We haven’t yet come across too many ruins of oil houses in our explorations. I’m not sure why that is. Oil was used as a lubricant in almost all machines and equipment used at the mine, and was essential to its smooth operation. Oil houses were buildings that stored and dispensed that oil and well as providing a place to dump off waste oil. Due to the fire hazards associated with that oil, these houses were generally built more fire-proof (aka brick and stone) then a simply wood framed structure. Because of this I would think we would have found more of them. But alas, Champion will be the first.

At Champion, this building came in the shape of a small and squat brick building that was still standing just down-rail from the shaft house. It consisted of one floor used for storage and dispensing, and a basement containing the storage tank for the oil. Out front there was a small loading platform used to transfer delivered oil off of train cars running next door. That platform has since been destroyed. The rest of the building remains however.

Sitting atop the roof of the building is this vent. Most likely is served to help keep the inside of the building from getting too hot and to possibly vent off any fumes that might accumulate (and add to any danger).

As we walked around to the front of the building we found the front door to be wide open. Without going in, we took a few shots inside. Here I think we’re looking at a series of dispense pumps, most likely connected to oil drums sitting next to them. There are three in total – all on this side of the building.

I believe that the item sitting on the opposite wall as seen here was the waste trough. Used oil was dumped into this trough where it flowed down by means of gravity into the storage tank below. (Correction: The trough was probably used to fill the tank below with fresh oil, see the comments for more info) Note the notice to miners on the wall in the back to turn off their cap lights. I guess it was cheaper to just use some chalk on the wall then make an actual sign. If you look closely there is a similar notice on the dispensing wall as well.

Just down from the fill trough is a trap door leading down to the basement. Took this picture looking up through the cellar entrance at the rear of the building.

Here is where all that oil ended up. This large holding tank takes up the majority of the basement, in fact there is only a small space at the bottom of the ladder and in front of the cellar entrance that anyone could stand in. The note on the drum says “Ajax” with a date of October 1946. I assume this was the last time the tank was cleaned or inspected. Since the mine closed in 1967, I wonder if that means there’s ten years of oil in there still? It sure smelled like there could be.

Lining all sides of the tank – even the floor above it – were these pipes. They looked like radiators but I don’t know what their purpose was for. Either it was a method of keeping the tank cool (so it didn’t catch fire?) or they were used to keep the tank warm in the winter (to keep the oil flowing?). I have no idea.

At the bottom of the tank and in easy reach of the cellar entrance was the drain pipe for the tank. Most likely this back cellar entrance I was standing in was used to empty the tank through a hose connected here. Opening this valve now would have probably drowned me in oil if the tank was still full. The amount of oil on the floor here (a good inch or so) would leave me to believe that perhaps the tank had sprung a leak and all the oil already drained out over the last 30 years. (and into the ground, and into the water supply….)

Movin’ On….