The charter for the operation of this coal mine in the German Ruhr area was issued in the early 1860s. However, it would take another 40 years before the first test drillings would be carried out in this mining area, which covered nearly 100 km². Actual mining at Zeche M, where anthracite was extracted, began in 1912. Mining took place at depths ranging between 350 and 850 meters. During peak years, 2.5 million tonnes of anthracite were extracted annually by over 8,000 workers.