Vermelles

Vermelles is situated 6 miles southeast of Béthune and 20 miles southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D39, D75 and D943 roads and by the banks of the river Surgeon.

Vermelles was the second extraction site used by the Compagnie des mines de Béthune.
Excavation of Mine 3 in Vermelles began in January 1857, reaching a rugged, steeply inclined deposit of coal at 147 metres .
Extraction started in July 1860.
Air compressors were installed in Mine 3 1877.
This proved the company's most productive mine, with a total of 1,525,000 tons.
Excavation of Mine 4 at Vermelles started in October 1865 and reached coal at 149 metres . Extraction started in 1867.
Mine 4 was abandoned in 1876 because the very irregular deposit at 250 metres seemed unusable.
There was a lot of firedamp compared to other mines.
Mine 4 was reopened and extraction resumed at 387 metres in 1911. The main shaft reached 389 metres .

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