The Maple Hill Colliery Breaker, shows an right with its twin headframes in the center. The power plant and Maple Hill homes are at the left. In the distance, behind the breaker is the Ellengowen Breaker and a church and houses. The area at left-bottom is being cleared for the new power plant for the St. Nicholas Central Breaker, which was constructed in 1930.
From a series of articles that appeared in the Pottsville Republican and Herald in 1997:
The Maple Hill Colliery was located about on-half mile north of the village of St. Nicholas along the Waste House Run Creek in Mahanoy Township, Schuylkill County.
The colliery was opened by sinking the No. 1 shaft 754 feet by the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company in 1888-1890, cutting the veins from the Spohn to the top split Mammoth Vein and was extensively developed on both north and south dips of the Maple Hill Basin.
The first shipment of 113,887 tons was made in 1892 and in 1893 the shipment was 307,246 tons of coal.
In 1901, three air locomotives were installed to speed up the transportation of coal and eliminate mule haulage.
Prior to 1901, the entire production of the mine was handled by 82 mules.
By 1938, there were 19 air locomotives and 27 mules handling the transportation and that same year electrification of the hauling system was started.
The last eight mules in service were disposed of in September 1948.
In 1903, the No. 2 Shaft was sunk 1050 feet cutting the same veins as the No. 1 Shaft.
The dimensions were 12 feet by 31 feet with six compartments, four for coal and two for hoisting water.
In 1906, the underground slope was sunk 1050 feet on the Buck Mountain Vein and in 1911 the old wooden head frames on the shaft were replaced by ones of steel.
The colliery was one of the largest producers in the region.
There were 17 veins at this colliery with the thickness ranging from 12 feet on the Buck Mountain to 43 feet on the Mammoth Vein.
Total shipment of coal to 1928 was 16,091,438 tons and as of January 1, 1949, the shipments were 27,676,556 tons.
The colliery ceased mining June 25, 1955.
_______________________________________________
Article by Frank Blase, Historian, Reading Anthracite Company Historical Library, Pottsville Republican & Herald, September 6, 1997. Obtained from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.