In
1862, the Mahanoy and Boston Coal Co. came in possession of the colliery was
purchased by the Mammoth Vein Consolidated Coal Co. who continued the operation.
The Draper Colliery was located south of Gilberton Borough on the south side of the Mahanoy Creek. "The Mahanoy Valley" was the original name of the colliery and it was opened by a water level tunnel driven 688 ft. south to the North Dip Mammoth vein by H.R. Smith in 1860 who failed in 1862 after making his first shipment of 8,420 tons.
In
1862, the Mahanoy and Boston Coal Co. came in possession of the colliery was
purchased by the Mammoth Vein Consolidated Coal Co. who continued the operation.
In 1865, the mammoth vein gangway was driven 1050 ft. eastward to within 1200 ft. of the west gangway of the Boston Run Colliery.
In 1869, the Mammoth Vein Consolidated Coal Co. sunk the slope 410 ft. to the first level and in 1870 they sunk the second slope 450 ft. The first slope was used for dumping and the second slope was for hoisting coal. The coal slope was operated with a single track at top and bottom and a passing track for ascending and decending cars in the middle of the slope.
In 1871, the company failed and it was purchased by the Hickory Coal Co., Smith Almon and Company, who changed the name to the "Draper Colliery".
They continued mining the first level to its boundary and in 1873 ex- tended the coal and pump slopes 300 ft. to the second level and tunneled 300 ft. north to the holmes vein.
In 1874, they again extended the coal slope and continued mining of the second level until 1876 when they failed, but continued operating as agent to complete the mining on the second level in 1879.
In 1880, the Draper Coal Company, Milnes Deston & Co. took possession of the colliery and during 1886 and 1889 extended the slope 300 ft. to the third and fourth levels and mined to 1893.
In 1893, the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co. (P&R C&I Co.) leased the colliery and extended the slope to the fifth and bottom levels from which a tunnel was driven in later years across the basin to connect with Gilberton Colliery. During the same year, the underground Holmes Slope was sunk 330 ft. from the second to the third level.
On Sept.5, 1901, fire was discovered in the east fifth lift mammoth vein. The Draper and Gilberton collieries being connected with the Gilberton Shaft the hoisting of water was stopped until the fire was submerged.
In 1910, the main slope closed July 26 when the cage left the track doing considerable damage to the slope. The slope was abandoned and preparation to sink a shaft began Jan. 16, 1911. A permanent head frame and shaft was completed at a depth 603 ft. from the surface to the second level in November 1911.
In 1912, an electric haulage system was installed and in 1913 an underground slope on the diamond vein was sunk 261 ft. below the second level to the basin. In 1914, a rock slope was sunk 195 ft. from the underground diamond slope to the orchard vein.
The total shipments from Draper Colliery were 8,450,109 tons to 1926 when tonnage shipments were included with the Gilberton Colliery shipments.