HIGH PIT WILMA

If you zoom in on this pic you can see the title on the side of the No 3 Winder test weight car,next to the pit cage wheels,it's painted red.

Aye Sym,aal thi aad winders,AND big underground "Main and Tail" haulers were run on painted,or chalked indicator marks...and they were accurate if you had a well experienced Brakesman in the winderhoose,or a gud haulerman doon thi pit...well if you think about it...in the steam winder days...no electronics...right up to the 1960's at Choppington,before they replaced the steam winder with a new electric one,the overspeed trip was a simple Centrifugal["Centripetel"] "Governer",which controlled a small steam valve,with a small ram,mounted below two thick steel pivotable bars,called "Latches",which were mounted at one end of the massive brake shoes of the winder drum,and which held the brake shoes in the "Off" position.[i.e..away from the drum brake surface.] When the cages went too fast down the shaft..[and up the shaft at the same time!!]...the balls on the governer would fly outwards on their cantilever mounts,and they would push a small lever which opened the steam valve..which caused the ram to push the two "Latches" upwards,which in turn,allowed really heavy duty springs to push the brake shoes onto the drum causing a massive deceleration...which brought the cages to an abrubt halt..from over 50 feet per second down to a halt in about one second!! Noo!!..when that happened,as it did every other day,on fast-winding coalwork,the cages bounced up and down,but the one furthest down the shaft,bounced the hardest....about 6 feet either way,first downwards..then upwards..back down..up..down..up..then finally standstill. Choppington High Pit,differed to other pits,in that there was no "Manriding"mode..,on the old steam winder,there was just one mode,and that was coalwork!! The men rode the shaft at the same speed as the coal tubs did...and when the cages tripped on overspeed,it was like you just went deaf.. All the bantering and cracking on between the men on the way down,[or up..]...ceased in an instant,and all you could hear was the cage rattling against the "Skeets"..[shaft cage guide rails]. Once the cage came to rest..everybody started laughing and joking again! The shaft at Choppington High Pit was 600 feet deep,fairly shallow compared to most other pits,but once your feet are in the cage,there is 600 feet of nothing between you and the Sump at the shaft bottom. So if you were in the cage going down,and it tripped at 500 feet,then 500 feet of steel cage rope stretched like an elastic band...that's not dangerous,it's designed to do that....[[unless it snaps.!!] But nature didn't take these occasions into account when she created us!!..so every time the cage bounced up and down...so did wor stomachs!! When young trainees got into the cage for the first time,the men would say to them to hold onto the overhead bar,"in case the rope snaps"!.. then the Banksman would give the Brakesman the wire,and he would drop the cage a bit faster from the keps,and trip it on overspeed,then someone would crack..[in the following silence!]..."aye, it's thorteen years thi day since thi rope snapped..wa lucky thi day..!!" We all had it done to us....I remember the first time that happened when I went down...what a queasy feeling!!! But you got used to it..even though there was STILL a moment of silence every time..cos you never knew for sure..!...till the cage started to move again.. The ropes did stretch over time,but there was always a few spare coils of the rope tucked in a recess at the side of the drum,which served as a reserve for when the Shaftsmen did the obligatory "Rope-cut",every six months,which involved cutting off the Sheckle on the rope -end,on which the cages hung,plus 6 feet of rope on which the sheckle was mounted. This was done on both cage ropes,and both samples were sent away to S.M.R.E. ["Safety in Mines Research Establishment" in Nottingham],for testing the integrity of the sheckles on the rope-ends. The reserve coils on the drum were then utilised to equalise both ropes to their original lengths,by unwinding them with a geared mechanism,on the side of the drum,and new sheckles fitted to the ropes. When new ropes stretched after a while,the extra length was taken up back inside the coil reserve recess.[you can see this if you visit any mining museum,and you know what to look for!] An Emergency brake test was done every week,at every pit,and involved loading the cages with a known,weighted vehicle,which weighed ten times more than the heaviest load which the cages would be subjected to,in everyday use. The cages were run on coalwork,then the Brakesman would slam the brakes on to simulate an emergency stop. Rope-breakages were unheard of in latter years as locked-coil steel ropes became ever stronger with anti-twist properties,and safety regulations enforced without question. Tonyp,it was a sad aspect of mining,that only the mining communities knew anything about,that fatalities were happening too often in the olden days ,especially,but even in the days of mechanisation,when fewer fatalities occurred,ONE fatality was STILL too many.

Sym,a just followed the link you posted,it's a few years since aa was at Whitehaven,and a forgot exactly hoo luvly it is owa theor. It med me blood sort of Sym...mer..[!],when they flew owa the aad [presumably ] ..Whitehaven pit buildings' concrete foundations,wi grass and weeds growwin' aroond and aal dilapidated. Bates pit had wor aan shipping berths and loading facilities,so wor coal went oot stryght onto the ship from the Washery and blending plant,and away doon ti the power stations...a proportion of wor total ootput went by rail also,and Household and Industrial needs were supplied by road. Aal we needed,throughoot the Coalmining Industry,was better managed investment,more research into "Clean-burning" methods, and a lot fewer,.."created" jobs,for the Senior Officials,from the pits that were exhausted of reserves,and HAD to close,at the headquarters of each area ..in our case it was Teems Valley,in Gateshead. As pits were closing,right back in the 1960's,I saw Managers,Personell Officers,Engineers..etc,suddenly come to the pits where aa was transferred,as each of my pits closed,under a new guise...such as "Strata Control" Engineers...who the hell thinks they can gaan doon a pit,and tell experienced miners....aboot "Strata Control?!!..[ methinks if me needed a Strata Control engineer ti show me hoo ti keep a safe roof up owa me heed...ME wadna be heor relating past history of true events in the name of education and entertainment,as well as preserving wor Heritage! Other job-titles that were created for some..[to keep jobs for the boys!...],were "Method Study Engineers"...timing hoo lang it tuk ti saw a pit prop and knock it in,ti keep thi roof up..hoo lang it tuk ti cut the coal wi a coal-cutter....sitting theor aside ye wi a stop-waatch and pen and paper...no kid...we'd been cutting coal aal wor pit lives!!...ye canna cut coal any faster than the brittleness of a particular seam will allow ye...try and cut it faster...and ye snap the cutter rope...simple as that!! UUUGGGGRRRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!! Aam gaana get me suppa and gaa ti bed....!

Heh heh!Sym, aam owa aad noo for craaling aroond on a coalfyess....but me brain cud still come in handy training aal.. ...[AAL?]..or..aa shud hev sed...whomsoever may have the courage to meander down the mine!...after stepping into a rattly...[no...no...!..]...into a LIFT!!...aye,nae such thing as riding doon in a rattly steel cage on the end of a rope...steam-winding and dropping at 50 feet -per-second....then as the cage nears the middle of the shaft, you experience a G-force that makes you feel as if you are going back up the shaft again,[momentarily..],and as you get nearer to the shaft bottom..the brakesman [winderman], steps on the pedal so hard that your knees bend for a second and you canna lift ya byeuts up off the floor of the cage!...noo if ye are in the cage gaan up the shaft,when he brakes the cages,you feel your insides coming up into your mouth!..as you experience slight weightlessness...you get used to these things after a while...but anyway,there'll be none of that in a new mine...even Ellington Colliery had a proper lift shaft installed a while before thatchy ordered the ropes ti be cut! But the main question is...where are the "Whomsoevers"....[probably full teams contracted in from China..or...India?!]..

Thanks to [1]Canny Lass, for your kind support on these matters.. [2] John Foxy, for your speedy response and deleting derogatory comments by a one-off poster.! [3] Alan Edgar,for giving me a gud laugh at suppertime,with your top ten.....! [being a musician..I appreciate the concept , and now you've started me thinking!! ] Cheers All!

No 3 was a canny quiet lad caaled Brian..[?],nicknamed Djevvy,a got ti knaa him at thi Aad pit an aal,he was a trainee kid,marra's wi Dyevvy Bower,[in thi gallery as weel]. R.I.P. Djevvy..[No 3]

Hi Alan,this pic is aalriddy in the gallery is it not..a knew aal the lads but only name that will be with me forever is that of me old gud friend and neighbour Frankie Tatters,Number 4 ,Frankie was a friend of my Wife's family gaan back as far as my Wife can remember..he used to stay overnight at her Mother's hoose after a night at the club wi her Brother,when she was was a wee bairn..then as aa came alang,courting,aa was transferred ti thi Aad pit at thi Station,where a worked wi Frankie from me being 21 years aad. Thi pic of thi Windy Driller stuck in the caunch wi knee deep waata aal aroond,[in me Bates Pit Pics],was Frankie's driller..when thatcher said "Switch off and pull oot...Bates is closing"...Frankie said "Ye can go to hell!...thi bugga's stopping there for me"!...so he switched the driller off...and it's still there yit..35 years later![and a bet it still works!] Frankie was the driest ,funniest bugga ,and the canniest lad ye cud ivvor wish ti meet. R.I.P. Frankie Tatters [No 4]

Heh heh! It just gets better on the memory lane...! Bobby Boyd was one of me Deputy Marra's...nivvor seen Bobby since thi pit closed!..and that's a lang time agyen! Does he still like a chow?, a wonder?!!..another real canny lad....Bates was full of canny lads,wi a few odd sods ti gaa wi us mind,but we'll not botha aboot that! Alan,anotha favour please..cud ye pass me regards on ti Bobby? Cheers Alan. Bill Allison.

Sym, would ye be sae kind ti pass me regards and best wishes ti Barry Mulldoon,and remind him of this event,["Story" is a figure of speech...this was no story which I posted aboot Barry and the stretcher case dilemma!],also please tell him it was a pleasure working with him in the most stinkinest conditions ye could ivvor put a human being to work in...the 3/4R SEAM doon Bates Pit!! I will PM you Sym,with my name and that of my Marra's,some of whom are no longer with us now,in case Barry's grey matter needs a jog....like mine! A just had another glance at thi pic,and Roy Pink's face flashed back at me....and it just hit me...Roy was a smashing fella,a think naebody wud disagree wi me on that ...a wonder if Roy is still knocking aroond..

Cnny Lass,i'm a bit late in catching up,had a really rough year since last April,Percy had to be re-homed,as he bonded with me,in what was his first adult mating season,in Spring,2018. He was attacking anybody who came near me,in the garden,including my 45-yr old Son,my Wife,and LBJ,who sadly had to put to sleep on February 19th,as she had Lymphoma..Cancer in all her Lymph glands..Kidney Failure,and Arthritis. We never found out from Jon at the Blyth Wildlife Rescue,who took him back into his care after five years with me,where Percy went. All we hope is that he has as good a life as he did at Ally's Kingdom..!![here!] He used to walk into the kitchen when I was either making dinner,or having my meal,sit on my foot,and wait for bits of meat,fish,cheese,apple,ye name it he woud catch it! He is still a big miss!

Stakeford Lass,if you have had personal reasons to dislike Leanne,you are entitled to your opinion,but it IS sad to read comments of a personally derogative nature, which should really be kept between you and Leanne. The fact is,she does an excellent job,is pleasant and efficient,and that's all a customer looks for in any business! I speak well of a lot of ex-miners whose pics have been posted on the Mining threads,who I worked with,but it wasn't all hunky-dory,a thousand feet underground,and miles under the North Sea,at 12-midnight start of the shift,when a canny few lads would have just come from the club! There were aguments...raised tempers..threats to "Gaan owa the car park at lowse",[end of shift],ti fight it oot,but it never happened ,cause we were hardened miners,who depended on each other,so disputes were forgotten within minutes usually! There were those who I wouldn't pass the time of day with,out of the pit,as those who didn't care much for me!...but my point is,this is a great forum,and we don't want it to degenerate into a slanging match between members,in our sight! So please,please,withdraw your comments,and if you have a negative comment to make,please do it in the right manner!! Cheers! HPW.

It was a strange thing to happen,but not long after Bucky's accident,another Marra of mine,[who was actually my "cross-marra"...i.e..Marra's following us on in the next shift,but in wor team],called Tony,had the same thing happen to him. Drilling the coal,scarf gets caught in drill rod...Tony choking but only for a second or two...frightening to experience..but Wilfy,his Marra,saw in an instant what was happening,and in a panic,couldn't think of owt else but ti chop the driller cable through..with an overhead swing of a long-shafted pit-axe. The driller's worked on 110 volts,3-phase,so Wilfy didn't get a lethal shock,in fact he didn't get any shock at all,cos as soon as the cable was shorted,the panel box tripped out rendering it safe. Another lad got he's long hair tangled,and was nearly scalped,but that happened at other pits,so the Coal Board issued the rules about having to wear hairnets for those who had long hair. Tony didn't suffer any injuries and carried on working,but tucked he's scarf well in after that!

Hi Alan, a knew aal these faces at one time,but the ones a dae remember are Billy Savage,smashing lad,really sociable,and Bucky Sharples..both of whom I worked with,both as a Deputy in charge of them,and later alongside them as Marras. No 1 looks like Kevin Hartgrove,or could be Alan Jones...it's the tash..loads of lads had the tash at the time...AND the George Best hairstyles ti gaa wi thi tashes!! [same as when Kevin Keegan came alang wi he's curly perm,ivry toon fan had a curly perm!!]Kevin Hartgrove was like Billy Savage,a real pleasure ti work with. Bucky Sharples,when aa was in charge of him,was the funniest ,likeable,crazy young kid ye cud wish ti meet...aroond 1973-4-ish. Every day he was the same...shouting through the noise of the armoured face conveyor and shearer,to banter on wi me and aal he's Marra's. The 3/4 Drift was driven doon aboot two miles inbye from the shaft landing...not very far at a big pit like Bates,so the ventilation was so intense,the lads on the face had ti wear the waistcoats and scarves aroond their necks..it was freezing and soaking wet aal day and ivry day. One day,Bucky was drilling the coal,ready to fire it doon. His scarf got tangled in the drill rod and wound him up,until his neck was up against the drill rod,and the driller stopped as Bucky let go of the trigger. He was raised up from the ground..on tiptoes..being strangled,when Stan,one of he's Marra's in the Advanced Heading,walked by ti get some timber for his job. Stan glanced at Bucky and saw his face twisted,and he's hand gesturing to his neck..in desperation,but Stan naturally thought it was just Bucky acting hesel'. Stan got two yards past Bucky when the thought hit him that Bucky had an aaful look...he turned and shone he's caplamp onto Bucky and realised that it was a life-threatening situation. Stan got he's knife oot and cut Bucky's scarf through,and Bucky just collapsed onto the ground..unconscious..he was blue in the face. The lads got Bucky onti a stretcher and carried him outbye,where he would be put onto an Ambulance car and taken to the shaft bottom by Deisel Locomotive power. The Consultant told Bucky,when he recovered,that when he was admitted to the Hospital and given life-saving treatment,that he had only about 20 seconds of Oxygen left in his bloodstream,and that if Stan hadn't acted so quickly,or hadn't had a knife in his pocket...it would have been fatal for Bucky. Bucky was a real miss on the Coalface,and when he returned to work,he was given "Light work"..i.e.NOT on the coalface. From the time he came back to work,until Bates Colliery closed,Bucky turned into a quiet, but still canny,lad..but he had lost his sparkle,and zest,that he was well-liked for. He was very lucky to still be alive,but we all knew that he must have suffered Psychological,as well as Physical, damage through the accident. Bucky sadly passed away a few years ago. R.I.P. BUCKY.

....and bringing up thi reor,as usual,is a big hope that yi had a gud'n,Brian!! Cheers Mate!

Hi Gary! Welcome to the forums! Ye'll find there's a lot of gud canny members on here. Noo,as for me,a rite like a taak,not on porpose mind...that's thi way aam is. So,wat aa think,lukkin' at thi sketch,and using me experience of pitwark,is,that yon buildin' was probably..mind a say ...probably...thi pit baths. If ye tek notice it's the forst buildin' ye cum ti off thi entrance road,which was typical,and commmonsensicle,for the pitmen ti waak up thi pit road,and gaan stryt in ti thi baths ti get tha clean claas off,and get tha dorty claas on,ti gaa doon thi pit. That's the way most pits were,except for them pits like Linton pit,which nivvor had baths till not lang afore it closed..wor Aad Chep worked there till it closed from aboot 1944-ish,just when aa was born,and he aalwis came yem black as a craa..alang wi ivry body else.Naebody wud sit aside the Linton Pitmen,on the buses,unless tha was nae seats and they were desperate for a sit-doon! Eggy might find sum aad aerial pics ,[usually tekkn from thi top of thi pit heap,in thi auld days],on Facebook,where we might be able ti get a better idea of thi pit layoot. AA might be a thoosand miles wrang,Gary, it might hae been the boiler-hooses for the steam winders...they were pretty big buildings an aal....a stand to be corrected as aalwis!!

Wow!...wat a smaal world,Alan,aa luv the power of the net for the gud things!Aa probably knew young Peter,but the ravages of time are tekkin their toll sumtimes!Sorry to hear of Peter's Dad's passing...R.I.P. Peter Quinn senior.

Hi Alan,a didn't knaa a Mick Straker by name,but a mighta knaan he's nickname,cos loads a lads were knaan by knickname only...like me at the High Pit. Noo,when a was a young recruited Deputy,in 1971,me first appointment..["Job"],was on 84's Face,up in the Beaumont Seam,at Bates pit. Peter Quinn was one of the men in the team that I was in charge of.Considering that aa was the youngest Deputy at the pit,wi Alan Dickson close behind me,at age 27 yrs,Peter might have been 40-odd,maybe less,so that would mek him in he's mid-80's noo.[cos aam 75 this July..] Can this be the same Peter Quinn,or he's Son/GrandSon...?..aad be interested ti knaa![..Peter worked wi a nice fella also,caaled Geordie Kinsman..hellish gud workers.] Hope we see mair pics popping up from the Bates Lads! Aa lost a 36 exposure 35mm film,in it's can,somewhere on the Screens,or mebbe in the Winderhoose at Bates,on the night that a tuk the pics from up on the pit Heedgear,wi Russell,and it was fully exposed wi a lot of gud shots tekking IN the Winderhoose,and the Screens..it must hae dropped as a was changing the film in the camera. Noo a hope sumbody picked it up and got it developed...we might see them pics one day!

Hi Alan! Gud ti hae wa aan topic for Bates..a knaa it's a Bedltn forum,but tha wus a lot o' Bedlington lads went ti Bates from the Aad Pit in Bedders.[Mining ex-pats?!...so ti speak!]. Definately John Tinmouth far right,a was in charge of him and he's marra's when a was a Deputy,then when a came back into the N.U.M.,in 1978,a worked alang him on Composite/Development work...that was driving new roadways,and winning oot new coal faces. John was famous in the Angling world for catching a 29-pounder Cod fish,off the steps at the Dun Cow jetty in Blyth,many many years ago,and was sick ti death of folk asking him aboot it for years after!! The lad third from the left,a knew very well,but time has erased his name from me memory...if a get a prompt from sumbody,it'll cum back ti me![same wi the lad ? Rose,just canna get names ti fit!]..a knew aal four ,but Bates was a big pit..it cud be owa a year before me and me Brother,and Faatha,wud be in the syem shifts,ti see each other at thi pit!

Thanks Alan,for starting a new topic on Bates,and rightly so....I get engrossed in my memoirs so much that I don't realise I am digressing to other topics!! Also can you pass on my gracious thanks to Keith Wilson for his kind comments on me reminiscing!!...I wonder if Richard is his middle name,and if it is....it is a small world,to me that is!!....but maybe not to Kieth!! I think if he is who I suspect he is,then he will understand what I mean!...[Johnny-B-Goode should be an important clue!] Noo,the pics of the Humford baths brings loads of memories...of jumping into the freezing waata and nearly droondin!!

Hi Bill! Welcome to thi forum! ...I didn't know about the fanhouse you mentioned,but I'm sure my Son will know..I'll have him asked tomorrow. The structure in the river gave me a blast from the past!...there used to be two huge pipes suspended over the river,and carried on the centre pedestal.It's years since I was up the river,so I canna mind how big the diameter was,of the pipes,but I do know they must have been about three feet at least..cos we kids,at about 10-or 11 years old,used to climb around that red brick parapet,which had a wrought iron gate..locked..to prevent anyone getting onto the pipes!The mossy cement "Haunching",you can see on the left,where the small access ladder is,was our means of getting onto the pipes.by clinging to the brickwork,and edging our small feet around on that sloping haunched bit till we got onto the pipes...we used to say that if our Mothers' could have seen us walking..even running..across the river,on the pipes high up...they would murder us!! They were probably aboot 20 feet high,but that was a lang way up when ye were just owa three feet tall yasell! We used ti lie owa thi side,and see who could scratch their initials the furthest doon the side,withoot faalin' inti thi river....taak aboot laddies?!! Aam just trying ti reckon up..thi holes in the stonework show the diameter,and if the stones are aboot 15 inches thick,then the holes cut through two-and -a-bit,of the stones,so aam not far away in me rckoning. If they were measured and found to be a lot less,then it just shows hoo daring ...and glaaky!,us kids were ti choose a playgroond like that!! In them days,aroond 1954-on,till we grew up and more adolescent interests took over!...there were dozens of us kids roaming the woods and fields at any one time..if it wasn't us Hollymoontaa's,it was the Millfielders,the Beatty-Roaders,or combinations of aal three "gangs" of kids...that's wat laddies did... Anywheh,thanks for prompting me memoirs...luvly seeng this pic of my "Kingdom"!! Education being a wonderful thing,I am noo thinking that the brick building would have housed "Stop-valves", to switch the water supply from one to the other in the event of a major burst,much like the pumped water systems we had underground at Bates pit,and indeed,probably every big colliery..unlike the total abscence of such systems in the smaller old-fashioned hand-filling pits like Choppington High Pit.["Ring-Main" systems were used..that's what this system would have been..]

I was really sad at hearing of Matty's passing,he was a great teacher who balanced strict discipline with a fond affection for his pupils,and gained a lot of respect. I am pleased that I caught up with Matty at his home as I was passing by on the way to my Mother's house,one day,to shake his hand and thank him for making a man of me.We had a good crack,and he remembered my family,he taught me and my three Sisters,and my older Brother.He was still a true gentleman ...I am now approaching 75 years of age,and can vividly remember him singing on Parent/Teacher's open days..lovely baritone voice.[in the mid-1950's] Great teacher ..will be sadly missed by all who knew him. R.I.P. Matty Hall,Sir. Bill Allison.

A bit late as usual, for me,Joe,but many thnks for keeping me reet!

A bit late for catching up!..but if you kind folks like a bit of Country and Western,I'd strongly recommend you go out and buy "Soul of the West" by Singer/Songwriter Clint Bradley. Clint hails from the New Forest area in Kent[?],and has been around the music business for decades,with his band "The BlueCats". There is the odd note where he sounds like Johnny Cash,then the next he sounds like Roy Orbison..then Jim Reeves..not intentionally,he has such a vocal range,and quality of tone,that comments from places like Nashville etc,cannot believe he is an Englishman...he sounds better than a lot of so-called Nashville Country music these days..[Nashville not producing Artists like those in days gone by...sad to say!] My Son,Darren Allison,[Music Producer/Engineer],mixed and co-produced the album,and so it's natural that I would like the world to hear it,but even if that wasn't the case,I would still be singing it's praises for what is a fine collection of original songs. There are no studio tricks or magic on this CD,..no dreaded Auto-tune!!,no Pedal-Steel,..just Clint,Vocals, Guitar,and Harmonica...Dave Luke on Lead Acoustic Guitar and Mandolin,Miss Connie Everard on Accoustic Double Bass,Nick Evans on good old Dobro Guitar,Danny Kelly on rums and Percussion,Darren Allison on Drums,Percussion,Mandolin,and Rhythm Guitar,Quentin Hutchinson on French Horn. Clint's last Album "Riding after Midnight",was heavily featured on Paddy McDee's late night show for several weeks,he played a different track each week..and received a good response from his listeners,and this new one has a big write-up and a great review in this month's edition of "Country Music People"..and was number 6 in the Country music charts. Sym,I never knew you were a Stones Fan!!..I had the great pleasure of playing all their tracks,both singles,and all their album tracks,as they were just coming into the charts..when I was just a skittering young Ched wi' a snotty beak! Initial stage fright soon gave way to ecstasy playing "Little Red Rooster","You can make it if you try","If you need Me","The Last Time"..and everything else in between,that they released till we broke in 1966...it was a fantastic time to be a Lead Guitarist in a Group!