Rogers No. 3 was the last operating underground coal mine in Washington state when this photo of John Costanich was taken. The mine, located near Kent-Kangley in Ravensdale was blasted shut on December 17, 1975, after 17 years of operation. Rogers No. 1 was first opened in 1958. The portal was established south of the Summit-Landsburg Road and followed a year late by a nearby second opening called Rogers No. 2. The three entryways to the Rogers coal seam provided access to four levels, separated by 200 feet, and reaching a depth of nearly 800 feet underground. In total, the combined mines produced over 493,000 tons of coal.
The Rogers mining technique was unique because the pitch or angle of the coal seam approached 90º in places or nearly vertical. At the time, miners were drilling a “burn-hole” from the gangway to the counter. Burn-hole refers to the drilling pattern used to create the opening which connects different levels of the mine. Dynamite was used to blast through the coal.
John Costanich is seen resting on boards, called lagging as he waited for smoke from the explosion to clear. This April 1974 photo by Barry Kombol, was one of 200 pictures taken over three days when he stayed a second shift to document the various mining jobs undertaken by fellow coal miners. Kombol was one of 12 miners who worked during its final year of operation. Next week, another from Kombol’s series of photos recording tasks at the Rogers No. 3 mine.
