![]() In later years hydraulic chocks were used.Ĭollier In its most restricted sense, a collier is a worker who "gets" the coal, i.e. Ĭhock A chock was originally a piece of timber used to support the face. While this labour system gradually fell into disuse except in small collieries, until nationalisation the term "charter master" was in a few areas still sometimes used to refer to the supervisory official usually called a deputy. Ĭhargehand General term for a supervisory worker.Ĭharter master A charter master, butty or contractor was in the 19th century and earlier a man who contracted with a pit owner to work a colliery seam for a tonnage price, while arranging and paying for labour himself. It could have one or more decks to increase its capacity. C Ĭage The cage is the iron framework in which men and coal tubs are wound up and down the shaft. The "butty system" was the contracting system used by charter masters. England) but also in earlier times an alternative name for a charter master. īutty A miner's name for a working partner (South Wales) or for their opposite number on another shift (N. ![]() Trainee miners often found bumps a frightening experience.īutterfly A butterfly is a safety link or detaching hook above the cage attached to the winding rope to prevent the cage from being over wound. They were often preceded by a characteristic noise, also in some areas called a bump. īump A bump, pounce, thump or goff was a sudden movement in the strata while underground and occasionally gave warning of an imminent outburst. The issue of gas was often audible, hence the name.īrattice Brattice, strong canvas sheeting coated in tar to make it air-tight, is used to make partitions to deflect air into particular areas of a colliery or divide a shaft to improve ventilation and dilute flammable or noxious gases. The term "feeder" was used in some areas. īlower A blower was a source of firedamp issuing into the mine from a fissure in the coal. ![]() It was used to produce town gas or coke, raise steam in industrial boilers or locomotives, to fuel power stations or for domestic heating.īlackdamp Blackdamp is the name given to a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. It is laid down in seams and varies in constituency and quality. īind A term used in various areas to refer to shale, mudstone, clay or sandstone overlying the seam.īituminous coal Bituminous coal is a type of coal found in the most coalfields. It was then abandoned and left to subside. īell pit in Middleton Park, Leeds A bell pit was a type of coal mine in which coal found close to the surface was extracted by sinking a shaft and removing coal from around it until the roof became unstable. Bells were usually found in shale, but rarely in sandstone.īevin Boys Bevin Boys were men conscripted to work in the collieries during World War II in a scheme introduced by Ernest Bevin. The counterpart role at pit bottom is the onsetter.īell A bell, bell stone or pan was a loose, roughly bell-shaped stone in the mine roof, liable to fall without warning: the cause of many coalmine fatalities. He is in charge of loading or unloading the cage, drawing full tubs from the cages and replacing them with empty ones. īanksman or banker A banksman, banker, hillman or browman works at the pit bank to dispatch the coals, and organise the workforce. B īank, pit bank or pit brow The bank, pit bank or pit brow is the area at the top of the shaft. An agent responsible for several collieries and managers was termed a "general manager". In the management hierarchy the agent was superior to the colliery manager and under-manager, who had day to day operational responsibility. Where the mine owner provided the capital and sank the shafts, the agent organised the development of the colliery, determined mining methods, advised the owner on the mine's commercial management and labour policy, and in later years was generally a trained mining engineer. Īgent The agent was the senior colliery manager: the term " viewer", "captain" or "steward" also appeared in older regional terminology. Īfterdamp Afterdamp is a mixture of carbon monoxide and chokedamp which replaces atmospheric air after an explosion. Adit An adit is an underground level or tunnel to the surface for access or drainage purposes.
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