An undated photograph showing the North Mahanoy Colliery Breaker at the top center, the inclined plane, and the wash house. A lower left is a huge ventilating fan, and the colliery shops are at lower right. Mining operations ceased at the colliery in 1931.
From a series of articles that appeared in the Pottsville Republican and Herald in 1997:
North Mahanoy (Sillyman’s) Colliery
The North Mahanoy Colliery was located north of Mahanoy City adjacent to the Mahanoy City Colliery. It was opened by a drift driven west on the South Dip seven-foot vein by James Sillyman and Edward Sillyman in 1858, and the first coal shipment of 540 tons was made in 1860.
During the early period, the mining consisted of working five drifts, all of which were on the Mammoth Vein and all driven westward.
In 1869, miners sank the first slope 315 feet on the South Dip seven-foot vein and continued operating until 1870, when a disastrous fire destroyed the breaker ad other colliery buildings causing a loss of $60,000. This resulted in the sale of the colliery to Rommel, Hill & Harris, which erected a new breaker and sank a new slope 266 feet on the Top Split Vein.
Rommel, Hill & Harris operated the colliery until 1873 when it was purchased by the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Company, which made extensive improvements and sunk a second slope on the Top Split Mammoth Vein.
In 1885, an air shaft was sunk 65 feet to the Bottom Split Mammoth Vein gangways.
In 1897, the Schuylkill Colliery was abandoned and it was merged with the North Mahanoy Colliery. The coal for both was then prepared in a new remodeled and enlarged breaker.
The connection between the two collieries was made from the North Mahanoy seven-foot slope gangway to the third and fourth levels of the Schuylkill Buck Mountain vein by a tunnel.
In 1897, the Springdale Colliery of Lentz, Lilly & Company, was abandoned and allowed to fill with water. This colliery in early mining operations connected with the Schuylkill Colliery workings. The Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company decided not to allow the water to rise more than 20 feet in the Springdale Shaft as a protection of its own colliery. The Springdale Shaft was reopened in 1914.
In 1910, an electric haulage system was installed in the Schuylkill section of the colliery.
All mining ceased on January 7, 1931, and the colliery was allowed to fill with water. The breaker and boiler house were removed in 1935.
The total shipments from the North Mahanoy Colliery as of 1928 were 17,148,258 tons.
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Article by Frank Blase, Historian, Reading Anthracite Company Historical Library, Pottsville Republican & Herald, July 26, 1997. Obtained from Newspapers.com.
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