By William N.T. Wylie
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The extensive underground works
were complemented by a wide range of facilities above ground,
serving both to support the sub-surface activities, and to
prepare the coal for shipment. Constituting the main visual
evidence of the mine to observers, the surface plant consisted
of buildings and equipment relating to underground haulage and
ventilation, the supply of power below and above ground, repair
and storage, and coal preparation and transport.
Besides the hoists and fans expediting the movement of materials
and ventilation beneath the surface, the most crucial elements
of the plant were those providing a source of power and
associated with coal preparation and shipment.
Electricity was almost
invariably the main source of power in the coal mines of Alberta
and southeastern British Columbia. Even when compressed air ran
the underground machinery, electricity usually powered the
surface compressors. Before 1914, the electricity ordinarily
came from power houses located on site, where it was produced
from coal-fired boilers and steam engines. Gradually, the need
for these facilities waned, as surrounding communities
developed, and electrical power became more widely available. By
the 1930s, the only evidence of the power source was sometimes
small electrical substations and rows of transmission poles,
carrying electrical cables on site.1
The most extensive facilities on site usually dealt with coal
processing. The need for preparation was great in Alberta and
southeastern BC because of the nature of the coal and the
demands of the market. In both mountains and plains areas, much
of the coal was friable or crumbly, and had to be handled
carefully to minimize breakage. The market required coal of many
sizes-lump coal for steam engines, smaller pieces for domestic
use. In the Crowsnest Pass, very fine coal, or slack, unusable
elsewhere, was employed to make coke used in smelting.
Preparation plants2
tended to be more complex in the mountains than on the plains,
partly because of the uneven quality of the coal, and partly
because of the stringent demands of the steam and smelter
markets. Steam coal companies also tended to invest large
amounts in mechanized facilities in order to reduce costs, and
offset the high expense of employing large numbers of skilled
miners underground.3
William N.T. Wylie, "Coal-Mining Landscapes:
Commemorating Coal Mining in Alberta and Southeastern British
Columbia," a report prepared for the Historic Sites and
Monuments Board of Canada, Parks Canada Agency, 2001.
See Also:
The Coal
IndustryOverview, Rapid Expansion,
Domestic and Steam Coalfields,
1914-1947: The Struggling Industry,
Collapse and Rebirth,
Settlement of the West,
Issues and ChallengesOverview,
Entrepreneurship, Technology,
Underground Techniques,
Surface Technology,
Surface Mining,
Social Impacts,
Unions,
1882-1913: Unionization and Early Gains,
1914-1920: Revolutionary Movement,
1921-1950s: Labour Unrest and
Setbacks, Mining Companies, People of
the Coal Mines,
The Middle Class,
Miners and Local
Government,
Politics and Economics ,
Environmental Impacts,
Health and SafetyOverview,
The State and
Labour Relations,
The State and
Development after 1918.
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