THE #9 COAL MINE

I know, I know.  I have not posted anything here in a number of weeks.  I just have not really gone anywhere that has a Historical value to it.  Like I had stated before, I'm sorta running out of places to go.  Or am I?  The only place around here that always has something with history to it, is up in the Coal Region Area.  I started thinking about this and remembered that there is a place that I've wanted to see, but just never took any time to do it.  I have passed by the #9 Coal Mine and Museum a number of times in the past and always wanted to see what's there.  So, with my Camera in the car, off I went.  Back up into the Coal Region where Coal was once King.

Located just outside a Town named Coaldale, PA on RT209 is the #9 Coal Mine & Museum.  The #9 Mine was in continuous use from the late 1800's until it closed in 1952.  As with other Mines that were in the area, this Mine produced a whole lotta Coal from deep inside the mountain.  Miners worked here under-ground for all those years, bringing out the Coal from the Mamommth Coal Vein that Nature made millions of years ago.

This is what was called "The Wash Shanty."  Now, the Museum of the Mine it was once used by the Miners to change cloths, take a bath, and hang their dirty mine cloths after a hard shift deep in the mountain.  Not much has been done to the original building since those day's.  It has been somewhat restored to what it used to be, but it still looks pretty much the same as it did long ago.  The small red building was not there years ago.  It's bathroom facilities for visitors.  Tried to keep in out of the Image, but there was just no way I could do it.

On display outside the Museum is this "Steam Lokie" that was used to haul Coal cars loaded with Coal to different parts of the area.  Most everything back then was powered by steam.  The "Blue Rounded Area" in the cab was the Firebox where coal was burned to heat the water that made the steam.  The "Yellow" handle on the side above the number 51 was used to start and stop the Lokie.

This was one of the Cars that transported Miners in and out of the Mine.  Looked to me like about 7 Miners could fit into this thing.

A lasting Tribute to Miners located in front of the Museum.

Some Historical information.

This is what 1 Ton of Anthracite Coal looks like.  In the early years, these Cars were pulled along the tracks by Mules instead of being towed out by steam power.  All these Cars were loaded with Coal by pick and shovel.  Can you just image working to do this all of your Life?

This is looking down the tracks towards the Mine entrance.  The trees and buildings that you see where not there many years ago.  Just a plain barren dirt area to the entrance.  

Now, lets take a trip down deep into the Mine where you can see what these Miners did for a living.

Riding in an old battery powered rail car that creaked, groaned, banged, and squeaked this was the first stop inside the Mine.  It's cold down here, and quite damp from the water that always drip's thru the ground from the Mountain above.  You are now about 1600 feet underground.  The Mine temperature is a constant 52 degrees.  Everything you see was carved thru solid rock with pick and shovel.  The tracks were laid down by hand.  The timbers that support the Mine walls were cut and installed using only muscle power. There was no steam power here until later years.  Everything you touch is wet and damp.  There was no electricity back then, either.  Everything here was lit up by candle power!

Looking deeper into the Mine from the other end.  Keep in mind that everything here used to be solid rock.  The Tunnel was blasted out and the Coal was hauled away using a pick, shovel, coal car, and a Mule.  Very back breaking work!  Miners back then could clear 20 feet of Coal a day and were paid 5 cents a day for all the hard, back breaking work they had to do.  Back then, that was considered a decent wage?

This is where the loaded Coal cars were hoisted to the surface.  I've marked by an arrow, the chains that were used to lift the heavy weight of each car.  This area was last used in 1952 and is now rusting away.

A Coal chute where Coal was hacked away by pick and shovel and then loaded into 1 ton cars.  A Mule would then haul it to the hoisting area where it was taken to the surface.

Would you believe a Hospital down here 1600 ft. under the ground?  It was.  Injuries to Miners were common back then, but Medical procedure was not too good.  They were treated as best they knew how.  Fingers, hands, and legs were broken.  Anything that was major, you were taken out by a cart pulled by a Mule to the surface and then taken away.  Death was not uncommon here, either.  Falling rock was a big factor in injury back then.  Not to mention coal gas, and rat bite's from the rats that lived here underground.  I didn't see any.

This is what a Mule and his "Boy" looked like.  Back then a Mule was almost considered more of value than a Mine worker.  They never complained.  Many Mules were kept down in the Mines, and were treated harshly.  They had allot of work to keep up with.

Everytime I make a trip like this back into History, I always try and keep in mind just how tough it really was back then.  Working in those types of condition day after day must have been awful.

Until the next time  .  .  .  .  Thanks for reading & commenting

Les