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The Louis Frost Notes 1685 to 1962
CUMBERLAND RAILWAY AND COAL COMPANY LTD.
NO. 4 MINE
Nos. 6 and 7 Seams
This mine worked No. 6 and No. 7 Seams with the main haulage
located in No. 7 Seam, cross measure tunnels being driven at intervals
from the main slope in No. 7 Seam to win the overlying No. 6 Seam.
Prior to 1928 No. 6 and No. 7 Seams were worked as separate
collieries, but in both mines the main slopes had run into ground
too steep for ordinary haulage and, as the steep ground was known to
continue for some distance before flattening out, it was decided to
restrict the workings in No. 6 and No.7 Mines to the area above the
steep.
A new slope was driven in No. 4 Seam from a location on the
surface close enough to No. 2 Slope to allow one bankhead to serve
both mines.
This slope was driven at a gradient of 30 degrees and followed
No. 4 seam, a seam of inferior coal, for a distance of 3300 feet, at
which point two cross measure tunnels for haulage and ventilation
were driven back across the measures to tap the underlying No. 7
Seam at the 3200 ft. level.
No. 7 seam
No. 7 seam in this location was 5 feet 3 inches in height
and free from dirt partings. However, as the workings were developed to the west, stone intrusions became numerous, dirtying the
coal so that the West side workings above the 3200 ft level were discontinued.
Below the steep exploratory levels driven West from the 4400,
4800 and 5100 ft. levels showed the coal in the west side of the
mine to be too dirty to work.
On the East side of the mine slope, longwalls were developed
below the 4100 ft. level, the walls being discontinued when the
stone intrusions in the coal rendered the seam too dirty to work.
The upper walls reached a distance of only 3200 feet from the main
slope, with a maximum eastward penetration of 5200 ft at the 7100 ft
level.
Development in the seam was continued to the dip for a distance of 5200 feet below the 3200 level, where the tunnels had penetrated No. 7 Seam. The workings at face of the deeps were at a vertical depth of 339 feet from the surface.
The operation of No. 7 Seam was discontinued in 1953. The
total output thereafter was obtained from No. 6 Seam, until the
mine was closed due to an explosion which occurred on November 1st,
1956 and resulted in the death of 39 workmen.
During its working life the workings in No. 7 Seam were subject to a very large number of bumps, 105 being recorded between
1943 and 1952 in this seam, and 9 in No. 6 Seam.
This seam was developed by driving short, level tunnels across
the measures between No.6 and No.7 Seams from the main haulage slope
in No.7 seam. The interval between the seams in this area was between
90 and 100 ft. in this way the original haulage and ventilation roadways provided in the lower seam served the operation of the upper seam.
The first cross measure tunnel was started in 1944, off the 5400
East and 4400 East Levels, and put into operation early in 1946 to provide intake and return airways for the operation of the east side of
the mine. This was followed later by an additional tunnel off the
5700 West level in No. 7 Seam, to work the west side of the mine.
The seam averages 6 ft. 2 ins. in height and was split by a number
of thin bands of splint which thickened to bands of shale sometimes
over twelve inches thick. This intrusion was generally of a local
nature and largely lenticular in form.
The method of working was advancing longwall, but due to a serious
bump on August 30, 1956 on the 6100 Wall, in which seven workmen were
injured, it was decided to revert to longwall retreating and narrow
work development was started toward that end, when the mine was closed
due to an explosion on November 1st, 1956 and the colliery permanently
abandoned after recovery operations.
Following the rescue of 52 workmen, trapped for four days in
the 5400 East Level, and after exhaustive efforts had been made to
determine if any other men were alive, the mine was sealed. Prior
to the sealing, analyses of samples indicated that a fire was still
active, and as there was a possibility of a second explosion, the recovery of the bodies of those known to be dead was halted and the
mine sealed on November 7th, 1956.
On January 18, 1957 No. 4 Mine was reopened to recover
the bodies of 26 miners. This work was completed on January 21st,
1957 and following an inspection of the mine by members of a Royal
Commission appointed to enquire into the cause of the explosion, the mine was sealed. Sealing was completed at 3:31 p.m. on Monday,
January 21st, 1957.
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