A Unique History From My Work Diaries

Surveying Jobs

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

Page - 29 -

Jan 1966

Mick Cleaver left Sutton to Gold mine in Ghana, Gordon Ison succeeded and transferred from closed Shirland

Mon 3 … Office … Continued with Accident plan. Prints. Area HQ 6 inch negatives updated for C Skeavington, Group Surveyor. Contouring 10s panel.

Tues 4 … Office … Re-contouring 10s panel, extra info. New filing system for Reportable Accidents.

Wed 5 … Office … 10s Support Rules with a Running gate.  Stencilling amendments on Salvage plan for 1s and 2s.  Pleasley adjacent workings tracings.

Thurs 6 … U/g … Theodolite angling into 130s headings and checked new 150s DG and closed round 140s Cross Gate … 5 men (RB*JS, CHS, OH, AF) … Office … Calculating bearings etc.

Fri 7 … Office … Inked in Pleasley workings. Stippled plans. Began plotting 15s district on 1/500.                                                                                  
Sat 8 … 10007 tons

Mon 10 … U/g … Theodolite angling 130s and catenary measuring … Sections in headings … 5 men (RB*, JS, CHS, OH, AF) … Office … Copying survey into book.  Began calculating survey. (790 + 32 u/g)

Tues 11 … Office … 1/5000 Pumping plan for G Darrington, Group Planner.  Continued calculating 130s survey.  Plotted same. Calculated 130s levels and plotted.  Began copying levels.

Wed 12 … Office … New Pumping plan. Updated 1/5000 General Purpose negative. Prints. Completed copying levels.

Thurs 13 … Office … Updated 1/2500 plans for Don Burton, British Railways Surveyor.  R & FF 1/2500 negatives. Amended Ventilation plans for 7s.  Monthly book information.

Fri 14 … Office … Completed plotting 15s face. Amended Conveyor Line Diagram.  10s Overlay tracing. Plotted 10s panel on 1/500 scale. Updated 6s on 1/500.                    

Sat 15 … 9839 tons

Mon 17 … U/g … 6s RH theodolite angling and catenary measuring … 4 men (RB*, JS, CHS, OH) … Office … Calculating same for bearings etc. Copying into book. 

Tues 18 … U/g … 4s LH measuring and check taping … 4 men (RB*, JS, CHS, OH) … Office … Calculating bearings etc. Copying into book. 

Wed 19 … Office … Calculated 6s RH and 4s LH surveys. Discuss Mr G Noble re bunkers.

Thurs 20 … Office … Finishing off all checked surveys re amendments etc.  Mr G Noble, Manager re 4s Supports.  Typed all covers to date.

Fri 21 … Office … 4s Support Rules amended.  Monthly book.                    

Sat 22 … 10357 tons

Mon 24 … Office … Monthly reports, sections, yardages etc. Calculated and plotted 4s survey.

Tues 25 … Office … Plotted 4s and 5s on 6 inch and 1/5000 and drew new Waterloo boundary on 1/5000. Updated Overlay tracings. Updated Progress negatives. Notice for Sister Barbara.

Wed 26 … Office … Amending new 1/1250 surface negatives for reduction off 1/500 scale.

Thurs 27 … U/g … 130s headings and 150s dial surveys and measurements and spudding on old Top Hard South Level … for proposed bunker (BTB, RB, JS, CHS)

Fri 28 … Surface … with Frank Smith Fire Officer … R & FF information etc. (RB* plus 1) … Office … Plotted 6s and 10s on 1/500 scale. Checked over information on surface plan.

Sat 29 … 10939 tons
(Cards +3s 5d total)

Mon 31 … Office … Etching and stencilling on plastic tabs for Alan MacDiarmid Head Electrician.  Tuition to AF how to calculate theodolite surveys ... Copying levels.

Feb 1966

Tues 1 … U/g … Dial and offset survey from North Manrider Engine house along old Top Hard South Level re proposed bunker extension … 4 men (BTB, RB, JS, OH) plus Gordon Darrington and Colin Dooley … Office … Plotted sme on 10 feet to 1 inch.

Wed 2 … Office … Calculated and plotted section etc. of Top Hard South Level.  Salvage negatives to date. Information re 4s chocks, DPT.  Began inking in Top Hard section after discussion with Gordon Darrington, Planner.

Thurs 3 … Office … Continued with Top Hard South Level plan. Copying levels. Plotting section along existing bunker run.

Fri 4 … Office … Continued with bunker plan then discussion with Mr G Noble and Mr R Gregory Group Manager re bunker in 60s DG. Copying levels. Plotted 6s and 10s on 1/500. Discuss bunkers with Colin Dooley. 

Sat 5 … 7748 tons

Mon 7 … U/g … Offset survey and levelling along 200 yards 60s DG proposed bunker … 5 men (RB*, JS, CHS, OH, AF) … Office … Plotting same - (785 + 32 u/g)

Tues 8 … Office … Plotting levels and additions on Pit Bottom 1/2500 and 1/500. Information to W Sterland re 4s. Inking in plan and section of 60s DG on 10 feet to an inch scale.

Wed 9 … Office … Surface R &FF negatives to date and information.  Temporarily amended 1/2500 R & FF neatives. Continued amending 1/1250 surface negatives.

Thurs 10 … Office … Tub tracks plotted on Surface negative. Print of same. Altered Surface R & FF information on negative, Prints off same.

Fri 11 … Holiday  9163 tons
Sick, Gastric Flu 9666 tons

Sat 12 … 10220 tons
David Franks (DF) started as a Linesman Mon Feb 14                                       

Mon 28 … Office … Monthly reports etc., sections etc.

Mar 1966

Tues 1 … U/g … Dial survey and measurements 6s LG and 6s RH handfilled face … 4 men (RB* JS, CHS, OH) … Office … Calculated and plotted same.

Wed 2 … Office … Salvage negatives to date. Plan for John Weston, Cost Clerk to date. Plotted 6s and 10s on 1/5000 and 6 inch scales.  With Stan Brunskill, Geologist and Ken Brettle Boremaster re boring in 5s DG to old Dunsil workings of 1928, from 19th ult.

Thurs 3 … Office … Updated contours on 1/5000 qnd 6 inch plans. Updated General Purpose 1/5000 negative. Amended Ventilation plans for 7s and 130s. Updated Stone Dust Scheme negatives.

Fri 4 … Office … Amended 1/5000 R & FF plans. Copying levels. Amended 1/2500 R & FF negatives.     
(Cards +4s 2d total)                                                    

Sat 5 … 10706 tons

Mon7 … Office … Copying levels, Dunsil to date also Waterloo to date. Work on old plans from Divisional HQ, Mining Records, by Percy Hett, via Clary Skeavington, Group Surveyor and Teversal Top Hard Abandonment section

Tues 8 … U/g … Theodolite survey and catenary measuring 4s DG … 5 men (RB*, AF, JS, CHS, OH) … Copying same.

Wed 9 … Office … Calculated and plotted 4s DG survey. Copy of old plan brought by C Skeavington from Divisional HQ

Thurs 10 … Office … 10s Overlay tracing. Updated 10s survey.  Preparation work for Yearly Scaling tracings. Work completed on old plans ready to return to Mining Records Office at Divisional HQ.

Fri 11 … Office … Copying theodolite surveys to date into Area HQ Ledger. Checking 15s plottings. Updated 10s and 6s on 1/500 scale.                                   

Sat 12 … 9135 tons

Mon 14 … Office … Work on old plan. Stencilling on flat sheets

Tues 15 … Surface … Tacheometric survey of coal stocks at old Britain Colliery near Ripley … 4 men (RB*, Harry Nelson, David Martlew and Colin Deakin) … Jerry Hancock Group Surveyor. Again I was chosen to lead a group because of my expertise …. ! Did it in half the time expected.

Wed 16 … Office … Calculating and plotting survey of the 2 heaps of coal on 1/500.  Contouring same.

Thurs 17 … Office … Continued with coal stocks and calculating same.

Fri 18 … Office … Continued. Recalculated areas etc. with C Skeavington, Group Surveyor. Plotted 6s and 10s on 1/500.                                                                 

Sat 19 … 10810 tons

Mon 21 … Office … Updated Manager’s and Area HQ Progress plans. Measuring area of tip No5 re coal stocks with planimeter. Calculating tonnage.

Tues 22 … U/g … Theodolite survey and catenary measuring from South Main Road into 7s RH and 7s DG … 6 men (BTB, RB, AF, CHS, JS, OH)

Wed 23 … Office … Calculated cu. ft. totals inclusive for coal stocks. Amended Top Hard 2 chains to an inch plan (EM158 … 24/8/1954) and new Abandonment tracing re Scouring and Drift to shaft.  Made out monthly book.

Thurs 24 … Office … Calculating 7s theodolite survey and plotted same.

Fri 25 … Office … Monthly book etc. Plotted 10s, 15s and 6s on 1/500.  Amendment to Abandonment negative EM158 of Top Hard additions brought back by C Skeavington from Arthur Morley Area Chief Surveyor ready for approval by HMI.                  

Sat 26 … 9352 tons
Output 1965 – 1966 = 446,079 tons

Mon 28 … Office … Monthly reports, sections, face lengths etc.  Scaling tracings updated.

Tues 29 … Office … Calculating Rating Assessments from Scaling tracings. 6 inch plans updated.

Wed 30 … Office … Continued with same.  Check calculated yearly tonnage.  Updated Ventilation negatives and 1/2500 R & FF negatives.

Thurs 31 … Office … 1/5000 R & FF negatives to date and Dust Zones negative and amendments to both.

Apr 1966

Jim Sterland (JS) left, promoted to Newstead as Supervisory Linesman. He would transfer to Bevercotes then later to Dosco Hollybank as a Rep.

Jimmy Sterland’s claim to fame was when he couldn’t get his car to start one morning to go to work. He lived at Huthwaite, so he borrowed his father’s Ferguson tractor and upon reaching work parked it outside the office block quickly in the only vacant space and ran to the time office to clock on, then got changed and went down the pit, but unfortunately he had parked it in the manager’s car space. The manager George Noble was perplexed when he arrived some few minutes later and had to park his car in the general car park as all the office car park spaces were occupied. All day George was trying to find out who the culprit was. It was only at knockoff that Jimmy clocked off and then proceeded to start the tractor. It made such a racket that the manager heard it and came out of his office only to see Jimmy driving away down the pit lane. Well next day you could imagine, Jimmy got a right telling off. However some time later George Noble admitted to us that he did see the funny side of the situation.

No5 Area East Midlands Division disbanded … pits transferred to other Areas

Fri 1 … Office … Updated Ventilation prints and prints off Ventilation section 3.  Pithead Sketch plan and Deputy’s Districts.  Amended Salvage negatives.      
(Cards +12s 6d total)  

Sat 2 … 11143 tons

Mon 4 … Holiday … Annual Leave

Tues 5 … Office … Area HQ 6 inch negatives. Pleasley adjacent workings exchange tracings.  Sorting out Ratings on to Area HQ sheet.  Plotted 5s on 6 inch and 1/5000.

Wed 6 … U/g … 4s dial survey and measurements and picked up face swilley, coal left up etc. … 5 men (RB*, JS, CHS, OH, DF, AF) … Office … Began calculating survey.

Thurs 7 … Office … Updated 4s and 7s on 1/5000 and 6 inch. Calculated and plotted 4s on 1/2500.  Updated 4s, 5s and 7s Overlay tracings.

Fri 8 … Office 1/2500 R & FF negatives and information to date.                

Sat 9 … 11104 tons

In Charge BTB Holiday Mon 11 – Sat 2
Mon 11 and Tues 12 Easter Holiday

Wed 13 … Office … Made up Progress plans.  4s and 5s on 1/500 scale.  Discuss Harry Coppell, Undermanager re development.

Thurs 14 … U/g … Established lines in 7s RH and 6s RH … 4 men (RB*, CHS, OH, DF) … Office … Calculated and plotted same. - (790 + 32 u/g)

Fri 15 … Office … Began new Progress negative for 8s.  Discuss Mr G Noble, Manager, Mr R Gregory Group Manager, George Petts, Mechanisation department re possibility of mechanising 150s proposed panel off 130s headings.

Sat 16 … 6421 tons

Mon 18 … Office … Progress plans to date. Plotted gradient up 130s headings. Information together re Railway claim for damages.

Tues 19 … U/g … Lines in 10s LH, 10s DG and 7s DG and 1in3 drift line … 5 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH, DF) … Office … Information for stats re face lengths, conveyors etc.

Wed 20 … U/g … 5s RH lines, 5s progress and face thirling measures and centre line and grade line in North Manrider drift … 2 men (RB*, CHS) … Office … Plotting same.  Amended R & FF plans for C Skeavington for Rescue Station. 

Thurs 21 … Office … Sorting out 5s location of broken electric cable in Teversal Village for C Skeavington. Plotted same.  Monthly book.  Checking R & FF plans. Amended same for 5s face thirling. Amended Ventilation plans.

Fri 22 … Office … Changed Manager’s R & FF plans. Plotted 10s and 6s on 1/500. Rechecking 5s plan on 1/500 scale. Progress negatives to date and prints up to date also. Area HQ Progress plans updated. 

Sat 23 … 10561 tons

Mon 25 … Office … Monthly reports, sections, face lengths etc.

Tues 26 … Office … Completed reports etc. Inserted new Progress plan in Office folder. Updated 1/5000 General Purpose negative. Updated Cost Clerk’s plan. Plans changed over … Standard mine plans into a fireproof steel cabinet.

Wed 27 … Office … Coloured 3 copies of General Purpose plan, 1 for Deployment Centre, 1 for Alan MacDiarmid, Electrical Engineer and 1 for Dougie Green, Mechanical Engineer.  Discuss Clowne seam project with Mr G Noble, D Green and G Darrington. 2 prints of surface showing position for Mobile Laboratory in case of emergency.

Thurs 28 … Colouring 2 prints showing location of Mobile Laboratory for Area Scientist. Made up information on 1/2500 R & FF negatives.

Fri 29 … Office … Continued with 8s new Progress negative.  Tonnage charts.  Made up 10s and 6s on 1/500 scale.
(Cards + 18s 0d total)                                 

Sat 30 … 10524 tons

May 1966

Sun 1 May … Very hot 80 degrees F

Mon 2 … Office … Checked 130s gradient from survey notes. Completed 8s Progress negative.

Mon 2 … Surface … Dirt tip survey … 6 men (BTB, RB, AF, CHS, OH, DF)

Tues 3 … Surface … Survey of new slurry ponds at top of tip, and Teversal Wash box slurry ponds … 6 men (BTB, RB, AF, CHS, OH, DF)

Wed 4 … U/g … Theodolite angling and catenary measuring in 7s RH … 5 men (BTB, RB, CHS, OH, DF) … checking and adjusting lines.

Thurs 5 … Plotted far end of dirt tip on 1/2500.  Notice.

Fri 6 … Office … Plan.  Dirt tip tracing made up to date with present surveys.       

Sat 7 … 10974 tons

Mon 9 … Office … Plotting and inking in 1/1250 Dirt tip negative.  Calculated levels on the tip.

Tues 10 … Surface … Survey of two slurry ponds and part of the big tip and trig levelling … 5 men (BTB, RB, CHS, OH, DF)

Wed 11 … Office … Plotting Dirt tip surveys on 1/2500 scale.

Thurs 12 … Office … Inking in Dirt tip plan.  Copying levels.

Fri 13 … Office … Copying Waterloo levels up to date.  Calculated and plotted levels on the Dirt tips.

Sat 14 … 10920 tons

Mon 16 … Surface … continued with survey of dirt tip … 5 men (BTB, RB, AF, CHS, DF)… Office … Began plotting same. Area HQ Progress plans

Tues 17 … U/g … Dial survey and measurements 15s district and 10s RH … 3 men (RB*, AF, OH) … Office … Finished off plotting Dirt tip survey.  Calculated 15s survey.

Wed 18 … Office … Plotted 15s survey. Inking in Dirt tip surveys on 1/2500 negative. Calculated levels on the tip. Plotting levels … Surface … to Silverhill … to say cheerio to Geoff Austin, leaving.

Thurs 19 … Calculating and plotting levels on tip plan. My best friend Ralph Simpson (since 1947) called in for a chat (Group Cost Clerk Swanwick).

Fri 20 …Office … Plotted 10s and 15s on 1/5000 and 6 inch scales. 10s Overlay tracing for Waterloo. Checking over Alf Fletcher’s levelling of 5s RH. Plotted 15s on 1/500.  Monthly book.

Sat 21 … 11924 tons

Mon 23 … Office … Monthly reports, face lengths etc. Plotted 6s and 10s on 1/500 scale.

Tues 24 … U/g … Theodolite angling and catenary measuring in 6s DG … 5 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH, DF) … Office … Sketching out notices for G Noble - (795 + 32 u/g)

Wed 25 … Office … Continued with notices for Mr G Noble. Stencilling dates on X-ray posters.

Thurs 26 … Office … Calculated and plotted 6s DG theodolite survey.  Plotted Teversal Church pillar on Waterloo plans. Plotted sections on Waterloo sheets.  Updated Cost Clerk’s 1/5000 plan.

Fri 27 … Office … Replotted 15s survey and cleaned the sheet.  Calculated and plotted 6s Statutory survey for June 1.      (Cards +24s 11d total)

Sat 28 … 12841 tons
Geoff Austin, Assistant to A Jim Hanson left Silverhill to RST Copper mines in Zambia

Mon 30 … Holiday Whitsuntide
Tues 31 May and Wed June 1 … Colliery Rest Days

June 1966

Thurs 2 … Surface … Continued with Dirt tip survey and fare end slurry ponds … 6 men (BTB, RB, AF, CHS, OH, DF) and in the afternoon … Survey of Pit Lane ponds … 5 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH, DF)

Fri 3 … Office … Plotting and inking in 1/2500 Dirt tip plan. Calculating levels on the Dirt tip.  

Sat 4 … 4020 tons

Mon 6 … Surface … continued with survey of old dirt tip and coal stocks … 4 men (RB*, AF, CHS, DF)

Tues 7 … U/g … Dial survey and measurements for 5s panel and setting out new 8s LH …4 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH) … Office … Calculated and plotted 5s … Surface … Marking out lines in Car Park.

Wed 8 … Office … Plotted 5s, 6s and 7s on 1/5000 and 6 inch.  Continued plotting dirt tips and coal stocks. 
1/5000 general Purpose plan for Jim Searson, Special duties Safety Officer.

Thurs 9 … Office … Marking out continued and Painting white lines in Car Park.

Fri 10 … Office … Inking in surface surveys on 1/2500 Surface negative.  Continued painting lines in Car Park. 

Sat 11 … 11122 tons

Mon 13 … Surface … continued with survey of old dirt tip top … 4 men (RB*, CHS, OH, DF)

Tues 14 … Office … Plotted surface survey and inked in on negative … Surface … in afternoon …Finished survey of Slurry ponds etc. around Cooper’s Shaft … 5 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH, DF) … Office … Began plotting same.

Wed 15 … Office … Plotting surface surveys and inking in on negative.  Calculating levels on Dirt tips.

Thurs 16 … Surface … with Billy Lowe, Assistant Mech Engr locating water pipes (RB* plus 1)

Thurs 16  Mobile Xray unit (from New Hucknall) - 10669 tons

At the NUM Gala Day at Berry Hill Park, Bernard and myself were on duty displaying survey equipment in a small Marquee.

Annual Leave 2 Weeks Mon 20 – Sat July 2 - Devon & Cornwall
10466 tons