Coal Mining

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Hi Canny Lass,we are now talking about conditions under the National Coal Board which was invested [is that the right word?!]..in 1947,in which Widows were allowed to live in their family home.Remember my Mother was evicted by the coal owners thugs ["Bailiffs"...THUGS]...BECAUSE MY fATHER WAS IN hOSPITAL DYING..AND NOT WORKING DOWN THE PIT WHERE THE OWNERS THOUGHT HE SHOULD BE..THEY HAD NO CONSCIENCE..NO CONCERN ABOUT THE WORKERS AT ALL..BUT IF A PONY WAS INJURED OR KILLED..THERE WAS AN INQUIREY AND THE PONY HANDLER WOULD LOSE HIS JOB AND POOSSIBLY BE JAILED ON TRUMPED UP NEGLIGENCE CHARGES....sorry about caps lock being on..glaucoma now..difficult trying to type and watch the screen..didn't realise it was on!!..I live at West Terrace in Stakeford for thirty years..the first 14 yrs were under NCB ownership,and I paid rent weekly from my pay.Down the street there were several Miner's Widows living with families in those houses.But NOT in the days before 1947!!...The pony's were "hung" onto the tubs or trams with either tracing chains from their collar each side and onto the tub handles,or Limbers..["Limma's"]..Shafts either side attached to a steel yoke and coupled to the tub middle "CockHole"..[I explained a few years ago about that term!...not indecent!!"]..with a Sheckle and Sheckle pin.So they PULLED the tubs along behind them.

[Canny lass]

2 hours ago, HIGH PIT WILMA said:

the pony's were "hung" onto the tubs or trams with either tracing chains from their collar each side and onto the tub handles,

Thanks HPW! I read a wonderful book some years ago called the The White Slaves of Britain which described vividly the social conditions of 19th century Britain. Some of these "white slaves" were women and children working in Britain's coal mines. The woman would be shackled to a 'cart' (sometimes called a corv) in exactly the way you describe. with a chain from a belt around her waist. She was then called a 'hurrier'. It's the one and only time I've ever seen that word and I've never been able to find its origins. With no child-minding facilities, and needing money, she would have her children, as young as 4 years old,  employed in the mine as well - the cheapest of labour. They would push the cart from behind to assist her and they were called 'thrusters' or 'putters'. These people worked in tunnels only 60 cm high. Thank heavens as things got better the tunnels were high enough to stand up in and eventually enough to get a small horse into.

Edited September 18 by Canny lass

[Vic Patterson]

12 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

Some of these "white slaves" were women and children working in Britain's coal mines. 

My great grandfather worked underground 1861 when he was 9 years old at the Bella pit. his mom would carry him home.

[Alias Joppa]

my Father was  coal minor at isabella pit Jonty jobson  as kids the joppa's would steak in and nick the pit props and cut them up for firewood we were chased by the caretaker one night as it happens we got a good hiding good old days the gala every year my first taste of caramac 1950's

 

Edited September 18 by Alias Joppa

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

All true CL,and Vic!..not so long ago,my GrandMother   was just one of a set of children aged 14 yrs old working at Ashington colliery with the  ShaftSinkers when they sunk the later shafts..the Men did the hard work drilling and firing the bottom up but the lassies,because they were small and took no room up in the confined space,were employed to fill the basket with the stones that were fired up.That would be in the very early 1900's..Ashington was five pits in one with five shafts ...5000 miners..and the biggest mining complex in the world in those days.

[Canny lass]

15 hours ago, Alias Joppa said:

my first taste of caramac 1950's

Oh happy days! That brought back a few memories

[Canny lass]

22 hours ago, Vic Patterson said:

My great grandfather worked underground 1861 when he was 9 years old at the Bella pit. his mom would carry him home.

 

12 hours ago, HIGH PIT WILMA said:

my GrandMother   was just one of a set of children aged 14 yrs old working at Ashington colliery with the  ShaftSinkers

It's horrendous to think that is just a couple of generations ago. We have it very easy with today's working conditions yet there are still those who complain.

Edited September 19 by Canny lass

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

CL,I live next to the main road,and when the Bedlington Station High School is coming out,after 3-30pm,the "kids"...aged anywhere from 13-18 yrs old come past my front garden each day walking along in small groups,or some are on cycles.While it's wrong to generalise..I have seen a massive change in their attitudes over the last 24 yrs I have lived here..I have noticed how Boys aged 15-16 yrs ,a lot of them,act like wee bairns..in fact my two wee bairns didn't gaan on like some of these dae..and a think..when aa was 15 yrs aad..straight from my school desk...[yawn...roll eyes!!]..I was working and training underground at Seaton Burn Colliery..six miles away from home..I went down Choppington High Pit after my 16th birthday ,working with two older men,for twenty days "close personal supervision",then I was on my own..still working with the two John's,who were by now,my good Marra's..by the time I reached 17 yrs,my two older marra's left me to go to another pit to do their coalface training.After a few days.Ned Cushing,our old Training Officer,brought a lad inbye,same age as me ,and gave me a Certificate to say I was in charge of this lad  for twenty days,then he would be my new Marra..next day, Ned brought this Lad's older Brother in and gave me another Certificate putting me in charge of him also.My point is,at 17 yrs old I was down a mine,in atrocious wet,dangerous conditions,in charge of two strangers..who were to become great Marra's IN and OUT of the pit..Now!..when I see these "Children"[by definition"]..aged 15-17 yrs,acting like idiots..and showing off in front of the lasses..I think...by hell..a wadn't waant them buggers working wi me a thoosand feet doon and ten miles oot under the North Sea filling 24 tons of coal onto a conveyor belt..driving an old fashioned coalcutter,drilling hard coal and stone by hand..carrying heavy arched girders which weighed aboot the same as two bags of cement..on their shoulders...for a quarter of a mile at a time...if we ever get back to mining coal..we will have to bring the German Contractors in..as we did in the past sometimes when the NCB wouldn't invest in specialist tunneling techniques which were way above what we had at our disposal..like at the Bewick Drift at Lynemouth..so much Water pouring in and flooding the workings..they brought Thyssens in..who had specialist refrigeration and freezing techniques ...they drilled holes all around the tunnel roadway,pumped a refrigerant into all the holes under high pressure..and this froze the water..allowing concreting of the roadway to take place..which sealed the roadway from water ingress..and I think these Specialist mining companies from Germany..even China!! will mine our coal in the future..if at all..seems I am back again....sorry for digressing!! Cheers!!

[Canny lass]

@HIGH PIT WILMADigress all you like bonny lad! The 'ramblings' of one with first-hand knowledge are worth their weight in gold.

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Heh heh Thanks for your kind comment CL!..you remember a few years ago,I mentioned on here I had started writing my life story,from as young as I can vividly remember..approx aged 2 years old..[cos I can still see my leather reins with white felt fabric star shaped decorative buttons kept in place by chrome studs..]well,I started writing that book in 2009,and for a yr or two I hadn't even looked at it..until a few  weeks ago..my Wife wanted to read it,all 600 pages ,so far,and still not complete.!!...So she read a wee bit every night,which spurred me on to start where I left off,writing a few pages each night...Trouble is,it's hand written in pen and ink on A4 pads.If only I had had computer knowledge,in 2009,I would have typed it..and stood a chance of it being published.

I went back a few pages to recap where I had finished the last writing session,a year or two ago,and found myself absorbed in it!!..then I thought..it's interesting..and it's ME that aam writing aboot!!...hoo crazy is that?!!

Cheers to all!

[Canny lass]

I remember you talking about your writing, Hand written or not I doubt you'd get it published if you're still writing in your dialect- There's no market as dialects are dying out rapidly and very few are able to understand the north east  - or any other - dialect, written or spoken, if they are younger than you and I. I'm helping a young man with his master's thesis just now on this very subject of dialect decline. It's saddening to say the least. But never mind! What a legacy you will leave for your family!!

[Symptoms]

HPW - perhaps there's someone near you and on here with a scanner;  some of these have software that'll scan handwriting then convert it into text ... any mistakes could be picked up via you proof reading the results and making corrections.  The fact that you're using a computer to access this place may mean that your PC may have voice to text software so all you need is a microphone to dictate into ... currently, this type of software is very accurate for 'normal' speech so I don't know how it'll cope with a dialect.  You'll recall that we messaged each other previously when I advised you to maybe get an agent for your project ... these folk have loads of resources including contacts who may help with recording/transcribing your story.  Also,  don't forget that podcasts are huge these days and there may be an additional outlet there for your story.  There will be an audience for it.  Whatever you do keep writing the stuff and make sure that you leave instructions about what should happen to your archive when you're gone.  Don't really worry about your tale being written in pen and ink ... some of our greatest writers used the method (and some still do).

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Hi CL and Sym! Aam a bit late in catching up but appreciate your comments! Hope you all have a nice time over the festive season!! Cheers and all the best!![that goes for Alan and everybody else that contributes on this great forum!!]