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 Post subject: William A breaker-Gone
PostPosted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:46 pm 
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Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:53 pm
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Location: Mayflower, the capital of Wilkes- Barre
With sadness i post this in the forum today, the William A breaker, or what remained of it has been torn down, eliminating another piece of history from the region. This breaker was originally built in 1921 by the Pennsylvania Coal Co. Later it was operated by kehoe-berge. sometime after it was partally dismantaled and what was left was converted to a plant to process culm by Popple coal co who currently owns the property. At one time (long before my time, when the colliery was in operation) there were verticle shafts, several ancillary buildings and a light rail yard. Today all that remains of this colliery are the building which housed the scale house, Some rusty equipment and its vast culm banks. This breaker was visible from the stretch of main st between Dureya and Old Forge. The breaker was located in the Connell's Patch section of Old Forge. This morning when I noticed I couldnt see it, i decided to have a closer look, this is when i discovered it was gone. Last winter I shot some pics of it, I am glad I did.

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 11:31 pm 
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Location: Above the Sterling Hill Mine
This is very sad... One more piece of history gone forever. Any word why they tore this down? I'd bet the scrap value which always gets me the most upset.

Miner Greg


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:06 am 
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Location: Mayflower, the capital of Wilkes- Barre
Yes it is, Have you ever seen it I have pics i took last winter i can post them eventually. I never knew it was there i remember when i first saw it driving thru old forge and looking out my window at the culm banks on the other side of the lakawanna river, i was suprised, i cant believe it i think thats a breaker!! now its gone probally due to the rising cost of high grade steel.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:03 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
this was popples breaker right? the one that burned but still was in operation as a skeleton?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:41 pm 
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Location: Mayflower, the capital of Wilkes- Barre
yep thats it it was the remains of the building mostly the skeletal frame part of the east side remained, some windows and its black metal siding. still too bad though i used to like seeing it when i would drive from wilkes barre to old forge(usually to eat) when i was there last winter i spoke to mr popple he told me they were about to tear it down in a few weeks but after several months i thought (hoped) they had a change of heart. It may not have been as large or complete as the st nick or even the huber but still a loss nonetheless

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:08 pm 
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Location: Winnemucca, NV
That is sad. Future generations will never be able to comprehend just how immense and remarkable these machines (breakers) actually were. They are such an important part of the history of the region yet their existence is quickly becoming limited to old postcards and our websites.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 3:37 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 3:43 pm
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Location: Western PA
2005

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 3:53 pm 
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Location: Within 60 Miles of the Northern Anthracite Field
nice pic john!

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:29 am 
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Location: Mayflower, the capital of Wilkes- Barre
makes me wonder how long the st nick has left, it seems as though there isnt as much a push to save it as there is the Huber Breaker in Ashley. And its a shame b/c it seems to be in much better shape, perhaps its b/c in that area mining is still much more prevelent than in luz/lakawanna ctys, so there may not be as strong of a nostalga factor there. But I hope it can remain standing. These structures are all on borrowed time these days.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:37 am 
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Location: Mayflower, the capital of Wilkes- Barre
to correct my error, the breaker that was torn down was the Kehoe Berge, the William A was the predesessor of the Kehoe berge when penna coal co owned it. The william A was on the property and torn down years ago, proballly when kehoe berge bought the colliery and built the breAker there. at one time the kehoe berge was 10 stories tall.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 4:25 pm 
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Location: Within 60 Miles of the Northern Anthracite Field
yes, and popple coal was the last to use it if im correct?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:54 am 
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Location: Mayflower, the capital of Wilkes- Barre
Yes thats correct, jimmy Popple still owns the property and they were the last to operate it as well as tear it down earlier this summer. jimmy popple's house is directly on the spot where the william a mule barn used to be.

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:48 pm 
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nice, is the shaft cap still visible, or is it buried?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:26 am 
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Location: Mayflower, the capital of Wilkes- Barre
as far as i know its not visible, the scale house is still there though, other than that i dont think theres anything left other than the culm banks and some rusty equipment. I could be wrong about the shaft cap though ill have to check into that

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