Monroe County Coal Mines July 1887-June 1889

 

 

District 1 Inspector Thomas Binks, Ottumwa

Year ending June 30, 1888 18 mines, 10 shipping, 8 local 404 miners employed, 153 other employees amount paid for mining $175,422 amount paid for labor $68,850 value of product $273,652

Year ending June 30, 1889 13 mines, 9 shipping, 4 local 536 miners, 164 other supplies cost $147,763 labor cost $64,113 sales $277,472

Large amount of prospecting done in district in past year. Wapello Coal Company have had two diamond drills at work for several months on Cedar Creek, west of Albia in Monroe county. Soap Creek Coal co. has prospected extensively in Monroe county and have bought a large tract of coal land, and are now opening up one of the largest mines in the First District. The Monroe Coal & Prospecting Co. have put down a prospect shaft, eight miles south of Albia, on a large tract of land which they own, and had found a good vein of coal, 5 to 6 feet thick and in all probability will develop it soon.

Coal Companies

Charles Akers, P.O. Fredric. Is a new shaft mine, 45 feet deep; located at Fredric; thickness of vein, 4 feet; horse power is used for hoisting the coal; 4 miners employed; the out-put is hauled to Fredric with teams and shipped on Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, a distance of one half mile. Charles Akers, superintendent.

Scott Appleman, P.O. Avery. Scott, Appelman & Co operate a shaft mine near Avery; no miners employed; the owners mine their own coal. Moyle & Kridelbaugh, P.O. Avery. I. C. Moyle & Kridelbaugh operate a slope mine near Avery for local trade.

Chisholm Coal Co., P.O. Chisholm. Is a shaft mine 130 feet deep; located at Chisholm, on Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad; is operated by the Chisholm Coal Co.; steam power is used for hoisting the coal; is worked on the double entry system, and ventilated by fan; 85 miners employed; thickness of vein, 5 feet. W. I. Sheilds, president; C. N. Bloomfield, secretary; N. A. Flanders, superintendent; Thomas Scavenger, treasurer.

Monroe Prospecing Co., P.O. Albia. Is a new shaft, 180 feet deep, located near Foster; thickness of vein, 5 feet; is owned and operated by the Monroe Coal & Prospecting Co.; horse power is used for hoisting the coal. A. J. Weber, secretary.

Iowa & Wisconsin Coal Co., P.O. Albia. Is owned and operated by the Iowa & Wisconsin Coal Co.; is a shaft 167 feet deep; located 2 miles west of Albia, on the main line of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad; steam power is used for hoisting the coal; also for underground haulage; a new plant which has lately been put in by the Ottumwa Iron Works; is worked on the double entry system, and ventilated by fan; 125 miners employed; thickness of vein, 5 feet. J. D. MacMillan, general manager; Simon Frazer, superintendent.

Smokey Hollow Mine, p.o. Avery. Is a slope mine, owned and operated by the Smokey Hollow Coal Co.; is located on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, near Avery; steam power is used to bring the coal to the surface; is worked on the double entry system, and ventilated by furnace; thickness of vein, 5 feet; 70 miners employed. John Evans, general manager.

Hickory Mine, Po Hickory. Is a shaft mine, 89 feet deep; situated at Hickory, on the Central Iowa Railroad, and worked on the double entry system; ventilated by fan; steam power is used for hoisting; thickness of vein, 4 1/2 feet; 25 miners employed. A. Douglas, general manager; James Mitchell, superintendent.

Omaha Coal co, po Albia. Is a shaft mine, 135 feet deep; situated 3 miles west of Albia, on the main line of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad; steam power is used for hoisting; is worked on the double entry plan and ventilated by furnace; 80 miners employed. This mine was operated by the Omaha Coal Mining Co. until December 7, 1888; from December 7, 1888, until March 1, 1889, it was in the hands of C. M. Schenck, Receiver, and operated by him until closed, about March 1, 1889.

Enterprise Coal Co, po Albia. Is owned and operated by the Enterprise Coal Co.; is a shaft mine, 120 feet deep; situated 2 1/2 miles west of Albia, on the main line of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad; ventilated by furnace; is worked on the double entry system; 80 miners employed; steam power is used for hoisting, also for underground haulage. T. J. Lewis, superintendent.

Pleasant Valley Coal co, PO Coalfield. Is a slope mine, operated by the Pleasant Valley Coal Co.; is located at Coalfield, on the Iowa Central Railroad; steam power is used to bring the coal to the surface; is worked on the single entry plan, and ventilated by furnance; 35 miners employed; thickness of vein 3 1/2 feet.

Soap Creek Coal co, Foster. Is a new shaft mine, 190 feet deep; located at Foster, on the Southwestern branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad; steam power is used for hoisting, which is all new and of the most improved pattern, manufactured by the Ottumwa Iron Works; thickness of vein, 5 feet; ventilated by fan; is owned and operated by the Soap Creek Coal Co. E. J. Foster, president, Cedar Rapids; Henry Phillips, secretary and treasurer, Ottumwa; Samuel Gilfoy, general manager, What Cheer.

Fredric coal co, Fredric. Is a shaft mine, 80 feet deep; situated at Fredric; is operated by Joseph Moss & Co.; steam power is used for hoisting; thickness of vein, 3 feet; worked on the longwall system; ventilated by furnace; the coal is hauled to Fredric with teams, and shipped on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. Joseph Moss, superintendent.

Davidson & Stocker, Coalfield. Davidson & Stocker operate a slope mine, near Coalfield; thickness of vein, 3 1/2 feet; horse power is used to bring the coal to the surface; part of the product of this mine is hauled with teams to Coalfield, and shipped on the Central Iowa Railroad, the remainder sold at local sales.

 

Fatal Accident

An inquisition holden at Foster, Monroe county, on the 14th day of January, 1889, before S.M. King, coroner of said county, upon the body of Rollin Williams, there lying dead, by the jurors whose names are hereunto subscribed. The jurors, upon their oaths do say, we do find that the deceased came to his death by gross neglect on the part of the superintendent: first, by improper precaution, by putting of a shot at that depth with squibs; second, for not checking the speed of the engine in time to pass safely through the narrow space at the top, thereby causing the said Rollin Williams to be knocked out of the bucket, by being jerked against the timber with his head and shoulders, and falling to the bottom of the shaft, at a depth of 163 feet, causing instant death; and we do further recommend that the said Ira Phillips be held for justice court investigation. Nathan G. Wilson, Jas. R. T. White, Daniel Pollard. Attest: S. M. King, Coroner of Monroe County.

 

Non-Fatal Accidents for the biennial period ending June 30, 1889

• 10 October 1887; William Kelly of Albia at the Iowa & Wisconsin Coal Company was hurt by a fall of slate
• 14 November 1887; Joseph Lee of Albia at the Enterprise Mine was hurt by coal falling on him, cutting his head
• 27 December 1887; J. H. Graham of Albia at the Iowa & Wisconsin Mine had his cheek bone fractured by a fall of slate
• 25 April 1888; R. Hurd of Albia at the Iowa & Wisconsin Mine was cut about the face from a premature discharge of blast
• 12 September 1888; R. Codner of Albia at the Iowa & Wisconsin Mine was injured by a fall of slate
• 21 January 1889; George Hoadely of Albia at the Enterprise Mine was injured by falling slate
• 19 January 1889; William Starhert of Albia at the Enterprise Mine was injured by a coal car
• 16 February 1889; L. Cox of Albia at the Soap Creek Coal Company was injured by falling slate
• 20 April 1889; George Nixon of Albia at the Iowa & Wisconsin Mine was kicked on face by mule

 

Fourth Biennial Report of the State Mine Inspectors to the Governor of the State of Iowa, for the Two Years Ending June 30, 1889. Thomas Binks, James Gildroy, Jas. E. Stout, Inspectors.