Anthracite Coal Mining

1
Anthracite Coal Mining

• Dave Grube

2
Anthracite Locations

• Schuylkill
• Carbon
• Luzerne
• Northumberland

• Lackawanna
• Columbia
• Dauphin
• Sullivan

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Fields

• Northern Field
• Carbondale
• Scranton
• Pittston
• Wilkes-Barre
• Plymouth
• Eastern Middle Field
• Green Mountain
• Black Creek
• Hazleton
• Brown Meadow

• Western Middle Field
• East Mahanoy
• West Mahanoy
• Shamokin
• Southern Field
• Panther Creek
• East Schuylkill
• West Schuylkill
• Lorberry

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Map of PA Coal Locations
Source http//www.shulersnet.com/coalcracker/coal
feld.htm
5
Mining Techniques

• Drift
• Start where seam is visible
• Easiest and least expensive
• Slope
• Coal seam inclined
• 45º - 90º slope
• Strip
• Room-Pillar
• Half of coal remains

Source http//www.staffspasttrack.org.uk/exhibit/
coal/support20systems/haulage.htm
6
Source http//www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/coal_mining.ht
m
7
Pioneer Tunnel

• 1911 1931
• 400 tons of coal daily
• 50º - 60º pitch
• 250 million years old
• Every 6 ft of blasting yielded 60 tons of coal
• Room and Pillar
• Half of the coal remains

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Pioneer Tunnel

• Photo from Jonathan P. Mathews

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Mammoth Vein

• Ashland, PA
• 80 feet thick
• Intersects
• Panther Valley
• Shenandoah
• Centralia

Source http//www.minecountry.com/homeMine/dispar
t.cfm?id66
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400 foot vertical shaft leading up to the
surface 
Photo by Tricia Schafebook in the Pioneer Tunnel
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Tools

• Hand Drill
• Shovel
• Dynamite
• Lamp
• Axe
• Pick
• Many various skills

Source http//www.staffspasttrack.org.uk/exhibit/
coal/technique/techniques.htm
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Working Conditions

• Small and Confined
• Inclined
• Dusty
• Gases
• Poor Lighting

Source http//www.coaldelivery.com/gallery/mining
/pic004.html
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Miners

• Polish
• Irish
• Italian
• German

• Russian
• Welsh
• Slovak
• Hungarian

Source http//www.mcintyrepa.com/miners.htm
Source http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Region
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Coal Composition

• Greater pressure
• Harder
• Cleaner burning
• Folded seams

Source http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthracite
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References

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthracite
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Region
• http//www.coaldelivery.com/gallery/mining/pic004.
  html
• http//www.mcintyrepa.com/miners.htm
• http//www.minecountry.com/homeMine/dispart.cfm?id
  66
• http//www.shulersnet.com/coalcracker/whatis.htm
• http//www.staffspasttrack.org.uk/exhibit/coal/sup
  port20systems/haulage.htm
• http//www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/coal_mining.htm