A Unique History From My Work Diaries

Surveying Jobs

No4 Sub-Area, No4 Area, East Midlands Division, NCB from 1st January 1947

Page - 23 -

Jan 1963

Ventilation Officer Cyril Ward transferred to Silverhill, Brian Stones, linesman at Sutton appointed as Ventilation Officer Teversal

Tues 1 … U/g ... Line check in new 5s DG and Timber snicket thirling … 2 men (RB*, DH)

Wed 2 … Office … 6 inch negs for C Skeavington.  Calculated and plotted 5s development.  Calculations and scaling tonnages for coal sterilisation.  Calculated new bearing for base R1 – 10D7 in old 10s LH (1 ft 6 in and 3 feet offsets).

Thurs 3 … Office … Continued calculating sterilised tonnages.  Pleasley adjacent workings

Fri 4 … Office … Inked in Pleasley adjacent workings and contours. M Returned plans to Pleasley.

Sat 5 … 7298 tons

Mon 7 … Office … Typing levels … Waterloo to date.

Tues 8 … Office … Typing levels … Dunsil to date.

Wed 9 … Checking levels and totalising columns.

Thurs 10 … Office … Continued with same.  Checking dial, theodolite and level notes.  Check calculated 120s LH survey.

Fri 11 … Office … Copied Dunsil and Waterloo monthly measurements to date.  Copied 120s LH theodolite survey notes.                                                            

Sat 12 … 9004 tons

Mon 14 … Office … Check scaled and check calculated sterilisation tonnages for 1962.  Ventilation book sketches and stencilling for Brian Stones new Ventilation Officer.  Colouring R & FF plans. Note … From C Skeavington … Scalings … not wanted!

Tues 15 … Office … Continued colouring R & FF plans.  Monthly book made out.

Wed 16 … Office … Calculated 2s RH theodolite survey.  Updated 1/5000 General Purpose negs.  3 prints to colour.

Thurs 17 … Office … Continued with same.  1 copy for Electrician and 1 copy for Ike Sutton PPM.  Reference number on Introduction of electricity neg and prints for 5s Waterloo.

Fri 18 … Office … Calculated 2s DG theodolite survey.  Coloured development plan for 4s Waterloo.

Sat 19 … 8594 tons

Mon 21 … Office … New Ventilation development plan for new 4s and connection to 3s.  Discuss Mr G Noble re same.

Tues 22 … Office … Tracing same.  Discuss same with Mr George Noble and Harry Coppell Undermanager.

Wed 23 … Office … Continued with same … ventilation, title etc.

Thurs 24 … Office … Typed Waterloo levels to date.  Copied Waterloo theodolite surveys and calculations to date.  Updated Group Manager Mr Jack Frith’s 1/5000 Composite tracing.

Thurs 24 … Annual meeting of Surveyor’s Association at Area HQ Huthwaite.

Fri 25 … Office … Sherwood Dunsil workings on 6 inch and dates on 6 inch flat sheets.

Sat 26 … (Cards +6s 4d total) - 6202 tons

Mon 28 … Office … Stippling all plans to date.  Alterations to 4s. Working ventilation development plan.  Prints and coloured.  Monthly book, reports etc.          

BACM Annual General Meeting

Tues 29 … Office … Coloured Ventilation development prints for 4s.  Updated surface neg.  Print for Electrician.  Area section sheets.

Wed 30 … Office … Sheets of face lengths for H Coppell Undermanager.  Updated his progress plans. Stippled 1/2500 plans and updated overlay tracings.

Wed 30 … EDP Lecture and films … South Normanton Welfare … evening.

Thurs 31 … Surface … Civil Defence Course week 5 at South Normanton offices … Qualified as a Radiac Officer and able to use an Opisometer to detect radio-activity in case of Atomic Warfare … Messrs McGregor and J Bramwell. We were issued with the thick pen like instrument and in the event of a ‘4 minute warning’ regarding a nuclear attack from the east I was supposed to observe the ‘pen’ and if it turned red at the end to inform the Manager and arrange for the men to come out and go home… It could never have worked!!!
Dennis Jackson transferred from Pleasley to Kirkby.  Keith Bingley transferred from Silverhill to Pleasley (Wrote a damning report to the Area Surveyor re the survey department at Silverhill!)

Feb 1963        
New single storey Offices, with showers and car park and rose beds and grass banks surrounding

Fri 1 … Surface … Moving equipment etc. from old Survey office to new Offices … plus 1 room for printing machine and tackle plus tea mashing. Moved into Office Changing Room / Showers.                                                                            
Sat 2 … 7984 tons

5 offices plus a Conference room with small windows down the side.

Mon 4 … Office … Moving plans and setting up new Filing system.

Tues 5 … Sorting out Concentration of water into the pit with Derek Harris Fire Officer.  Coloured H Coppell’s R & FF plan.

Front entrance to the left. Manager’s office to the fore.  Small windows shower rooms and WCs.  Survey office at the end right and print room next door is the large window in centre.  The offices would have a large car park to rear with grass banks and a special car parking spaces for certain members of staff and a couple for visitors to the side and also grass bank to front of building and all the building surrounded by rose trees.

Wed 6 … Office … Making new tracing showing concentration of water into the pit.

Thurs 7 … Office … Continued with same.  Made out survey book.

Fri 8 … U/g … 1s LH theodolite angling and catenary measuring … 4 men (RB*, DH, JS, CHS) 

Sat 9 … 8737 tons

Mon 11 …. Holiday

Tues 12 … Office … Calculated 1s LH theodolite survey. Completed Concentration of water into the pit plan.  Sorting out same with Dennis Pearson Enginewright and Derek Harris Fire Officer.

Wed 13 … Office … Mr McGregor, Area HQ, D Harris and D Pearson re same … Surface … Location of water ranges etc … 4 men (BTB, RB, Denis Pearson, Mech Eng plus Fire Officer, Derek Harris)

Thurs 14 … Office … Amendments to Ventilation negs. 6 inch Stone Dust Scheme negs

Fri 15 … U/g … Theodolite survey in 1s DG also Statutory survey.  Catenary measuring … 4 men (RB*, DH, JS, CHS)                                                               

Sat 16 … 9573 tons

Mon 18 … Calculated and plotted 1s theodolite and statutory survey. Copied theodolite surveys to date into Area folder.

Tues 19 … Office … Organised and set out new plan filing system.  Plotted 1s on 6 inch and 1/5000.  1s Waterloo overlay for Dunsil seam.  Copied dial notes and monthly figures to date.

Wed 20 … Office … Copied Waterloo theodolite surveys to date.  Names of Rescue Team on H Coppell’s R & FF plan.  Finished Stone Dust Scheme plans for Manager’s file.

Thurs 21 … Office … Stencilling Plan file titles.  Checking 120s turning point for topside

Fri 22 … Office … Checked 120s RH.  Plotting surface contours on 1/25000 tracing for showing cover over workings.                                                                      

Sat 23 … 8117 tons

During the week all 3 trepanners on 1s, 2s and 3s Waterloo broke down.  JA Wright CME came and Denis Pearson was sent to Wingfield Manor and Dougie Green from Wingfield Manor succeeded as Engineer. Denis was up the Dirt tip organising because the conveyor belt was broken. He was sent for and asked what he was doing … JA Wright added ‘We’re supposed to be turning coal not dirt’. Then Denis made the fatal error when asked by Jimmy Wright why he wasn’t down the pit, he replied … ‘Well them down there know more about the machines than I do’!   That statement sealed his fate ….  After he had gone George Noble was upset as he had no argument to offer.  Denis came down to our office later and his statement was … ‘Will be sad to leave here and I’ve only been in my nice new office a couple of weeks’.

Mon 25 … Office … Monthly book and made out new type of monthly report sheets for Manager’s perusal and now included depth of cover and grades etc.

Tues 26 … Office … Completed contours on 1/25000.  Updated overlay for 5s.

Wed 27 … Office … Updated 6 inch Composite plan. Getting dates etc off old 2 chains to 1 inch plan.  Completed 6 inch flat sheets.

Thurs 28 … U/g … 2s dial survey both gates and measurements … 4 men (RB*, DH, JS, CHS). Checked snicket thirling … 2 feet error ! … It was a shock. A Surveyor’s nightmare. Wrongly set out from a centre line in one gate and from an offset point at other gate … they fitted the doors o.k. … all thought it had been made like that and we never mentioned it. No-one ever found out. It was a good job that it wasn’t important. Bernard and me both made the same mistake although we had checked one another’s calculations, we had failed to notice the offset. Never ever made that mistake again and I always plotted thirlings on 1/500 scale after that.

Thurs 29 … Office … 2 notices for Jack Limmer, Manager’s Clerk.  Plotted 1s and 2s snicket on enlarged scale.

Mar 1963

Fri 1 … Office … Another notice for Jack Limmer.  Manager’s monthly report.
Polishing the drawing table.  Sorted out the snicket thirling re error in setting out. - (Cards +19s 6d)

Sat 2 … 9147 tons

Mon 4 … Office … Calculated and plotted 2s Statutory survey on 1/2500. Copied up Theodolite, Dial and monthly info to date.

Tues 5 … Office … Notice … Safety Year.  2s Waterloo Overlay tracing for Dunsil. 1/5000 and 6 inch flat sheets.  Contours and levels on 1s Overlay.

Wed 6 … Office … 1/5000 Composite negative to date.

Thurs 7 … Surface … to Sutton and Silverhill survey offices for working plans to date … (self RB*).  Office … Made up 1/5000 negative.

Fri 8 … Office … Other workings traced onto 1/25000 Progress negatives. Updated 6 inch to a mile plan in Area HQ Progress folder.                                        

Sat 9 … 10060 tons

Mon 11 … Surface … Sketch plan, Deputy’s Districts negs to date. Dust suppression points put on R & FF negs.  Check calculated 120s DG Check survey.

Tues 12 … Office … Check calculated old 10s closed traverse.  With Ike Sutton, PPM checked over conveyor installations. Diagrammatic sketch plan for same.

Wed 13 … U/g … 120s district dial survey and measurements … 4 men (RB*, DH, JS, CHS) - (655 + 30 u/g)

Thurs 14 … Office … Plotted 120s on 1/5000 and 6 inch. Checked all faults on old 60s for 120s (some were wrong) from Progress measurements etc.  Trimmed and put crosses on Accident plans (pit bottom).  Putting sections on plans by stencil.

Fri 15 … Office … Continued with same and 1s Waterloo plans … ½ day holiday.   

Sat 16 … 8839 tons

Mon 18 … Office … Finished off Conveyor diagram negative.  Plotted 10s on 1/5000 and 6 inch.  Updated 1/5000 Conveyor negative.  Notice for Manager … Breakdown on No2 winder.

Tues 19 … Office … Putting coal sections on plans and sorting through old Survey Books.

Wed 20 … Office … Continued with same.  Stippling plans.  Finished Top Hard Return Scour on all scales.

Thurs 21 … Office … Continued with coal sections on plans and stippling.

Fri 22 … Office … Checking through old survey notes for 10s and 60s North side Dunsil and found mistakes!!!

Sat 23 … 9352 tons

Mon 25 … Office … Checking info for old 60s and 10s Dunsil off 2 chains to an Inch (1/1584) Roll plan … some info wrong.  Made out monthly book

Tues 26 … Office … Made up Ventilation plans.  With C Skeavington checking through old survey notes for North Dunsil.  Plotted same on Roll plan

Wed 27 … Office … Overlay 43/4862 Waterloo.  Sections continued

Thurs 28 … Office … Sections stencilled on Standard mine plan sheets

Fri 29 … Office … Checking over old surveys for 32s, 33s, 117s, 68s.  Sorting through surveys books. Pencilled dates of headings missed off Standard mine plan sheets.  Plotting coal sections also. Filling in Monthly book.
(Cards +21s 11d total)                

Sat 30 … 8867 tons
George Blackburn first Cost Clerk since 1962 left March 31 … Derek Hunt Cost Clerk transferred from Cotes Park to Teversal from Mon 22 April 1963.

Apr 1963

Mon 1 … Office … Monthly figures etc.  Reports.  Figure adjustments to 5s Support Rules for Mr Noble. Progress plans to date. Updated C Skeavington’s ‘travelling’ 6 inch negatives  

Tues 2 … Office … Inking in dates and coal sections on Standard mine plan. Plotted 2s abandonment on 1/5000 and 6 inch scales. Checked offset distances for ripping across 2s face line.

Wed 3 … Office … Prints off Conveyor plan, Dust Zone negs. No2 winding system for Dougie Green Enginewright. Updated Pleasley adjacent workings and sent the tracing back

Thurs 4 … Office … Alterations to ‘stinker’ tracing for 5s Waterloo Support Rules, Amendments for Gullick chocks

Fri 5 … Holiday

7860 tons

Mon 8 … Office … Alterations and amendments to ‘stinker’ for 3s Waterloo Support Rules Dobson Double 2 / 3 leg chocks.   

Tues 9 … Office … Plotting out new Support Rules for Dunsil seam on 1/8 inch to 1 foot scale

Wed 10 … Office … Stencilling on Dunsil Support Rules plan

Thurs 11 … U/g … 3s LG theodolite angling and catenary measuring … 4 men (RB*, DH, JS, CHS)

Fri 12 and Mon 15 … Easter Holiday - 7757 tons

Tues 16 … Office … Progress plans to date.  Continued with Dunsil Support Rules … Surface … Dial survey and measurements of Dirt tips … 3 men (RB*, DH, JS)

Wed 17 … Office … Completed Dunsil Support Rules plan also with ‘Running gate’ tracing. Updated Mr Noble’s 1/5000 Composite plan.  Completed Waterloo Support Rules neg and prints off. Notice re ‘Large coal’

Thurs 18 … Office … Finished off same and 6 prints and coloured.  Sorting out Dirt tip plans … Surface … Checked position of hedge near Powder magazine … shown wrong on plan.  Wage agreements etc. from Billy Payne, Deputy

Fri 19 … Office … Made up Dirt tip tracings.  Stippling plans.  Monthly book   

Sat 20 … 6429 tons

In Charge … BT Bailey Holiday Mon 22 to Sat 27

Mon 22 … Office … Progress plans.  Copied all theodolite surveys to date

Tues 23 … U/g … 10s district levelling and taping and established BMs … 2 men (RB*, JS) … broke bubble accidently … Office … Calculating same. Plotted 5s RH.  Mr E Groves, Staff Manager rang to offer me the Estates department job … turned it down.  Inking in on Standard Mine plans

Wed 24 … Surface … Dial survey and measurements to fences etc. at far end of tip … 5 men (RB*, JC, DH, JS, CHS) … Office … Ron Garrett (Group Cost Accountant) re coal losses etc.

Thurs 25 … Office … Information and plotting Accident plan to J Gregory cutter 10s LH side benk.  Plotted surface survey.  Started plan of 5s etc showing all workings for HMI Senior District Mr Marshall.  14 prints of the accident.

Fri 26 … Office … Continued with same and completed and 3 prints coloured. Fixed surface survey on plan.  Monthly progress plotted for Dunsil seam.     (Cards +28s 0d total)           

Sat 27 … 9464 tons

Mon 29 … Office … Monthly figures, reports etc. and sections.

Tues 30 … Office … Fixing surface survey and alterations etc. to surface plans on 1/2500.  Reduced pit yard in part from 1/500 to 1/2500 and put on negatives

May 1963

Wed 1 … Office … Inking in workings on Standard mine plan sheets for Dunsil seam

Thurs 2 … Office … Continued with same and completed

Fri 3 … Office … Sorting out Mechanisation and Support Rule plans and installations.  Old face lines and dates extracted off 2 chains to an inch Roll plan for Dunsil 1/2500 plans.

Sat 4 … 8716 tons

Mon 6 … Office … Checked Mechanisation installations, dates etc. for C Skeavington office plans for opening and finishing seams.  Continued plotting face lines and dates etc.

Tues 7 … Office … 2 notices for Pithead Baths re price lists etc. Copied monthly information, measurements etc. into book.

Wed 8 … Office … Continued with Standard mine plans, dates, face lines, rib sides etc., check and replotting.  Made out survey book.

Thurs 9 … U/g … 1s DG check theodolite angling and catenary measuring … 5 men (RB*, JC, DH, JS, CHS)

Fri 10 … Office … Calculated 1s DG survey and check calculated 3s RH theodolite survey.

Sat 11 … 7786 tons

Mon 13 … U/g … 30s RH theodolite angling and catenary measuring and gate measures … 4 men (RB*, DH, JS, CHS) … Office … Calculated and plotted same on 1/2500 

Tues 14 … Office … Continued on 1/5000 and 6 inch scales.  Surface print coloured showing tarmac areas for Civil Engineers department.  Updated Conveyor diagram negative.

Wed 15 … Office … Information for conveyors and machines for putting on plans.  30s Progress negative.

Thurs 16 … Office … Completed Conveyor diagram, coal cutters and 1/5000 conveyor neg and prints. Dates on Waterloo 1/5000 flat sheets.

Fri 17 … Office … Monthly book. Copied calculations to date.                        

Sat 18 … 7971 tons

Mon 20 and Tues 21 … Sick

Wed 22 … Office … Notice for Teversal Welfare Band.  Overlay tracing for 1s Waterloo.  Progress negatives for 1s and 3s

Thurs 23 … Office … New 6 inch negative of Top Hard seam

Fri 24 … Office … Continued with same. Monthly book and figures etc.        

Sat 25 … 10664 tons

Mon 27 … Office … Monthly info etc, reports, sections etc.  Calculated and plotted 5s RH survey 

In charge … BTB Holiday Tues 28 May to Wed 12 June

Tues 28 … Office … Undermanager’s plans to date. Updated Electrician’s 1/5000 plan plus development

Wed 29 … Office … 1/5000 coloured print for Silverhill office

Thurs 30 … Office … Continued tracing Top Hard, 6 inch scale.  Discuss Undermanager development and discuss Mr G Noble re Waterloo supports.

Fri 31 … Office … Continued with plan. (Cards +36s 0d total)                     
Applied for Surveyor at Harworth No3 Area. No interview.  George H Jackson promoted to Group Surveyor and Des Thompson succeeded.

June 1963

Sat 1 … 9506 tons

Mon 3 … Whitsuntide Holiday

Tues 4 … Office … Progress plans.  Support plan started showing method of changing over from heading, hand filled to power loading. Checked 4s lines and 5s RH points.

Wed 5 … Office … Finished same and 7 prints coloured … Surface … With Dougie Green, Enginewright … Reconnaiscence of new slurry pond and outlet into culvert

Thurs 6 … U/g … 120s RH theodolite angling and catenary measuring … 3 men (RB*, DH, JS) - (660 + 30 u/g)
Thurs 6 … Office … Calculated and plotted same

Fri 7 … Office … Discuss Mr G Noble, Manager re supports etc.  Old levels put on Top Hard 6 inch to a mile plan and contoured same.  3s Subsidence figures.  Information for Reps from Dobsons, J Burrows and Cyril?

Sat 8 … 5470 tons

Pit Holidays Mon 10 to Sat 15

Mon 10 … Surface … Dial survey on Tip, Slurry ponds, culverts etc … Set out lines for Stockyard. Progress plans4 men (RB*, JC, JS, CHS)

Tues 11 … U/g … 2s DG and into 5s district theodolite angling … 4 men (RB*, JC, JS, CHS)

Wed 12 … Surface … Completed survey of Slurry ponds, measures to tub tracks in Pit yard and Saw mill … 4 men (RB*, JC, JS, CHS)

Thurs 13 … U/g … 5s dial survey, both gates and measurements … 4 men (RB, JC, JS, CHS)

Fri 14 … Office … Calculated and plotted 5s theodolite and Statutory survey and plotted tub tracks on surface print … Surface … Measured up tub tracks around No1 pit bank.         
Fri 21 … 7187 tons                         

Annual Leave 2 Weeks Mon 17 – Sat 29.   Trusthorpe

Applied for Middleton Broom post, Yorks.