|
The tipples constructed here were designed to serve all the Reliance coal mines. Union Pacific Coal Company opened their mines in phases. The coal mines were all located east of here with portals located along the sides of the valley. Coal from these mines was hauled to the surface by either electric locomotives or hoists. From the portal, the coal was shipped over a tramway to the tipple The distance from the No 7 mine portal to the tipple was about 1.2 miles. Once the coal cars were inside the tipple you see today, they were set on a rotary dump. The coal car was fastened down, rolled over, and emptied into the coal hopper. From the hopper, the coal moved over conveyors to the shaker screen. The screen sorted the coal by sizes. The coal then fell through the screens into a chute that carried it to the picking tables. At the picking tables, men, boys, and, later, women sorted through the coal looking for stones or checking the size of the coal. Good coal was loaded into waiting rail cars while stone and refuse were conveyed outside the tipple into the refuse bin. The tipple you see in front of you, contructed in 1936 at a cost of $232,700, was designed to be a model of efficiency. |
|
|
