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By MRS, RUE SCHOOLCRAFT: PINEVILLE (RNS) — About 100 men are employed at the Kepler Mine, about two and, one-half miles west of Pineville, ‘on State Route 3. ‘ This is a new mine develop ment by the Pocahontas Fuel I Division of Consol and was named for J. W. Kepler, Consol adminstrative vice president sales, who died Dec. 34, 1966. The mine will utilize the latest in mining, transportation and preparation techniques and will include anti-pollution devices to own produce high-grade flow-volatile metallurgical coal for the steel industry and high capacity conventional units and continuous mining machines will be used. The mine has a life expectancy of 35 to 40 years. Construction on the tipple is ‘progressing rapid tl is. ex pected to be completed in’ December. It will be 10 stories high, serviced to an elevator. The preparation plant will be nine stories high and will con sist of an elevator. It will employ about eight men per shift. This will be the most modern preparation plant in the state with railroad car loading. One man will operate the remote control, emptying and loading the cars. Five hundred men are ex pected to be employed when the tipple and preparation plant are completed. One of the few remaining blocks of coal in the virgin Parahontas No. 3 seam will be mined at the Kepler operation. It is located on the Norfolk and Western Railway and Guyan dotte River. The NW's New River Division serves the mine. For the mine development, the construction of a 1,000-foot ng slope was required and the building of an oairshaft to a d depth of 300 feet. Miners enter by way of the main slope. Con struction of the mine and allied facilities will require that about 1,000 feet of the channel of the Guyandotte River be moved and a new bridge was constructed over the river to the main part for the project. The coal being mined at the present is being processed at the limann tipple. The main building houses of fices for the superintendent, secretary, section foremen and general mine foremen. Each ‘individual supervisor has his own shower room with ac ccommodations for about 420 ta ‘at employes. The shop, which is located ‘across the Guyandotte River, jhouses the purchasing depart ment, chief electrician’s office fund so forth, TL will take care of all heavy equipment for the mine. The conference room also is housed in the main building and will be used for the training of mine foremen, first aid classes and mine rescue ‘classes. Preparation Plant And Tipple Under Construction Mine Shop Houses Purchasing Department Main Building Is Completed At Mine Near Pineville
Newspaper Details
Post Herald
Beckley, West Virginia, US
Fri, Aug 15, 1969
Page 4
Full Page
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USA 03 Aug 2026
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