Research Projects

by Ernest T. Fretwell

1700		Two thirds of the national coal output was produced on the banks of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. Total national output was 2,612,000 tons
1705		Most shafts were 7 to 8 feet in diameter and up to 360 feet in depth. The first large scale mining disaster was reported at Stoney Flat Colliery, Gateshead, when 30 miners (including 1 woman) were killed in an underground explosion.
1712		The first Newcomen atmospheric pumping engine was erected at Coneygre Colliery, Dudley. This was to be the most powerful means of draining colliery workings for the next 60 years.
1714		Verbal tradition has it that the first Newcomen engine in the North East was used for pumping in a colliery on Washington Fell.
1719		First reference to the use of gunpowder for shaft sinking at a colliery in Somersetshire.
1729		Saltom Colliery at Whitehaven was sunk and developed under the Irish Sea, thus being the first colliery to work undersea coal.
1740		There were in excess of 150 Newcomen engines at work in the British Isles, the majority in collieries. About this time W. Brown was to introduce ‘screening’ of coal to grade it by size.
1749		There is note of a ventilation furnace situated at the bottom of a shaft at Long Benton Colliery.
1750		Speddings flint steel mill for use in gaseous collieries was introduced about this time – to replace candles.
1756		A surface sited furnace ventilation system, called an air tube, was in operation at North Biddick Colliery in County Durham.
1758		Keane Fitzgerald invented a device to convert linear motion to rotary motion. This was used, with a Newcomen engine, at Walker Colliery to operate two rotary mine ventilators, as well as to assist a winding engine. Pit ponies were in general use at this time in the North East.
1765		A geared horse engine, to increase winding speed, was in use at Walker Colliery, Northumberland. Eight horses raised a corf holding 6cwt of coal, from a depth of 600 ft in 2 minutes (at a rate of 15 tons an hour). At this time Walker was the deepest and most important colliery in the North of England.
1775		The Boulton and Watt partnership was formed and some 450 to 480 engines were built.
1777		Smeaton designed and built a waterwheel-powered coal engine at Longbenton. A Newcomen engine raised water to power a 30’ diameter waterwheel. The engine had a conical rope drum to assist winding and raised 6� cwt of coal 492 feet in 2 minutes, a great improvement on the horse engine previously employed.
1785		It was proved conclusively that sparks from Spedding’s steel mill could ignite firedamp.
1786		An early underground sited ventilation furnace was installed at Wallsend ‘B’ pit. Underground furnaces were considered superior to those located on the surface.
1798		John Curr introduced flat hemp winding ropes (patent no. 2272) Late this century Dr Brownrigg discovered that the rate of production of methane increases with barometric pressure falls.
1800		Phineas Crowther, a Newcastle engineer, patented the single cylinder lever type vertical winding engine which was to become the principal type used in the North of England. There were estimated to be 2500 steam engines at work in Britain.
1803		Trevithick introduced the single flue ‘Cornish’ boiler.
1804		J. Ryan introduced a system of boring which allowed the cores to be removed for examination.
1805		John Curr first made use of a steam engine (stationary) for hauling wagons from Birtley colliery to high ground at Black Fell.
1810		The panel system of working and dividing the air current was introduced at Wallsend ‘C’ pit by John Buddle. The panels, or districts, were surrounded by barriers of coal that had the dual purpose of reducing surface subsidence, and enabled underground fires to be controlled more easily.
1815		Both Stephenson and Davy were developing safety lamps.
1816		On the 1st January, Davy’s safety lamp was tested at Hebburn colliery. The national output of coal was estimated to be 15,635,000 tons.
1820’s		Gunpowder was used in coal getting.
1824		Skip winding was first invented by J. Dennet, but the principle was not applied until 1853.
1825		The Stockton and Darlington Railway was opened as an outlet for Durham coal. From this date onwards the rail network of the UK expanded rapidly. The Stockton and Darlington Railway was the first large-scale use of malleable iron rails, which were supplied by the Bedlington Iron Works.
1830’s		Water balance winding gear was in common use in the South Wales coalfield and at collieries in Lancashire.
1831		The Bickford slow-burning fuse was introduced. This was the first safety fuse.
1832		Iron wire rope, manufactured by J. Wilson of Derby, was in use at the Haydock colliery, Lancashire. This was the first use of wire rope for haulage, as previously hemp ropes and chains had been used.
1839		The national output of coal was estimated to be 31,000,000 tons. The Mining Record Office was established in London.
1840’s		Hemp ropes and flat winding chain was increasingly replaced by flat wire rope. Most collieries, particularly the deep collieries of the Northeast, still had single shafts, but double shafts were gaining favour. Winding engine power was limited; 45 hp was typical at this time. A small number of North-East collieries had larger engines, these included Harton 95 hp, Murton 120 hp and Wearmouth 150 hp.
1850		An Act was passed that introduced effective mines inspection by Government appointed inspectors. James Nasmyth provided Earl Fitzwilliam. via his agent Hartop, with a design (never patented) for an exhausting fan to ventilate his collieries. A 14 ft diameter fan was ordered and proved so successful that many Nasmyth fans came into use both at home and abroad. Cast iron pit props were in use at collieries in England.
1860 1860’s		The Lemielle ventilator was first used in Great Britain at Page Bank colliery, County Durham. W.G.Armstrong installed a water pressure engine underground to work an inclined plane at South Hetton colliery. Picking belts were introduced on the surface to sort coal and non-coal waste. The majority of collieries
1869		Rosebridge colliery, near Wigan was the deepest shaft sinking to date with a depth of 2448 feet. The first Cornish pumping engine in the Newcastle area was erected at Hebburn colliery. In May the first Rammel fan in Great Britain was erected at Shipley colliery in Derbyshire and the first Cooke’s ventilator was installed at Lofthouse Ironstone mine in Cleveland.
1870’s		Vertical winding engines were rapidly superseded by horizontal winders. The use of dynamite for coal getting was rapidly increasing.
1881		Breathing apparatus was first used underground at Seaham colliery. W.Blanch Brain first employed electricity underground at Trafalgar colliery in the Forest of Dean. This was a 4 hp pump set, which for a number of years was an experimental set-up.
1887		Llewellyn Atkinson patented n enclosed electric motor for use in gaseous coal seams. The ‘ Walker Indestructible’ Fan, a direct descendant of the Guibal Fan, was patented (no. 17141) The Bumstead and Chandler ventilating fan was also patented (no.17824) The Coal Mines Regulations Act was passed; the main provisions of which related to ventilation, safety lamps and shot-firing in dry and dusty conditions The first electrically driven bar type coal cutter, the Bower Blackburn cutter was introduced at a Yorkshire colliery.
1900		In the early 20th century the most powerful winders were four cylinder compound steam engines. Steam pressures were typically 135 to 180 psi with winding speeds of 21 to 48 ft per second. The use of electricity spread rapidly. The national output of coal was estimated at 225,200,000 tons p.a. 75% of which was from long wall faces. The first underground AC electric haulage engine was installed at Denaby Main colliery, Yorkshire. The first quarter of the 20th century was notable for the development of the Doncaster area of the Yorkshire coalfield, and the great depths that the shafts achieved, the deepest being at Harworth Main colliery at a depth of 2,898 ft.
1910		Portable electric lamps came into general use underground at collieries. Britannia colliery, South Wales, was the first all electric colliery in Great Britain.
1911		The Coal Mines Act was passed. Some of the principal features included: all ventilating fans to be reversible, enforced setting up of Rescue Stations, use of furnace ventilators prohibited except where less than 30 employed underground or where seams were non-gaseous, and compulsory examination of boilers every 14 months.
1924		There were still approximately 65,000 pit ponies employed underground in British collieries.
1925		Pithead baths and canteens came into general use in British collieries.
1929		The Gullick Dobson hydraulic burster was first used for coal getting. At this time there were some 2,000 collieries in Britain with an annual output of 100,000 tons per annum.
1930		The safety helmet was introduced.
1939		A diesel locomotive was working underground at Rossington colliery in Yorkshire. The locomotive was a Hunslet 25 hp model. By this date 61% of coal output was machine cut.
1942		Opencast mining was increased to assist war effort. It had been extensively practised over the centuries. The Earl of Dudley had extensive opencast workings on the outskirts of Dudley in the 19th century. A large underground fan was installed some 2� miles from the pit bottom at the Haig colliery, Whitehaven.
1944		By this date 72% of the annual output of coal was machine cut.
1945		The National Union of Mineworkers was formed. National output of coal was estimated at 174,700,000 tons per annum with a workforce of 7,890 men.
1947		The Coal Industry was nationalised on the 1st January. There was widespread use of electric winders by this date. Dowty introduced the hydraulic prop. At nationalisation there were 980 pits and a workforce of 718,400 men and some 21,000 pit ponies.
1950		The national output of coal was estimated at 204,000,000 tons per annum
1958 to 1973		In this period an average of 34 pits a year was closed.
1992		The number of pits had been reduced as above until just 50 pits remained, employing some 43,800 men and there were just a couple of dozen ponies employed underground.

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