Well sanding 1 1853 (≈ 1853)
First well abandoned in 1854
1854-1856
Draught of well 2
Draught of well 2 1854-1856 (≈ 1855)
Base of the basin established in 1856
1858
Start of extraction
Start of extraction 1858 (≈ 1858)
Coal production launched
28 avril 1866
Catalyst collapse
Catalyst collapse 28 avril 1866 (≈ 1866)
Destruction of surface installations
1907-1908
Recapture of pit
Recapture of pit 1907-1908 (≈ 1908)
Re-opening thanks to technical progress
1946
Nationalization
Nationalization 1946 (≈ 1946)
Integration into the Auchel Group
29 mars 1974
Final closure
Final closure 29 mars 1974 (≈ 1974)
End of extraction, embankment
6 mai 1992
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 6 mai 1992 (≈ 1992)
Horses and machinery protected
30 juin 2012
UNESCO classification
UNESCO classification 30 juin 2012 (≈ 2012)
World Heritage of the Mining Basin
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
No. 2 shafts with the old parts of the extraction machine building (AC 262): inscription by order of 6 May 1992
Key figures
Émile Rainbeaux - Director of the Marles Company
Fosse named in his honour
Gabriel Glépin - Mining engineer
Supervises post-crash work
Léonard Micha - Head of Work
Leads the drilling of well 2
Origin and history
The Marles mine pit No. 2, also known as Saint-Émile or Émile Rainbows, is a former coal mine in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining basin in Marles-les-Mines. Its history began in 1853 with the sinking of well No. 1, abandoned in 1854 due to a collapse due to water infiltration. A second well (No. 2) was then dug 50 metres south-east from September 1854, despite the major difficulties associated with water arrivals. Coal production began in 1858, but the site was quickly confronted with structural problems.
On April 28, 1866, a catastrophic collapse destroyed the surface installations, forming a crater of 30 to 35 metres in diameter. The well is abandoned, and 840 hectares of the concession are left untapped for fear of flooding. Despite attempts to recover in 1875, which the engineers considered impossible, the pit remained inactive until 1907. Thanks to technical progress, it was reopened in 1908 and connected to pit No. 2 bis for ventilation, before returning to extraction in 1917.
Nationalized in 1946 with the Compagnie des mines de Marles, pit number 2 ensures a final phase of extraction in the 1950s, before its final closure on 29 March 1974. Its metal straddling, dating from before 1914, and its extraction machine (Leflaive and Cie, 1920) are preserved. Ranked a historical monument in 1992 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, the site now symbolizes the industrial heritage of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
The pit tile, transformed into a green space, still houses the horse riding and the extraction machine building, partially redeveloped into a multipurpose room. The adjacent mining towns, built at the beginning of the 20th century to house workers, bear witness to the social organization around coal mining. The annual inspections of the BRGM and the materialisation of the wellhead by Charbonnages de France ensure the preservation of this heritage.
The pit 2 illustrates the technical and human challenges of the mining industry, between innovations, accidents and adaptations. His abandonment in 1866 and his resurrection in 1908 reflected the evolution of mining methods and the resilience of mining communities. Today, this site is an identity marker of Hauts-de-France, linked to the workers' memory and the industrial revolution.
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