Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Superior Anthracite Mines Fire Boss Reports must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Superior Anthracite Mines Fire Boss Reports, Ms2009-131 - Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Acquisition Information

The Superior Anthracite Mines Fire Boss Reports were purchased by Special Collections in 2009.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement and description of the Superior Anthracite Mines Fire Boss Reports commenced and was completed in October 2009.

Biographical Information

Superior Anthracite Coal Company, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, began developing the Big Vein Mine near McCoy (Montgomery County), Virginia around 1919. One of the largest mine operations in Montgomery County, the Big Vein employed more than 300 miners at its peak in the 1930s. The mine continued to operate until 1954, but complete shutdown did not occur until 1958.

Scope and Content

This collection contains four bound volumes of daily fire boss reports for Superior Anthracite Mines, a coal mining company in McCoy, Virginia. Each report records the date and time of mine inspection and notes conditions found by the fire boss. The reports are signed by fire bosses C. D. McCoy (1929-1931), R. B. [Rufus Bayard] DeHart (1951-1953), W. L. Morris (1951-1952) and S. A. Whitaker (1952-1953) and countersigned by mine foremen D. E. Stanton (1929), C. A. McCoy (1929-1952), and H. H. Scott (1952-1953). Although the reports are variously headed "Big Vein Anthracite Collieries," "Big Vein Anthracite Corporation," and "Superior Anthracite Mines," it is likely that they all refer to the same operation. While most of the reports simply record the favorable condition of the mines in a single sentence, a number record the presence of gas and action taken to clear it. Beginning in late 1952, the reports also occasionally detail the exact sites at which air readings were taken.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Related Material

Fire boss reports for Big Vein Anthracite Collieries dating from 1926 to 1928 may be found in Ms90-014, Big Vein Anthracite Collieries Records.

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Fire boss reports for Big Vein Anthracite Collieries dating from 1926 to 1928 may be found in Ms90-014, Big Vein Anthracite Collieries Records.