An undated photograph of a miner working a chute that took mine coal to a car the gangway.
From a series of articles that appeared in the Pottsville Republican and Herald in 1998:
Duncan Colliery was located along the West Branch of the Mount Carbon Railroad north of Fishbach in the city of Pottsville. In the earlier mining there were two distinct operations – the Miller and Rich Shaft Colliery and the Voorhees Slope Colliery, but due to the collieries becoming connected through mining, the two were operated in later years under the name of the Duncan Colliery.
The Miller and Rich Shaft Colliery was originally opened by a water-level tunnel in 1842 and was driven to the tunnel vein from about the level of the Mount Carbon Railroad. The gangway was driven 1,200 feet east on this vein from which point another tunnel was driven north to the Lewis (Peach Mountain) Vein and the gangway continued on the Lewis Vein eastward to the North America land line.
In 1844, a shaft was sunk by Miller and Rich to a depth of 255 feet and gangways driven east and west to their boundaries at the land lines. In 1846, an inside slope was sunk from the bottom of the shaft, a distance of 300 feet, and gangways driven east and west from the foot of the slope.
In 1850, Rich retired from the firm and the colliery was continued under the management of the remaining partner, George Miller, to 1856, when J. F. Voorhees took possession and operated the colliery to 1858. Voorhees abandoned it as a separate colliery, having in view the sinking of the Voorhees Slope that was completed in 1859, the gangways from which were connected with the Miller and Rich workings. Voorhees continued operation to 1862 when Joseph Silver and Company operated the two collieries under the name of the Duncan Colliery. It was finally abandoned in 1868.
The Vorhees slope was continued 1,000 feet below the bottom of the Miller and Rich shaft that reached about time level in elevation.
Total shipments from the colliery was 222,635 tons. George Miller invested $4,000 in 1853.
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Article by Frank Blase, Historian, Reading Anthracite Company Historical Library, Pottsville Republican & Herald, July 18, 1998. Obtained from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.