Coal Mine History From Msha and the Early History of Anthracite Mining

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traderfjp
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Post by traderfjp » Sun. Mar. 02, 2008 11:00 pm

This comes from a government agency (MSHA). Enjoy!

District 1 - Coal Mine Safety and Health
History of Anthracite Coal Mining

Time Line
250,000,000 BC to 400,000,000 BC
(but whose counting) Birth of anthracite. Material was deposited that eventually transforms to anthracite coal. This occurred during the Carboniferous Geologic Period. At that time, most of Pennsylvania was a flat, hot, moist plain covered with steaming swamps thick with tall trees and wide spreading ferns.
1762 Connecticut settlers in the Wyoming Valley discover the anthracite coal seams. The estimations are that 16 billion tons of coal lie within the anthracite seams in northeastern Pennsylvania. The recoverable (capable of being mined at this time) amount is classified at around 7 to 8 billion tons.
1768 First recorded use of anthracite coal
1775 Mining of anthracite starts in northeast Pennsylvania. The mine is located near Pittston.
1776-1780 Mining of anthracite starts in the Wilkes-Barre area. The mining is on outcrops (surface exposed anthracite coal), along the banks of the Susquehanna River.
1788 The first industrial use of anthracite. It was used in heating and drawing iron for the making of nails.
1790 Anthracite is discovered in the Schuylkill region of Pennsylvania.
1792 Anthracite is discovered in the Lehigh region of Pennsylvania.
1820 The first recorded anthracite coal company, the Lehigh Coal Mining Company, sends the first significant shipments of anthracite out of the coal field region.
1842 First documented mine strike. 2000 miners are affected.
09/06/1869 Avondale Mine Disaster - 108 men and boys killed during a fire at the mine. This is the largest mine disaster to ever occur in the anthracite mine region.
1869 Anthracite is first used in a forge in Fell's Tavern located in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
1869 The Pennsylvania Department of Mines is established.
1870 Industry records that close to 15 fatalities per million tons of coal occur. This fact, in conjunction with the Avondale mine disaster bring about the nation's first stringent mine safety laws.
late 1880s Bill Mitchell gains the trust and support of the various divergent local miner 'social' groups into what will become the UMWA (United Mine Workers of America.)
09/17/1890 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) miners union issues a strike call to it's 9000 members. Within one week, 125,000 hard-coal coal miners were off their jobs and 96% of coal mine production ceased.
1900 The historical total fatality count in anthracite mines tops 13,000 men, women and children.
1914 Employment at anthracite mines reaches a maximum of 180,000 workers.
1917 Anthracite coal production peaks at over 100 million tons.
1931 With stringent laws in place and state mine inspections, the number of fatalities per million tons of coal drops to 6.5.
1950 Anthracite coal mine production steadily declines from its peak of 100 million tons in 1917 to 46 million tons in 1950. Thirty five percent of the coal being mined comes from surface facilities or the reprocessing of culm banks. The fatality rate drops to 1.86 fatalities per million tons of coal mined.
1959 Knox mine coal disaster - Port Griffith, PA (near Pittston). The Susquehanna River breaches (or breaks through) the mine workings, permanently flooding the majority of the interconnected underground mines in the Wilkes-Barre area. Although production of coal was in constant decline in the area since its peak in 1917, this disaster is referred to as the event which ended deep coal mining in the northern anthracite fields of Pennsylvania. Additional information on this disaster is available in the historical list of fatalities.

River Breaches the Mine
Efforts to Control River Inundation
1969 The Federal 1969 Coal Mine Health and Safety Act is passed by Congress and an agency, now known as the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is created.
1970 Anthracite coal mine production continues it steady fall to 9.2 million tons. There are 0.43 fatalities per million tons of coal mined.
1976 Anthracite coal production continues to shift from deep mining to surface mines and the reworking/recycling of culm banks and refuse piles. Several cogeneration plants are constructed. These plants are designed to burn culm bank and mine refuse material.
1987 Production of anthracite coal drops to 5.2 million tons, of which only 615,000 tons come from the 98 deep mines in the region which employ 620 deep miners. Deep anthracite coal mining accounts for only 11.8% of coal produced.
1987 The total recorded number of individuals that have died at mining operations over the years since anthracite mining has occurred reaches 31,088.

Definitions
Battery A structure erected of timbers, plank and a drawhole to hold back loose coal in a box and control the loading of coal by gravity feed.
Breast A working place or chamber driven up the pitch. Same as room.
Chute An inclined connection driven in coal or rock from the gangway to the return or monkey airway for the purpose of travel, ventilation and coal loading.
Coal (anthracite) A black solid, combustible substance formed by the partial decomposition of vegetation without free access of air but under the influence of moisture and increased pressure and high temperature. It is not a rock, but rather the fossil remains of vegetable/plant matter sealed between layers of rock. It contains a high percentage of carbon (86% average) which burns or combusts and of low volatile matter (4.3% average). This means anthracite is difficult to ignite but once it gets going will burn longer and slower than any other type of coal.
Disaster An event that has occurred at a mine which involve five or more fatalities. 119 mine disasters have occurred.
Gangway A main entry on haulageway.
Gob The breast area formed by props and liners and allowed to fill with blasted coal. Not to be confused with mined but on caved areas.
Liner Boards or planks used to extend the box and manways of breasts in pitching seams.
Monkey Airway The return air course driven parallel with and above the gangway.

 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Mon. Mar. 03, 2008 1:53 am

There is some significant dates and information missing or incorrect in that timeline.
1792 Anthracite is discovered in the Lehigh region of Pennsylvania.
1820 The first recorded anthracite coal company, the Lehigh Coal Mining Company, sends the first significant shipments of anthracite out of the coal field region.
I guess "anthracite coal company" may be interpretable but the first successful commercial mining activity was done by Abijah Smith in Plymouth, Pennsylvania in 1807 and shipped down the Susqhuehanna river in the spring of 1808. It's considered the birthplace of the commercial anthracite mining industry. Mining operations continued for many years after that so it wasn't just some fly by night deal.
1869 Anthracite is first used in a forge in Fell's Tavern located in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
I don't know if this in reference to a different event and/or why it would be important but anthracite coal was first successfully burned for "home heating" by Judge Fell on grate in 1808 in that same tavern. Prior to that I believe it was used only in forges which would of had a forced draft. The anniversary of this even was just celebrated a few weeks ago in Wilkes Barre, and they even used Origianl Grate to recreate event. :shock: I can't find any news articles relating to it unfortunately.

I don't know about the accuracy of the other dates as I'm unfamiliar with them but considering thats two very significant inaccurcies I'd reserch them before using it as accurate document.

 
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traderfjp
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Post by traderfjp » Mon. Mar. 03, 2008 7:05 am

You would think that the governing agency for coal mines would make sure the info. on their site is accurate. How typical. In any event the history is very interesting. I also read that mining of coal since 1990 in PA has increased 150% which I guess is good for the economy.


 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Mon. Mar. 03, 2008 7:16 am

traderfjp wrote:You would think that the governing agency for coal mines would make sure the info. on their site is accurate.
Yes, especially considering they botched what are arguably the two most important events. :lol: At the very least they are in the top 4 or 5. The Knox mine disaster would probably be another as would when it hit the peak back in the early 1900's.

 
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coal berner
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Post by coal berner » Wed. Mar. 05, 2008 2:06 pm

Well Richard I guess it depends on where the info is coming from I guess the debate will go on forever :lol:

In the United States, anthracite coal history began in 1790 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, with the discovery of coal made by the hunter Necho Allen in what is now known as the Coal Region. Legend has it that Allen fell asleep at the base of Broad Mountain and woke to the sight of a large fire because his campfire had ignited an outcropping of anthracite coal. By 1795, an anthracite-fired iron furnace had been built on the Schuylkill River.

Anthracite was first experimentally burned as a residential heating fuel in the USA on February 11, 1808, by Judge Jesse Fell in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on an open grate in a fireplace. Anthracite differs from wood in that it needs a draft from the bottom, and Judge Fell proved with his grate design that it was a viable heating fuel.

In the spring of 1808, John and Abijah Smith shipped the first commercially-mined load of anthracite down the Susquehanna River from Plymouth, Pennsylvania, marking the birth of commercial anthracite mining in the United States. From that first mine, production rose to an all-time high of over 100 million tons in 1917.

From the late 1800s until the 1950s, anthracite was the most popular fuel for heating homes and other buildings in the northern United States, until it was supplanted first by oil burning systems and more recently by natural gas systems as well. Many large public buildings, like schools, were heated with anthracite-burning furnaces through the 1970s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthracite

 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Wed. Mar. 05, 2008 2:19 pm

Well Richard I guess it depends on where the info is coming from I guess the debate will go on forever
Well I never seen any other commercial mines listed anywhere prior to the one in Plymouth so I guess there is nothing to debate about. :D
coal berner wrote: Anthracite was first experimentally burned as a residential heating fuel in the USA on February 11, 1808, by Judge Jesse Fell in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on an open grate in a fireplace. Anthracite differs from wood in that it needs a draft from the bottom, and Judge Fell proved with his grate design that it was a viable heating fuel.

In the spring of 1808, John and Abijah Smith shipped the first commercially-mined load of anthracite down the Susquehanna River from Plymouth, Pennsylvania, marking the birth of commercial anthracite mining in the United States. From that first mine, production rose to an all-time high of over 100 million tons in 1917.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthracite
http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/inspector/cwp/view. ... 3&q=476157

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