Regarding an early use of telephones in coal mine. I dug following out from a local history source, that has some information on a field trial of a telephone at the Addison Pit (Stella Coal Company - Geordieland) that took place in Sept 1877.
- We are fortunately to have had in our district Dr. John Bell Simpson, who was considered the foremost mining engineer of his time, as well as the pioneer of the success of the Stella Coal Company. It must have been on his initiative that the inventor of the telephone visited the Addison Pit shortly after the Addison Pit shortly after his demonstration in the Town Hall, Newcastle. For Mr. Simpson wrote a letter to Dr. Siemens dated 20th, September 1877(for which I have a copy). Here I have the pleasure of giving my readers what he had to say “I have the pleasure to inform you of the successful results of the experiments made at the Stella Coal Company’s Pit near Blaydon, with Professor Graham’s telephone. The instrument was applied in the following manner: A single insulated wire was laid from a cabin near the mouth of the Pit, thence down it (88 yards), thence 400 yards along a horizontal gallery in the mine (in all about 500 yards of wire). This was done in a few hours. The wonderful, simple “Telephone” which was shown in Newcastle Town Hall yesterday was then attached to the wire at each end, and the experiments commenced. There was present: Professor Graham Bell, Mr. Heansilly of the Newcastle Post Office, Col. Potter and several others. Prof. Bell and Mr. Heansilly superintended the experiments. Vocal messages were transmitted from the surface to those underground, and vice-versa. The words were distinctly audible, and the intonation and recognition of each individual’s voice who spoke were easily recognised. Conversations were kept up quite easily. The mouth of the speaker at one end and the ear of the listener at the other required to be closely applied to the instrument at each end. Mr. Heansilly on the surface sang “The Last Rose of Summer” and the party of 12 or 14 in the mine from two to ten feet from the instrument could hear distinctly the tune. ‘God Save the Queen’ and ‘Auld Lang Syne’ were sung by Professor Bell in the mine and were heard on the surface about 150 yards to Hedgefield House and to the piano in the drawing room, and the music played upon it, was distinctly heard underground. There can be no doubt from the experiments of to-day, that the telephone promises, as you said last evening, to be capable of useful application in mines for many purposes which are too obvious to particularize, and will, on the surface as well as underground be of immense use”.
Only wonder how they managed to translate the Geordie into English for Dr, Graham Bell and the other gents. at the experiment!!!!!
Regards
John L