Coal Mines of Beverly

Coal Mines of Beverly. 1899/1900 - 1925 and 1928 - 1934. , Humberstone Coal Mine , Mine No. 43. North half. Sec 7-53-23-W4, west of river and part of River Lot 40. Entrance along northeast bank of North Saskatchewan (30th Street), north of 111th Avenue and south of 115th Avenue. Recorded production of 980,837 tons. Recovery: 47.5 per cent. Thickness of coal mined: five feet to 7 feet 6 inches., In 1899, William and Beata Humberstone bought a half section, east of 34th Street and south of 118th Avenue, where they launched the Humberstone Coal Company. William and Beata established a farm on the land to house and grow food for the mine workers and livestock. Eventually, the farm comprised over 200 acres of tilled land. It was the beginning of the settlement that became Beverly., The original mine entrance was a horizontal shaft, called a drift, located on the riverbank south of the present-day Clover Bar Bridge. In 1900, the mine had a capacity of 10 tons of coal daily. About 1910, a new shaft was dug and a spur track was laid to connect the Humberstone Mine to the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad. In the late 1910s, the Humberstone Mine had 200 employees, with a monthly payroll of $25,000., The mine originally used the room and pillar mining method. Miners dug, using a pick and shovel, leaving "pillars" of coal in the centre of rooms to hold up the ceiling. The tunnels were shored up using seven foot lengths of spruce, poplar and tamarack. Once the coal was freed, it was put into carts on tracks and pulled out by pit ponies that lived underground. On the main track, the cars were picked up by steam or compressed air powered “donkey” engines. The coal was dumped into hoist cars that brought it to the surface where it was poured over a shaker screen to separate and grade it based on size. A steam-powered loader poured the coal into box cars., William's health failed in 1915 and Beata took control over the mine's operations. She leased the mine and its equipment from her husband, becoming owner and operator. Beata reorganized the company, utilizing new technology such as the Sullivan Puncher Machine to increase productivity. By 1918, the mine was the best equipped in the Clover Bar field, with a capacity of 1,000 tons per day. William Humberstone died in April of 1922., The company reorganized in 1923 as Humberstone Mines Limited and 3,000 shares were sold at $10 each. In 1925, there was a fire at the mine. The damage and the depleted coal reserves closed the mine. It reopened in 1928 but closed in 1934 due to the depression. The carts and tracks were abandoned and the mine was sealed.