Mine Index 0019 Alden Coal Company, Alden No. 7 Mine

Mine Index Number: 0019

Company Name:	Alden Coal Company
Mine Name:	Alden No. 7 Mine
Start Date:	1909	End Date:	1927
Type of Mine:	Underground
Total acres shown:	320
Production Indicated Acres:	26	General Area of mining acres shown:

Shaft, Slope, Drift or Tipple Location(s)

Type	County	Township-Range	Section	Part Section

Main shaft

Mercer

15N 2W

27

NE SW SE

Air shaft

Mercer

15N 2W

27

NW SE SE

Air shaft

Mercer

15N 2W

26

SW NE NW

Geology

		Thickness (ft)
Seam	Depth (ft)	Min	Max	Ave	Mining Method

Rock Island

70-95

4.0-5.0

MRP

Geological Problems Reported

In 1916, a great deal of water entered the mine from an abandoned adjacent mine, whose workings were not mapped (abandoned workings of “many, many years standing”). The influx of water idled Alden No. 7 Mine for 2 months. A lenticular black shale of variable thickness was present between the coal the limestone roof. A roof fall caused a fatality in 1915. The coal was irregular in thickness and had a high pyrite content as well as a considerable amount of calcite. There was more calcite in the bottom of the seam while the pyrite was throughout the bed. If the pyrite was gobbed so that air did not circulate freely over the pyrite masses, they began to burn. Horsebacks, faults, clay veins and rolls were present in the mine. One swag was noted where the coal thickness increased to 5 feet. Mine notes indicate pillars were pulled. The source map shows many areas of squeeze, especially in the eastern portion.

Production

Company

Mine Name

Date

Production (tons)

Alden Coal Company (add)	Alden No. 7 (add)	1909-1925	1,564,229

Alden Coal Company (add)	Alden No. 7 (add)	1925-1927	127,658

Total Production: 1,691,887

Production Notes

Coal Report production (if available)

Sources of Data

Source Map

Map Date

Original Scale

Digitized Scale

Map Type

State archive, IL_2355

6-1-1925

1:2400

1:2400

Not final

Annotated Bibliography (Data source - brief description of information)

Coal Reports - Production, ownership, years of operation, seam, depth, thickness, mining method.

Directory of Illinois Coal Mines (Mercer County) - Mine names, mine index, ownership, years of operation.

Mine notes (Mercer County) - Mine type, shaft location, geologic problems.

State Archive, IL_2355, courtesy of Robert Gibson, IDNR - Shaft locations, mine outline, mining method, geologic problems.