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	Louis Frost Sydney	Dominion No. 9		Dominion No. 8	Dominion No. 10

The Louis Frost Notes 1685 to 1962 Dominion No. 9 Colliery Harbour Seam Dominion No. 9 Colliery was opened in 1899 on the Harbour Seam in the Glace Bay area, by a shaft 17 ft. x 10 ft. x 402 ft. deep. The seam is 6 ft. 6 ins. high and the coal suitable for gas making. The mine was gassy and was ventilated by a steam driven Walker fan delivering 100,000 cubic feet of air against a water gauge of 4 inches, through a shaft 16 ft. x 12 ft. x 415 feet deep. The immediate strata overlying the coal for a height of 10 ft. is extremely weak and, due to this condition, had become such that in 1921 extensive repairs to the main roadways were necessary. The workings of the underlying No. 2 Colliery on the Phalen Seam had by this time reached a depth of cover at which pillars could be drawn, and it was decided to temporarily stop the development of No. 9 until such time as its workings would not be interfered with by the drawing of pillars in the lower seams. For these two reasons, No. 9 Colliery was closed for repairs. The colliery was never reopened for production, the remaining reserves in the area being allotted to No. 20 Colliery, opened later and worked there-from. No. 9 was permanently closed for production in 1924, but kept ventilated for pumping purposes only. The make of water is 900 gallons per minute. This is pumped to the surface through a 12" borehole 561 ft. deep, by electrically driven pumps. The water is acidulous. The workings of the colliery were entirely submarine and the method of extraction room and pillar. The total output of the colliery between 1899 and 1924 was 6,413,916 long tons, and the area worked over amounted to 1734 acres, with 42 per cent extraction The bankhead, which was common to No. 2 and No. 9, was of steel construction, the No. 9 section having a floor space of 3,900 square feet. Following closure of the colliery, this portion of the bankhead equipment was dismantled. Surface Plant The surface plant was operated partially by steam and partially by electricity, and was common to No. 2 Colliery. The steam plant supplying Nos. 2 and 9 Collieries and the central power plant, consisted of 16 B. & W. stoker-fed and 5 B. & W. hand-fired boilers, having a rated capacity of 7778 boiler horsepower. This plant was completely electrified in 1958 and the steam plant as well as the central power plant dismantled, the power being supplied from seaboard power plant.

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Last Modified: 98-01-05

Authored by: Louis Frost

IMPORTANT
The information contained on this site is not provided for the purpose of factual
representation. Instead, it is provided in an historical context. Every effort has
been made to ensure that this information represents the actual content of the
original document authored by Louis Frost for the Dominion Coal Company
on or around 1962. Nevertheless, no warranties are provided in any respect.

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