A Unique History From My Work Diaries

Surveying Jobs

North Nottinghamshire Area from April 1967

Page - 33 -

Jan 1968

Thurs 4 … Office … 6 inch (1/10560) Area HQ tracings and returned same. Manager’s progress plans etc. Monthly book and information. Plan for Horace Henshaw, Deputy Manager re 8s face. Information for Ron Wood, Undermanager.  Assisting Stefan Daft and Len Hallam (DPTs) with survey work experience. Calculating survey and levellings for them.

Fri 5 … Office … Continued assisting and tuition with Stefan Daft and plan. Monthly section sheets. 

Sat 6 … 9015 tons

Mon 8 … Office … Updated R & FF 1/5000 negatives. Stone Dust Zones and Scheme, Deputy’s Districts, Pithead Sketch, Ventilation, 1/2500 R & FF and Salvage negatives.

Tues 9 … Office … Sorting out claims for subsidence to railways. Updated Ventilation prints. Pleasley exchange workings. 6 inch flat sheets for 4s, 7s and 8s.     

Wed 10 … U/g … 10s face heading dial survey and measurements taken to fall area. The heading was abandoned due to a fall of ground … 3 men (RB*, CHS, AF) ... Office … Calculated and plotted on 1/2500 and 1/500. Discuss G Darrington, Group Planner re same.

Thurs 11 … Office … Information on 1/5000 R & FF negatives.

Fri 12 … U/g … Progress measurements on 8s district, bad ground again … (self RB*) … Office … Calculated and plotted 5 feet contours round periphery of Dirt tip - (855 + 32 u/g)

Sat 13 … 11345 tons

Mon 15 … Office … Colouring R & FF prints.                     
Frank Wood appointed Deputy Electrical Engineer    

Tues 16 … Office ... Area HQ and Brigade R & FF prints. Stencilled new folders. Calculated 8s levels. 1/5000 plan for Silverhill. Teversal workings outlined on H Henshaws’s Composite plan and information. Replaced his R & FF wall plan.

Wed 17 … Surface … to Sutton … workings to date.

Thurs 18 … Office … Calculated and plotted levels and 5 feet contours in fields to the North of the Tip. Information to Ken Bullock, Dust Suppression.                         
BACM AGM Swan Hotel

Fri 19 … Office … Monthly book and information sheets made out and section sheets.

Sat 20 … 11714 tons

Sat 20 … Terry Wood was taken off his job as Undermanager at Sherwood, unable to cope and returned to Teversal on Special duties. Tragically he would commit suicide some time later by shot gun whilst residing at Howlish House at the bottom of the Pit Lane. Most believed that he thought he was a failure ???

I cannot remember the exact date .... but he was talking to Graham Bradshaw, Overman, quite normally about the large fall on 4s face and watching how Graham was organising the timbering etc. He left after a while, went up the pit, showered and then walked home where he committed suicide on that afternoon.

Mon 22 … Office … Monthly information. Section sheets, advances etc.

Tues 23 … U/g … 8s DG and 8s SG theodolite angling … 5 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH, AW) … Office … Calculating bearings etc.  

Wed 24 … Office … Updated all General Purpose negatives, Conveyors, Haulages etc. Discuss HMI R Bower, Mr GK Noble, D Green information re shafts. Electrical information to date with Vic Penford U/g charge Electrician, making up plans.

Thurs 25 … Office … Continued with Electrical plans. Introduction of Electricity negative for 10s Waterloo.

Fri 26 … Office … Copied up surveys into books. Copied co-ordinates to date in Dunsil and Waterloo Statutory Survey books.
(Cards +8s 0d total)                            

Sat 27… 11812 tons

Mon 29 … Office … Information on 1/2500 R & FF negatives to date and workings to date also

Tues 30 … U/g … 5s DG theodolite angling. Catenary measuring 8s LH and 8s DG … 5 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH, AW) … Office … Calculating the survey.

Wed 31 … Office … Completed calculations for theodolite survey. Ventilation book. Amendments to Installation of Electricity into 10s, negative. Plotted 8s on 1/2500, 1/5000 and 6 inches to a mile scales.

Feb 1968            
Carl Sterland (CHS) promoted to Supervisory Linesman. Billy Lowe to Deputy Engineer

Thurs 1 … Surface … Subsidence levelling along Teversal / Silverhill branch line and coal stocks area … 3 m3n (RB*, AF, ABC) … Office … Inked in 8s on all scales. Information on Dirt tips with C Skeavington. Bar chart for 17s development for Ron Wood U/m.

Fri 2 … Office … Prints off bar chart and coloured.  Studying Teversal / Silverhill Dirt tip folder.

Sat 3 … 12272 tons

Mon 5… Office … Tracing 1/2500 R & FF plans. George Rushworth, Lecturer at Technical College and Ken ? (Degree in Geology), came for fault information etc.

Tues 6 … Office … Checking information re past Managers with Jack Limmer, Manager’s Clerk. Continued with 1/2500 R & FF negatives. 4 feet to an inch section started of 17s overcast.

Wed 7 … Office … Completed overcast drawing.  Checked Undermanagers of the past with WW (Billy) Payne NACODS in Records Office. C Skeavington re old plans and erasing printing etc. off Ozaloft negative.

Thurs 8 … Office … Continued with same. Colouring prints of 17s overcast.

Fri 9 … Office … Working on series of Dirt tip negatives. Dennis Jackson, Assistant came from Pleasley to update and exchange tracings.                                           

Sat 10 … 12806 tons

Mon 12 … Office … Amendments to Electrical Family Tree negative and made negative similarly for Mechanical department.

Tues 13 … Office … Stippling series of Dirt tip negatives from 1877 onwards showing build-up of Dirt tip.

Wed 14 … Office … Continued with same showing build-up of Dirt tip … plan number 3 … 1918. 

Thurs 15 … Surface … Subsidence levelling along Teversal / Silverhill branch line and coal stocks area … 3 men (RB*, AF, ABC) … Office … Calculations and copied same. Continued on Dirt tip negatives … plans 3 and 4.

Fri 16 … Office … Continued with Dirt tip build up … plan number 4 … 1926. Alterations to 1/1250 Dirt tip negative re-contours etc. up to September 1967. Made out monthly book.

Sat 17… 12066 tons

Mon 19 … Office … Monthly information, section sheets, advances, face lengths etc.

Tues 20 … Office … Continued with amendments to build up of Dirt tip negatives plan number 5 … 1946. Began plan number 8 … 1958.

Wed 21 … U/g … 4s district dial survey and measurements. Checked 5s and 10s Scouring thirling … 4 men (RB*, CHS, OH, AW) … Office … Calculated survey. Continued with Dirt tip plan number 8.

Thurs 22 … Office … Plotted 4s and 10s and inked in on 1/2500, 1/5000 and 6 inch scales. Continued with amendments to Dirt tip negative plan number 8 … 1958.

Fri 23 … Office … Continued with Dirt tip negatives.                                  

Sat 24 … Office … Area HQ progress and Manager’s progress plans. Cost Clerk’s figures. Monthly advances   
13300 tons

Annual Leave 1 Week Mon Feb 26 – Sat Mar 2

Mar 1968

Fri 1 … Office … General      
(Cards +17s 4d total)                                  

Sat 2 … 11923 tons

Mon 4 … Office … Continued with Dirt tip negatives, numbers 6 and 8 and 10 with amendments etc. C Skeavington discussion re Emergency boring to workings under 400 yards deep … triangulation and traversing with theodolite.

Tues 5 … Office … Continued with Dirt tip negatives numbers 7 and 9 … Surface … Measurements for incident to Lorry and cable at Coal Bunker (10/11/1967) … (self RB*) … Office … Discussion and information re 10s with Mr R Gregory, Group Manager and G Noble, Manager. Information to John Madin, Planner re development. Information from George Godfrey, Euclid driver and Ernie Smith, Bulldozer driver re Dirt tips.

Wed 6 … Office … Continued with Dirt tip negatives numbers 10, 5 and 6.  Checking over plans.

Thurs 7 … Office … Sorted out Surface plans in drawers and re-labelled. Continued with Dirt tip negatives, finishing off and stencilling. Information from George Godfrey and Ernie Smith re-same. Writing a report on the Dirt tips.

Fri 8 … Surface … Subsidence levelling along Teversal / Silverhill branch line and up the Dirt tip and along No5 and No6 slurry ponds … 3 men (BTB, RB, AF) … Office … Made up charts and stencilling.

Sat 9 … 12243 tons

Mon 11 … Office … Updated 1/25000 negatives. Plotted 5s and 7s on 1/5000 and 6 inch. Began new Progress tracing for 17s. Sorting out 10s face supports re chocks and props and bars with Tony Turner, Strata Control.

Tues 12 … Office Continued with Progress negative … Surface … Survey of Dirt tips … 6 men (BTB, RB, AF, CHS, OH, AW)

Wed 13 … Office … Aerial photographs of tips from 1947 brought by C Skeavington … (also showed New Inn Level … unfortunately these were lost). Checking same and calculating survey.

Thurs 14 … U/g … 150s Statutory dial survey and measurements … 3 men (RB*, OH, AW) … Office … Continued plotting Dirt tip survey. Recalculating levels.

Fri 15 … Office … Continued with Dirt tip survey. Calculated 8s Waterloo and 150s Dunsil surveys. Plotted same on 1/5000 and 6 inch and 150s also on 1/2500.              

Sat 16 … 11268 tons

Mon 18 … Office … Continued with same, inked in. Continued with Progress plan for 17s Waterloo.

Tues 19 … Surface … Check survey of Dirt tip … 5 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH, AW) … Office … Check calculating same.

Wed 20 … Office … Finished 17s Progress negative. Continued with 1/1250 Dirt tip negative.

Thurs 21 … Office … Continued with 1.1250 Dirt tip negative.

Fri 22 … Office … Continued with 1/1250 Dirt tip negative … Surface … Check measurements on Dirt tip … (RB*) … Office … Mr Frank H Lee, Area Chief Planner and Gordon Darrington, Group Planner re-progress etc.  Coloured prints for 17s Progress.                               

Sat 23 … 11130 tons

Sun 24 … Surface … Safety Film at Teversal Welfare (RB*)

Mon 25 … Office … Continued with 1/1250 Dirt tip negative and completing same.

Tues 26 … Surface … Lound Hall Dirt Tip Course … Talks by Jim Stones (Chief Mining Engineer), Arthur A Grainger (Area Mechanical Engineer), Gordon Fryer (Area Civil Engineer), J Williams (Chief Engineer), G Fryer again.

Wed 27 … Surface … Sherwood Training Centre … visits to Mansfield and Creswell Dirt tips with George Harris Deputy Civil Engineer and Assistant.

Thurs 28 … Surface … Subsidence levelling on Teversal / Silverhill branch line and slurry pond bank ... 3 men (BTB, RB, AF). Continued check levelling on branch line movement. Levelling field between sidings … 3 men (RB*, CHS, OH)

Fri 29 … Office … Stencilled in Subsidence results on charts … Surface … to Silverhill and piezometer readings in boreholes on bank between No5 and No6 slurry ponds … 2 men (RB*, OH) … Office … Making out Monthly book.
(Cards +24s 10d total)                

Sat 30 … 9185 tons
Output for 1967-1968 = 553,207 tons
A Brian Clarke (ABC) potential Apprentice had an accident on his motorbike and would be off work long term for about a year

Apr 1968

Mon 1 … Office … Monthly book, information etc., face lengths, advances, tonnages, section sheets etc. Made up all plans on all scales.

Tues 2 … U/g … 7s DG theodolite survey … 4 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH) … Office … Information to Ken Bullock, Dust Suppression.  Information to Strata Control re 150s Dunsil proposed mechanisation (Larry Darby) - (860 + 32 u/g)

Wed 3 … Office … Made tracing of new 17s layout off 8s showing 2 fans in 1 air stream. Sorted out 17s shotfiring pattern and Support Rules for face heading with R Wood U/m and Mick Yallop Assistant.
My very dear friend Ron Clayton since, we were 5 years old, immigrated to Australia with Pam and her invalid boy and their young daughter. Tragically he would be killed some time later whilst travelling to work in a car with 4 others when they crashed with a truck. He had obtained a job of Shotfirer at a quarry near Armidale, app 250 miles North of Sydney, NSW.

Thurs 4 … Office … Continued with Support Rules … Making tracing.

Fri 5 … Office … Coloured prints of Support Rules and Shotfiring Rules. Began tracing of 10s Support Rules. 

Sat 6 … 9932 tons

Mon 8 … Surface … Information to Dicky (Richard) Chambers, Farmer and Dougie Green Mechanical Engineer re-tipping at far end (RB* plus 2) … Updated Area HQ 6 inch negatives, sent via C Skeavington.

Tues 9 … Office … Continued with Installation of Electricity plan for 17s.  Assisting Stefan Daft, DPT, with a Pit bottom layout plan.

Wed 10 … Office … Continued with Pit bottom plan. Continued with 17s Installation of Electricity.

Thurs 11 … Office ... Continued with plan of Pit bottom for Stefan Daft. Information re 17s to HMI R Bower. Continued with Installation of Electricity plan for 17s.

Fri 12 … Office … Finished Installation of Electricity negative for 17s with title etc. … Surface … Piezometer readings of boreholes on Dirt tip.                                   

Sat 13 … 9198 tons

Mon 15 and Tues 16 … Easter Holiday
In Charge … BTB Holiday Mon 15 – Sat 27

Wed 17 … Office … Sorted out Dirt tip information and made a new file. Copied surveys. Manager’s Progress plans and advances (H Henshaw in charge). Memo to him re 5s approaching barrier.  Information on Ventilation plans.

Thurs 18 … Office … Coloured Ventilation prints. Information to D Green and Contractor re tipping heights etc. Pithead Sketches and Deputy’s Districts plans coloured. 1/5000 R & FF negatives.  Amendments to 17s Installation of Electricity prints.

Fri 19 … Office … Discuss layout of theodolite stations on surface for boring to workings within 400 yards deep in an emergency … Surface … Piezometer readings and gave them to Gordon Fryer, Area Civil Engineer (RB*)

Sat 20 … 6398 tons

Mon 22 … Surface … Checking subsidence levelling … 2 men (RB*, OH) … Office … Calculated and plotted 8s, 4s and 10s on 1/2500, 1/5000 and 6 inch scales. Stippled same.

Tues 23 … Office … Made up Subsidence charts. Completed Electrical plans.

Wed 24 … Office … Mr G Noble query re 10s supports.  Second copy Working plans from Area HQ updated, plotted and stippled … Discussion C Skeavington plans etc. … Surface … Dirt tip inspection with Pat, Shephard Hill contractor (RB* plus 1).

Thurs 25 … Office … Completed 43/4662 Second copy plan (8s). Discuss C Skeavington old shafts and workings. Coloured a set of Electrical plans … Surface … Tip inspection and piezometer readings and reported to Gordon Fryer, Area Civil Engineer (RB*).

Fri 26 … Office … HMI RA Bower re old shafts … interested.  Also re Support Rules. Amendments to negatives and prints and same in pit. Calculated levels. Print of Emergency Organisation for Sister Barbara Harrison.       
(Cards +25s 9d total)                  

Sat 27 … 11822 tons

Mon 29 … Office … Manager’s and Area HQ progress, advances etc.  Finished calculating 7s DG levelling and plotted same. Discuss BTB work done whilst he was on holiday.

Tues 30 … Office … Monthly book, reports, face lengths etc. Information to Ken Bullock, Dust Suppression. Information to Mick Yallup Assistant U/m re 7s. New yearly Scaling tracings, equalised areas and began calculating.

May 1968

Wed 1 … Office … Continued with same and calculated tonnage as a check against scaling. Made out monthly section sheets for Area HQ.

Thurs 2 … Office … Discussion BTB and Stan Brunskill re old shafts and New Inn Level sough for report on same. Typed out John Thomas Boot’s report on First Dunsil coal. Prints off Deputy’s Districts for Ron Wood U/m.

Fri 3 … Office … Continued with 6 inch plan of old shafts in the upper Meden Valley … referencing same etc.  Going over Deputy’s District plan with Ron Wood U/m.  

Sat 4 … 10083 tons

Mon 6 … U/g … Dial survey and measurements 17s LH and 17s RH face heading … 3 men (BTB, RB, CHS) … Office … Manager’s progress and advances.  Calculated survey and closing bearing.

Tues 7 … Office … Copied up 7s DG theodolite survey. Amendments to Deputy’s Districts negative with reference, prints and coloured same.  Calculated 7s DG survey.

Wed 8 … Office … Information to Cost Clerk Stuart Farnsworth. Completed 6 inch tracing of old shafts and workings in Meden Valley.  Shaft reference information from Stan Brunskill.

Thurs 9 … Surface … Subsidence levelling along Teversal / Silverhill branch line and slurry pond bank … 3 men (BTB, RB, AF) … Office … Made graph of humidity for Edgar Holmes, Dust Suppression Officer.

Fri 10 … Office … Discuss Mr G Noble, Jack Truswell, Safety Officer and Claims Inspector re Accident to Hayden Shepherd on 10s. Began tracing of accident. Continued with tracings of new 1/2500 R & FF.                                                                        
Sat 11 … 11617 tons
Stuart Farnsworth Cost Clerk transferred to Bevercotes and was replaced by Jeff Carlin

Mon 13 … Office … Area HQ progress.  Completed Accident plan.

Tues 14 … Surface … with Stan Brunskill, Geologist, Gordon Ison, Sutton Surveyor and Geoff Halfpenny (Elec) (lived nearby) … locating old Nibland shafts at Whiteboro’.

Tues 14 … Surface later … with Stan Brunskill and Jim Hanson, Silverhill Surveyor, exploring along the supposed line of the old New Inn Level from Hardwick to Silverhill (RB, SB, JH)

Wed 15 … U/g … Theodolite survey 4s LH and catenary measuring and check angles to Scouring … 4 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH) … Office … Calculated bearings. 

Thurs 16 … Office … Copied up survey and calculated same. Check calculating 7s RH theodolite survey.

Fri 17 … Office … Co-ordinates into Dial book. Plotted old shaft on 6 inch plan and finished off the negative.  Monthly book and prepared monthly information sheets.               

Sat 18 … 11351 tons
Changed over to Scouring conveyors

Mon 20 … Office … Checked catenary distances against ground taping for surveys. Progress. Finished off 6 inch tracing showing old shafts with dates etc.  Amendments to Conveyor layout diagram. Began a new Electrical layout for Pit bottom.  

Tues 21 … Office … Finished Pit bottom Electrical negative. Update Line diagram of Conveyors.

Wed 22 … U/g … Theodolite angling from 5s Scouring to 4s DG lip … 5 men (RB*, AF, CHS, OH, AW)
BTB had interview for Civil Engineer on Dirt tips and would be successful. We had both asked Frank Dove for a job (wrote a letter) me first, but they wouldn’t let both of us leave at the same time.

Thurs 23 … Office … Calculating bearings etc. Prints off Pit bottom Electrical plan and also prints off 6 inch Old shafts plan and coloured. Discuss C Skeavington re Dirt tips.  Prints off Line diagram of Conveyors.    

Fri 24 … Office … R & FF 1/2500 new negatives. Amendments to Electrical negative and then a print … Surface … Piezometer readings and tip inspection (RB*)                 

Sat 25 … 11154 tons

Mon 27 … Office … Monthly book, reports, advances, face lengths etc.  Area HQ progress. Section sheets

Tues 28 … U/g … 8s LH dial survey and measurements … 2 men (RB, OH) … then … Abandonment survey of 5s Waterloo … 5 men (BTB, RB*, CHS, OH, AW)

Wed 29 … U/g … Check theodolite angling from 5s DG down 5s Scouring then checking through and measuring 17s face thirling … 4 men (RB*, CHS, OH, AW) … Office … Made 1/2500 plans to date. Sorting out 21s tangent - (865 + 32 u/g)

Thurs 30 … Office … Finished updating plans for Mr Osborne, British Rail Surveyor.  Sorting out 1in1 drift for 21s air (ventilation). Copied notes to date. Sorting out 5 survey … Surface … Subsidence levelling along Teversal / Silverhill branch line … 3 men (RB*, AF, OH)

Fri 31 … Office … Sorting out 5s distances. Inked in Subsidence results. Sketches in Ventilation book and stencilling with Faber Castell stencils for first time, normally Uno.         
(Cards +22s 7d total)

June 1968

Sat 1 … 10098 tons

Mon 3 … Spring Bank Holiday
Annual Leave 4 Days Tues 4 – Sat 8

Sat 8 … 8057 tons

Mon 10 … Office … Area HQ progress. Calculating 4s LH and 4s DG theodolite surveys. Calculated 4s survey. Plotted 4s, 5s, 7s, 8s and 17s on 6 inch and 4s also on 1/2500.

Tues 11 … U/g … Catenary measuring in 4s DG and 10s DG … 4 men (RB*, CHS, OH, AW) … Office … Amended 10s ventilation on 2 sets of R & FF plans. Calculated bearings and distances for 4s.

Wed 12 … Office … Plotted 4s, 5s, 7s, 8s and 17s on 1/5000. Plotted 8s contours on 1/2500 and 5s, 7s and 8s contours on 1/5000 and 6 inch. Plotted 5s levels and contours on 1/2500. Notices for Manager G Noble.

Thurs 13 … Surface … Assisting BTB with Dirt tip negatives ready for Dirt tip inspection by HMI and National Committee… on Saturday July 8.  Notice for Welfare.  Contouring Tip plans.

Fri 14 … Office … Updated 150s Dunsil 1/2500 plan in Tip Folder and Dunsil and Waterloo on 6 inch scale.

Sat 15 … Office … Constructed 3 Statutory plan grids - 9097 tons

Mon 17 … Office … Continued.

Tues 18 … Office … Amended Deputy’s Districts, Pithead Sketch, 6 inch negatives.  Discuss Mr R Gregory and Mr G Noble re 8s fault etc.  Plan showing method of roof bolting to be adopted on 10s for H Henshaw and 7 prints.

Wed 19 … U/g … Catenary measuring from 5s Scouring into 4s DG to complete the check survey … 4 men (RB*, CHS, OH, AW) … Office … Calculating same.

Thurs 20 … Office … Continued with same.  Title on Accident plan.

Fri 21 … Office … Continued with amendments to R & FF negatives … Surface … Subsidence levelling along Teversal to Silverhill Internal railway line. … Office … Tracing Accident plan to Bernard Radford, 10s face.

Sat 22 … Pit losing money … This was because we were stocking coal and putting it to ground, at one time in Derby's quarries and of course it was not being sold, so no revenue.
The coal would eventually be recovered at a profit due to price increase. - 7841 tons  

Pit Holidays Mon 24 June to Sat 29 First Week

Mon 24 … Office … Finished Accident tracing. Prints off same. Monthly book … Surface … Spudding stations near Teversal for triangulation and surface boreholes … 2 men (BTB, RB)

Tues 25 … Office … Monthly reports, sections, face lengths etc. Conveyor belt figures for Stores.

Wed 26 … Surface … Spudding for triangulation observations for surface borehole programme at Dawgates Lane … 3 men (C Skeavington, BTB, RB)

Thurs 27 … Office … Plotted 8s on 1/500 with levels etc. for proposed drifts … Surface … to Silverhill for workings … (self RB*) … Office … Pithead Sketches coloured.

Fri 28 … U/g … Check catenary measuring in 7s DG … 4 men (BTB, RB, AF, OH).
(Cards +29s 11d total)