An undated photograph of an early wood head-frame for a colliery shaft. At right is the engine house. None of the individuals in the photo are identified.
From a series of articles that appeared in the Pottsville Republican and Herald in 1998:
The Chamberlain Colieries were located a short distance north of Port Carbon on the west side of Mill Creek.
In the early period of mining, the colliery was operated as two individual collieries. The first opening was called the Lewis and Bainbridge and the second was called the Lawton.
These two collieries worked separate veins. The Bainbridge worked the Lewis (Peach mountain) Vein and the Lawton worked the Tracy Vein, 400 feet north of the Lewis Vein.
In later years, the two collieries operated as one management.
LEWIS OR BAINBRIDGE COLLIERY
The first opening of the Lewis or Bainbridge Colliery was made in 1826 when the Young brothers started mining. They were not very successful and worked the mine only to about 1828. The first coal shipment of 82 tons was made in 1826.
In 1829, Blight, Wallace and Company leased the land from the Young brothers and began mining the Lewis Vein. In 1834, the company began sinking a slope, but failed in 1835. It was succeeded by William Bosbyshell, who continued operating the slope to 1841, when he assigned his lease to Wallace & Rothermel, who mined until 1848.
In 1848, Thomas Haven came in possession of the mine and took in John C. Hewes as a partner. They sank the slope to lower levels and operated the colliery to 1854, when they were sold out by the sheriff.
In 1854, the Mill Creek Coal Company purchased the colliery and operated it to 1860, when it was practically abandoned.
In 1861, E. W. McGinnis leased the colliery from the Mill Creek Coal Company, but the slope workings were in need of such extensive repairs that, in 1862, he assigned his lease to a Mr. Eshelman. However, due to the poor conditions of the mine, Eshelman also surrendered his lease in 1863.
At this point, the Mill Creek Coal Company made repairs to the slope and leased the colliery to Pottsville Mining & Manufacturing Company, which operated it for a short time, finally abandoning the mine in 1867.
The shipments to 1862 were 248, 397 tons.
In 1888, Thomas Hyatt & Company reopened the slope and made extensive repairs. It operated the Bainbridge in connection with the Lawton Slope to 1892, when succeeded by the Chamberlain Coal Company, which extended the slope another level and operated to 1895.
It was succeeded by the Marion Coal Company (Dr. Rice and Company) who operated the colliery under such poor conditions that an injunction was issued against any further mining by the state mine inspector until the colliery was put in safe working condition.
In 1900, the colliery was abandoned.
The slope at this time had five levels and was 1,000 feet in length. The first level was driven westward into the Ball Slope workings on the East Norwegian Creek.
A 1910 photograph of a colliery first air team placing an injured miner on a stretcher.
THE LAWTON COLLIERY
The Lawton Colliery Slope was located 400 feet north of the Bainbridge Colliery north of Port Carbon.
The colliery was opened by a drift driven west on the South Dip Tracy Vein by Albert Lawton and Thomas Haven in 1832. The first shipment of 1,104 tons was made the same year.
Lawton and Haven operated the mine to 1843 and were succeeded by Archibald Ronaldson, who leased the colliery and sank the slope to the first level. He operated the slope to 1848, when he failed and was succeeded by Bainbridge & Byer, which was assigned the leases and extended the slope to the second level in 1853. Bainbridge & Byer continued mining to 1854, when sold out by the sheriff.
In 1854, Wallace and Rothermel purchased the colliery at the sheriff sale and mined to 1858.
In 1858, the Mill Creek Coal Company operated both collieries – the Bainbridge to 1860 and the Lawton to 1862.
In 1862, Mr. Eshelman operated both collieries but surrendered his lease on the Bainbridge Colliery because of its poor condition. He continued operating the Lawton Colliery until 1864. He was succeeded by the Pottsville Mining & Manufacturing Company, which made extensive repairs and operated the colliery to 1867, when it was abandoned.
In 1886, Thomas Hyatt & Company reopened both colliery slopes and operated them to 1892, when succeeded by the Chamberlain Coal Company, which operated the collieries to 1895.
In 1895, the Marion Coal Company came in possession and extended the Tracy Slope to the bottom – a total length from the surface of 2,350 feet. It continued mining to 1900, when the colliery was abandoned and allowed to fill with water.
Total shipment from the Lawton Colliery was 436,203 tons. Total shipment from the combined Bainbridge and Lawton collieries was 792,278 tons.
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Article by Frank Blase, Historian, Reading Anthracite Company Historical Library, Pottsville Republican & Herald, April 25, 1998 and May 2, 1998. Obtained from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.