I found this about the mathis mine near pittsburg pennselvania, closed in 2002 but as of 2009 this site showed that alot was intact on the surface

www.coalcampusa.com/.../misc/pittmisc.htm

this other link showed that the mine shut down due to poor manangment not because of running out of coal, mabye someone should reopen it......

http://wikimapia.org/14650239/Part-of-Mathies-mine

buissness opertunity anyone?

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SAVE COAL SAVE TRAINS

ive been there, the adjacent powerplant has bought it i believe and its heavily posted. also the mine is flooded and the portal isnt that safe looking

Oh there are several big stories that surround this mine. As far as the power plant purchasing the mine itself ...havent heard that. The mine was sold and the prep plant location should remain with the mine in order to keep the river loadout. Very key point for mines on the Mon River. I will try to find a couple of articles in our records of the mine to help convey the last few years of the idled state.

The best part I remeber is that the mine was forced to shut down after not paying a power bill that exceeded $500,000.

Sam, Which portal are you referring to? 1,2 or 3? 1 and 2 are just a tunnel through the old Courtney Mine. Its not flooded. You might have seen some water where the rotary dump was but that is not deep at all. Going around the corner the grade changes. The tunnels have since had 2 major falls. Both could be fixed if and when it reopens. Still lots of COAL left underground there. It would however be the only mine in that area without a longwall. It has to use conventional CM's.

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Pioneering the next INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (Preservation ! ). . . Saving equipment (1) mine site at a time.

The power plant might have bought the top of the Courtney mine to expand their ash dump....I could see that happening.

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Pioneering the next INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (Preservation ! ). . . Saving equipment (1) mine site at a time.

I am referring to the one with the rotary dump building. I also found the double portals and the one by the blacksmith shop. The one by the rotary dump, the water in the tunnel doesnt look deep at all but in the building it has a dark blue color and make sense for it to be deep. The twin portals had no water near or in them . I had read that the powerplant purchased the mine site for an ash dump, but it wasnt specific.

There is a pit that is very deep under the rotary dump that is full of water up to the top of the rail. The mine itself is flooded about 3-4 feet deep in most places but the active part of the mine is 6-8 miles west of the river. Tricky to find.

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Pioneering the next INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (Preservation ! ). . . Saving equipment (1) mine site at a time.

Mathies Mine for sale, again 5/3/10 article

By Scott Beveridge, Staff writer sbeveridge@observer-reporter.com


A long-idled coal mine in Union Township is once again for sale to pay on its debts in federal bankruptcy court in Pittsburgh.
U.S. Judge Jeffery A. Deller will hold a hearing and sale May 10 for Mon View Mining Co.’s holdings based in Courtney, court records show.

The hearing will be held on a motion by the mine’s attorney, Donald R. Calaiaro, to sell free and clear of all liens the 1,286-acre facility once known as Mathies Mine at a minimum price of $25 million, court records show.

The mine owner, John Hatch, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after closing the mine and laying off 200 miners in 2002.

Massey Energy is once again showing interest in purchasing the coal and mineral rights, and some of the surface property, having entered a $3.5 million bid on the sale, the mine stated in a legal advertisement.
Massey was outbid on the mine in a prior sale by Consolidated Resources Group Inc. of Florida. CRG defaulted on the mortgage, and that is why the mine is once again for sale, said Leonard Spagnolo, the attorney for the creditors. He said the unpaid property taxes and other debts will be attached to the proceeds of the sale.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has a $451,000 judgment against the mine, and the purchaser must enter into an agreement with the department to take care of the existing environmental problems at the site, the record shows.

Washington County is owed nearly $250,000 in unpaid taxes to the county, township and Ringgold School District, said Debbie Bardella, the county’s recorder of deeds.

I was passing through that area about weeks ago and was surprised to find the gates unlocked and open at the Route 88 portal location (where the haulage railroad came above ground) as well as at the Mingo Creek portal a couple miles further west.

Not one to pass up an opportunity like that, I made certain that I took plenty of photographs, in order to document what is left of this operation (just in case something changes in the near future).

Ron S.

I was passing through that area about weeks ago and was surprised to find the gates unlocked and open at the Route 88 portal location (where the haulage railroad came above ground) as well as at the Mingo Creek portal a couple miles further west.

Not one to pass up an opportunity like that, I made certain that I took plenty of photographs, in order to document what is left of this operation (just in case something changes in the near future).

Ron S.