Mining Anthracite at S&J Coal Company

S&J Coal Company nestled in a small valley near Minersville, PA is 1 of 4 remaining Anthracite Deep Mines left in PA. This video is a day in the life of these men that keep anthracite coal alive!

[@Zewestcoaster]

This was great! No goofy music, no silly commentary, just guys showing what it takes to get the job done. Thank You!

[@user-nj4no9py6p]

Совершенно с вами согласен.

[@HaraldFinster]

This footage is absolutely outstanding! Thank you very much. It brings back sweet memories. In 1992 I came to the Schuylkill area (from Germany) to visit and document the anthracite mines. There were still dozens of active ones. It was just amazing to see the tiny family run operations. One of the miners even invited me to an underground tour. The pit was very similar to the one shown in this video. Wonderful!

[@jonasgobel9117]

@HaraldFinster Glück Auf ⚒️ Hast du zufällig diese Fotos noch und möchtest diese mit uns Teilen? Ich finde diese Kleine Bergwerke total interessant da sie fast identisch sind, wie die Kleinzechen im Ruhrgebiet um 1960 bzw 1970

[@johnandersson3967]

I was a miner in my youth, but mostly lead, zinc, copper, gold and silver. But I worked for a short time in a coal mine. The film is amazingly good, I worked with the same machines as you. I actually miss the hard but inspired life.

[@user-nc5vj7gv7i]

Я шахтер проходчик Урал руда 30 лет стажу такой помойки я не видил Россия рулит в горной промышленности

[@sneakysquid1529]

fascinating video. you never get to see it done like this anymore. glad someone got to document it.

[@jbilletz]

From a former bituminous miner in southwest PA, my hard hat goes off to you anthracite boys. Everything about your job is miserable. Only part of my job was.

[@navelriver]

That's "special coal"! Excellent informative video! That operation seems like a great deal of hard work in very confined spaces!!

[@UndergroundExplorerUK]

Incredible to see the draglines working 😍 ⛏️👊🏼

[@johnhooper3009]

I wont be complaining about my working conditions for a while. Well done lads

[@coalcrackerchris]

Loved it!! Something so fascinating about underground mining!!

[@guyonabuffalo100]

I know where this is. I got lost riding and stumbled across it. Turned around and went right away.

[@user-gm6lc7py5x]

Great video ⛏️⚒️

[@norandois]

Living the dream, Ug mining at his best, My biggest wishes to go back work underground!

[@markb1764]

I could see working in the hoist shed but that would be about all

[@johnz8210]

Pretty cool to see. Thanks for the video.

[@michaelomalley8814]

The numbers of various tools and techniques we have developed to extract semi-spicy rocks from underground is… interesting to say the least.

[@cessna54tango]

anthracite isn't really spicy, it actually has a kind of sweet flavor. 😜

[@michaelomalley8814]

🤦‍♂️ Doh! Ya got me there haha

[@ElysiumNZ]

I’ve watched a lot of videos of abandoned mines but this actually shows how it all went down. Silly question but where is the water that is coming out of those ore passes coming from?

[@thelastpit2152]

Great to see a 'low tech' pit still operating in the USA. Especially interesting to see how you work in a steep seam, ours is totally flat.

[@floydwilliams3321]

Respect💪💪

[@jiminalaska]

awesome video, looks like a trip back to the 1920's How many tons of coal do they produce in a day? How deep is the mine?

[@mattsmocs3281]

Holy cats. Man i wish i was there. Gotta live up to my great grandparents even for a day..

[@chicagotypewriter29]

I work here every day 🤣

[@hunters36forgingwoodworkin73]

@@chicagotypewriter29how much is a ton of coal from the mines.

[@chicagotypewriter29]

@@hunters36forgingwoodworkin73 we make 65$ a ton but the breaker sells for 400-450$

[@sneakysquid1529]

at the current moment your probably looking at 350-400 @@hunters36forgingwoodworkin73

[@AlexR_44]

good stuff. Very interesting.

[@Davewilliamson5w]

Brilliant footage! Well worth watching as all of your videos are. So everything now is electric and pneumatically powered when underground? Been through Minersville hundreds of times over the years. Just curious, but where are the other 3 active Anthracite deep slopes located? Anything still left in the Northern Field?

[@undergroundminers]

2 slopes are located near minersville. Then there is a drift near Pottsville. And the last slope is located near Lincoln. Yes electric and pneumatic is what’s used underground

[@undergroundminers]

No underground mining takes place in the northern field anymore. There are a couple strip mines though!

[@browell93]

Your forgetting the Kopernas mine, in Williamstown as well @@undergroundminers

[@timtim8468]

Ganz schön schräg.

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Special lil slice of hell right there!

[@imquiet6562]

nice vid XD Im happy to see theres mining being done in northumberland.

[@undergroundminers]

All 4 mines are actually located in schuylkill county.

[@henrylaskowski5945]

Where are the other three? I’ve heard there is one in Heckscherville, or is that this same one?

[@coalregionrider6525]

@@henrylaskowski5945theres 2

[@robertstevens9656]

Amazing Video. I thought this mine was closed up by UGM about a year ago in a previous video. How deep is this mine?

[@undergroundminers]

This is a completely separate mine

[@danielspiteri9018]

No dust masks ? How good in the air ventilation?

[@mg-id1rq]

because of rules and regulations that why theres only 4 left

[@agbajirgrace3780]

I am currently doing a research on this. Please how old is this video? Also, I have not seen cuurent data on active coal mine sites in PA. the latest Ive seen is 2022. Do you know of the most curent or where i can get them? Thanks

[@Porty1119]

Check out MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System. It's a searchable database of all US commercial mines going back about forty years.

[@PAYNEFPV]

Great video showing the entire process! What’s that pulley plow contraption called? Never seen that before.

[@undergroundminers]

We call them drags. The old timers called them scraper engines! Almost every mine uses them. Even hard rock mines use them!

[@thelastpit2152]

Scraper box here in Northumberland, UK. Still in use at Ayle Colliery.

[@Porty1119]

@@undergroundminersWe call them slushers in hard rock. Where I'm at we have a slusher-tended stope we'll put back into production later this year, and use it to load 5-ton diesel trucks via a chute.

[@Iabw72]

What do you mean 1 of 4 left? I was under the impression there was many of them at one time?.....

[@undergroundminers]

Back in the day 1000’s… today only 4 active anthracite mines left.

[@sneakysquid1529]

soo is this an official mine or one of the, what you would consider "independent"

[@undergroundminers]

This is an official mine.

[@christianjones325]

I’m a bituminous coal miner in Kentucky. Is there any anthracite coal mines near me still in operation. Think it would be interesting to work one

[@MikeOrkid]

I think our area (Eastern Pa) is the only place in America with an abundance of Anthracite. I think there are a few very small spots across the country with Anthracite coal. The rest would be bituminous and lignite. USGS has a good map of what's what.

[@johnallenmuhammad8060]

Where I live in Virginia we have "Semianthracite." The Valley Coal Fields in Virginia

[@brandonderr700]

How much is an ore cart of coal worth?

[@undergroundminers]

To the mine 65$ a ton. To the breaker $350-$400+ a ton.

[@Fallout76Volkswagen76]

🥷