Report
of the State Mine Inspector
for the Biennial
Period Ending December 31, 1945
INSPECTORS
R. A. FARNSWORTH, Centerville
A. EVERETTE ERSKINE,
Ottumwa
J. E. JEFFREYS, Des Moines
GEO.
DUCKWORK, Secretary, Centerville
DORIS PATERNA, Assistant Secretary, Adel
Published by THE
STATE OF IOWA, Des Moines
As published in the HathiTrust Digital
Library, public domain
Transcribed by Ann Selvig
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Lucas County
The seam of
coal worked in this county is known as the
Des Moines vein, and has a thickness of from
6 to 8 feet. All Coal removed is
blasted loose with explosives, and though it
is a good general purpose fuel, not much has
been done to produce it as heretofore it has
been too expenisve to construct railroads to
where mines could be located, but with the
advent of new and better grading machinery
something may be done at a later date, and
then too the vein does not lie level, but
rather has some very steep pitches which
calls for the expenditure of large sums for
grading to make haulage practical in the
mines themselves.
Most of the county is
underlayed with this seam which terminates
near the southern border, which is as far
south as the Des Moines seam extends.
However some large mines have
been opened in this area alongside the main
lines of the railroads crossing the county
and at one time the largest mine in the
state was about 10 miles north of Chariton
which had a daily tonnage of nearly 2,000
tons. This mine is still in operation
and is known as the Williamson No. 3 mine.
Within the last couple of
years another mine has been sunk at the
north limits of Chariton to a depth of 400
feet to reach the vein, and the vein here is
from 7 to 9 feet in thickness. As is
also the case with the Williamson No. 3, the
new mine is being operated as a truck mine
and they both have a tonnage of around 500
tons daily.
There are also a few small
mines in the northeastern corner of the
county next to the Monroe County line, where
the vein lies at a lesser depth.
There is still a large field of
coal lying along the eastern part of the
county that is still virgin. Also a
field that has been little worked near the
town of Lucas but here it is very wet.
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Name of Company
|
Superintendent
|
Address
|
Shaft or Slope
|
Plan of Working
|
How
Ventilated
|
Power Used
|
Local or Shipping
|
Cedar Creek Coal Co.
|
J. W. Bingaman
|
Chariton, Rt. 3
|
Slope
|
Room/Pillar
|
Fan-Gas Driven
|
Gas Engine
|
Truck
|
Jones Coal Co.
|
Ed Gray
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Chariton
|
Shaft
|
Room/Pillar
|
Fan
|
Electric
|
Local |
Powell Coal Co.
|
Burt Powell
|
Chariton
|
Shaft
|
Room/Pillar
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Fan-Electric Driven
|
Electric
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C.R.I. &
P.R.R.
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Ritchey Coal Co.
|
Louis Lenie
|
Melrose,
Rt. 1
|
Slope
|
Room/Pillar
|
Natural
|
Steam
|
Local
|
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October 8, 2023
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