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The ore crusher at the southwestern portion of the Hibernia Mine complex
is pictured here in 1910. |
The adit reached a total length of more than a mile. The Hibernia Underground
Railroad was incorporated exclusively for this purpose. After 1907, Joseph
Wharton connected a branch of his Wharton & Northern Railroad to the
mine and both the Hibernia Mine Railroad and Hibernia Underground Railroad
fell into disuse.
The mine was abandoned in 1916 after yielding a total production of more
than 5 million tons. In the 1950's, a new shaft was sunk in the northeast
area of the mine but no actual mining took place. After 1972 and again in
1989, the shafts had all been blasted shut, bulldozed and/or capped and
the open pit workings filled in. The adit too was partially blasted during
an unsuccessful closure attempt in 1989 leaving dangerously fractured rock
and rubble near the entrance. External ruins remain in the form of foundations.
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