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 Post subject: Silliman Shaft, Mahanoy, PA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 12:53 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 11:57 am
Posts: 5
Location: Bowman,PA
As of July 24, 2014, the Silliman head frame and hoist drums just north of Mahanoy, PA have been dismantled.
Here's the site before they started:
Attachment:
Bowman Site 1 (1).jpg
Bowman Site 1 (1).jpg [ 49.45 KiB | Viewed 55892 times ]

Attachment:
Bowman Silliman HeadFrame.jpg
Bowman Silliman HeadFrame.jpg [ 74.88 KiB | Viewed 55892 times ]

The shaft was about 200 feet deep; the tunnel had water in it about 80 feet below grade. The head frame all told was 37 feet high.

The main section of the hoist drums weighed in at 12.5 tons; the sheave wheels were 2.5 tons each.
Here's a shot of the drums in the hoist house before they started:
Attachment:
Bowman Drums Inside Hoist House.jpg
Bowman Drums Inside Hoist House.jpg [ 38.77 KiB | Viewed 55892 times ]


SDL Demolition from of Orwigsburg did the dismantling.
Attachment:
Bowman Drums 3.jpg
Bowman Drums 3.jpg [ 52.58 KiB | Viewed 55892 times ]

Attachment:
Bowman Lifting Drums On Truck.jpg
Bowman Lifting Drums On Truck.jpg [ 67.13 KiB | Viewed 55892 times ]

Attachment:
Loading A Sheave Wheel.jpg
Loading A Sheave Wheel.jpg [ 41.9 KiB | Viewed 55892 times ]

Attachment:
Bowman Loading Sheave Wheels.jpg
Bowman Loading Sheave Wheels.jpg [ 66.84 KiB | Viewed 55892 times ]

Attachment:
Lowering Part of the head frame.jpg
Lowering Part of the head frame.jpg [ 56.08 KiB | Viewed 55892 times ]


The DEP mine reclamation department, along with the property owner, Pagnatti coordinated on the project.
A consultant was hired to map and label the parts so they can reconstruct it.

Happily, the steel will not be scrapped, but will be trucked over to the Pioneer Tunnel Museum in Ashland, PA to be reconstructed in 2016 or so. Many kudos to Pagnatti Corp for donating the structures to Pioneer. It is a great day when a piece of our history is preserved!


Attachments:
Bowman Lowering The Headframe.jpg
Bowman Lowering The Headframe.jpg [ 300.84 KiB | Viewed 55892 times ]


Last edited by ThePorkish on Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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 Post subject: Re: Silliman Shaft, Mahanoy, PA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 1:40 pm 
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Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2014 1:17 pm
Posts: 70
Location: Central Wisconsin
When I saw the pictures of the frame coming down, I suspected they were going to be preserved. why bring them down in one piece when you can cut them up in situ.
(hope I used that right)


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 Post subject: Re: Silliman Shaft, Mahanoy, PA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 4:13 pm 
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Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:53 pm
Posts: 272
Location: Ringgold GA
Welcome to the forum. I sure am glad to see something from the anthracite region being saved for a change. Great pictures, we always like pictures. Thanks for posting them.

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 Post subject: Re: Silliman Shaft, Mahanoy, PA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:09 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 11:57 am
Posts: 5
Location: Bowman,PA
@ Welder Dan, you did use it right! Bringing it down in one piece was a safety and manpower issue. The crane could only be there for two days, and we didn't want to make that many cuts 30 feet up.

@ngunderground, I felt honored to be part of the project. I found this site while researching the shaft, and couldn't wait to post about it. The Repblican-Herald is doing an article soon about the project.

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 Post subject: Re: Silliman Shaft, Mahanoy, PA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:33 pm 
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Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2014 1:17 pm
Posts: 70
Location: Central Wisconsin
I meant that it would have been easier to cut up for scrap when it was standing than to bring in a crane, lay them down, and THEN cut them up for scrap. It makes sense to cut keep them in one piece for preservation.


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 Post subject: Re: Silliman Shaft, Mahanoy, PA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:34 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 11:57 am
Posts: 5
Location: Bowman,PA
Also, I'd like to credit Mike Thomas for his Springdale Shaft pics taken in 2007. These pics really helped in finding the background info. Thanks, Mike!
The link to his pics: http://www.mst145.rrpicturearchives.net ... x?id=16063

A link to a video on youtube. In this video, the guy says the hoist drums operated in tandem, but because there are two separate hoist mechanisms, the mine cars ran independently. Still, it's pretty cool because the hoist controls are still intact, and there is a great view down the shaft. Surprisingly, except for the theft of the hoist controls, the site was pretty much the same when we started in February 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1EGdvoojHQ

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 Post subject: Re: Silliman Shaft, Mahanoy, PA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:35 pm 
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Location: Bowman,PA
@ Welder Dan, good point!

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 Post subject: Re: Silliman Shaft, Mahanoy, PA
PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 7:01 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:53 pm
Posts: 272
Location: Ringgold GA
Good video. That channel also has a video of Alfred Brown.

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 Post subject: Re: Silliman Shaft, Mahanoy, PA
PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:57 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:34 pm
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Location: Within 60 Miles of the Northern Anthracite Field
That's outstanding that it got preserved!

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 Post subject: Re: Silliman Shaft, Mahanoy, PA
PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:59 pm 
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Location: Within 60 Miles of the Northern Anthracite Field
Did they grab the elevator cage that was in the woods near the shaft as well?

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