels between the seams.
• The seams mined ranged from 3 to 35 thick.
• Employment was approximately 176 miners.
• The entry was a single tunnel with gangways
  driven both east and west and the chutes were
  driven up into the coal seams from the gangways.
• Each seam had a second opening into it for return
  air and an escapeway.
• All roof support was with timber (single prop,
  2-piece, and 3-piece sets.
• Approximately 15 tons of timber a day were used.

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Depending on the distance between the coal seams,
mines will drive rock tunnels between the coal
seams and mine more than one seam.
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• Anthracite Coal Facts
• Anthracite is a low sulphur (0.5 to 1.5), high
  carbon (92 and above) coal.
• Estimates (printed in 1996) of mineable reserves
  range from five to twelve billion tons.
• 1 ton of anthracite coal contains as many
  B.T.U.s as
• 186 gallons of 2 heating oil
• 2 cords of dry hardwood
• 25,412 cubic feet of natural gas
• 767.7 kilowatt hours of electricity

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• Anthracite coal dust is not explosive, thus
  eliminating rock dusting requirements and
  reducing the possibility of explosions.
• Methane and black damp are found in SOME mines in
  TRACE amounts.
• Ventilation occurs naturally because of a
  combination of barometric pressure changes, the
  pitch of the coal seams, and the specific gravity
  of the gas involved. Mechanical ventilation
  ensures and enhances the flow of air to all areas
  of the mines.
• The average number of miners in an anthracite
  mine is 3.5 miners.

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The picture at the right is what most of the
anthracite area calls a miner, not the machine on
the left.
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The picture on the left shows the roof at the
top, the floor bottom, left and right ribs.
Where would you identify the same areas in the
picture on the right?
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Mining in the Anthracite area consists of a
variety of mining methods. Small and large
stripping operations.
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Flat pitch and tunnel mines which use continuous
miners or conventional methods (drill and shoot)
to mine the pitch.
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Mine Development

• There are four ways to develop an anthracite deep
  mine which are based on the type of portal or
  entry used
• 1. Tunnel
• 2. Drift
• 3. Slope
• 4. Shaft

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• Tunnel Entry
• This type of entry is similar to the Drift Entry,
  except development begins via a tunnel on the
  surface usually driven perpendicular to the coal
  seam through rock strata. The tunnel is driven
  on a slight upgrade pitch to allow for drainage
  and easier haulage. Another entry (shaft, slope,
  or bore holes) is also used for the fanway and
  interconnects to allow a circuit for the air to
  travel.

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• Mine Development
• An example of this type of mine in our area mines
  on the flat pitch.
• This mine uses continuous miners to cut the
  coal, roof bolters, and shuttle cars to move the
  loosened coal from the miner on to the conveyor
  systems.
• This is currently the largest mine in size
  (over 2 miles long and ¼ mile wide) and employs
  35 men underground.
• Ventilation is accomplished with blowing
  fans which blow air out the main tunnel and 6
  foot bore holes for intake and return air located
  on top of the mountain.
• The seam height mined is from 3 to 9 feet.

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This mine with one entry and vent holes above on
the mountain is mined flat pitch.
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• Drift Entry
• This type of entry begins on the outcrop of the
  coal seam, but is located usually in the gap of a
  mountain. The floor of the entry way is driven
  on a slight upgrade pitch to allow for gravity to
  drain the mine and the easier movement of coal
  cars. Another entry, an air shaft drilled from
  the top of the mountain, is also used for the
  fanway and interconnects to allow a circuit for
  the air to travel.

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• Mine Development
• An example of a drift mine in our area uses a
  drill and shoot method to mine the pitch.
• This mine has also one entry, and a battery
  motor to move mine cars through the mine and an
  air operated mucker.
• Unlike the other mines which mine on a flat
  pitch, this mine has the main gangway driven in
  rock, parallel to the coal seams. At
  approximately 25 foot intervals they drive chutes
  upward into the coal seam to mine the coal using
  the same methods as the slope and pitch mines.
• Ventilation is an exhaust fan located on top
  of the mountain drawing air into the main gangway.

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• Slope Entry
• Two or more parallel entries are driven
  approximately 60 feet apart starting from the
  outcrop of the coal seam at the surface downward
  along the pitch. The main slope will be used for
  coal haulage and supplies. The second slope will
  be used for a fan installation and escapeway.

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• Mine Development
• This mine is not the typical slope mine in our
  area because they use four entries and are mining
  on the flat pitch similar to a bituminous mine.
• The mine uses a continuous miner, roof
  bolter, and conveyor system. The conveyor system
  is always in contact with the miner with a bridge
  system..
• Ventilation is accomplished with a fan
  blowing system similar to bituminous mines.
• The average seam height mined is 28 inches.
• Flat pitch for an anthracite mine can vary
  from flat to a 20 degree pitch.

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Flat Pitch Slope If you could cut the top of
the mountain off on the dotted line and look
down, the bottom picture is what you would see
inside the mine.
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Most common of the mines in Anthracite are the
slope mines on a steep pitch over 20 degrees.
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Slope mines. To see what they look like, you
would have to remove the face of the mountain not
the top.
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• Mine Development
• Slope mines.
• These methods are the most common in the
  Anthracite area. From a point on the mountain,
  mine openings and parallel accompanying return
  airways are driven into the coal vein to be mined
  to a predetermined depth.
• A gangway or intake haulageway, together
  with a companion return airway or monkey heading
  is driven off the main slope across the pitch.
  Connecting crosscuts, called chutes, are driven
  up the pitch from the gangway to the monkey. The
  chutes provide access and a controlled means for
  loading coal.

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• Shaft Entry
• This type of entry starts at the surface and
  develops straight downward through the rock
  strata. Another shaft or other type of entry can
  be used for the fanway and secondary escape path.
  Shafts were very common in the anthracite coal
  region many years ago, but it has been more than
  seventy years since a shaft has been sunk in the
  anthracite region.

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• Mining Methods Slope Shaft mines
• This development will continue until the
  property limit has been reached or faults are
  encountered. Pillar recovery or retreat mining
  may begin at the deepest point of penetration and
  continue outby toward the slope, or partial
  pillar recovery may occur as the pillars above
  the first miner heading are recovered on the
  advance. Similar development takes place in both
  directions off the slope. Successive lifts or
  levels are developed as the slope is extended.

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• Mining Methods Slope Shaft mines
• For development above the monkey airway,
  either full-box, open, or slant breasts will be
  driven up the pitch to the level above. The type
  of breast selected for development is based on
  the roof structure, vein thickness, dip or pitch
  of the vein, and coal friability. Crosscut
  connections between adjacent breasts are called
  headings in both full-box and open breasts and
  back slants where slant breasts are used.

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Transportation and Haulage is accomplished by
using a hoist, tipple, and slope buggy or gunboat.
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The only powered equipment used to mine the coal
are pneumatic hammers, chain saws, or muckers.
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• Coal Production
• To control the flow of coal, chutes constructed
  of timber and plank are erected above the
  gangway. The chute contains two control boards
  for tapping the coal into the conveyance system
  used to move the coal outby to the slope.
  Blastholes are drilled upward into the face with
  hand-held pneumatic drills, loaded with
  permissible explosives and stemming, and fired.
  The shot coal is then loaded and the working
  place is prepared for timbering. Pneumatic
  chainsaws or hand saws are used to cut props and
  timber. As the miners advance the chute they must
  carry with them approximately 400 pounds of
  equipment up the chute for one days work.

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• Coal Production Tapping coal into either a hand
  pushed or battery moved mine car for transport to
  the slope buggy.

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Coal Production drags or conveyors are used in
some mines to move load coal into the slope
buggy.
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Coal is then taken to the surface in the slope
buggy and dumped either on the ground or on a
shaker for sorting.
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• Roof and Rib Control
• The predominant method of roof and rib
  support in anthracite mining uses wooden timbers
  (props), lagging and planks for lining. Timbers
  are set as single props and two or three-piece
  sets. While roof bolts are used occasionally in
  gangways, tunnels or drifts to improve clearance,
  they are rarely used in other areas of up pitch
  development. As the pitch of the vein increases
  the timber is used more for support of the high
  side rib than roof, while the lagging and lining
  with planks behind the lagging and timbers
  protect miners from sliding/falling coal. Roof
  supports may not exceed 5 foot centers lengthwise.

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Roof bolting in most Anthracite mines is done
with pneumatic hammers.
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• Roof Support Materials
• Length of timbers as required but not to exceed
  8 feet when installed as single props.
• Diameter of timbers 6 inch minimum diameter
  when used in the slope as single props or as legs
  in two or three-piece sets--5 inch minimum
  diameter where used as rib supports or as single
  props in slants, chute and back slantsbut at no
  time will the diameter of a prop be less than 1
  inch for every 15 inches in length.
• Type of timber untreated hardwood with or
  without bark.

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• Roof Support Materials
• Legs and Collar timber minimum 6 inch diameter
  hardwood without bark sawed plank collars
  minimum 3 inches thick by 8 inches wide by 72
  inches in length or minimum 6 inch diameter
  hardwood round collar.
• Liner planks minimum width of 6 inches by 1
  inch thick sawed hardwood minimum. Planks are
  used to protect miners from loose material.
• Lagging Poles 72 inches by 2.5 to 3 inches
  diameter hardwood poles with bark. Laggings are
  used to stabilize between timber sets.

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• Cap Block, size and shape 2 inch by 4 inch by
  12 inch minimum dimensions sawed hardwood with
  parallel sides used in conjunction with wedges or
  tapered sawed hardwood 0 to 2 inches thick by 6
  inches by 18 inches minimum.
• Wedges, size and shape sawed hardwood with
  width at least equal to post diameter by 8 inch
  minimum length by 0 to 2 inches tapered
  thickness.
• Fore poles usually 4 inch diameter and 12 feet
  long are used for maintaining the roof between
  timbers.

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Roof Support Haulage slope
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Roof Support Gangway Three-piece set on left
single props on right
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Roof Support Gangway two-piece set
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• Roof Support Chutes and Breasts

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Ventilation because of the chimney effect of
the return airways, methane carbon monoxide are
naturally liberated. These airways also serve as
the second entry for the mines.
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Ventilation can easily be changed with the use of
line curtains and/or booster fans.
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When additional air is needed in a specific area,
fans with tubing are used to supply the air.
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Escape ways primary is usually the slope and
secondary is the return air.
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Electrical most mines have minimal electrical.
A charger for a battery motor and a sump pump.
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Explosives dynamite and primers are stored in
most of the mines.
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Anthracite Mine Rescue What makes us different?

• Variety Because of the size, number of miners
  employed and types of face equipment, the
  anthracite rescue must have both 6 member and 3
  member teams plus alternates. This requires two
  different types of training. All 16 members must
  train for the large flat pitch bituminous type
  mine and the slope and shaft mines. Firefighting
  would include mine wide fire systems with hoses
  for larger face equipment and power centers.
  Fire extinguishers would be used for a fuse box
  or battery motor fire in the slope and pitch
  mines.

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• Anthracite Mine Rescue
• Size Some of the slope buggies are only large
  enough to accommodate two rescuers with
  equipment. Gangways, monkeys, and chutes in some
  areas may be only 24 inches wide as compared to
  20 feet in others. The distances between areas
  in the mines may be less than 1000 feet in most
  mines compared to miles in others. Depending on
  the slope or pitch of the mine, more time may be
  required to accomplish rescues because of
  traveling ladders.

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• Anthracite Mine Rescue
• Physical fitness Did I mention the ladders?
  There are times when the only way into the mines
  are the ladders! Have you ever wondered what it
  would be like to travel 300 to 500 feet on a
  ladder with approximately 35 pounds of equipment
  to get to a main gangway and once you are there
  you have to travel up each chute to explore the
  mine? Part of the anthracite training is
  accomplished by training on the side of a
  mountain to simulate travel in the slope and
  pitch mines.

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If the props were knocked out in the entry of
this mine, the only other means of entry is 496
feet on the ladder shown.
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• Anthracite Mine Rescue
• Specialized equipment and training Because of
  the slope, pitch and the face areas where miners
  work and can injuries may occur, our rescue teams
  use specialized litters for transporting the
  injured. We can also use carts in some of the
  flat pitch mines. Besides the extra first aid
  training on how to use the different types of
  litters, our teams must train in all aspects
  (knots, harnesses, ropes, anchors, and
  procedures) of repelling. It is not easy to
  carry a stretcher with a patient on 90 degree
  pitch on a ladder.

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• Anthracite Mine Rescue
• Additional Hazards abandoned and/or uncharted
  mines, water, and variations in the various coal
  seams. Abandoned mines present a special hazard
  due to ATVs and motorcycles riding on the same
  areas where mining occurred. The abandoned mines
  frequently fill with water. Each individual coal
  seam has their own peculiarities which require
  specialized attention for support.

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• Anthracite Mine Rescue
• Non-metal mines Our teams also covers a
  non-metal mine which again presents a different
  set of hazards. Motorized (diesel) equipment and
  of 120 to 180 feet ceilings. The difference in
  ventilation is also formidable. If you could put
  their ventilation in an average anthracite mine,
  you would be working in 70 mph winds.
• Tour mines Although we technically do not have
  to provide mine rescue to these mines, our teams
  practice and train regularly in these mines. Who
  would you want handling a rescue in a tour mine
  if the motor would accidentally knock out props
  in the entry while taking a tour of 40
  inexperienced people into a mine?

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Thank You to the mines included.

• Alfred Brown Coal
• BB Coal
• Bear Gap Coal
• Chestnut Coal Slopes 12 13
• FKZ Coal
• Harmony Mine
• Jeddo Coal
• Joliett Coal
• Kimmel Mining
• Little Buck Coal
• Old Castle Minerals

• Orchard Coal
• Pioneer Tunnel
• Porter Tunnel
• RD Coal
• RK Coal
• Reading Anthracite
• RSW Coal
• SM Coal
• Schuylkill Coal Products
• Tito Coal

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As Garth Brooks said in one of his songs, I got
friends in low places.