Mine Index 0879 Old Ben Coal Corporation, Old Ben No. 26 Mine

Mine Index Number: 0879

Company Name:	Old Ben Coal Corporation
Mine Name:	Old Ben No. 26 Mine
Start Date:	1968	End Date:	1996
Type of Mine:	Underground
Total acres shown:	7,165
Acres after map date:		General Area of mining acres shown:

Shaft, Slope, Drift or Tipple Location(s)

Type	County	Township-Range	Section	Part Section

Hoist shaft

Franklin

5S 2E

20

NE NE

Man & material shaft

Franklin

5S 2E

20

SE NE

C portal & D shaft

Franklin

5S 2E

32

NE NE

E & F shaft

Franklin

5S 2E

30

SW NW

Geology

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

Herrin

640-651

8.0-8.8

RPP, LW, RP, HERThe mining method is recorded as RPP from 1968 to 1978, and afterwards as LW & RP. The source map shows areas where pillars were removed as mining ended in different areas.

Geological Problems Reported

A fault system was encountered in the East North mains and the East South mains, which had up to 8 feet of displacement. The main fault zone was about 15 feet wide, with as much as 55 feet of displacement. Oil seeped in along the fault. The roof over most of the mine was Energy Shale, often massive and very silty. Some large (up to 12 inches long) limestone nodules were noted in the Energy Shale. Generally 6 to 10 inches of top coal was left to support and protect the Energy Shale roof. The Anna Shale was the immediate roof over the coal in some rare cases. The coal seam contained rolls 3 to 4 feet wide and smaller. Concretions, small and elongated, occurred in places. Erosional channels were also present. Minor floor heave was seen in several places, along both entries and crosscuts (no preferred orientation).

Production

Company

Mine Name

Date

Production (tons)

Old Ben Coal Corporation owned by British Petroleum in the 1980s; bought by Zeigler Coal Holding Company in July 1990 (add)	Old Ben No. 26 (add)	1968-1996	57,779,383

Total Production: 57,779,383

Production Notes

Coal Report production (if available)

Sources of Data

Source Map

Map Date

Original Scale

Digitized Scale

Map Type

Company map

12-31-1996

1:4800

1:4800

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 (Franklin County) - Mine names, mine index, ownership, years of operation.

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

Company map, ISGS Coal Section files (digital) - Shaft locations, mine outline, mining method.