|
|
Post by Wheldale on Dec 20, 2011 14:23:11 GMT -5
Dont know if this is in the correct thread but does anyone know where I would be able to get any photos of the rescue operations at Lofthouse in 1973?
|
|
|
|
Post by ericridley on Jan 27, 2012 14:19:08 GMT -5
Hi,
I have in the past read the report of the disater but this was on HSE web site with pictures underground.
Good luck
Eric
|
|
|
|
Post by ericridley on Jan 27, 2012 14:25:39 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by John on Jan 28, 2012 9:05:05 GMT -5
Been a few years since I read that report, thanks for posting the link.
|
|
|
|
Post by Wheldale on Jan 28, 2012 14:08:56 GMT -5
I've got the report, the reason I was wanting some photos is that my late father was connected with the accident. My father was a undermanager at Kellingley at the time of the accident. He was asked to go help at Lofthouse. He I believe was incharge of the piggy bag tunnel that was made to aid the rescue. He also helped the mines inspector recover the body of Mr Cotton. Ive got a couple of photos, just wondered if there were anymore about.
|
|
|
|
Post by welderpaul on Sept 9, 2012 12:55:57 GMT -5
Very interesting link; the site of the pit is close to where i work, so of interest to me.
Was anything ever developed by the NCB/BC that could detect voids in the coal to prevent an inrush as happened at Lofthouse and other pits?
|
|
|
|
Post by John on Sept 9, 2012 13:02:38 GMT -5
Very interesting link; the site of the pit is close to where i work, so of interest to me. Was anything ever developed by the NCB/BC that could detect voids in the coal to prevent an inrush as happened at Lofthouse and other pits?
If you look at the old coal areas in the BGS's site, you can see where the NCB put lines of bores down to test for old workings and or water bearing strata that was suspected. Old Wollaton Colliery workings stopped well before the line of bores put down on the western limit of the take. No idea if they found anything though, but their are old workings to the west dating to the 18th century and earlier. |
|
|
|
Post by cortonwood on Sept 9, 2012 14:23:07 GMT -5
the ncb came up with a system to be used when working in areas where there were old workings suspected..i cant remember the exact lengths and angles but a couple of holes had to be bored straight ahead of the heading and a couple of holes from each side of the heading at varying angles..this practice came about as a direct result of the lofthouse disaster..
|
|
|
|
Post by Wheldale on Sept 9, 2012 14:44:51 GMT -5
When i worhed in south africa, if you where driving in virgin ground pilot holes were driven 20m in advance of the heading. I cant remember the angle but i think it was 20 degrees up and out at the top of the drivage and 20 degrees out and down at the bottom of the drivage.
|
|
|
|
Post by cortonwood on Sept 9, 2012 15:03:15 GMT -5
if I remember rightly there is a propper name given to the method.named after the bloke who devised it,,,i'll be chomping at the bit now till i can remember it.
|
|
|
|
Post by John on Sept 9, 2012 15:31:48 GMT -5
When i worhed in south africa, if you where driving in virgin ground pilot holes were driven 20m in advance of the heading. I cant remember the angle but i think it was 20 degrees up and out at the top of the drivage and 20 degrees out and down at the bottom of the drivage.
That's the problem with working new minerals in a country, there's no experience to rely on. At least there is a wealth of information available to the new potash mining company when they get started. |
|
|
|
Post by dazbt on Sept 9, 2012 15:37:02 GMT -5
if I remember rightly there is a propper name given to the method.named after the bloke who devised it,,,i'll be chomping at the bit now till i can remember it. Not Spichack was it? he was the guy who developed a monitoring system of water flow through forward boreholes to determine the estimated distance from expected water deposits. |
|
|
|
Post by tygwyn on Sept 9, 2012 15:52:20 GMT -5
Advance boring would have saved 4 lives in South Wales last year,coming up this weekend.
|
|
|
|
Post by John on Sept 10, 2012 7:06:59 GMT -5
Could small mines afford the added cost of the drilling rigs and teams necessary for this work?? I know life comes before profit, but this would add thousands to overheads.
Could well be the death knell for all those small operations if it was imposed on them.
At Boulby we just used the Secoma drill rigs used for drilling shot holes, but they were looking for gas pockets.
Probably one cheaper way for small mines could be driving to the end of the take, doing long hole drilling as they advance, and retreat on the take, still expensive though.
If it ever becomes mandatory, you'll see a lot of small mines sealing their drifts for good.
|
|
|
|
Post by Wheldale on Sept 10, 2012 13:03:20 GMT -5
What was the cause of Gleision? Were they illegally removing a barrier pillar, if so then advanced boring wouldnt have been carried out anyway or was it just a case of extreme bad luck being in the wrong place at the wrong time?
|
|
|
|
Post by tygwyn on Sept 10, 2012 13:35:36 GMT -5
They were driving an heading up through the coal,bore and fire,fill out on a connie
They were going through a 37m cautionary barrier,clearly marked as water logged workings the otherside.
It would have been mandatory,to have advance bored in a drivage in this situation.
Total neglect of safety.
|
|
|
|
Post by Wheldale on Sept 10, 2012 13:46:24 GMT -5
Didnt the owner survive? Has he been charged over it or is it still being investigated?
|
|
|
|
Post by tygwyn on Sept 10, 2012 15:02:26 GMT -5
Neither owner were underground,nor at the Colliery the day of the incident,
Some of the TV ,Radio reports were a load of nutse,
It was the Manager/Deputy that survived,the case is still pending,
The safety of them Men were in his hands,thats a lot to live with,when safety precautions were not adhered to.
|
|
Mick
Shotfirer.
Posts: 163
|
Post by Mick on Sept 25, 2012 5:35:12 GMT -5
The same day as the disaster we stopped cutting coal at Gomersal and are team were put on stand by if needed,also we started to drill holes in some of the gates to see if we had gone under or over any old workings.
I remember me dad and is mate put one hole in at the junction of blocking bed 6 and 11s and after about 20 yards of boring stright up they high some old would.
I went down into the Main East which had been closed for about 10 year but still had air running though the workings as it was only about 50 yards from pit bottom,we bored the main intake both sides for around a 100 yard and found alot of water at the same time about a mile from the pit a large hole appeared in a field.
After the hole was found there was never anymore coal got from Gomersal and it closed in 1973.
Mick.
|
|
|
|
Post by philford734 on Oct 13, 2012 9:05:30 GMT -5
With the referance to Small Mines And Advanced boreing.In the 80s I was at Coed Talon Colliery a small mine in North Wales.
We had a lot of old wokings in our area in other seams than the Stone Seam that we where working. There where however a number of shafts passing through the seam that we had to take care about.
Also the seam had some strikers levels coming towards our area of take that where driven in the 1926 strike.
We had to put a Scheme of Work ( Precautions Against Inrushes) to both the Mines Inspectorate and the NCB. for approval before we could comence working the mine.
The scheme was approved. We advanced our main dip drivage with a pattern of advanced boreholes 5 holes in all, 3 straight in front and 2 at 45degrees. The holes where 15 metres long and drilled every 3 metres advance.
We usualy drilled them with a coal drill useing extending twist drills. The drilling was done at the same time as we drilled our shot holes so there was minimal delay in face work.
If the drilling had been harder the we had a Victor E Type Drilling machine that could drill up to 150 ft if needed. None of the drilling equiptment was very expensive or hard to use.
We where fortunate that the old levels did not extend as far as our workings, we put a precautionary 38m boundry around the shafts.
After the mine closed the area of take was opencasted, this work showed that there was no problem with water from the old shafts and surrounding old workings. That was a supprise to me as all the time we where driving the main dip we had water coming in from the outcrop. A viable scheme of work is needed when old workings are known or suspected to be in the area that you are planning to work.
|
|
|
|
Post by cortonwood on Jan 11, 2014 15:30:27 GMT -5
The lofthouse disaster was on bbc yesterday on a programme narrated by Jeremy vine,they were re-uniting men and widows from the time and there was quite a bit of footage on
it was on bbc1 on a programme called real lives reunited,it should be available on the iplayer if you didn't catch it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Wheldale on Jan 11, 2014 15:32:37 GMT -5
I'll see if its on Iplayer, cheers!!
Just found it, its Real Lives Reunited. I'll see if I can download it.
|
|
|
|
Post by gadge on Jan 12, 2014 11:33:24 GMT -5
As far as I can recall ,and without digging out my old reg,s books ,regulations were put in place to avoid a repetition of lofthouse by requiring advanced drilling of boreholes and draining of old workings within 45 metres above or to the sides of any intended new workings .
We did this at newmillerdam pit when f22,s (an advancing face )was being developed ,it consisted of setting up a mini hydrac borer on the new faceline , boring up into the old winter seam workings and tapping off the water via a 21/2 " Victaulic pipe range into a Braithwaite tank in a stub heading and then being pumped out by a d12 mono pump . I remember the huge surge of water which even down a 21/2 "pipe soon overflowed the tank and overwhelmed the pump,and took a good few days to get under control
|
|
Mick
Shotfirer.
Posts: 163
|
Post by Mick on Jan 13, 2014 14:04:11 GMT -5
Just after and before the drift at Gomersal was filled in,they tried a new boring rig that was ment too cope with all the mud and fillings that they would have to deal with if there was another in rush of water like the one at Lofthouse.
I only know of one person alive that new anything about what came of it but i have no way of contacting him,also the last time i did see him he had just got over having a stroke.
Mick.
|
|
|
|
Post by gadge on Jan 14, 2014 9:48:33 GMT -5
Just after and before the drift at Gomersal was filled in,they tried a new boring rig that was ment too cope with all the mud and fillings that they would have to deal with if there was another in rush of water like the one at Lofthouse. I only know of one person alive that new anything about what came of it but i have no way of contacting him,also the last time i did see him he had just got over having a stroke. Mick. Mick I recall many years ago when I was in mines rescue team they showed us a picture of a machine made for the purpose of dealing with sludge and slurry which consisted of a large auger type screw attached to the body of the machine which I presume would draw the material along onto some sort of conveyor system , how it would have worked and what became of it is anyones guess But at Kinsley drift which was a very wet and muddy pit we had "sludge gulpers " which could suck up the material through a large suction hose and scattered up the gate or often behind "Wrigley " tins at the gate side |
|
