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Post by sandromondo on Sept 28, 2007 8:52:24 GMT -5
I am writing to you from sunny Miami Beach Florida with respect to an ancestor of mine who worked in the pits in and around Ashington Northumberland. Incidentally I am not some lovelorn American looking up his ancestry in fact I was born at home in Sweethope Avenue, Ashington in 1962 as was my Mother. Now to my questions. It has been mentioned to me that either my Great, Great, Great Grandfather or greater invented Hambones the device used to attach and pull tubs as your glossary of miners terminology defines it. www.pitwork.net/defs.htm Of which he was paid the princely sum of 500 pounds. However I understand that this contraption was used thoughout collieries in the UK and even further afield. And he was never credited with the copyright and or patent (which I assume was beacuse of his mediocre education and his loyalty to the pit owners). His Surname was either Gardner or Main as neither of my living Uncles and Aunts seem to know what side of the family he was on. Perhaps you could forward this to your counterparts in your network links to ascertain the truth to this family legend or at least to shed some light upon it. Similarly if you would happen on a photograph of one that indeed would suffice. Thanking you in advance.
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Post by John on Sept 28, 2007 10:25:22 GMT -5
The only devices I recall to couple tubs and minecars together were chains or the same device as used in US railroads couplings. Lets see what the rest of the membership comes up with. Incidently I'm over in Missouri and there are a couple of other ex pats in the membership too..
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Post by John on Sept 28, 2007 14:57:24 GMT -5
Bill sent me this piccie of a "hambone" in use.
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Post by shropshirebloke on Feb 22, 2008 16:44:49 GMT -5
We had "clips" either a screwclamp that tightened two grooved blocks on to the rope via an eyebolt, or two plates with a lever. I vaguely remember them being called "snaps" as well. Mind you, we only used rope haulage for supply dans, mine cars for coal were moved by battery loco to and from the pit bottom to the loader, or by endless chain "spotting creepers".
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Post by linbylad on Feb 25, 2008 21:34:13 GMT -5
The second device you mentioned Shropshirebloke was called a smallman clip. I learned to use one during my initial training at Bestwood Colliery in the South Notts No. 6 area in 1956. I am pleased to say I never had to use again after this. Linby Lad
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Post by shropshirebloke on Feb 26, 2008 18:56:45 GMT -5
I've looked it up in my copy of "Practical Coal Mining" (the missus still believes me when I tell her that I'm going to slash our fuel bills - I have to justify the rapidly growing lamp collection somehow!) and yep, they were Smallman Clips.
"Snaps" still rings a bell after all these years, but then again, at Granville in the late seventies there were so many refugees from Yorkshire, South Wales, the North East, Scotland (including the world's smallest, most ginger haired, foulmouthed and misanthropic deputy) and elsewhere that the only way we could communicate was via a sort of pidgin English. The glowing exception, (except for us BBC accented Shropshire Lads) was Sid (short for Siddharta) Gupta, the only Indian-born deputy I've ever heard of in this country. A lovely bloke who it was a pleasure and an education to talk with, who sadly didn't live long enough to enjoy much of his well-earned retirement.
The afore-mentioned Hibernian midget was a particular trial - (screamed via the Tannoy) - "29's tailgate chain - get that ****ing thing moving" - "sorry, I can't *****, the main belt's standing, everything's standing as far as the 200 ton bunker (near the loader not far from pit bottom)". "I dinnae ****in' care, ya little English ****- start that ****in' chain". Eventually even my usually calm and easygoing (OK, compared with a resentful Lowland Scots midget) temperament snapped and very slowly and clearly I replied "what do you want me to do - peddle the ****ing thing?". There was no reply, but at the end of the shift I was warned that he was after my blood. Hanging up my caplamp I found a note telling me to report to the colliery undermanager's office. With some trepidation (OK, I was crapping myself) I knocked and was called in. Somehow the atmosphere didn't seem quite right - the gaffer seemed positively welcoming. "I suppose you know why I asked you to come here?" - "errr, well, I had a bit of a disagreement with *****, but" - "yes, he's reported you for swearing at him and failing to obey a reasonable request from a deputy" - "but" - "I heard it all over the Tannoy - he instructed you to carry out an impossible task and you only swore after extreme provocation, including a considerable amount of foul language on his part". At this point things were starting to look considerably brighter, and further improved when ***** was given a ticking off in front of me and informed that I had turned down the opportunity to make a complaint against him.
I don't want to sound like a bolshie bugger - most of our officials were grand blokes - but I'll never forget that angry little sod!!
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Post by shropshirebloke on Feb 26, 2008 19:10:52 GMT -5
...and returning to topic - not forgetting the ever popular (but I think illegal by then) few turns of chain around the rope. Locked solid under load, but fell apart when slack and given a few kicks with a steel toecap. You just hoped the signals were working if you were getting near the end of a haulage......
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Post by dazbt on Feb 27, 2008 18:39:46 GMT -5
...and returning to topic - not forgetting the ever popular (but I think illegal by then) few turns of chain around the rope. Locked solid under load, but fell apart when slack and given a few kicks with a steel toecap. You just hoped the signals were working if you were getting near the end of a haulage...... The infamous 'Backwaller' method, illegal since the 1960's, still used today.
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Post by tankies on Apr 23, 2008 13:41:56 GMT -5
the only clips I remember were star clips and smallman clips which we used to haul the tubs either by horse or rope
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Post by tankies on Apr 23, 2008 13:52:31 GMT -5
we had every nationality official at gedling,mainly poles though,one in particualr,who's name will remind you of a particular march from the north east way back when, we had a faulty swith in the loader gate,and if you pressed the reset button it killed the power right through the district,the said deputy had been making my life a misery,I made his a bloody misery this particular shift,no sooner had the machine started cutting,I hit the reset button stopping everything dead,he was up and down the face like a blue arsed fly,his knees were raw,he never found out who was doing it,I felt the satisfaction of making him suffer,errrrrrr sorry michael if you are still with us lol,D1's was the face
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Post by billsharp03 on Jul 15, 2008 7:09:06 GMT -5
Hambone clips were used throughout Northumberland on over- rope continuous endless rope haulages. The load tightened them and you whacked them with a piece of timber (designed specifically for the job) to release the grip on the rope. Many a finger was lost or damaged with this system.
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Post by John on Jul 15, 2008 8:15:28 GMT -5
we had every nationality official at gedling,mainly poles though,one in particualr,who's name will remind you of a particular march from the north east way back when, we had a faulty swith in the loader gate,and if you pressed the reset button it killed the power right through the district,the said deputy had been making my life a misery,I made his a bloody misery this particular shift,no sooner had the machine started cutting,I hit the reset button stopping everything dead,he was up and down the face like a blue arsed fly,his knees were raw,he never found out who was doing it,I felt the satisfaction of making him suffer,errrrrrr sorry michael if you are still with us lol,D1's was the face I missed this post! I recall Gedling was also known as the United Nations when speaking of pit nicknames.
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