The Atlas Coal Mine is less then 10 feet away from being complete.
After seven months of intense labour by the contracted mining company DeVrial Resources, the Atlas Coal Mine has almost had it’s restructuring completed through to other side of the historic mine that had collapsed many years ago.
“I have been dreaming about this for six years, and it’s only been the last few years that I really started to believe this could be a reality,” said Mine coordinator Linda Digby.
The miners who worked on the mine had to deal with
all kinds of setbacks including the roof of the mine falling in on them
several times, freezing cold conditions, and tight working conditions
causing DeVrial project manager Charles “Butch” Napier to use some
innovative and age old techniques to build the mine and get supplies
loaded up to the mine.
“A lot of the work were doing here is a lost art,” said Project Manager Butch Napier.
Napier says that while the task has been difficult,
his crew never gave up and is the best group of guys he has ever worked
with.
“When you think of a miner, they are comparable to that of a soldier or a fireman,” said Napier.
Unlike most mines of today, the Atlas will be built
entirely from wood timbers instead of steel, allowing it to preserve
that historic look of what it may have looked like back when it was
operational.
The tunnel is approximately 200 feet long, and once
opened to the public, will allow people to walk through the underground
tunnel and experience a little better of what the old miners might have
seen.
“With the completion of this project, this will
solidify there is definitely more than just one reason to travel to
Drumheller,” said Digby.
Napier’s crew began their work back in December, and
once they have finished the job here, they will move on to another
mining project up north.
While this part of the project will likely be
completed any day now, the tunnel will not officially be opened for
public viewing until next year.
