In May of 1883, the McNulty brothers took up the lease on the 'Excelsior' #498 previously worked by the antimony smelter company. It appears that they may have driven a new adit into the mine further up the hill from the original workings which may have been very close to the river and prone to flooding. This new access into the mine on what came to be known as the 'Cairnmuir Seam' became the 'Excelsior' Coal Mine #377. It appears that the original Excelsior may have been abandoned at this stage.