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Post by micronconvoy on Dec 5, 2009 10:33:35 GMT -5
I joined this forum because I have a few questions about mining. I'm actually a writer who is working on a few stories that involve mining/miners and I wanted to ask a few questions about it.
First) who are the basic personal you would find in a mine? Besides the miners and the people who work the heavy machinery, who works in and around the mine.
Second) Do new people working in a mine have to prove themselves to the other workers? How would one prove themselves?
Third) Do you have any stories about new guys in the mine you'd be willing to share?
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Post by John on Dec 5, 2009 11:31:48 GMT -5
I joined this forum because I have a few questions about mining. I'm actually a writer who is working on a few stories that involve mining/miners and I wanted to ask a few questions about it. First) who are the basic personal you would find in a mine? Besides the miners and the people who work the heavy machinery, who works in and around the mine. Second) Do new people working in a mine have to prove themselves to the other workers? How would one prove themselves? Third) Do you have any stories about new guys in the mine you'd be willing to share? Your first question, are you after hard rock or coal mines?? Second question, no, no more than in a factory full of other people. Third request, have a read around the forum, plenty of stories on here, then have a look through the live links for sites suitable. Is this related to UK mining or overseas mining?? There's a lot of difference in the staff make up of UK mining both in hard rock and coal, and overseas staff make up again in hard rock and coal. Mostly due to coal mining having far tougher laws pertaining to safety. For example in UK collieries, all staff have to be certificated in management down to Shotfirer level, including Surveyors, Engineers, Electricians and Fitters. Where as in hardrock, only the Manager and Surveyor have to be certified under law.
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Post by micronconvoy on Dec 5, 2009 12:03:34 GMT -5
I'm actually looking more into Hard rock mining if that helps.
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Post by John on Dec 5, 2009 14:15:31 GMT -5
I'm actually looking more into Hard rock mining if that helps. Even that's a formidable task. I've worked in Gypsum and Potash in the UK, spent a couple of months in a tin mine in Tassie. Gypsum, we had a mine Manager, certified according to the M&Q Acts for miscellaneous mines, a Mine Foreman, equiv to an Under manager in coal mines, one Mine Foreman on each shift to examine the mine workings and sign the M&Q book. He was just an experienced miner who was made up. On the face we had a face chargehand and a roof scaler. That was mining side. Elec and Mech had a Forman in charge of all elecs and fitters, then several fitters and diesel fitters and a handfull of elecs. The Potash mine was run by a Manager who was also a company director, he had a BSc in mining, under him was various Managers, to cover development, production etc, all holding 2nd class certificates of competency, ie Under Managers certificates. Although there was no requirement under the M&Q Misc mines Act. Then we had four shifts, each had a Mining Shift Supervisor, all held 2nd class certificates, ie Under Manager's papers, again not required by law. Then various district supervisors, some held colliery Deputies papers, others just made up from the workforce. Elec and Mech Engineers were both ex colliery engineers, holding the relevant certificates and a BSc in their disciplines, again just company policy. Under them were experienced foremen, some from colliery backgrounds others from local industry. Then elec staff mainly comprised of ex colliery electricians with a few ex steelworks elecs, same on the fitting side. Miners at both mines were just men that applied to work for the companies and were trained on the job, some were experienced in mining, others totally "green" There were other mines around the UK, from lead in the Pennines, to copper and tin in Cornwall, not sure how either operated. Plus up until the early 1960's iron ore mines in North Yorkshire.
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Post by dazbt on Dec 6, 2009 18:07:09 GMT -5
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Post by John on Dec 6, 2009 20:07:57 GMT -5
Not that odd Daz, paraffin shale yields oil when heated in a retort! Just down the road from Angus Place Colliery where I worked, was the old pit, Kerosene Vale Colliery, named after the kerosene shale workings a few miles west of us, where the kerosene shales were worked in the late 1800's to early 1900's and refined into lamp oils and other products for the growing area. Do a Google of Newnes NSW. I think, not certain, the ones your on about were in Scotland??
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Post by dazbt on Dec 7, 2009 16:29:39 GMT -5
Not that odd Daz, paraffin shale yields oil when heated in a retort! Just down the road from Angus Place Colliery where I worked, was the old pit, Kerosene Vale Colliery, named after the kerosene shale workings a few miles west of us, where the kerosene shales were worked in the late 1800's to early 1900's and refined into lamp oils and other products for the growing area. Do a Google of Newnes NSW. I think, not certain, the ones your on about were in Scotland?? A bit nearer to your origin J, Riddings Colliery at Alfreton Derbyshire ............ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Young_(Scottish_chemist)
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Post by John on Dec 7, 2009 18:18:19 GMT -5
Not that odd Daz, paraffin shale yields oil when heated in a retort! Just down the road from Angus Place Colliery where I worked, was the old pit, Kerosene Vale Colliery, named after the kerosene shale workings a few miles west of us, where the kerosene shales were worked in the late 1800's to early 1900's and refined into lamp oils and other products for the growing area. Do a Google of Newnes NSW. I think, not certain, the ones your on about were in Scotland?? A bit nearer to your origin J, Riddings Colliery at Alfreton Derbyshire ............ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Young_(Scottish_chemist)Very close Daz, wasn't aware oil shales existed that close to Nottingham. I knew oil was pumped at Eakring, but that was crude not paraffin. I'll check the link out Daz thanks.
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Post by dazbt on Dec 10, 2009 17:55:33 GMT -5
Very close Daz, wasn't aware oil shales existed that close to Nottingham. I knew oil was pumped at Eakring, but that was crude not paraffin. I'll check the link out Daz thanks. The Parkgate Seam at Hickleton Colliery, South Yorkshire had faces where 'raw' oil bled from the roof in copious quantities. It's a long time since but I think one of faces was Parkgate 33s where the working conditions were as bad as any I've had the misfortune to have had to work in, around 36" extraction the seam was quite deep and in general the districts as hot as Hell, but water and oil poured from the roof throughout the face length, the resultant mixture was extremely acidic, literally burnt the skin off you and caused almost unbelievable levels of corrosion to machinery. A complete "Catch 22" situation, too warm to wear protective clothing such as oilskins, but if you didn't you were completely soaked and burnt to bits. The pit had the highest incidence of dermatitis cases in the NCB and because of the working temperatures, dehydration was considered so serious a risk that each miner had to undergo a fortnightly medical review and was issued with daily salt tablets. Medicated orange juice that contained "electrolytic salts" (?) was supplied on tap and a clean laundered supply of underwear and socks were provided on a daily basis some years before the national provision of laundered workwear. Yep we certainly did have oil up our way.
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Post by John on Dec 10, 2009 19:56:05 GMT -5
Very close Daz, wasn't aware oil shales existed that close to Nottingham. I knew oil was pumped at Eakring, but that was crude not paraffin. I'll check the link out Daz thanks. The Parkgate Seam at Hickleton Colliery, South Yorkshire had faces where 'raw' oil bled from the roof in copious quantities. It's a long time since but I think one of faces was Parkgate 33s where the working conditions were as bad as any I've had the misfortune to have had to work in, around 36" extraction the seam was quite deep and in general the districts as hot as Hell, but water and oil poured from the roof throughout the face length, the resultant mixture was extremely acidic, literally burnt the skin off you and caused almost unbelievable levels of corrosion to machinery. A complete "Catch 22" situation, too warm to wear protective clothing such as oilskins, but if you didn't you were completely soaked and burnt to bits. The pit had the highest incidence of dermatitis cases in the NCB and because of the working temperatures, dehydration was considered so serious a risk that each miner had to undergo a fortnightly medical review and was issued with daily salt tablets. Medicated orange juice that contained "electrolytic salts" (?) was supplied on tap and a clean laundered supply of underwear and socks were provided on a daily basis some years before the national provision of laundered workwear. Yep we certainly did have oil up our way. One of the blokes I worked with had come from Bevercotes Colliery, he told be it was a hot pit and they had oil seeping out if the seams, but that's in the Eakring area. He said they had drums of hand cleaner in the gate ends for the blokes to "degrease" themselves before leaving the districts. Must have been real uncomfortable!
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