P4- 2006- Bob Bradley

2006 - Page 4

Harworth In Limbo

- Continued -

UK Coal piloted the Substance Abuse Policy at Harworth (and Orgreave Reclamation site) since 1st November 2002. Following training of people and consultation with the unions it was to be implemented at all other UK Coal sites as from 10th March 2003.

During the summer of 2004 over 200 men and management staff experienced new features of the pit’s Safety Day when the wearing of the self-rescuer underground based on the yearly refresher course held on the surface, showed that it was very different when worn at 900m deep in humid conditions. Practical fire fighting using fire hoses was also incorporated as well as a session on roof-bolting, lifting tackle etc finishing off at the end of the day with an open forum.

With the announced closure of Welbeck in February 2005, some of the younger miners there were offered jobs at Harworth, however Welbeck pit was reprieved and would close in May 2010. The men at Harworth were now on a salary of around £29,500 p.a. working a mixture of shift hours from 7 up on 4 shifts with 4 shifts on and 4 off. Overtime was to be paid extra. The idea was to increase the available machine working time to 120 hours with 20 hours for maintenance being done first to avoid any major downtime delays. The plan was to increase production from 1.6m tonnes per year to 2.2m tonnes with the pit making a profit and bonus payments to be paid quarterly, based on the profitability of the mine.

Coal production stopped on the only Deep Soft working panel in February 2005 with up to 60% methane in the general body of the air stream when a gas blower was experienced, even though methane bore holes were drilled up and down (to relieve gas from the Deep Hard seam) and double 16” (0.40m) dia gas pipes to exhaust the methane were in the gate. On the salvage district only about 2m/sec airflow along with a temperature of over 40°C (104°F) made working conditions diabolical. The gas situation was brought under control and coaling recommenced after about 3 or 4 weeks, albeit very steadily, nowhere near the production expected and obviously the pit was losing a great deal of money because the men were still being paid on their 4 shift system.

Extreme care and constant checking for the presence of gas by the Deputy in charge of the men as well as the extra form filling for each job is putting further pressure on the Under officials, and under new conditions of employment Deputies were placed on monthly pay of around £2,000. 40 Under officials were employed, however any overtime would not be paid and days off in lieu were to be taken.

14s Deep Soft the first retreat panel and with 3 gates, 2 intakes and one return due to the gas problem, all fully bolted gave excellent results from the 250m long 2.5m thick seam, however 6s Deep Soft conventional advancing panel which started in May 1995 was dubbed ‘the district from hell’ as men suffered from heat exhaustion and heat stroke and it was designated that anyone with any medical problem was not to be allowed on the district. Vast amounts of water were drunk by the miners as in the past for now the temperature was well over 30°C. It was decided to reverse the airflow to homotropal and this was completed by 14th Oct 1995. Because of the huge amount of gas 2 x 8” (0.20m) dia horizontal boreholes in the seam were attempted across 165m but they failed so a cross slit 2m high x 1.2m wide was driven instead and 2 methane drainage pipes installed after the thirling in Jan 1996. However a world record of 52,025 tonnes was produced from 4s Deep Soft advancing face in March 1992. It shattered the year old record held by Welbeck by 9,000 tonnes. It was helped by shearing over 2,500metres (1.55 miles) in one shift or 10 cuts and 64m advance in the week with a 400hp BJD Ace ranging drum shearer and Meco International heavy duty 4x410 forward walkway supports. The Manager Bob Robson (10995) treated all 3 teams of men to a champagne breakfast. Unfortunately severe crush and floor heave reduced the gate height to 4’ 0” (1.22m) outbye. 2 new main fans and 2 new booster fans were installed during the year. Around £80m had been invested in the pit in the previous 10 years.

Severe floor heave in the Deep Soft roadways of 30s panel resulted in repair work being affected by using an 11m long electric cable-reel shuttle car to carry the extracted 4 feet (1.2m) of dint in the 1,385 yards (1,265m) long North Loco road. Up to 33 yards (30m) a day was achieved by the MD1100 road header. A further problem arose when the stage loader became fast under roof weight on the retreat face and production was stood down for about 3 weeks in July / August 2005 whilst about 33 yards (30m) of re-ripping was done. The face then began coaling again but very slowly.

A plan to re-enter the Barnsley seam by drifting back up from the Deep Soft could save the pit. The cross-measure drivages would be in the region of 1,095 yards (1,000m) long, but would open up an area of coal to last many years as Harworth has the biggest reserves of coal (on paper) in the country. It would require around 4,920 yards (4,500m) of roadway drivage though to get the first face away in about 3 years time. Meanwhile a decision whether to sink a second borehole to relieve pressure of the vast amount of methane was still awaited at August 2005, and some men were transferred to other collieries. The future was again bleak for the colliery as it had been several times before in its history. Breakdowns continued whether it was conveyors or cutting machines, again proving that a one face pit is very vulnerable.

Men transferred from Harworth during Summer of 2005 to Thoresby and Daw Mill. Night shift security had to be increased to prevent dare devil youngsters trespassing on the site in the dark and riding surface conveyors. 300 men were given redundancy notices when it was announced that the colliery was to close. The output from 30s Deep Soft face some 320m long and 2.2m high had slumped to 16,000 tonnes per week from a high of 32,000 tonnes due to a swilley running 50m along the face line. The face side was supported by mega strands and truss bolting and fast setting polyurethane resin was injected into the strata every 2m.

However severe weighting was experienced yet again with the stage loader becoming fast as before and production was halted, but this time it was decided to halt all production at the mine including 2 development headings for 32s and mothball the pit at the end of September 2006 with only a skeleton staff to recover the valuable face supports and keep the pit safe until it could possibly be re-opened. Men who wanted to remain in the industry were offered jobs at the remaining pits run by UK Coal, the rest of the men being made redundant.

Barnsley seam panels: There was a great problem getting away from the pit bottom area because half a dozen different districts were begun in several directions but failed after short distances.

Pit bottom Stalls Sep 1927

3s district Stalls Nov 1926 30/6/27, spin, - 27/10/30, shortening down; Stalls Nov 1926 Sep 1928 and 22/3/30
5s district Stalls Nov 1926 -22/1/32
2s district Stalls 9/4/27 and Sep 1928 27/10/28

Pit bottom Stalls Sep 1927 Mar 1929

1s district Sep 1927 Stalls fan out 9/2/33
50s Jan 1933 31/3/34

Stalls fan out Sep 1928

5s Dec 1928 4/10/30
7s June 1930 25/8/31 and 22/1/32

East Pit bottom Stalls fan out Sep 1931 22/1/32; Stalls 18/7/32

West Pit bottom Stalls 6/32

7s district Stalls 14/3/31, 3/10/31, 21/11/31 and 23/1/32
7s 6/5/33
? Nov 1932 23/3/35
6s Mar 1933 19/9/36
? Dec 1933 -
? Oct 1934 -
? 28/9/35
? 28/10/35
? 4/1/36
? 4/1/36
? 25/7/36
? Sep 1935 18/9/41
6s Oct 1939 2/11/40
? 7/9/40
7s Nov 1940 1/6/40
16s June 1941 -
3s 24/5/43
3s 22/9/45 and 4s re-open 90 to right Sep 1945 Dec 47, re-open 3s -
6s Dec 1945 4/12/48
8s Nov 1945 5/12/53
5s June 1946 -
4s June 1946 -
? July 1946, shorten to Sep 1946
North spread 11/9/4
4s June 1947 -
6s 4/12/48
5s June 1947 -
9s Dec 1947 9/5/53
? 17/7/48
46s Sep 1948 -
1s Sep 1949 11/2/55
10s June 1949 13/6/53
7s 13/5/50
6s June 1950 10/5/52
5s June 1950 -
3s 11/8/51
7s June 1951 26/3/54
3s Sep 1951 15/8/53
6s Dec 1951 4/7/53
2s 16/1/51
2s June 1951 5/2/55
2s 21/11/53 (Div boundary)
4s June 1952 -
11s June 1952 18/1/55
12s 1952 11/5/57
15s Sep 1953 - turn left 15/2/58
9s double unit Sep 1953 21/7/56 and 24/11/56
1sA Mar 1955 14/8/55
24s June 1955 June 1957
30s Dec 1953 11/3/57
? 6/1954 14/3/55
10s Nov 1954 12/4/58
2s / 3s double unit 1952/53 2s stop 5/2/55, 3s stop 15/3/55 at Divisional boundary dated 25/8/59
5s Mar 1955 13/8/55 double unit
6s Mar 1955 -
7s June 1955 19/8/58
33s Mar/June 1956 15/9/62
8s Sep 1956 21/12/57
51s Sep 1956 -
50s Sep 1956 31/12/59
20s June 1957 6/9/58
25s Mar/June 1957 15/11/58
16s Dec 1957 17/2/61
51s 15/11/58, restart Mar 1959 12/7/60 (ditto)
51s 15/11/58
2s Sep 1958, turn 1959 -
19s Dec 1959 8/9/62
11s 6/10/60
52s June 1960 25/8/62
14s Sep 1960 19/5/62
17s 25/11/60
18s Dec 1960 27/7/64
53s July 1962 -
71s June 1962 14/10/67
34s Sep 1962 spin, - 17/765
54s Sep 1964 12/8/67
20s Oct 1964 12/8/67
56s Sep 1965 -
53s 3/4/65 (Divisional boundary to Rossington adjacent)
2s 31/3/66, slow work 1966
75s Sep 1967 21/11/70
70s Sep 1961 30/6/67
72s Mar 1967 31/3/67
57s Sep 1968 30/9/69
74s Mar 1969 29/5/70
22s June 1970 16/10/73
55s 4/1/71 (Rossington workings adjacent)
76s Dec 1970 2/11/74, slow from June
76s Dec 1970 2/11/74, slow work
60s Dec 1970 15/12/71
64s Dec 1971 21/8/73
59s June 1973 20/2/76
77s Dec 1973 10/12/77, slow all 1977
80s Sep 1975 2/9/77
61s Retreat Mar 1976 31/10/77
90s Sep 1977 6/10/79
65s -20/10/79
82s June 1978 23/9/80
78s June 1979 14/3/81
63s Dec 79 25/2/82 (Maltby workings adjacent)
84s Sep 1980 12/2/83
86s Jan 1983 - 19/10/1984. Seam abandoned.