Everything posted by Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)
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high pit wilma :- That is a mighty big wheel!! frazerweb :- Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Colliery & Mine Photos, and we'd love to have this added to the group! Cool stuff high pit wilma :- Hi! No digi marvels here, this whole set was shot with a 40 yrs old HALINA 35X 35MM MANUAL FOCUS -SHUTTER-APERTURE- STEAM-DRIVEN,WITH GEAR LEVERS AS WELL.....! Pleased you like them,glad to have whatever shots,added to the group. Ray Hammond :- Superb sho,t great composition, Sadly all but lost of this Iconic period. german shepherd dog woof to my friends :- my dad had his accident at bates pit the shaf had fallen 50 ft to the bottom that was in the mid 70's nice photo with blyth power station in the back ground high pit wilma :- Hi max! Sorry to hear about your dad,the miner risked he's life as soon as he stepped into the cage,but we never thought about it. Your dad's accident must have been in the early seventies,before 1971,was it? I started bates in june 1971,and i'm thinking it must have been before i started.Correct me please... Ryan Hogg :- Nice to find this photo from bates, who took the photo of my dad then? high pit wilma :- Hi Hoggy! All this set is my own copyright. Purely my own work,if you go through the set , you'll find info on what camera i used.Russell kindly took me and my son [who was 14 at the time,i think...!] all around the washery,screens,winder hoose,etc,but unfortunately, that film was somehow lost,before being developed. But luckily this one got done. Do you know what trade your dad was in before he went on shaft work? Cheers! hoggy03 :- Very nice photo of my dad, im his second son, hoggy92220 is my older brother, i response to the question you asked my brother my dad was a joiner at Bates before he did shaft work. Ron Dobson :- Nice to see Russell He was just an apprentice the last time i saw him I worked at Bates 66-87 and was at Isabella pit in 1960-66 Good times high pit wilma :- Heh heh! Hoggy, just checking,no disrespect, i knew Russell long before he went onto shaftwork,he used to come into my districts when i was a Deputy,1971-1978,and after that,i chucked Deputy-work in,and went back onto composite work,till the pit closed in 1986,well i went ti Ashington pit,just before Bates actually had the ropes cut. Always was a nice lad,Russell,well-liked by everybody,bar none. high pit wilma :- Blyth foto,i can't place you,were you in the 3/4 or the Plessey? Ron Dobson ;- Hiya Bill - Worked aall ower at Bate,sOn transport/Manrider in 3/4 for a while 4north and Plessey as a datal on loader,s on 73s on pony. Tommy Blair/Stan Brooke,s/Jimmy Kenny aall gaffer,s Aaaaalll fur noo Tek care high pit wilma :- Ron,wish a cud bump inti yi in Blyth market,wat a pair o' aad natterbags wi'd be....!! Wor lass syez wa warse thin aad pit wives nattering on when wi get tigitha.....[pitmen...i.e.]!! Dr. Drewboy :- ah, this is the picture. really nice! high pit wilma :- Hi Dr Drewboy! Just catching up,been off for a while,thanks for your kind comments! Pleased i got these shots,cos the opportunity to get aerial pics from this unique spot,will never arise again....i don't think!! -
sparty lea :- Canny view from up there. high pit wilma :- CHEERS SPARTY! IT WAS A CANNY NEET, CALM,COULDN'T HAVE PICKED A BETTER TIME TO GO UP THERE. THIS SET WAS TAKEN ON 35MM FILM,USING A VINTAGE[ 1963/4-ish] HALINA 35x CAMERA,WITH PARALLAX ERROR CORRECTION GUIDE IN THE VEIWFINDER. [NOT AN SLR!] EVERYTHING MANUALLY ADJUSTED..SHUTTER,APERTURE,FOCUS.....STEAM-DRIVEN..WITH GEARLEVERS...!!!! DIGITAL,EVEN IF THEY HAD BEEN AVAILABLE IN THE 1980'S, WOULDNT HAVE TAKEN PICS LIKE THE UNDERGROUND ONES,IN THE AVAILABLE LIGHT I HAD[CAP-LAMPS]...WELL... I DON'T THINK SO ANYWAY..! high pit wilma :- Once again,Sparty, apologies for 'shouting'...purely ignorant of the fact that capitals had this connotation!! -
From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :- The AFC is on the left,note the only colour we had underground,was our oilskins...oh!... and the plastic sheeting put over the girders,only to keep the hydraulic pump dry..not for us..!...the silvery streaks left of centre,are droppers of water,the shutter was too slow to freeze the action. high pit wilma :- What a really,really depressing hole that i worked in! Didn't realise how depressing it really was,[because of complacency...],until the pits all shut down,and i worked in factories etc,with bright lighting,toilets and wash basins,and canteens....and the young kids i worked with,used to say the factory's were ..."DUMPS"....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -
From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :- The AFC is on the left. ..it was normal to be working in this level of water.The flyght pump clogged up with silt continuously..NOTE the white plastic tubing on the left..OUR AIR SUPPLY CAME THROUGH THIS! THAT'S WHY MINERS SUFFERED WITH LUNG DISEASES..they used to lie in heaps on the pit surface,until needed ,then they came down the pit in filthy mine cars which carried coal and other materials,then when they were connected to the auxiliary fan,all the mouldy filth and odours were pumped into the workings,for us to breathe...but it was better than the reek from the shots when they were fired...! BigLoada :- Is this the dyke you were driving through before you would have hit serious coal measures? high pit wilma :- Yes,this Whinstone dyke was 36 feet thick,the thickest we'd ever encountered,in all our combined experience at different pits. Beyond the dyke lies 60 million tons of virgin,[completely untouched,unworked,] 5 feet high clean coal.No other pits had even been near it,so this would have kept bates pit going for a hundred years,given the improvement in technology,to develop higher speed loco's underground,to take the men in and out quicker. BUT MAGGIE THOUGHT DIFFERENTLY.....!! high pit wilma :- Never mind,when the people who we depend upon for our oil,decide to hold us to ransom,or when their oil wells dry up,we will ,at least,be still sitting on our own goldmine...!! [ maybe wor Maggie had that intention in mind,when she shut all the pits...drain THEIR resources.... ...then WE will have the monopoly...!!] ...Naa....she couldn't think that clivvor, could she....? hoggy03 :- Hi Bill, what is the thing on the bottom of the pic, the thing with a little red hose on it, is it a pump? high pit wilma :-THAT,....Hoggy,is what we called a "Dalek" pump,....for obvious reasons..! We had them at the High pit,at Choppington,as far back as the mid- 1960's,never changed, best emergency pump oot! Submersible,high output,built like a tank.....if a roadway was flooded for some reason or other,maybe a sudden inrush of water,you'd throw one these into the deepest part you could reach,set her away,and you could see the level dropping by the minute. Was also used where "nuisance water" used to make, in swalleys,fed by small runners,cos the Dalek would just "snore" away ,with very little water to keep it from burning out. These two roads,10's Maingate,[above],and the Tailgate,[where i am seen in the Eimco], were always full of water,on a 12-0midnight shift,on Sunday night[Monday shift]. We'd set the Daleks away,and the Crawley stageloaders,[armoured conveyor belts],and within half an hour,the level would come down to the point of equilibrium,i.e.,where the amount of water pumped out was about equal to that which was coming into the workings through the roof and floor breaks,plus what came off the windy driller...[and THAT was quite a lot..! That's the red hose,[output]that you can see,it's ordinary canvas-lined with p.v.c. fire-hose. oildrum1 :- Fantastic set of pics. Certainly bring back memories of my time underground, all those 'wonderful' conditions to endure. Oh what fun, but would you do it again given the chance! high pit wilma :- On your own mate, I discovered green pastures with birds singing in the spring sunshine.........!! Thanks for your kind comments Roy! -
From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :- Windy-driller,still stuck in a drill hole,after word came in to abandon the job,the pit had received notice to close.[Thatcher got her way at last...]TO HELL WITH THE SCUM MINERS......] mjtmail (tiggy) :- we'll be back down underground before you know it. £800 a ton, its bound to happen high pit wilma :- Hi tiggy! Yeah,your right,and i bet it will happen within the next five years. This country is still sitting on hundreds of millions of tons,but don't be surprised if those lot in brussels,dictate that it has to be shared with the EU countries...like we don't own a thing now. Dr. Drewboy :- what a working place... yes and in germany we also have a lot of coal. for an example "Bergwerk Lohberg/Osterfeld" which was shut down in 2005 has still 270mio. t of bituminous coal! high pit wilma :- Yes,Dr Drewboy,it was really bad conditions we had to work in,down the 3/4 seam,at Bates Pit. So your government is just like ours,placing all faith in oil,and gas. One day it is going to end............ Erik Novoa :- Now that's mining. If it ain't wet, it ain't fun! It was like this alot when I was mining in Nevada. high pit wilma - Hiya, batterymule!! Good to hear from you,and thanks for your comments! 50 years ago,it wasn't much fun working in 18" high coal seams,handfilling with a big "George Rock" [brand name] pan shovel,...so called because it was shaped like a huge pan,with a pointed edge to dig into the coal with,and a ton weight when it was empty!![as opposed to the normal "square-mouthed" shovel iv'e seen miners using in other pits.] We used to have 13 yards of coal in a "stretch",[or "stint" as they say in other parts of my country,like Yorkshire,and Lancashire].,to fill off in a shift,and this was with a 6 foot jib on the AB15 coalcutter,so lying on your side, in rivers of water running down the face,and roofwater dropping into your eyes and ears and running down all over you........naa,i didn't think THAT was fun,especially when my mates were asleep,at 12-0 midnight,and i was riding a cage down a black,deep,hole,to start my shift!!!! But i think i DO get your gist!!....we can laugh now,well... i can,cos i'm a retired gentleman of leisure.......leisure?....i'm working harder now than i did when i was working!!!! By the way,an AB15,denotes a coalcutter called Anderson-Boyes,and the 15 denotes the height of the machine...which was 15 inches high.[ we put 3 inch thick wood planks in to support the roof,and the cuttermen had to cut about 2" of floor stone,to make height for the cutter to pass through the face. There was so much roof pressure,and crush,that this extra height was lost as soon as the face was filled off,due to a "face-break" forming,as you were actually filling coal off.....in front of your eyes.....very scary!! Erik Novoa :- I completely understand, working in low coal, when it is wet as hell, must suck. The last mining job I worked was a hard rock molybdenum mine in Nevada, USA and it was always very wet underground. If the pumps shut off for any period of time the hole flooded. We were rehabbing an old mine and then doing some stope development once the old decline was basically finished. Lots of water coming through the broken mountain above us. My pard and I were drilling our round on day in a scene not unlike your image above, except we were running an incline to intersect the ore vein. And I'll be damned if we weren't drilling through some of the most solid rock I had seen yet in that mine when the hole I am drilling starts shooting water at me. I thought for a moment my hand had slipped and the drill was blowing the hole but it hadn't. The drill was still steadily advancing and water was pouring out of the hole. I drilled three more holes in that rib and all 4 holes I had drilled were blowing a solid stream of water the rest of the shift. The next shift had to load our round because there was too much water pressure to load half the face. A few of my friends and I are kind of nuts when it comes to mining, and we love working underground and being underground. Even though I don't do it professionally any more, I would if I had to in a heart beat. high pit wilma :- Heh heh!....like you said,pard,it's fun,ain't it!!! Cheers,and thanks for your interesting comment,i think if you and me got together,and my son,who is a mine explorer,we'd talk through the night! -
From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :- THIS is a HOLMAN compressed-air driller[ a windy-driller..] The drill was 9feet long,straight,with no spiral,hexagonal steel section,with a cross-shaped star-bit on the end.Because the drill was straight,without a spiral,water was pumped through the hollow interior,to flush out the curvings,to prevent the drill from becoming fast in the hole [which often happened.]The water had to go somewhere , didn't it?.......... high pit wilma :- What a lovely place to spend an evening.........! -
From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :- I even jacked the bucket up,to give the fitters better access to the hydraulics,with regard to strip-down...it never happened! She is still sitting there under the north sea,happily rusting away...may'be home to some big congers now...! high pit wilma :- The pit wasn't lit up like this all over,you know!! It was only because the huge 6,600volt transformers,and associated switchgear,were located here,cos it was a rare dry place,down the 3/4 drift!!! You can see the authorisation notice on the left,and more lighting in the recess behind the security chains slung along the girders. jojojood :- Had a few "rests" on top of those same type transformers,except being beside the machine,only source of heat we had lol. Our pit was wet also and with the air flow quite cool when you weren't busy .For sure no one was allowed on top of them,but when the cats away........ high pit wilma :- Heh! heh! Boiler burns...!....mostly sparky's who went into the pit baths looking like a zebra,from the back...!! Where did you work Jo Jo?,it's nice to hear from somebody who knows the score about pitwork,not just what they've read! At bait-time,down the 3/4 drift, where it was running in from the seabed,you couldn't get moved,on or beside the "boiler",for bodies...!! Happy days eh?!! jojojood :- Worked 20 yrs. underground in Cape Breton Canada. Like you guys,the government shut down the pits here,now they import coal here from the USA. My old grandad is rolling over in his grave i'm sure ( coal to Newcastle ). By the way most of our gear was from the UK,dowty, dosco, pikrose, oldham, huwood etc. high pit wilma :- Hi,jo-jo, ironically, it was one of your guys,called Ian Mcgregor,who was appointed chairman of British Coal,in the 1980's,by Maggie Thatcher, the most hated woman in Britain,our PRIME MINISTER. His job was to "Have a confrontation with the miners" -
Malcolm - John - Symptoms. I posted the link to Symptoms website on the facebook Bedlington groups and one response was :- Jan Murther :- 'we ve got a westridge school reunion on march 4th at. bedlington terriers football club all welcome'. I have no idea if this is a reunion for everyone that went to Westridge throughout it's history or just for specific years. I don't have any details, numbers, facilities etc. etc. but I have asked asked Jan, through the facebook system, and I will pass on any info if she replies.
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high pit wilma :- Now that it's 30 years since the strike,in 1984,official secret documents are being released,under the 30 - year rule,which are revealing the true facts about thatcher-thi -hatcheter's plan to destroy the NUM,and any other union who dare to suggest militant action against her....and in doing so,she destroyed the whole of the coal industry. There's gonna be some interesting facts released in due course... it's now 20-9-14,Saturday,1.07 am. -
bewildebeeste :- In reference to your original comment under the photo - if this wasn't long before closure, then was the roadway improvement just another way to add costs onto the mine balance sheet? And why did this Archibold have it in for Bates in particular? high pit wilma :- Spot-on! Mind,this tactic was employed as far back as 1964/5,by the Labour Government who were in power at the time. Dr Beeching closed all the scenic and small railway branch lines,and the Minister of Fuel and Power started closing all the "Uneconomic" pits. They transferred men from all the pits around ,in batches of a dozen here and a dozen there,like from Newbiggin ,Hartford,Hartley,North Seaton,Seghill,etc,TO Choppington High Pit,doubling the workforce from 300-odd,to 600-odd,virtually halving the output-per-manshift,while,at the same time ,demolishing the perfectly working steam winder/house, and building a brand new electric winder/house...which was more trouble than enough. It tripped out every two minutes,and lost a lot of coalwork time. Also,they decided to "modernise" the shaft top and bottom areas,installing rams to push tubs into the cages,and doing away with the flat sheets. All this investment and no increase in coal production[which was impossible,cos they hadn't organised winning out more faces,to take the extra men],deemed the pit to be "Uneconomical" Mind,a was pleased at the time,cos a went ti Bedlington A pit...a much better pit for conditions. They put £30million Dosco Roadheaders,in stripped down sections,on trams,into a disused seam "inset" halfway down the shaft, at Bates Pit,just to exaggerate operating costs artificially,as well as other costly measures,to justify the plan to close the Pit... then when closure was officially announced,they quietly shifted the Machines from their hidey-hole in the shaft,and moved them to Ashington Colliery,and did the same thing there with them,deeming Ashington Pit for closure like the rest of the pits in the coalfield,under thatcher's pre-conceived plan. Noo,that's not hearsay,i actually saw the same machine sections at Ashington,when i was transferred there![STILL WITH BATES 3/4 SEAM SCRAWLED ALL OVER THEM!] Archbold,for a few years,kept sending grossly under-powered face supports,down the Three-Quarter Seam,hence the depressing photo's of R20's on this set. Lots of times men were injured,and nearly killed,by the legs on the face chocks bursting,under severe roof pressure,and a lot of pressure from goaf-breaks,pushing the whole line of chocks,[70 at a time] forward towards the coal,and flattening the whole chock-line like a box!! I think [only my suspicion],that if Budge hadn't destroyed most of the records at Team Valley head offices,when his staff took over,a lot of skeletons might have been found in Archbold's cupboards.... It had already happened in the past,where officials had accepted holidays abroad,gifts,etc,for presenting contracts to these mining companies...... Why was he risking LOTS of men's lives by refusing our Manager's request for more costly,but more efficient sets of face supports...[it would have been for 200 per coal face] ...a lot of money to wangle contracts with eh? DO YOU SAVVY,BEESTE?
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From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :- This is looking down 2's backroad,AFTER the 6 month long,million pound farce to take out all the swallies[dips] ..and to shoot down all the hilltops in the roadway,to make it look like this...because management didn't want the chairman of british coal ,plodging through 100 yard long swallies of black freezing cold water,coming up to the knees,sometimes higher, like the men had to,every day-several times a day,for nearly a mile each way....BUT NOW... it was pretty.... AND HE THOUGHT SO AS WELL.....AND HE SAID SO...IN THE PRESS NEXT DAY.. HE SAID ...COAL..OR BUST...![AND WE WENT BUST.....AS WELL...!!] jojojood :- canister hanging from the rib on the left,stretcher and blanket inside that? high pit wilma :- Spot-on ! It is a first-aid canister,got to have one in every district,by law. Thanks for your query!Cheers! hoggy03 :- Wilma did bates ever see many VIP's while you worked there or just the chairman of british coal? high pit wilma :- Hi Hoggy! Mostly area directors,like Archibold,the swine who had a personal vendetta against Bates pit,[it was well known that HE wanted it closed apart from thatcher the hatatcheter..]. Before i started there in 1971,[when Bedlington A pit closed],there was a district called "82's",in the Beaumont seam,and the Duke of Edinburgh and a big entourage of v.i.p.'s tagged alang wi him. The deputy of that face told me in detail.the lengths they went to for him coming.The evidence was still there long after he went....!! Like laying a mile [well,it seemed like a mile...!!],of duckboards,all the way inbye,so they wouldn't have to get there booties wet,whitewashed different places along the way,like transfer points,etc,had everyone on the face ready and waiting for a signal,shearer man with his hand on the switch handle,button men with fingers on the conveyor belt start buttons,........[the proverbial "press-button start"..] As soon as the Duke showed his head "under the low"[starting his crawl onto the coalface which was 36 inches high...],the manager gave the pre-arranged signal to "GO",[start coalwork-in other words....!] Every man at his station,started up the conveyor belts,simultaneously,then the shearer man switched the shearer on and started shearing away full speed up the coalface. NOO THAT'S THE WAY TI TELL THE WORLD HOO BAD AND DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS A MINER;S JOB IS,ISN'T IT......WITH ALL SAFETY ASPECTS COVERED,LIKE THEY WOULDN'T NORMALLY BE,COS THEY WOULDN'T SPEND THE MONEY...NORMALLY.......[ask if your dad was in that district at the time,he might have been a bit young,not being disrespectful ti wor Russ,like,cos a divven't knaa hoo aad he is.....] If yi check oot me pic of 20's t/gate,in the 3/4 seam,where it was a hell-hole,noo THAT'S the place his Highness should have been taken,AND the chairman of the N.C.B.! It was gud enough ti tek a Sqadron of R.A.F. fighter pilots doon thon stinking dangerous wet hole,and a think it was honest enough ti say that thon face,and 21's,23's,50's,and most of the other faces,at some point,were actually life-threatening places to work in...[DOON THE 3/4 DRIFT...I.E.] ...AND I'LL WAIT TI SEE IF ANY BODY WHO WORKED ON THEM,DISAGREES AND THINKS I'M EXAGGERATING.......[WI AAD AGE....!!!!!!!] -
![R10s TAILGATE WATER STANDAGE DAM [RED EXPLOSIVE MAGAZINES ON LEFT]](https://bedlington.uk/uploads/gallery/monthly_2017_02/small.5899acdee8b02_R10sTAILGATEWATERSTANDAGEDAM_REDEXPLOSIVEMAGAZINESONLEFT.jpg.2305e9843814bd35de8232fc5305716c.jpg)
From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :-The water behind the dam was about 4 or 5 feet deep..an ideal place to put your 1100volt switch gear,[on the right],AND your polar-ajax explosive magazines..[on the left,] - [ the red cases made of steel! ] Yes...wish i had the brains to be a planner.....! rigobonzo :-We can't all be bright.......and well paid. high pit wilma :- Cheers Rigobonzo! You are right there! bewildebeeste :- Forgive me if i'm wrong, but that dam looks like nothing more than a brick wall? high pit wilma :- Bet you wouldn' want to swim from one end to the other and back,bewildebeest!! It was about 5feet deep,and about a hundred yards long...that's a lot of water,this is not the Pitlockry dam,it's underground..where escape would be very difficult if this amount of water broke away..as it has happened in the past. -
From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :- The stageloader was an A.F.C. - [armoured face conveyor]-it consisted of steel pan sections flexibly fitted together,with steel chains connected together with heavy duty steel scraper bars set to run in channels at each side of the pan sections. The loading end of the afc can be seen at the left side-the gearbox is white. The AB15 coalcutter is parked up and abandoned also,on the right side,in the foreground.[the jib is lying on top of the machine.] -
![10s TAILGATE - DALEK [FLYGHT] - PUMP IN THE WATER.](https://bedlington.uk/uploads/gallery/monthly_2017_02/small.5899a9d7a6057_10sTAILGATE-DALEK_FLYGHT_PUMPINTHEWATER.jpg.a3a3225986d731edf59e453af471da29.jpg)
From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :- FOR REFERENCE..the hardwood chock lying in the water,in front of the pump,was made of beech, was two feet long, by six inches square. The coal seam was about 36 inches high.[varying as each set of shots were fired,and advance was made] The coal seam was due to run out totally within the next few yards of advance,if we had continued,due to a 36 feet thick whinstone dyke intrusion-and reserves of over 60MILLION TONS of clean virgin coal was waiting to be mined......YES..CLEVER BOYS AT THE TOP...AREN'T THEY...MIND YOU,TO BE FAIR,IT IS CHEAPER FROM CHINA.. BigLoada :- Thats a great example of strata. Whats the type of stone lying above the coal? Is it Whin? high pit wilma :- No,it's highly silicated sandstone ,really hard to drill,and extremely abrasive to drill bits,and the mechanical parts of machinery exposed to it,such as the caterpillar tracks on the eimco shovel-loader.[miners refer to it as "post-stone " ] WHIN doesn't lie on top of coal,it's an igneous intrusion,which,millions of years ago,as hot molten lava,forced it's way through the strata to the surface,[usually-but not always..] As it passed through the coal seams, it burned the coal on either side of it,turning it into what is known as "cinder coal"-the width of cinder coal usually equals the width of the whin intrusion [or "dyke"] We,in the tailgate,were just about to hit the cindercoal square-on, if we had kept on going-the whin dyke was only a few yards away. BigLoada :- Bloody hell man, you are an encyclopaedia of geology!! Fantastic! high pit wilma :- JUST TO AVOID ANY CONFUSION,WHIN DOESNT LIE ON TOP OF COAL,BECAUSE IT'S MOLTEN ROCK,WHITE HOT LAVA...AND IT WOULD TURN THE COAL TO CINDER..TOTALLY! THE MAGMA [LAVA] ,USUALLY FORCED IT'S WAY THROUGH THE STRATA,VERTICALLY,UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE,UNTIL IT SURFACED,IN THE FORM OF A VOLCANO. NOW,IF IT ENCOUNTERED A LAYER OF EXTREMELY HARD AND THICK STRATA,IT WOULD TRAVEL ALONG THE LINE OF STRATIFICATION, AND FORCE THE THE OVERLYING LAYERS OF STRATA UP,CAUSING THE LANDSCAPE TO RISE ALSO-FORMING HILLY RIDGES,MOORS ETC.THIS IS TERMED A "WHIN SILL" -CRASTER VILLAGE IS BUILT ON A WHIN SILL-GLACIAL ACTION REMOVED THE SOFTER OVERBURDEN AND LEFT THE WHIN SILL EXPOSED FOR ALL WHO KNOW TO GO AND MARVEL AT IT!!!! high pit wilma :- Whin dykes cause problems for miners,because of the upset they cause in the strata. Because the molten magma burns it's way through the strata,it leaves open pathways for either water or noxious or flammable gases under pressure,to force their way into the workings. Often,after we fired a round of about 100 shots,simultaneously,with 150 lbs of Polar Ajax powder[explosive],we'd go back in to check that all of the detonators had gone off,and we'd have to retreat quickly,because of the smell of sulphur,ammonia,and other gases. Rotten eggs was the worst smell,cos that was H2S,HYDROGEN DISULPHIDE,OR "STINKDAMP",as it was known,and which kills the sense of smell within seconds,although the danger is still present....many men fell victim to that silent killer..... Sometimes we found cavities in the freshly shot-out whin,and they were always lined with beautiful crystals,peices of which we used to bring out for our kids to show their schoolteacher. I wouldn't mind betting that a lot of the big peices,like small footballs,ended up as ornaments on the teacher's hearths at home! So that's why the "cementation pump" is being used,to seal off any possible breaks in the strata,as we neared the actual dyke,with progressive blasting each day. -
From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :- Heh!Heh! As if we had no work to do..!I was busy loading out a full shot ,which had just been fired down in the previous shift.Note the white surveyor's line on the centre of the arches at the top-this line was our only guide to driving a roadway straight underground. [You can't see through the solid strata to know where you are going you know....!] The figure 60 on the right side of tom,on the girder,is our paymark,it shows our advance inbye, from the entrance to the roadway junction,where we started to drive in. high pit wilma :- A few yards further into the drivage,and it turned wet as hell,with bad roof conditions. -
HPW - I've made a start with your Bates Pit album :- As well as the photos I have copied & pasted some of the comments made by you and the Flickr members - I couldn't leave them out but if you want anything removed just say and I will arrange it.
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high pit wilma :- Today is Sunday 16-1-2011,and a few more unreported disasters,in China,Russia,and other countries,have taken place,just like it does every week that goes by.....so important is the life of the miners....and their widows..and families left behind...... I heard a news report [in English],on Short wave radio,["Voice of China" radio station..], that 3000 miners are killed,and many more badly injured,or missing underground,due to roof falls etc,EVERY YEAR! ......AVERAGE OF 60 EVERY WEEK GOD SENDS.....AND DOES ANYBODY CARE.....? NOO!,.....a notice nobody has come on here ti accuse me of being slanderous ti thatcher -thi- hatcheter,or any other of her cronies.....cos i speak the truth!! Dr. Drewboy :- i heared stories about them... really hard men! high pit wilma :- Hi Drewboy! My heart goes out to any miner in the world,and thier families,when disaster strikes them,as it does to mankind generally,but i have an affinity to the men who are the salt of the earth,and get no thanks for doing a uniquely dangerous job. -
high pit wilma :- It is now 26 -11-09, and 108 miners have been reported killed in a massive gas explosion,in a Chinese coalmine,550 metres below ground, unreported number of injuries to the rest of the 500 miners who were underground at the time of the blast. NO COVERAGE ON BRITISH TV THAT I KNOW OF,NOBODY IN THE STREET TALKING ABOUT IT,LIKE THEY DID ABOUT M.P.'S EXPENSES SCANDAL......... MONEY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MINERS LIVES....ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD............. morrisoxford61 :- I am stunned, I never realised nor even thought about the fact that the mine went outside of the land 10 miles out to sea thats amazing, once you were at the bottom of the shaft how did you get to the pit face/ sorry to ask a daft question, but I have no idea, , if you kept going you would have ended up under belgium? what did these men inspect for on the shaft, is it some form of movement or cracking? and how long did it take to go down and check the shaft high pit wilma :- Hi Morris Oxford,i should have been called MG.MAGNETTE MK1V..! [ONE OF THE LOVIEST OLD CARS I EVER HAD..A 1963 ONE...] Anyway,the shaftsmen had,by law,to examine the shaft walls,for any signs of side pressure causing damage to it,also they had to check the condition of everything in the shaft,i.e.the "skeets"..[cage guide rails,which keep the two cages held in their respective positions,so they don't crash,in the middle of the shaft,like they often did at Choppington "B" pit,in the old days..] They had to apply thick black grease to the skeets,regularly,examine pipework,which carried mine water to the surface,and electrical cables,for any obvious signs of damage. They also had to transport unusually bulky or large bits of machinery,or heavy girders,down the mine,by "slinging" them UNDER the cage on chains,in the old days,they slung the pit ponies under the cage in harnesses to take them down,or bring them up to the surface! The shaftsmen,could be on top of the cage for a whole shift,if the job needed them to be,for hours and hours,that's why i wouldn't have the job for a proverbial "gold pig"..[northumbrian miners slang term!] They have a lot more duties than i have space for here. We faceworkers used to get a "manriding locomotive " set,inbye,for a few miles,then jump onto a conveyor belt,for a couple more miles,walk a couple of miles,another "battery electric" loco set,for another mile or two,walk a bit more......then when you got inbye,you were knackered,before you started,but the job didn't magically go away...it still had to be done,regardless how fatigued you were...mining toughens you up...[this was to get into the Plessey seam at Bates pit,which was over 12000 metres to the last officially designated "meeting station"..where the deputy of the district you were in would record your names,and tally numbers,in a book provided by the government,[mines and quarries act].,before you actually went onto the coalface. The 3/4 Drift,where these pics were taken,was about 4 miles inbye,maybe a bit more,and we had a 2 mile ride in on a deisel loco manriding set,then shanks pony,the rest of the way....![soaking wet,cold,depressing,you just wanted to go back home to your nice warm bed,that you had just left,at 12-0 midnight...........] Do you think i was a "greedy miner",like the tory press used to print in their gutter papers..........?...!! Latest news from China...25 miners presumed dead,missing,search goes on for more,over a 150 being treated for malnutrition ,after being found in an emaciated state,having survived by eating the bark off the pit wood timber props,and drinking filthy mine water.........ANOTHER DISASTER IN CHINA,UNREPORTED BY OUR GOVERNMENT. At least we DID have the protection,[in latter years..i.e.,of the mines and quarries act...] My heart and soul goes out to those guys,and their famiies who are left,in that Country....especially when we are importing "cheap"[?] coal from there...and we left 60 million tons of virgin clean coal,under the sea,at Bates pit,alone...!![ today is 14-4-10] morrisoxford61 :- NO I never thought you were greedy miners in fact a friend of mine is a policeman near retirement and he had to go up for those big protests talking about it one day he told me how difficult it was to police because he respected the miners and his job was safe by comparison he made a good few friends their I think like so many things in goverment back handers were involved, masonic practises, golf course meetings etc thats how its done they shut down the pits to buy it in from overseas and get a backhander or a good pension from it or act as consultants what they shouyld have done in the miners strike was to ask the general public to come up and visit you and see what it really was like, that would soon have swayed opinion I wonder if any one will ever buy a mine adn run it privately, would be amazing to bring them back to life at a profit after all cheap coal from china still has to get to this country and that costs money high pit wilma :- Aye,Morris,if ever they do open up the existing mines,like Bates,people will stand in awe,at the amount of machinery and equipment,like all the hundreds of miles of really heavy duty,6,600volt armoured copper cables,massive transformers,sub-stations full of banks of heavy switchgear,miles and miles and miles of conveyor belts,haulers,miles of steel hauler ropes......i could go on and on...[as i usually do!],because it makes me very angry,every time i think of the hundreds of millions of pounds worth of gear left in all our nation's pits,not just this one,by a greedy selfish uncaring government,who i am sure,were really acting in their own interests. Thanks for your comments !
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BigLoada (deleted) 9y Hahaha! A "gold pig". Classic Northumberland phraseology man. I love it. BigLoada (deleted) 9y I pity these poor English folks here now you have been let loose on Flickr!! high pit wilma :- Howw! If thi waant photo's doon a geordie pit,thiv gotta expect geordie twang as weel...cos aam an aad geordie pitman...!! ER....sorry folks, just went on a bender there.....!! BigLoada :- Just noticed the title. For anyone not from Northumberland, "Marra" means "mate"! billsharp :- I knew a shaftsman when I worked at Cambois who said "If I go over the edge just cut the chain, because I'll be dead before it tightens!" high pit wilma :- Hi Bill,yeah,i wouldn't have the job for a gold pig...! Bill Carnaby :- Done this job mate -first time you are really scared -then your just thankful you could do it again! Great memories high pit wilma :- Thanks Bill! Yeah,i knew a lovely natured lad who was a shaftsman,at the auld pit,in Bedlington, i was carrying on with him at the start of our shift,then i went inbye to the coalface.About 4 hours later he died in the shaft,due to a tragic accident. He had the biggest funeral that i have ever seen,bar none. Everyone,including management,and engineers,etc,were there ,cos he was so well-liked throughout the pit. When i think back about accidents like that,it brings it home to the dangers miners faced,but never thought about during the course of their daily lives. Coalmining has a lot to answer for.............
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From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
high pit wilma :- The shaft had to be examined down the full depth,every 24 hours,and was done in night-shift [5-0pm till midnight shift ] Any maintenance work was also carried out in this shift ,by these two men.note their safety harnesses which they attached to the cage chains....they are standing on top of the cage..with a thousand foot drop over the edge! ALL OF US UNDERGROUND,DEPENDED UPON THE SHAFTSMEN BEING UTTERLY RELIGIOUS IN THEIR WORK....![looking back noo,aam wondering hoo many o' thi lads actually realised,and appreciated, the importance of the shaftsmen...] frazerweb PRO :- Great shot guess these shafts were deep high pit wilma :- Hi! This shaft was one thousand feet deep,down to the sump level,i.e. the level below the shaft opening into the roadway at the shaft-bottom. The main pumps for pumping water out of the pit to the surface,called the shaft pumps,were submerged under the water,down in the sump.[These were huge pumps,mind, to give the necessary head of water of over a thousand feet,they had to be robust...!] The shaftsmen were devils disciples...! [if you know what i mean!] I worked underground for nearly thirty years,in really rough conditions, 10 miles out under the north sea,but i wouldn't have their job for a gold pig...!! Glad you like my shots! -
BobbyG25 :- Hi HPW Interesting to here about the explosive side to your job. I remember testing the Beethoven exploders in the workshops at Bates. We used to use little yellow caps to test them. In the gold mines they used to fire a level at a time and only when the mine was totally clear. Sometime you could be out shopping and you would feel the shots going off. and that was from 4500 ft below you. I worked a good bit on the winders at Bates and the shafts, went down inspecting them. interesting to see this photo of the Baths, I used to change next to Ronnie Campbell, knew his brother skinny Campell, wonder how he is doing these days. The gold mines had a lot of Methane in them so I was surprised to be asked to take some sausages down one morning for a Barbacue........... yes and there right before my eyes down at 4500 feet we had a barby and a smoke.......wonder if its changed. Better go now, take care HPW....... high pit wilma :- Bobby, those were thi days my friend,we thought they'd never end, we'd cut and drill....and fire every day,we'd catch thi loco oot,off ti thi baths we'd shoot,those were thi days,oh yes those were thi days....la la la laaaaa,la la,...........!! [it cums natural ti a brilliant muso like me......!....mind,a DID try ti keep me day job,till yon b.............ugga,med sure a wadn't gaan doon a pit ever again,cos it was a working man I was,and I worked down und...er..ground......!!!!!heh heh!] Are yi still oot there Bobby? Ye probably dae knaa that Ronnie Cambell has been thi Blyth valley M.P. for thi last 20 years..[a think it'll be 20 years...] A didn't knaa his Brother. Keep a hauld ,Marra! -
skida :- My good lady's dad, the late Frank Herron was a banksman at Bates, after moving from Crofton, and we have really enjoyed looking through you photos Wilma. Thanks. high pit wilma :- Hi skida,noo...!.....it's a smaall world,as we aal knaa,but did Frank live at Hollymount Square Bedlington by any chance? Many thanks for your kind comments,and i am pleased you had pleasure and nostalgic memories from seeing them. Cheers! skida :- Hi Wilma. Frank was a Newsham Man and as far as I know never lived in Bedlington. His daughters used to have a great time going into Bates' canteen where the dinner lady spoiled them. I am no fan of Thatcher and it was interesting reading your comments and getting an insight of the miner's perspective. I doubt this country will ever recover from the loss of heavy industry, especially in the North East, which resulted from her government allowing the fat cats to invest profits made here to be invested in sweatshops in the third world. Cheers BobbyG25 :- Hi Wilma I was at Bates between 1964 and 1972. Spent most of my time in the Plessy seam on mech faces. Served my apprenticeship as an electrician then stayed on till the strike then went out to South Africa, gold mines. That was an eye opener. Never mind I'm retired now and can spend my time thinking of those wonderfull times crawling along the face with water every where and dust coming off the machines especially if they where cutting through a fault. Those where the days !!!!!!! theres a song there some where .............. Take care Bob high pit wilma :- Hi skida,aye it's a different Frank then. I used to take my two Sons fishing at Blyth pier,35 years ago,and we used to call in to the canteen to get our pasties,which were huge,and my two lads loved them,especially on cold winters days!! There's a lad called Davy...? worked at the Plessey,and he says his greatest wish is that thatcher [ no capital t for her...i'm petty!],dies before him,so he can witness her funeral with glee!! Cheers!! Hi Bobby,i started Bates in June 1971,as a Deputy,up at 8's [84's faceline]in the Beaumont Seam. I came back into the N.U.M. in 1978,onto Composite work.[known as Development work at other Pits.]....winning out new roadways and coalfaces,installing the mechanised conveyors and face chocks etc,and doing any specialised work that we were called upon to do. I went down the 3/4 drift and pioneered by blasting out the back drift from the start at the top,just past the south loader...that was a humdinger!!!....150 pounds of Polar Ajax [P1] in 50 x 9ft long drillholes,using 0-15 millisecond delay detonators,fired by the Beethoven 1500volt dynamo - "battery"..[ not really a battery..cos it was a dynamo-capacitor exploder...] The rule was,because we were so close to the South loader cabin,which was built on an overhead girder framework,in the main roadway,about 200 yards outbye side of us,we had to let them know when we were going to fire..so they would open both doors of the cabin,and so relieve the air pressure,to prevent damage to the cabin. Well,for a while that went o.k........... But one day,i was under a lot of pressure,with a fault on the detonator circuit,and after a lot of time spent checking the wiring,i finally had a good reading on the ohm-meter,so i went and fired the shots............ There was hell-on!! The pressure-wave from the shots actually lifted the steel cabin,with all the hydraulic control gear for the loader,plus the loader-lad,and pushed it outbye on it's framework,for a few feet!!! The loader lad thought his end had come,cos he didnt expect it,mind...he let me know about it when he saw me!! No danger from the shots mind,just pure air movement! I remembered after that to let him know i was gonna fire!! Was it as scatter-brained in the goldmines,Bobby?....bet it was hot!! Cheers,and thanks to you both for your comments.
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hoggy03 :- Hi Bill, My dad was just telling me about the masons cabin (blue shed) in the pic and how someone wrote above the masons bit "free" thought it was funny, did you know/hear about it? high pit wilma :- Hi Hoggy! Naa! Nivvor hord that one,but very typical wit of aal the tradesmen,with the exception of one or two real canny lads like your Dad,[he was always just like he is,canny and quiet,and very sociable..]. Mind,Russel will confirm that you had to have razor-sharp reactions to stand up to the wit of the younger fitters and sparky's,some of who are now deceased,at a very young age. The conditions we worked in were bad,but the banter was great,like i never experienced in factories and small workshops,after i left the pits,in 1987. Comradeship second to none. BobbyG25 :- Seeing these pics takes me back a few years. Yes it was hard working underground those days but have to admit I enjoyed it. Sure my bad knee is caused by crawling along those coal faces. Take care Bob Gregg electrician 1964 1972 high pit wilma :- Hi Bob! I started Bates in June 1971,and as it's so far back in time now,i canna place you. Were you in the Beaumont or the Three-Quarter seams? I was a Deputy when i went to Bates from Bedlington A pit,and was all over the whole pit,at various times,so got to know a lot of the men over time. I went back into the N.U.M. in 1978. Did you go by a nickname,Bob,cos lots of lads i worked with for years,just had nicknames,and,funnily enough,i never knew the real names of some of them....odd?!!!
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From the album: Bates Pit by High Pit Wilma
- AND PART OF WORKSHOPS COMPOUND-NOFIRESTATIONTHEN! BigLoada :- I cannot see tye Ventora in the car park. Was it there? high pit wilma :- Sure thing! It would have been doon in that little area at the dorty end o' thi pit baths..hidden from view by the buildings.[see note]. hoggy03 :- Hi Bill, when was this shot taken? i would say it was late in the day with only a few cars in the car park and the "trusty steed" parked up he,he,he. but i don't know. high pit wilma :- Hi hoggy,all the surface pics up from the wheels were taken about 7-0pm,after the gaffers had all gone home![ Give or take a haaf-hoor or two!] Jilly2k2 :- Love all these pictures! high pit wilma :-Thanks Jilly,i'm really pleased i had the foresight to take a camera down.before the pit was closed,and lost forever. -
Dr. Drewboy :- i have never heared of 6-legged roof-supports but in germany it was the same with the investments... the miners said "when your mine get's new showers/headgears/whatever it will be closed next year."! germany's biggest headgear in "göttelborn" never really extracted coal. or "schlägel & eisen" shaft 4 got a modern, 70m high headstock which just was in use from 1986 to 1990 and the new coal blending bed was finished in 1987 and also worked until 1990... high pit wilma :- Hi Dr Drewboy! Yeah,in the 1960's,when we first got mechanisation,we had Dowty 5-legged chocks,with adjacent,and full 6-batch control.[that was after using Dowty hydraulic props and face bars..!]. Then we got Gullick 6-legged chocks [4 legs at the back,and 2 at the front,supporting the canopy.Each leg could withstand 100 tons roof pressure,so each face chock was referred to as a "600-ton face chock". Problem was,the goaf used to push the legs forward,and cause the roof to fall,flattening the chocks to the ground,like squashing a beetle,the roof pressure in the 3/4 seam was so great. We got a new design of chock called the "Rev-lem",which had huge,thick armoured bracing plates,at each side,like grasshopper legs,which allowed vertical movement of the chock canopy,but which also prevented lateral movement,so the canopy couldn't be pushed forward by the goaf falling in. One coal face alone,installed with these chocks,made Bates Pit profitable,but when we asked for more,the area director refused us them,and sent us the old style Gullicks,which he,and everybody else, knew,was a risk of human life,to work under. As a result,thatcher,our prime minister,made the excuse we were unprofitable,and closed the pit. It was all contrived from the start,cos she knew,and she actually said it,that if she could break the Miners,she could break the T.U.C,our trade union movement....and she DID!
