Further to this the working faces in the Deep Hard seam at the time were A1/2/3/4.Bs,Cs,D1s and D2s. (All Handfilled)Es face was just being developed as the first trepanner mechanised face although there had been a "Gloster Getter" machine on D2s. I remember they had a lot of trouble with this machine loading and they used to cut the coal and men would hand fill it . D1's was a two sided face but the left gate and loader gate were both intakes, A's was one long face with inter connecting roadways, B's was double as was C's and D2's had been till it hit a fault and was reduce to one side till that also hit the main fault through which roadways were driven to exploit the main deep hard reserves. Seam thickness on D1's was about 4 feet six inchesbut this included a layer of "flamper" of about 10 inches which was very friable and could not be held. The roof was the Deep Hard rock which was as hard as bell metal and on D1's you could see as far back up the gobs as a spotlight could shine and they had not dropped. This would result from time to time in a "weight" coming on the face which would run you off the face as props were pushed into the floor as the roof lowered and those not correctly set would fly out. Cycle on the handfilled faces was cut,fill, rip pack and turnover on a 3 shift cycle coaling on alternate days and nights shifts. The No 3 shaft was I believe some 780 yards deep and was sunk to the Low Tupton (Low Main) seam and the districts as I remember them were 90s which was still working. At the time the faces were 95s and 97s which were on a very steep incline of about 1/6 rising. The old south district was worked out but had not been drawn off and the other one still working was the dips, I think also known as 30's. This district was still operating an overhead rope haulage system to draw the coal in tubs to the pit bottom by means of lashing them onto the rope with chains, a tricky business in which you could soon lose a finger and many did.
I remember getting a lot of overtime at weekends labouring with the brickies building a new enginehouse for this district just off the pit bottom.
The pit bottom was a very long tub run, some 400yards or more from 90's loader where tubs were filled from the conveyor to begin their journey down the pit bottom to the shaft. On the way down tubs from the dips(30's) would join them from the left having been "knocked off" the lashing chains. A short distance further on the tubs from the deep hards ran in from the left also having the same system as 90's. This was a gravity pit bottom and all thes tubs had to be lowered or run down to the shaft by means of "lockering" the wheels which was putting a locker, a piece if purpose made wood. round, about 18 inches long and as thick as your wrist into the spokes of the tub wheels thus allowing friction to take over and slow the tubs which were usually run down in sets of six to eight and if you "missed the locker" you had a runaway on your hands. Once at the pit bottom they would be lowered to the bottom deck by a "dropchair", 3 at a time ready to be run onto the chair or cage to be wound up the shaft. The chair carried 3 on each deck and there were 2 decks making 6 per draw. A good average was 66 draws to the hour. The empty tubs were pushed off the chair by the full ones going on and ran 30 yards to a 90degree L/H turn, 200 yards to another 90 degree L/H turn by gravity and then clipped onto an endlss rope to travel some 200 yds up an incline, unclipped and run by gravity then to the Deep Hard, and 90's loader and to the top of 30's plain to be chained on the overhead ropeway to go inbye to 30's loader.(to carry on walking straight on at this turn was the stalls where the deputies stood to book in their men for the days work in each respective district and their checks taken. These checks were then hung in the deputies cabin which was further down for collection at the end of the shift. Carry on past the deputies cabin took you onto the old South level and to the paddy train for 30's.) and were then clipped onto an undertub endless rope haulage and pulled up a rise for about 250/300 yards where they were knocked off the rope and ran to their respective loaders, by gravity. We had a lucrative little scam going as timber lads, At the end of the shift you had to queue at the deputies cabin and wait till the window opened at the end of the shift just before manriding started at No:3, shout your check number and be given youre check which had to be shown to the banksman before you could get on the chair. A lot of the colliers had duplicate checks and so went straigt to the pit bottom to get the first draw and we collected their checks from the cabin as we finished our two hours overtime, which we stopped every day. Price paid for this was either in in sweets or baccy.
The number 2 shaft (Shonky) was sunk originally to the Top Hard level and was deepened to the Low Main when No 3 was sunk. This shaft was not as deep as No 3 due to the inclination of the seam and in addition I reckon there was a fault between the two shafts as well. The difference in depth of the 2 shaft was I believe some 60 or so yards. Just below the Top Hards inset this shaft was "out of true", there was a kink in it and the cages would rub the side of the shaft. I was riding this shaft with the head surveyor and two line lads when the cage struck the side and became wedged. We were there for some considerable time and they fetched Cyril Hazlehurt, the Low Main undermanager to oversee the situation. They decided the only way to free it was by jerking it free with the winding rope and let me tell you, this was terrifying and to hear Cyril say "Has the cap pulled" turned my hair white, there is still 500 yards of shaft to the pit bottom.!!!! Just outside No 2 pit bottom on 90's side and to the right they made 2 "shaft bunkers and all the coal was put into these and loaded into Mine cars to be wound up the pit. thus making everything previously described concerning the pit bottom, redundant. The other side of No2 pit bottom were the old South workings which as I have previously said were not drawn off and sealed. I had made my way to No 2 pit bottom after working overtime along with my mates and we sat down waiting for them to finish winding timber so that we could travel the shaft. The onsetter used to hang his safety lamp on a peg on the wall at about head height and as we sat there, there was a "plop" and the lamp went out. They fetched the deputy from the other side of the shaft where they were making the bunkers and he used his lamp to test and of course the flame spiralled up the lamp bonnet and went "plop" and out. They immediately stopped the cage moving and sent for the undermanager and safety people. For those of you not conversant with methane it puts out a flame safety lamp at 5% and is in the explosive range being most violent between 5.4 and 15%. So as you can appreciate the situation was a bit tetchy, all that was required was a spark to cause a disaster. The people sent for arrived with remakable speed and sallied forth into the old South district opening all the air doors to disperse the methane accumulation. We got an extra couple of hours overtime that afternoon.!!!!
I understand that as the reserves of Low Main and Deep hard became depleted the Blackshale and other seams were explored, none of which were viable resulting in the pits closure as worked out.
I can remember the commencement of the Bramley Vale drift to exploit the Clowne seam being started from inside the pit yard to the front and behind the power house.
As you came into the pit yard from the road the offices were on your left,then the canteen. the baths which were the only double decker baths I can recall, then the medical centre and then the powder magazine. About 100 yard down the yard was the time office and to the right was the No 1 Shaft and pit top buildings. Past the time office to the left was No 2 shaft and to the right of the time office was the lamp cabin . As you left the lamp cabin and walked on, on the level now the fireholes (Boilers) were to the right and the No3 winding house to the left, all the other shops such as blacksmiths, fitters and electricians were in this area, up a slight rise to No 3 shaft.At the top of and behind this shaft were the tub tipplers which turned over and emptied the full tubs which returned round a circuit to the shaft while the coal started its long conveyor journey (6/800 yards) to the screens.
Although the No2 shaft was the manriding shaft, most of the workforce would wait till the end of coalwinding to ride No 3 due to the incline which had to be travelled along the old South level and up to No 2.
More later.