The Silver Spade
The Silver Spade working near Cadiz, Ohio, in July, 1974 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Silver Spade (1967-2009) |
| Builders | Bucyrus-Erie |
| Operators | United States |
| Preceded by | Model 1850-B electric power shovel "Big Brutus" |
| Cost | US$8 million (1987) (equivalent to US$18.41 million in 2023) |
| In service | 1965-2006 |
| Planned | 2 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Retired | 2 |
| History | |
| United States | |
| Name | The Silver Spade |
| Builder | Bucyrus-Erie |
| Launched | November 1965 |
| Christened | 1965 |
| Commissioned | 1964 |
| Fate | Retired in April 2006
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Model 1950-B series electric power shovel |
| Tonnage | 6,400 t (14,100,000 lb) |
| Length | 79 m (259 ft) |
| Beam | 18 m (59 ft) |
| Height | 67 m (220 ft) |
| Installed power | 1 x 10.1 MW (13,500 hp) electric motors + external power substation |
| Propulsion | 8 x caterpillar tracks |
| Speed | 0.25 mph or 0.4 km/h |
| Capacity | Blade capacity: 105 cubic yards (80.3 m3) or 28.35 short tons (25.72 t) |
| Complement | 3-5 |
![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:THE_"SILVER_SPADE"_SHOVEL,_OWNED_BY_THE_HANNA_COAL_COMPANY_AT_WORK_NEAR_CADIZ,_OHIO_-_NARA_-_555593.jpg){kind=link}
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.