A Unique History From My Work Diaries

Surveying Jobs

North Nottinghamshire Area from April 1967

Page - 34 -

Jul 1968

Harry C Ward, Area Chief Surveyor retired

Pit Holidays Mon 1 – Sat 6 Second Week

Mon 1 … Surface … Triangulation observations and catenary measuring of bases on Dawgates Lane and Teversal Village for emergency boreholes in the event of a cave in … 6 men (C Skeavington, BTB, RB, AF, CHS, OH) … note pits with shallow workings not more than 400 yards deep chosen for this exercise. We completed first.

Tues 2 … Surface … Continued theodolite angling with CTS Tavistock 1” at Newboundmill Lane and Norwood Lane … 6 men (C Skeavington, BTB, RB, AF, CHS, OH)

Wed 3 … Office … Plan. Negative for section through numbers 5 and 6 slurry ponds.

Thurs 4 … Surface … Triangulation observations to stations at Norwood Lane from No1 DC shaft headstocks … 3 men (BTB, RB, AF) … CTS 1” Tavistock theodolite.

Fri 5 … Surface … Catenary measuring at Norwood Lane. Down to Stanley re old New Inn Level search later … 5 men (BTB, RB, AF, CHS, OH)                          

Annual Leave 2 Weeks Mon 8 – Sat 20

HMI members and the National Committee met to finalise the findings of the past months regarding Tip investigation following the Aberfan disaster of 1966. Many meetings were held at Teversal Colliery Conference room with HMI and various Civil Engineers and others and including Bernard T Bailey Surveyor for Teversal and me on a couple of occasions. Many ideas and tests and requests were formulated from the meetings and overseen by Principal HMI Freddie Gill. As I was the Senior Assistant Surveyor working for Bernard Bailey many of the jobs requested by HMI and other departments were carried out by me and some linesmen. Altogether I had 41 inputs of information and practical work for them to peruse. From the conclusion of all information from other pits as well the M&Q (Tips) Act 1969 was passed plus M&Q (Tips) Regulations 1971 and M&Q (Tipping Plans) Rules 1971.

7039 tons

In Charge … BTB Holiday … Mon 22 July - Sat 3 Aug

7508 tons

Mon 22 … Office … Manager’s and Area HQ progress plans. Plan of coal stocks near Powder magazine, area and approximate tonnage for R Gregory, Group Manager … Surface … to Sutton for up to date workings … (self RB*)

Tues 23 … Office … 1/5000 General Purpose and Top Hard 1/5000 with faults for Bill Scattergood, Group Surveyor, North Derbyshire Area, Bolsover HQ. Composite negative to date and Manager’s copy. Stone Dust prints. 2 copies of 17s Support Rules. Finished No1 negative of Dirt tip build up.

Wed 24 … Office … Coloured 3 prints of No1 plan of Dirt tips for Supplementary Dirt Tip Folder. Print for Laboratory re coal stocks … Surface … to Silverhill.

Thurs 25 … Office … Finished new Requisition book. Mr R Gregory discuss re 1in1 drift … Surface ... Set out North Manrider bend in pit yard (RB*) ... Office … Prints off R & FF 1/5000 and coloured.

Fri 26 … Office … Stats form re lengths of roadways in use year ending June 1968. Cleaning out safe and reorganising. C Skeavington discuss various.
7515 tons

Sat 27 … Office … Calculating co-ordinates etc. of Surface Emergency boring program stations.
(Cards +31s 4d total)

Mon 29 … Office … Monthly information etc., face lengths, stables etc. Calculated 7s DG catenary measuring … Surface … Piezometer readings … Office … sent to GW Fryer Area Civil Engineer. Continued calculating distances for Norwood Lane.

Tues 30 … Office … Finished off amendments to Electrical negatives. Ventilation prints and colouring. Calculated surface survey. Calculated 7s DG theodolite Check survey and 4s DG Check survey. Checked tapes for any discrepancy with CHS (RB*).

Wed 31 … Office … Continued with calculations.

Kirkby Colliery Closed.

Aug 1968 J Arthur Morley ex Area Chief No4 Area and Deputy to Harry C Ward appointed Area Surveyor & Minerals Manager North Notts Area at Edwinstowe HQ. Jeff Drury left Silverhill staff to be a Linesman. Jeff Carlin, Cost Clerk transferred to Bilsthorpe

Thurs 1 … Surface … Reciprocal vertical angles from No1 headstocks station and Norwood Lane bases … 4 men (RB*, AF, CHS, AW) … in afternoon angling to surface bases in pit yard … 2 men (RB*, OH).
Interviews for Teversal Surveyor … George Noble told me although he wanted me I could not have an interview … out of his hands! The result was sealed ………

Fri 2 … Surface … Check angling with 1” theodolite and catenary measuring bases in Pit yard … 4 men (RB*, AF, OH, AW) … Office … Calculations. Copied theodolite calculations into folder. Discuss various C Skeavington, Group Surveyor. 2 men from Coal Survey department required information and a 6 inch plan with 3s and 4s sections etc.

Sat 3 … Office … Stencilling on new Standard mine flat sheets.
9353 tons

Mon 5 … Surface … Check angling with CTS 1” theodolite and Catenary measuring bases in Pit yard … Office … Calculating same.

Tues 6 … Surface … to Silverhill Laboratory … weighed tape and measured same … Office … Calculations for sag and pull correction for catenary measuring … (RB*) … Began making a chart for band 50M5.

Wed 7 … U/g … Checked 1in1.2 drift off 8s DG to old Dunsil North Main Road for line and gradient, established pins. Laid up 17s DG lines … 3 men (RB*, OH, AW) … Office … Finished Catenary chart for band 50M5.

Thurs 8 … Office … Tidied up catenary file etc. Made out new book and copied out readings for Emergency Boring programme.

Fri 9 … Office … Preparing new Salvage record negatives and prints. Copied up 5s face levels. Sat 20                                                                           
Sat 10 … 9498 tons

Mon 12 … Office … Finished copying readings into Emergency Boring Programme book … Surface … Laid out base on sidings with 50 metre invar band and standardised two 50m bands in use … 4 men (BTB, RB, CHS, AW)

Tues 13 … Office … New R & FF 1/2500 negatives. Deputy’s Districts information from Mick Yallop, Assistant U/m.

Wed 14 … Continued with 1/2500 R & FF plans.

Thurs 15 … Office … Continued stencilling on R & FF negatives. Deputy’s Districts schedule negative … Surface … to Silverhill with Jim Hanson showing him how to use computer sheets. Again, why me?  It would appear that other pits in the group had not used the system yet and I had. Working on same. Check calculation … MSL error (Mean Sea Level) (sheet colours … white, pink, green and blue)

Fri 16 … Office … Filling in Computer sheets (to Cannock) for calculations … 5s DG and 4s DG.

Sat 17… 10487 tons
Colin Clarke started as Cost Clerk

Mon 19 … Office … Manager’s and Area HQ progress plans, advances etc. Continued with Computer sheets for calculations for 7s DG, 7s RH, 4s DG and 8s DG.

Tues 20 … Office … Continued with Computer sheets for 4s LH and 8s LH. Making new 1/2500 R & FF negatives … Surface … Standardising two 50m bands (50M3 and 50M5) … 3 men (BTB, RB, AF)

Wed 21 … Office … Continued with R & FF 1/2500 negatives and also continued with Computer sheets.

Thurs 22 … Surface … to Silverhill for support plans for planning machine (RB*) … Office … Continued with Computer sheets.

Fri 23 … Office … Computer sheets and filing system … stencilling same.
9202 tons

Mon 26 … Office … Computer results and finished off more programmes. Monthly book and information.

Tues 27 … U/g … Abandonment dial survey and measurements of 150s panel and abandonment of the Dunsil seam … 5 men (BTB, RB, AF, CHS, AW) … Office … Plotting 4s, 10s, 7s and 17s on 1/500 for face surveys. (870 + 32 u/g)

Wed 28 … Office … Amendment to 43/4861 Dunsil plan. Made Overlay tracings to date. 1/25000 plan in the Cabinet. Amended Conveyor diagram. Haulage negative to date.

Annual Leave Thurs. 29 and Fri 30 … Mon Sep 2 Bank Holiday and
Tues 3 and Wed 4 Sep Colliery Rest Days (Cards +25s 10d Total) South Wales.
Yorkshire Dales. Blackpool

9422 tons

Sep 1968
Thurs 5 … Office … Sorting out surveys from Computer ….Surface … Survey of dirt tip … 4 men (RB*, AF, CHS, AW) and in the afternoon continued survey … 5 men (BTB ½ shift, RB*, AF, CHS, AW)

Fri 6 … Office … Calculated trig levelling. Surface … Continued with Tip survey … 5 men (BTB, RB, AF, CHS, AW).

Sat 7 … 3177 tons

Mon 9 … Office … Plotting Dirt Tip survey on 1/1250.

Tues 10 … Office … Continued plotting Tip survey and began inking in on tracing.

Wed 11 … Office … Continued with Dirt tip tracing.

Thurs 12 … U/g … Theodolite angling in 4s LH, check taping … 3 men (BTB, RB, CHS)

Fri 13 … U/g … Progress measurements and lines extended in 7s district, both gates … (self RB*) … Office … Calculated and plotted 17s survey.                              

Sat 14 … 10071 tons
Bernard T Bailey left to North Notts. Civil Engineering department to be involved with Dirt tipping.
(Cards +37s 0d total and finish. Ches did not want others to come into the office and he didn’t play cards so the game stopped. We had good games over the years from Crash to Solo to Black Maria. Most of the Cost Clerks played and Clary Skeavington and Gordon Darrington and Ike Sutton plus others on occasions to make the number up.

Cheslaw Stasiewicz (Polish) (CzS) redundant from closed Kirkby Colliery appointed Surveyor (my proposed interview was cancelled). Ches had escaped from Poland during WW 2 and joined the RAF. He started in survey work as a Linesman after the War at Annesley Colliery with Colin Wells, a Bevin Boy, who later became Manager at Silverhill. Arthur Morley thought as did his predecessor LH Watson that Ches deserved a job for being on our side during the War…!

George Noble Manager instructed me to attend his office should he phone or need anything, sooner than Ches go. Cheslaw was Surveyor at Cotes Park when George Noble was Manager so he knew him get things misinterpreted. Similar with the other Management team, Horace Henshaw, Ron Wood, Mechanical and Electrical, Safety and others therefore I ended up giving all the answers to queries or sorting out etc. for almost all jobs … Office work, Underground work and Surface work and Linesmen’s work. The Linesmen worked Office hours and took prints, mashed tea etc, sorted and cleaned equipment and instruments etc. after being down the pit to do lining work or assist us on surveys. We always had a good team who were conscientious and good at their job. Sometimes I would arrange for them to assist on surface work such as Dirt tip surveys and such (on underground pay by arrangement). Ches seemed to be quite happy watching me do it. He favoured reading the Daily newspaper, obtained from somebody’s office down the corridor, probably Horace Henshaw’s who would have gone down the pit. He would read it from front page to back, then in reverse from back page to front, occasionally remarking on some interesting feature. He did like to mash tea mid-morning, not very good at it, but if I stopped work to mash tea, nothing got done …. he had realised that. At one period even spent several days pruning the roses that were set round the Office block and Car Park. He was particularly keen for me to show him the surrounding area, particularly to check the outlying Rescue borehole traverses for workings no deeper than 400 yards, covering all the ‘take’ that Bernard Bailey and self had done. These traverses supplemented by triangulation were outside the area of influence of subsidence from underground workings so it did cover a large area. We also used to check possible routes to all panels for the drilling rig and other equipment to be hauled there. Ches used to insist I drive his car, a Ford Cortina, particularly down the country lanes where we would park up somewhere to walk along a route of stations and of course as was necessary, check to see that they were still accessible. We always managed to find a different pub for lunch, from Stanton Hill to Skegby to Tibshelf, Hardwick Inn to Glapwell to Pleasley etc. and included Carnarvon Arms and Teversal Welfare at Fackley. The Maypole, Greyhound, Fox and Crown, Rifle Volunteer, Forest Tavern at Skegby, Rose and Crown at Stanton Hill. White Swan at Pleasley and Young Vanish at Glapwell and White Hart at Tibshelf and Shoulder of Mutton at Hardstoft, and then his favourite, Hardwick Inn, near to Hardwick Hall, that we visited several times. I must admit he always paid, buying me a pint and a cob. On several occasions he even brought his black Labrador dog Ruffy to work so we could have a walk in Hardwick Park and surrounding quiet lanes. I think that was his pay back time for me. We would just mention that we were checking things … nobody ever asked what or why and never stopped us doing it. Of course they were all nice warm pleasant days … Two or three times a year Ches would close his desk drawer about 2 pm on a Thursday when he would announce to me that he would be on holiday next week. That would be the first I knew about it. So he knocked off early, didn’t come to work on the Friday because that was the day he packed his case, never did put it down as a holiday. Sometimes he would lock his desk drawer but was not going on holiday but to get Ruffy a big bag of dog biscuits. One time at 3½d a pound cheaper … where from? ... Louth, halfway to Skegness. You never could beat him! One day he came to work got in the office and opened his drawer then realised he must have left his snap in the car so went out again to fetch it but wise guy Hedley Hill a Linesman remarked …‘Was Ches having half a day?’
(Fortunately in our Region that Rescue system was never put into practice as some years later all pits should have been doing it, the depth was not a problem it was thought, whether they did I don’t know. The Foraky Emergency boring rig was kept at Colwick, Nottingham. A borehole was started at the Lofthouse disaster in Yorkshire in 1973 but was abandoned partway down when it was known that the area was waterlogged and 6 men had perished and their bodies could not be recovered.)

Mon 16 … Office … Going through records, plans etc., etc. with Ches. Progress etc.

Tues 17 … Office and Surface … Showing Ches around and discussion. Plotted 17s on 1/500 and 1/2500.

Wed 18 … Office … Inked in 1/2500. 1/5000 and 6 inch scales … Surface … Round Dirt tips with Ches.

Thurs 19 … Office … J Arthur Morley, Area Surveyor and Minerals Manager came to visit and discuss various … Surface … Survey of trench and 3 feet diameter pipe at the edge of the Dirt tip … 5 men (CzS, RB, AF, CHS, AW)

Fri 20 … Office … Plotted trench and pipe and inked in same. Prints.           

Sat 21 … 11375 tons

Mon 23 … Office … Plotting 1in1 drift and 17s Snicket. Manager’s Progress and advances etc. C Skeavington discuss various.

Tues 24 … U/g … Theodolite angling from 8s LH across 17s Scour and 17s LH and into 8s DG …6 men (CzS, RB*, AF, CHS, OH, AW)

Wed 25 … U/g … Theodolite angling on old Dunsil Main Road then down the 1in1 drift into 8s DG and 17s DG … 5 men (CzS, RB*, AF, CHS, AW) … Office … Amended Dirt tip 1/1250 negative for Slurry pond.

Thurs 26 … Office … Continued with Dirt tip negative … Surface … Subsidence levelling along slurry pond embankment (CzS, RB*, DH)

Fri 27 … Office … Plotted 4s and 7s on 1/5000 and 6 inch and contours on all. Plotted 4s LH levels and contours … Surface … to Silverhill for workings to date … (RB*)        

Sat 28 … 11138 tons
Farewell Party for Bernard Bailey at Teversal Welfare

Mon 30 … Office … Amended Ventilation for 17s. Made up Ventilation negs, Electrical, Deputy’s Districts, Pithead Sketch negatives. Monthly book and information. Stencilled Subsidence.

Oct 1968

Tues 1 … Office … Continued with monthly information. Section sheets for Area HQ

Wed 2 … U/g … Theodolite angling from 8s LH across 5s into 8s DG … 5 men (CzS, RB*, AF, CHS, AW) … Office … Silverhill information on 1/1250 Dirt tip negative. (875 + 32 u/g)

Thurs 3 … Colouring 3 x 1/1250 Dirt tip plans up to September.

Fri 4 … Surface … to Silverhill with tip plan then checking alignment of subsidence pegs on No5 and No6 slurry ponds … 2 men (CzS, RB) … Office … Report to Gordon Fryer Civil Engineer. Electrical Information with Alan McDiarmid, Electrical Engineer.                       

Sat 5 … 10940 tons

Mon 7 … Office … Information on Electrical negatives. Began making a new Progress tracing for 17s and 21s.

Tues 8 … Office … 6 inch Dust Zone Scheme negatives. Completed Progress negatives for 17s, 19s and 21s … Surface … to Sutton for 1/5000 workings.

Wed 9 … U/g … Catenary measuring in 17s district plus check angle on 8s DG … 5 men (CzS, RB*, AF, CHS, AW) … Office … Began information on 1/5000 Conveyor plan.

Thurs 10 … Office … Finished 1/5000 Conveyor negative and print. Plan. Depths of cover for Stats dept. Colouring Progress plan prints.

Fri 11 … Surface … Proposed borehole sites to Clowne seam … 5 men (CzS, RB*, Stan Brunskill, Eddie Gray Boremaster and Russ Worsey, Planner).                                   

Sat 12 … 10567 tons
Tony Maddock (TM) started as Apprentice and Alf Fletcher (AF) went from Apprentice to Linesman.

Mon 14 … Office … 17s Progress plans to date in folders … Surface … to Pleasley for workings to date with Ches … 2 men (CzS, RB).

Tues 15 … Office … Inked in plans. Notices for Manriders. Calculations. Notice for Men’s motties.

Wed 16 …U/g … Theodolite angling and catenary measuring in 7s DG … 4 men (CzS, RB*, AF, AW)

Thurs 17 … U/g … Theodolite survey and catenary measuring in 7s RH … 4 men (CzS, RB*, AF,CHS)
I set the theodolite on a stone dust bag and was lying on the floor to see a target only yards away uphill, because due to gate crush and lowering it was impossible to set a tripod or I would not have been able to see the target at all. Ches had not seen that before as I lay on the floor taking angles. It was plumbed properly and angled properly but Ches wanted it done differently so I told him to do it, which he couldn’t as he was not much of an instrument man anyway and it would have meant 2 or 3 theodolite marks in about 10 yards using tripods and a strained heated argument blew up about it. I knew I was right and he couldn’t do it, but he told me off at the front of the Line lads for answering back. We carried on and completed the survey.

He went with me on about another 6 or 7 jobs until he had been to all panels then he left me to it. He was frightened when riding a gate belt where the rings were crushed and boards hanging and he couldn’t get off whilst it was moving so I had to stop the belt for him. He told me never to take him on a conveyor again. He had never experienced gate conditions like the Waterloo before. We got on well after that. He never interfered but just asked me what was there to do. I set him on colouring R & FF plans to get to know the pit but it was painful because he kept stopping to change subject. I ended up doing all of them including the one he had started!
Office … Calculations. Tuition with Tony Maddock how to use pens and stencils

Fri 18 … Office … Calculated 7s DG, 7s RH Theodolite surveys and 7s and 17s Statutory surveys … Surface … to Silverhill for workings to date … (self RB*)                             

Sat 19 … 12000 tons

Mon 21 … Office … Office … Notice re motties to Time Office. Inked in 1/5000 and 6 inch plans for 17s etc. and levels. Began 2 Salvage negatives for 150s Dunsil and 4s Waterloo. Area HQ 6 inch negative.

Tues 22 … Office … Continued with Salvage negatives. Support Rules plans for Folder and sorting out new Rules for 17s SG planning machine. Discuss R Wood U/m and Mick Yallop re same.

Wed 23 … Office … Continued with same. Discuss G Noble and Jack Truswell re supports … Surface … Location and levelling to borehole site for Clowne seam near Water Softener … 3 men plus 1) (RB*, TM, AF and Maurice Lamb Boremaster) … Office … Calculated and plotted same.
NCB X ray Unit at the Colliery for all to attend

Thurs 24 … U/g … Abandonment dial survey of 4s panel dialling through face and measurements … 4 men (CzS, RB*, CHS, AF) … (Ches set forwad dial legs and said he had not been to a coal face for 7 years)

Fri 25 … Office … Finished off Support plans for planning machine. Calculated and plotted 4s Abandonment survey and levelling. Inked in same.                                   

Sat 26 … 11923 tons

Mon 28 … Office … Manager’s and Area HQ Progress. Advances, etc. Monthly book etc. Installation of Electricity into 21s negative.

Tues 29 … Office … Finished off same, prints and coloured. Salvage prints for 4s and 150s. Section sheets for Area HQ. Support Rules plans finished for booklet.

Wed 30 … Office … 6 inch Airborne Dust negative and print for H Jackson. 6 inch General Purpose plan for Cost Clerks. 1/5000 General Purpose plan for Alan McDiarmid, Electrical Engineer.

Thurs 31 … U/g … Dial survey round 8s face and DG and checked line into 21s DG heading and connected up the 1in1 drift to old Dunsil Main Road … 4 men (CzS, RB*, AF, AW) … Office … Calculations.    (880 + 32 u/g)

Nov 1968 M & T Structure

Fri 1 … Office … Finished calculating and plotting survey.

Sat 2 … 11168 tons - Bought a 1966, Vauxhall Viva, Pinewood Green

Mon 4 … Surface … Measured up Accident site on Pit top Creeper … 2 men (RB* and Jack Truswell S/O) … Office … Updated workings on R Gregory’s wall plan. Plotted Accident and inked in.

Tues 5 … Office … Finished Accident plan and prints. With HMI H Jones re Dirt tips, BT Bailey, Area Civils re levels. Subsidence chart, Piezometer readings. Calculations. Notice re Tippler on Pit top.

Wed 6 … Surface … Dirt tip drainage and culvert … 2 men (CzS, RB) … Office … Plotted same. Triangulation … plotting’s with CzS.

Thurs 7 … Office … Calculating catenary distances for 17s and 8s.

Fri 8 … Office … Stone Dust Scheme plans changed. Computer sheets … Surface … Dialled and levelled to surface borehole ‘C’ near Water Softener to Clowne seam … 2 men (RB*, AF)

Sat 9 … 11072 tons

Mon 11 … U/g … Check dial survey round from 8s LH to 8s DG and also checked 21s face heading … 5 men (RB, CHS, AF, OH, AW) … Office … Calculated same.

Tues 12 … Office … 6 inch plan showing Manriders, lengths, gradients  etc. for Dougie Green, Mechanical Engineer … Surface … to Surface borehole ‘D’ to Clowne seam … 11 inches of coal only. (RB*) … 3 prints of Manriders. Amendments to Electricians Layout plan.

Wed 13 … Office … Borehole information. 8s Salvage plan. Plotted 8s on 1/5000 and 6 inch scales. Dated 7s … Discussion C Skeavington, Group Surveyor.

Thurs 14 … Office … Information and plans for 7s and 17s for Scientific dept. Inked in plans. Overlay tracings to date.

Fri 15 … Office … Calculated 17s and 8s theodolite survey and adjustment. Face line plans for 17s and 10s. Plotted theodolite survey.                                             

Sat 16 … 12011 tons

Mon 18 … Office … Completed Group Manager R Gregory’s Wall plan. Set of numbers. Theodolite station numbers stencilled on plans for 4s and 5s.

Tues 19 … Office … Accident plan for L Bostock, 17s DG. Work on new sheet 43/4864. Discuss Ron Wood U/m.

Wed 20 … Office … Support Rules for 21s face heading … Surface … Dialling to Surface Clowne borehole D … 3 men (RB*, CHS, OH) … to Silverhill, general.

Thurs 21 … Office … Completed Accident plan and Support Rules for 21s and prints. Calculated and plotted 7s Statutory survey.

Fri 22 … Surface … Dial survey and measurements and levelling to borehole D … 3 men (RB*, CHS, OH) … Office … Calculated co-ordinates and level for same. Plotted same and dips. Discuss Stan Brunskill re 17s. Plotted 7s on 6 inch and 1/5000 and inked in. 10956 tons … North Notts. Area Record for week 261,000 tons. In South Notts. Bentinck 36400 tons  

Mon 25 … Office … Monthly book, information etc., Area HQ section sheets. Discussion C Skeavington. Information to Ken Bullock, Dust Suppression.

Tues 26 … Surface … to Sutton for workings to date (RB*) … Office … Prints off Accident plan.. Preparing another different Accident plan, J Williams, 10s face.

Wed 27 … Office … Continued with Accident plan and completed and prints taken.

Thurs 28 … Office … Calculations for Emergency Boring programme at Norwood Lane. 2 notices.

Fri 29 … Office … Plans. Coloured 1/5000 General Purpose print for Sister Barbara Harrison.

Sat 30 … 10007 tons

Dec 1968

Mon 2 … Office … Progress and advances … then later …
Mon 2 … U/g … 10s Statutory dial survey and measuring … 6 men (CzS, RB*, CHS, AF, OH, AW) … Office … Calculated same.

Tues 3 … Office … Plans inked in etc.

Wed 4 … Office … Calculated 21s development survey. Inked in same on 1/2500. 1/5000 and 6 inch. Calculated position and level for Clowne Borehole ‘E’ and plotted same.

Thurs 5 … Office … Sorting out Computer sheets into new folder. Plotted 7s DG and 17s levels and contours.

Fri 6 … Office … Plotted 7s RH levels and contours, inked in same … Surface … to Clowne borehole E ... (RB*) coal 2 ft 7 in … Office … calculated dip of seam etc. Work on 43/2864.

Sat 7 … 10020 tons

Mon 9 … U/g … 17s panel dial survey and measurements. Measured up fault and bad ground on face … 4 men (CzS, RB, CHS, OH) … Surface ... Set out borehole position in Stock yard … 2 men (RB*, CHS) … Office … Plotted 10s DG levels.

Tues 10 … Surface … Organised removal of debris from over borehole position with bulldozer to reset position … 2 men (RB*, OH) and measured up culvert … Office … Plotted same, Tracing for G Darrington, Planner.

Wed 11 … Office … Discussion various. Plotted 10s levels and contours. Notice for Ladies Section at Welfare. Overlay tracings.

Thurs 12 … Office … Continued with Overlay tracings. Gradients for Statistics dept. … Surface … to Kirkby Survey Office with CzS to fetch some tackle. Discuss George Davies ex Langton, temporary Surveyor at Kirkby).

Fri 13 … Office … Calculated and plotted 17s Quarterly survey on 1/2500, 1/5000 and 6 inch … Surface … to old Molyneux shafts with CzS and Maurice Lamb, Boremaster re inspection prior to boring.

Sat 14 … 12586 tons
George K Noble upgraded to Agent / Manager

Mon 16 … Office … Progress, advances etc. Trying out new filing system etc., Inked in 17s survey on all scales. Made stippling masks for all panels. Plotted 8s final levels and contour.

Tues 17 … Office … Stencilled final Subsidence levelling results for bank on tip between number 5 and 6 slurry ponds. Another notice for Ladies Section at Welfare. Stippling plans to date.

Wed 18 … Office … Lengths of roadways and various supports for Jack Truswell S/O. Telephone locations with Frank Wood, Deputy Electrical Engineer. Tuition to Tony Maddock, stencilling. Finalising filing system in the safe.

Thurs 19 … Office … Continued with filing system.

Fri 20 … Office … Completed filing system in safe. Plans to date.                

Sat 21 … 11345 tons
Dinner at Shoulder of Mutton, Hardstoft

Mon 23 and Tues 24 … Colliery Rest Days
Christmas Day Wed 25, Boxing Day Thurs 26 and Holiday Fri 27

Mon 30 … Office … Updated Ventilation, Electrical, Dust Zone, R & FF negatives. Information to Ken Bullock, Dust Suppression. Composite 1/5000 negative.

Tues 31 … U/g … Dial survey and measurements 7s panel CMDE Trepanner … 5 men (RB*, CHS, OH, AF and TM) … Office … Calculated and plotted same.
Manpower 692 u/g, 171 s/f