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Calendar
The Decline Of The Industry Continued
After Nationalisation 1947

Book 6
Chimneys
1992
1992 Pages   1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10  

1992 - Page 5


Records

During week ending 8th February 1992 Thoresby (Nottinghamshire) produced a total of 100,059 tonnes with 94,519 tonnes from Parkgate 140s retreat face. At the 1,100 manpower pit 157 strips and 25 miles of shearing working 2.3m thick Parkgate seam retreated 81.35m.

A National and European record was achieved also in Parkgate 144s Loader gate development drivage with 188.1m being achieved in the week. An advance of 212m, during week ending 14th March 1992, beat that record.

At Harworth the weekly output record reached 75,000 tonnes in week ending 7th March 1992, with Deep Soft 4s advancing face producing 52,025 tonnes, which was a National record. Again the investment into the pit was paying dividends.

On 14th March the face output record at Calverton reached 16,119 tonnes from High Hazles 46s and a weekly output record of 38,500 tonnes.

During 1991-1992 development drivages at Asfordby reached 7,890m for the year.
Also in March, Bilsthorpe record reached 27,500 tonnes with 16,215 tonnes from Parkgate 43s face.

Manton (Nottinghamshire) South Yorkshire Group produced 70,178 tonnes for the w.e. 7th March 1992 with 50,460 tonnes from one face, 43s Parkgate. The 795 men produced 14.94 tonnes o.m.s. Keith Jessup was the Manager.


Power Chief Visit

Again in March 1992 as at Ollerton, National Power Chief John Baker made an underground visit to 140s, the big hitter, 255m long retreat face at Thoresby accompanied by John Longden (9134) Director and Ken Fidler (10993) Manager of the mine. A press conference was held, however Mr Baker refused to give a firm promise that his company would continue to buy large amounts of Nottinghamshire coal.

Moorside (Swallows) (North Derbyshire) re-working Parkgate, abandoned 21/3/1992, surface level 424 ft (129.2m), 151 yards (138.3m), water level inset 100 yards (91.4m), Parkgate inset 80 yards (73.1m), Manager K Batty (Deputy’s certificate 3348), Surveyor J Carlow (6366).


Statistics

There were now 13 pits in Nottinghamshire in 1992, with a manpower of 12,000. By comparison there were 39 pits in 1962, with a manpower of 56,000. There were now 23 advancing faces and 8 retreat faces. In February the 12 collieries in Nottinghamshire averaged 5.18 tonnes a manshift, and in the first week in March smashed through the ‘magic’ 6 tonnes barrier at 6.33 tonnes a man and a week later at 6.34 tonnes, producing well above projected budget. (However the more modern mines at Selby produced a phenomenal 10.47 tonnes a manshift!)


More Records

Individual colliery daily results for retreat faces (Nottinghamshire):

  • Harworth Deep Soft 4s 4,984 tonnes a day
  • Annesley Bentinck Blackshale 85s 3,755 tonnes
  • Welbeck Deep Soft 211s 3,593 tonnes
  • Thoresby 123s 3,440 tonnes
  • Bevercotes Top Hard 9s 3,390 tonnes
  • Cotgrave Blackshale 72s 2,537 tonnes
  • Manton T43s 4,972 tonnes
  • Markham (Derbyshire) L44s 3,330 tonnes

By comparison H45s face at Wistow (Selby) produced a phenomenal 7,571 tonnes a day.

Drivage rates: Thoresby were top using a Dosco MD1100 in 144s Loader Gate advanced 290m in 13 days at 22.32m per day and 450m in 21 days at an average of 21.45m a day.

At Asfordby Deep Main 101s Main gate on square work advanced 262m in 23 days at an average of 11.39m a day using a Joy 12CM11.

For The First Time Ever There Were No Fatal Accidents
In Nottinghamshire, Year Ending 28th March 1992


Manpower Figures

  • Annesley Bentinck 703 underground / 155 on surface, 83 Officials and 42 WPIS (Weekly Paid Industrial Staff)
  • Asfordby 374/48, 40 Officials, 25 WPIS
  • Bevercotes 673/117, 87 Officials, 36 WPIS
  • Bilsthorpe 772/126, 77 Officials, 31 WPIS
  • Calverton 608/114, 73 Officials, 33 WPIS
  • Clipstone 813/116, 86 Officials, 42 WPIS
  • Cotgrave 496/75, 52 Officials, 27 WPIS
  • Harworth 992/134, 98 Officials, 46 WPIS
  • Ollerton 832/124, 80 Officials, 32 WPIS
  • Rufford 629/11, 80 Officials, 39 WPIS
  • Thoresby 996/135, 95 Officials, 42 WPIS
  • Welbeck 866/136, 105 Officials, 42 WPIS.

Service Centres Closed

Duckmanton and Swadlincote Mine Service Centres were closed. Bestwood Mine Service centre team, 50 strong with 3 different disciplines, power loaders, road headers and powered supports caters for any major breakdown all year round. Should there be a major problem at a pit many miles away skilled engineers could be on their way at short notice and could reach most collieries with a couple of hours. Service Manager Phil Shannon stated that the centre had a first class technical library that could help to diagnose and solve problems even over the phone. New for old parts that could be refurbished and used again saving thousands of pounds each time. Spare parts that were urgently needed by phoning through could be dispatched within 2 hours.


Booster Fan At Shirebrook

A new underground booster fan was commissioned at Shirebrook (Derbyshire)


Outputs

  • Annesley Bentinck 1,360,000 tonnes
  • Bevercotes produced its 5th and final one million tonnes for the year with a total of 1,270,000 tonnes
  • Bilsthorpe 873,200 tonnes
  • Calverton 860,000 tones (highest for 5 years, 872,911 tonnes in 1986-1987, 4 faces 1,423 men)
  • Clipstone 973,450 tonnes
  • Cotgrave 902,411 tonnes (highest for 4 years, 1,000,252 tonnes in 1987-88, 4 faces 1,417 men)
  • Creswell 301,637 tonnes
  • Gedling 302,500 tonnes
  • Harworth produced 1,976,600 tonnes
  • Ollerton produced a record 1,600,000 tonnes with 935 men, for 1991-92
  • Rufford 981,300 tonnes
  • Sherwood 822,700 tonnes
  • Silverhill produced a record 932,000 tonnes, and the magic million appeared to be within grasp for the first time in the following year
  • Thoresby 2,222,107 tonnes (fourth consecutive year over 2m tonnes)
  • Welbeck 1,573,900 tonnes
  • Tip coal reclaimed 2,810 tonnes.

NUM

Peter Heathfield, General Secretary of the NUM retired, and was not replaced.


Paddy Tipping
Paddy Tipping
MP for Sherwood

Parliament

Secretary of State for Energy, Tim Eggar (Con), 10th Apr 19921995, replaced John Wakeham.
Secretary of State for Environment, John Gummer (Con), 10th Apr 19921995.
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Michael Heseltine (Con) 10th Apr 1992-1995.
Tim Eggar MP (Con) the new Energy Minister visited Ollerton 32s face and then went to Rufford to visit a development heading...2 pits in one day (Nottinghamshire Group).

Paddy Tipping newly elected Labour MP for Sherwood accepted the position of being BACMs (British Association of Colliery Management’s) Parliamentary Consultant.


Golf Course On Old Hucknall Tip

The first seeds for a 71 par, 18 hole golf course of 130 acres were sown on Hucknall tip by President of the UDM Roy Lynk.


Manton Colliery Loco

In May 1992 there was British Rail naming ceremony of a locomotive ‘Manton Colliery’.

 

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