The Silver Spade
| 1950-B "The Silver Spade" | |
|---|---|
The Silver Spade working near Cadiz, Ohio, in July, 1974 | |
| Type | Electric power shovel |
| Manufacturer | Bucyrus-Erie |
| Production | 1967 |
| Length | 79 m (259 ft) |
| Width | 18 m (59 ft) |
| Height | 67 m (220 ft) |
| Weight | 6,400 t (14,100,000 lb) |
| Propulsion | 8 x caterpillar tracks |
| Gross power | 13,500 hp or 10.1 megawatts |
| Speed | 0.25 mph or 0.4 km/h |
| Blade capacity | 105 cubic yards (80.3 m3) or 28.35 short tons (25.72 t) |
The Silver Spade was a giant power shovel used for strip mining in southeastern Ohio. Manufactured by Bucyrus-Erie, South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Silver Spade was one of two model 1950-B shovels built, the other being its sister ship, the GEM of Egypt. Its sole function was to remove the earth and rock overburden from the coal seam. Attempts to purchase and preserve the shovel from Consol to make it the centerpiece of a mining museum exhibit for $2.6 million fell short. A salvage company began scrapping the machine in January 2007. The boom was dropped using explosives on February 9th, ending any rescue attempts. By March 1st, much of the machine had been cut away.