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The Louis Frost Notes 1685 to 1962
CUMBERLAND RAILWAY AND COAL COMPANY LTD.
NO. 6 MINE
This was a slope mine on No. 6 Seam, the lowest seam
proved workable during the life of the Springhill operation.
The mine was opened early in 1918, to replace the loss
of output resulting from the closure of No. 3 Mine, and was worked continuously until it was finally closed in 1929 as a separate colliery. The seam was later worked through No. 4 Mine.
The seam in this location was 5 feet 6 inches thick and
was split by a band of stone averaging 3 inches in thickness about mid
seam. The roof was shale and sandstone and the floor sandstone.
Near the surface the seam dips at a gradient of between
30 and 35 degrees, but as the slopes were advanced to the dip the inclination
increased until at 1800 feet from the surface the seam attained an inclination of 55 degrees. This high inclination precluded further
development of the slopes in this direction. The deeps were therefore
turned off at an angle from the 600 ft. level, with a pitch of 35 degrees.
This angle slope was driven a distance of 2,400 feet to the boundary of
the colliery.
On the North side, the workings ran into very steep
measures up to 70 degrees. The quality of coal also deteriorated; consequently the workings on this side of the mine were of limited extent.
Most of the coal was won from the South side of the colliery,
where the ground was fairly regular and the pitch between 30 and 35 degrees.
Until 1927 the method of working was room and pillar,
but difficulty was experienced in drawing the pillars. The system
was therefore changed to retreating longwall and the output up to the
time the colliery closed on December 3rd, 1936, was obtained from this
source.
The average daily output amounted to 560 tons per day
from two shifts.
SURFACE
The Bankhead was a wooden structure of a simple design
due to this having started as a prospect pit, and although changes were
planned, closure of the mine rendered these unnecessary.
The mine was ventilated by a steam driven Sturtevant
fan producing 13,000 c.f.m. at a water gauge of 0.2 inches.
Compressed air for this operation was supplied by the
compressors at No. 2 Mine, 1.25 miles distant and used for undercutting.
A small boiler plant supplied steam for the hoisting
engine and fan.
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