Spitzbergen - Arctic Coal Company

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Title: Spitzbergen - Arctic Coal Company
Photographer: Unknown
Subject Headings: Natural Resources - Mines and Mineral Resources, Transportation - Railroads, History, Modern - 20th Century
Condition: Fair
Description: "Traveller" for loading coal from stockpile. [A crane fills a wooden hopper with coal. Two rail lines run underneath the hopper and several rail cars are positioned below it].
Source of Description: Front of photograph [Cataloger]
Institution: Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections
Donor: Longyear Family
Date of Photo: c1910
Medium: still image
Color: black and white
Size: 8.6 cm x 13.8 cm
Polarity: Positive
Image No: MS031-01-01-22
Collection Name: Longyear Spitsbergen Collection
Terms of Use: Rights to reproduce and distribute this image may be restricted. Contact the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections for further information.
User Comments:
• This photograph shows a steam crane, known as the Hayward Steam-Crane, loading coal into a hopper which, in turn, loads coal rail cars. The Arctic Coal Company would store most of the coal it mined over winter months on a stockpile overlooking the wharfing area. During summer, cranes would load the coal onto rail cars which would run down an incline plane and to the edge of the company dock to load ships. The crane was soon found to be highly unreliable and prone to breakdowns.The manager’s report of 1910 describes the construction works made that year in the area shown: “The incline plane connecting the winter stock pile and the bridge to the dock and the bridge from the shore to the dock were both widened to accommodate the larger cars used this year. … A steel traveler operating a clam shell for loading the winter stock coal, with a capacity of between six to seven hundred tons per shift of ten hours, was erected, thoroughly tested and found to meet all expectations.”This source is available in the MTU archives. Reference: Arctic Coal Company General Manager’s Report for the year ending October 27th, 1910. Jno. Gibson, Jr. General Manager, Arctic Coal Company, November 5th, 1910. Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections, Longyear Collection, MS-031, Box 4, Folder 23.
3/5/2008 1:51:10 PM by cchartne, Svalbard Researcher