History of Coal Mining in Nova Scotia
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Louis Frost
Sydney
Dominion
No. 2
       
Dominion
No. 1B
Dominion
No. 3

The Louis Frost Notes 1685 to 1962

Dominion No. 2 Colliery

Phalen Seam

This colliery is located at New Aberdeen in Glace Bay. The shafts were originally sunk to work the Phalen Seam, but are now used solely to hoist Harbour Seam coal from what is known as Dominion No. 20 Colliery.

The Phalen Seam is reached by two shafts sunk in 1899 and by a third shaft, an extension of No. 9 air shaft, sunk to the Phalen Seam in 1946 and used as the intake to the mine. The other shafts act as returns. The coal shaft is 18 ft. 6 ins. x l0 ft. 0 ins. x 842 ft.. The material shaft is 17 ft. x l0 ft. x 855 ft. and the intake shaft 20 ft. x 12 ft. x 863 ft., deepened by 448 feet in 1946.

The Phalen Seam is 7 ft. 2 ins. thick, clean coal but varied in quality. On the north side of the mine the coal was metallurgical but toward the south and east there was an increasing ash and sulphur content.

The method of mining was pillar and room, and prior to the closure of the mine only large pillars were developed.

The workings were entirely submarine and during the years 1934 to 1938 small areas of longwall were worked in the south side of the mine. Due to shortage of skilled labor for this type of work and unfavorable physical conditions, the working reverted to pillar and room, with rooms and crosscuts on 100 foot centres. Pillar drawing followed closely on the formation of the pillars. This mine worked on both sides of a syncline and at depths beyond the 1500 feet cover line was subject to heavy nugs or bumps. The roof overlying this area consists of massive bands of sandstone, which, in places, totaled more than 100 ft. in thickness.

On June 15th, 1946 a severe bump occurred in No. 2 Angle Deep midway between No. 2 and No. 3 north levels on the north side of the mine at a depth of 1600 feet of cover. The force of the bump exploded a pillar filling the roadways with coal, killing four workmen engaged in drawing pillars.

As a result of the continued heavy nugs and bumps, operations were discontinued in the Phalen Seam in December 1949.

During its operation, the mine was very dry. This, with the natural friability of the coal, had a tendency to cause accumulations of coal dust. To combat this, the coal dust was periodically removed from all main roads and these, together with the working places, were kept stonedusted.

The make of water is about 12 gallons per minute, and is pumped to the surface through a l2 in. diameter borehole 986 feet deep, from a pumping station located at No. 3 landing on the north deep by an electrically driven Turbo pump of the Cameron type, with a capacity of 250 G.P.M..

The mine is gassy and was originally ventilated by a Walker centrifugal fan delivering 172,000 C.F.M.. This fan was replaced in 1945 by a Bufflow type centrifugal fan manufactured by Canadian Blower and Forge Company having a rated capacity of 240,000 c.f.m. against a water gauge of 12 ins.. At present this fan delivers 200,000 c.f.m. at a pressure of 10.5 inches of water gauge.

In 1950 a booster fan was installed in the main north intake airway at No. 4 landing. This fan has a rated capacity of 260,000 c.f.m. at a water gauge of 11 inches. This fan is similar in design to the surface fan. At present the fan delivers 180,000 c.f.m. at a water gauge of 14 inches to the lower workings in No. 2 Colliery and to the Harbour Seam.

Surface

No. 2 Colliery bankhead, which now serves the No. 20 Colliery output, is of steel and concrete construction, with a floor space of 5,6oo sq. ft.. This coal is hoisted in two self-dumping skips, operated in balance, having a capacity of 8 tons each. Therefore, at the pit bottom two rotary tipples and two weighing platforms have been established.

The four screens are of the three deck simplicity vibrating type 14 feet long by 5 feet wide. It is possible to make slack, nut, screened or run-of-mine coal. The capacity of the bankhead is 450 tons per hour.

The surface was completely electrified in 1958 and only the wash house and surface buildings are heated by 3 - 100 horsepower stoker fed boilers.

The average daily output during the operating life was 3,659 tons per day, but during the year 1932 hoisted an average of 5,132 net tons per day for 96-3/4 working days.

During its operating life 1900 to 1949 inclusive, the colliery produced 26,571,920 long tons of coal from a worked area covering 5,184 acres in the Phalen Seam.

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Last Modified: 98-01-05

Authored by: Louis Frost


IMPORTANT
The information contained on this site is not provided for the purpose of factual
representation. Instead, it is provided in an historical context. Every effort has
been made to ensure that this information represents the actual content of the
original document authored by Louis Frost for the Dominion Coal Company
on or around 1962. Nevertheless, no warranties are provided in any respect.

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