Decize coal mine

Decize Coal Mines
Location of the Decize-La Machine coal basin within French coal basins.
Location
Decize Coal Mines
Location	La Machine, Decize
State/province	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Country	France
Coordinates	46.83°N 3.46°E / 46.83; 3.46
Production
Products	Coal
History
Opened	15th century
Closed	1974

Origins of La Machine

The town of La Machine derives its name from a baritel, a horse-powered winch installed in 1689 by workers from Liège. These workers had gained renown for constructing the Machine de Marly, the largest mechanism of its time, at Versailles. Engineer Daniel Michel, a cousin of the Machine de Marly’s builder Rennequin Sualem, arrived in Nièvre in 1689 to install the baritel, later settling in the region. His descendants continued his work, and a street in La Machine still bears his name.^[5]

Early Exploitation

Coal mining in Decize is first recorded in a 1488 contract, marking the earliest evidence of surface coal extraction.^[1] Initially, mining involved shallow pits or hillside excavations to supply local forges, managed by the Dukes of Nevers, the Saint Pierre de Decize Priory, and the Lord of Écots.^[6] Before the 13th century, little documentation exists, but land was divided among the Lordship of Écots (under the Bailliage of Nevers), the Dukes of Nevers, and the Minimes Priory of Saint Pierre. These landowners permitted charcoal burners to extract coal from their forests. In 1489, a charcoal burner named Loison was authorized to extract ten cartloads of coal weekly. Over a hundred small pits, known as “crots,” were dug in the woodlands.^[6]

In 1669, Jean-Baptiste Colbert noted the region’s mining potential during a visit, prompting financier Henry Landry to lease the lands (except those of the Duke of Nevers) for exploitation. Landry employed 200 Liège miners and engineer Daniel Michel, who introduced baritels, pumps, and drive wheels, and dug new mine shafts. Over 200 mules transported coal to the Loire River at Decize.^[5] However, operations declined after Louis XIV’s wars and naval defeats, leading to successive entrepreneurs abandoning the mines.^[4] In 1776, the Duke of Nevers leased coal operations under the Glénons forest to Pinet and Gounot, who already worked the Minimes and Écots forests.^[6] By a decree of 13 May 1780, they gained rights to exploit the entire region’s mines, which were transferred to Boudart in 1784. A steam engine was installed in 1782, but the unprofitable mine was abandoned. The French Revolution exacerbated the situation, with the mine’s owner fleeing to England, leading to its sequestration. It passed through several owners, becoming state property by 1794, before returning to Mallevault in 1806.^[4] By 1801, the mine had eight shafts reaching 80 metres (260 ft) and produced 8,000 tonnes (7,900 long tons; 8,800 short tons) annually.^[1]

First Companies (1816–1868)

In 1816, a Société anonyme des mines de houille de Decize (Decize Coal Mines Limited Company) was created. It performed major works, installed several steam engines, and ordered over 300 miners' lamps. Rolling mills were installed in what became an industrialized coal mine. It employed 56 people in 1835. Considering their entourage, it is estimated that over 1,700 people were already dependent on the operation. The town was home to 80 housing units and barracks with around ten apartments. The Loire at Decize became the main hub for transporting coal to the French arsenals. Local industries (glassworks) used this fuel to heat their products.^[7] By 1842, production had risen to 40,000 tons, and the coal mine was ranked 11th among French coal mines. This attracted new investors.^[8]

Schneider Company (1869–1946)

After 1860, demand for coal increased. The development of industrial basins benefited the coal mines of Saint-Étienne, Commentry, and Blanzy. The factories at Le Creusot needed more and more coal for their blast furnaces. It was for this reason that the La Machine coal mine was bought out in 1869 by the Schneider company, then France's largest (over 10,000 employees).^[9] Eugène I Schneider and his brother Adolphe Schneider acquired the 8,000-hectare Decize coal concession. After a few adjustments, production soon rose to over 150,000 tons a year, all of which was absorbed by the Creusot iron and steel industry.^[10] The financial and industrial resources of the Schneiders enabled the modernization of equipment and the construction of roads, churches, schools, marshalling yards, workers' housing estates, locks, and forges. The paternalism of the company's managers improved living conditions for miners' families in their housing estates.^[11] In this way, the mine lived quietly for almost 80 years under the reign of the Schneiders.^[2]

Puits des Zagots (Zagots well).
Puits de la Chapelle (The Chapelle well).
Puits de la Haute-Meule (Haute-Meule well).
Puits des Coupes (Coupes well).
Puits des Glénons (Glénons well).
Puits Marguerite (Marguerite Well).

At the time of nationalization, the town had a population of over 6,000, a quarter of whom worked in the mine. Most of the latter were housed in workers' housing estates built by the Company near the shafts:^[2]

Cité Sainte-Marie (1856-1857);
Cité Sainte-Eudoxie (1878);
Cité des Zagots (1917-1918);
Cité des Minimes (1922-1938).^[2]

Workers' housing

Phalanstère at Zagots pit.
Coron at Sainte-Marguerite and Henri-Paul pits.

1890 Disaster

On February 18, 1890, a coal dust explosion devastated the Marguerite shaft. Two mine blasts, fired too close together, were a long time coming. The first raised a cloud of coal dust; the second set the dust ablaze, and the fire spread like lightning through the galleries. All the workers in the gallery from which the blast had originated were burned, more or less severely, or asphyxiated. Fifteen workers were pulled out dead. Three more corpses were later discovered under a landslide. Eight men who had been brought up alive were to die that evening or the following day. Unfortunately, as the Zagots well was partly ventilated by the Marguerite well, toxic gases spread through it, claiming seventeen victims. In all, 43 people died in this disaster—the worst disaster in the basin’s history.^[12] The disaster’s toll was mitigated as the day was a holiday, reducing the number of workers present.^[2]

1943 Work Conditions

In 1943, under Schneider’s ownership, the mines were managed by director D. Charroux. Miners were divided into two categories: Category 1 (over 30 hours weekly) and Category 2 (under 30 hours).^[7] These conditions reflected the company’s structured labor management during wartime.^[10]

Nationalization and Closure (1946–1974)

After World War II, France’s “Battle of Coal” led to the nationalization of all mines. On 28 June 1946, the Decize mines were acquired by Charbonnages de France and integrated with the Blanzy Coal Mines. Miners gained improved conditions, including early retirement at 50, healthcare, social protections, and paid leave.^[13] However, detachment from Le Creusot weakened the mine, reducing it to a minor satellite of Blanzy, ranking ninth in central France’s production. Investments in mechanization and infrastructure continued until 1957, but the shift to oil, gas, and nuclear energy sealed coal’s decline. By 1961, pits like Henri-Paul and Zagots closed, and production fell to 0.5% of national output by 1967. The final pit closed in 1974.^[13]

Post-Mining Era

Upon closure in 1974, Charbonnages de France managed miner reconversion: 507 of 800 workers retired, about 100 were reassigned to Montceau-les-Mines, and others sought work elsewhere. La Machine lost over half its population and its sole industry, leaving the town economically devastated.^[14]

Preservation Efforts

On 3 May 1970, former miners founded the Association Machinoise pour la Conservation du Souvenir Minier (Machinese Association for the Conservation of Mining Remembrance) to preserve mining heritage. Their efforts saved the Glénons pit from demolition, collecting artifacts, documents, and testimonies. The miners’ school was converted for public visits, and a museum opened in 1983 in former administrative buildings, attracting over 250,000 visitors.^[2]

Surface Infrastructure

Post-1869, Schneider constructed key surface buildings, including a large courtyard with administrative offices, forges, and stables, near the directors’ château. The Glénons pit retains its headframe, built in Le Creusot and relocated in 1938, alongside the miners’ school, now a visitor site. Former washing and sorting facilities were demolished, replaced by the Grénetier pond and surrounding forest.^[2]

Transport

In 1841, La Machine pioneered a unique horse-drawn railway with five dry locks or wagon elevators, replacing donkey transport. These used a counterweight system where loaded wagons descending hills raised empty ones, eliminating external power needs. This system, inspired by canal navigation, was replaced in 1873 by steam locomotives and a gently sloped railway.^[7]