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1“Below” 2010.3
E L O W !B
Quarterly Journal of the Shropshire Caving & Mining Club Autumn Issue No: 2010.3
NAMHO 2011 TheFinal Count Down
We are on the rapid count-down toNAMHO 2011 - bookings for whichwill start soon. The list of trips andsurface walks that will be on offerneed to be finalised before Christmas,if you have any ideas for trips orwalks please let Andy Wood know.
At the moment we are short of peopleto help with trips or walks - you don’thave to be the leader, helpers arealways required!
Plus we will need people at PrestonMontford to help with booking in,admin etc. You don’t have to be thereall day, any help you can give, evenfor just a few hours, will be more thanwelcome.
SMT Display Wins Onslow AwardAt this year’s Shrewsbury SteamRally at Onslow Park the ShropshireMines Trust were awarded “The IanHislop Challenge Cup” for the “BestWorking Steam Exhibit”.
The Trust have displayed their low-loader with a compressed air winch,rock crusher (from Snailbeach), EimcoRocker Shovel 12b, BEV electric locoand rock drill at Onslow for a numberof years. Although a mixeddemonstration of mining and rock
crushing, the display does allowmembers of the public to see variousitems of mining equipment inoperation. Despite being in the openair, they also get a feel for the soundof a rock drill !
The display this year was poweredby Tom Henderson’s 1901 FowlerTraction Engine “Pride of Wye”(hence the steam connection).
Congratulations to everyoneinvolved.
Below: Members of the team at the presentation, left to right: Alun Gwalchmai (driver of “Pride of Wye”), AdrianPearce, Steve Holding, Andy Harris, Stuart Tomlins, Peter Eggleston, Andy Kennelly, Mike Worsfold, Mike Moore.Missing from the picture are team members Eileen Bowen and Edwin Thorpe. (Kelvin Lake - I.A.Recordings)
Right: The Certificate of Award andthe silver “Ian Hislop ChallengeCup” presented to the Trust (sadlythey have to give the silver cup back!)
2 “Below” 2010.3
News Round-Up 1Ivor Brown
NAMHO ProjectThe Steering Group for the NAMHOproject on Mining ArchaeologicalResearch held a meeting atStiperstones Methodist Church(formerly Perkins Beach Church) onJuly 10th 2010. (This new church isvery convenient for such meetings -catering and toilet facilities , good carpark etc.) Afterwards the Group weregiven a tour of Snailbeach Mine.They were most impressed.
1939 FilmA report has been found whichstates that in June 1939 Mr.C.P.Batesshowed a film to the north StaffsBranch of the Institute of MiningSurveyors on the “high speedremoval of overburden at theroadstone quarry of Coalmoor BasaltLtd. in Shropshire by a No.4 RustonBucyrus Excavator with Muirhilldumpers”. Does this early film stillsurvive? It is understood that Mr.Bates became a consultant in the areain the 1950s.
Coal Tub FoundA 13cwt capacity coal tub the size ofthe ones used at Kemberton Pit,Shropshire in the 1950s, has beenfound at the National MiningMuseum (Caphouse).
At the time a collier had to getsufficient coal to fill 20 of these in a7¼ hour shift at 4 shillings per ton(including setting supports) i.e. 13tons x 4/- = 52 shillings per day.
Paddock & PortleyPaddock and Portley Mines - the(formerly) wooded tips which werementioned in the last issue of Below,were worked for coal and ironstone(latterly the Upper Pennystone)during the 19th Century by theCoalbrookdale Company. Bothappear to have been working in 1881(Geological Survey), but some seamworkings were abandoned in 1886and the pits were closed completelyby 1891. A tramway took the mineralstowards Little Dawley from PortleyPit (the shafts by the traffic lights inFinger Road), another tramwayconnected Paddock to Portley, theremains of a bridge could still be seenup to the 1960s.
The bleak, flat waste tips can be seenon a 1910 postcard (see page 4 “EastShropshire Coalfields”, Tempus).Trees were planted on the moundsby unemployed men in the 1930s(paid on the food-voucher system)and the Wellington Journal of July8th 1954 describes a scheme toreclaim them (with photos). In recentyears the woods had been badlytreated and the perimeter littered withhousehold rubbish (with rats).
NCB Boxers
Below: Ivor Brown beside the 13cwtcoal tub. (Ivor Brown)
New Museum GuideThe new guide to Blists Hill Museumgiven to every visitor shows theMiners Walk and it’s exhibitsincluding the “drift mine” with theindex number 55 in a red circle - thisis interpreted from the key as an“original feature of the site”.
Some Club members will rememberhelping to construct this walk, thedrift mine and the headframe here inthe 1960s after the museum took overthe site!
The new incline is still unused - thedispute as to whether it comes undermining or factories legislation hasnow “been taken to Brussels”.
Shropshire Geo. Soc.The Shropshire Geological SocietyNewsletter, May 2010, describes arecent visit to Shropshire Quarry,Bayston Hill.
Recent excavations in the quarryhave exposed productive coalmeasures, a “few hundred tons ofpyritic coal” have been stockpiledand there were “spectacularly fernyfossils” present.
In the early 1950s NCB MadeleyWood Colliery sponsored oneof the pit’s pony drivers in aBoxing Match on theCarnival Field duringMadeley Carnival day.
Bob Langford fanciedhimself as a real fighterand was put up against oneof the boxing organisers semi-professionals.
The match ended in the first roundwith Bob in a blooded heap in onecorner of the ring.
The NCB provided gown hasrecently been located in the Isle ofMan (see photo, right).
(Mrs. M.Brown)
3“Below” 2010.3
Diving Dorothea, North Wales - Sunday 6th June 2010Stuart Tyrer
The objective of this trip was for theTelford Underwater Search Unit todive the North Quarry of Dorothea tofind what is known as “the far 25meter tunnel” - if it exists. If it does,then to prove or disprove that itconnections with the South Dorotheaquarry pit.
We entered the water from the Northside beach and headed towards theridge between the two quarries wherethe pumping engine house issituated.
After a long swim we made it to therock face a quick equipment checkand we were good to go.
We started to descend and the firstthing that hit me was how poor thevisibility was - down to only a coupleof meters ( this could have been dueto heavy rain the night before ) justbelow us we saw an old hut.
Left: View acrossthe North Quarryfrom near thepumping enginehouse.The North sidebeach, wheredivers enter is inthe distance,center left.(Kelvin Lake -I.A.Recordings)
We dropped down from here to the25 meter depth and started to swim toour right (West) after 20 minutes wecame across a wall heading Northand we gathered we had missed it!.
So we then headed to our left (East)and found the tunnel. It’s smallerthan I was expecting only about 5’high and it only goes for about 7 to 8meters.
At the end it looks like it has beenblocked up. We ascended to ourdecompression stop depth carriedout all deco stops and surfaced.
Right: North, across SouthDorothea quarry to ridgewith the pumping enginehouse on it.(Kelvin Lake - I.A.Recordings)
Below: Old hut or cabandiscovered a few metersunder water on the Southwall of the North Quarry.
(Barry Smith)
Below: Near the blocked end inside the “far 25meter tunnel”, 25m under water on the South wall ofthe North Quarry. (Barry Smith)
4 “Below” 2010.3
Once out of the water we walked overto a point on the surface abovewhere the tunnel is and paced it outto South Dotty, its about 100 meters.On a previous dive in South Dottywe had not found any sign of anytunnel on the North edge of thequarry, but we did find a shorttunnel.
Diving Dorothea, North Wales - Sunday 6th June 2010continued ...
After talking to Mr. Jones we havenow established that the tunnelnever connected to South Dotty andthat the small tunnels we found werein fact drainage tunnels.
ThanksThanks to Barry Smith for theunderwater photographs.
Left: Entrance to a short tunnel nearthe pumping engine house.
(Stuart Tyrer)
Above: View along the short tunnel.(Stuart Tyrer)
Left: Collapsed, unstable end of theshort tunnel.
(Stuart Tyrer)
EU To Close MinesThe European Commission hasannounced that loss-making coalmines across the EU will have toclose over the next four years. Thenew regulation targets hard coal - notlignite (brown coal).
State subsidies for such mines willonly be allowed if a closure plan is inplace. Production subsidies are to bereplaced by social and environmentalaid for affected areas. Most subsidiesgo to mines in Germany’s Ruhrregion, north-west Spain andRomania’s Jiu Valley.
In 2008, total aid to the EU’s hardcoal sector fell to 2.9bn euros(£2.5bn), from 6.4bn euros in 2003. Inthe same period, the proportion of aidused for production fell by 62%.
The EU coal industry employsaround 100,000 people in Europe:42,000 in the coal sector itself andmore than 55,000 in related industries.
Hard coal production in the EU was147m tonnes in 2008, or 2.5% of worldproduction. More than half of thecoal used by coal-fired powerstations in the EU is imported.
More Opencast MinesThe British Geological Survey hasrecently announced that applicationsfor opencast mining on greenfieldsites are likely to increase to meet theUK's demand for energy, as the stockof brownfield sites suitable foropencast mining is now running out.
Mining firm UK Coal says that coal isvital to meet the Country’s energydemands, however opponents sayopencast mining is dirty and createseyesores which destroy areas ofcountryside.
Most of opencast mining in the UKcurrently takes place on brownfieldsites.
Environmental groups say opencastmining ruins the natural habitat, butUK Coal says there are safeguards inplace to protect the countryside andmining companies are legally obligedto restore the land when the minefinally closes.
Opencast mines in the UK areexpected to produce 10m tonnes ofcoal this year.
Tower - OpencastPlans have been submitted for anopencast mine at the site of TowerColliery, Hirwaun. Tower closed in2008, but around 6 million tonnes ofanthracite remain unworked.
Tyrone O'Sullivan, the man who ledthe successful workers’ buyout ofthe mine when it was closed byBritish Coal in 1994, is behind theopencast idea.
It is estimated the operation wouldlast for around seven years afterwhich landscaping and remedial workwould take place. Waste from theopencast mining will be used tostrengthen iron workings below theold coal levels.
It’s planned to extract the coal from adepth of 165m, from the 480-acre (195hectares) old washery site. Theopencast will be 200 acres (80hectares) in size. Coal would betransported by train to Aberthawpower station in the Vale ofGlamorgan.
The site is still owned by the 280directors, former miners of Towercolliery.
5“Below” 2010.3
Following the recent articles aboutcaves on Skye, the island also has afew mine (or mine-related) remains.
In the north of the island, diatomitewas extracted; a tramway runs fromthe extraction site by Loch Culthir tothe remains of a processing plant onthe coast at Lealt. I have notinspected this myself, although thecourse of the tramway is said to be apleasant walk.
In the south of the island, marblequarries are still active around Torrin;just before the First World War oneof the quarries was linked to thecoast at Broadford by a railway.
Again, this has been converted to afootpath; the quarry site itself hasnumerous remains of the quarriesthemselves, inclines, bases ofmachinery and also a polishingfactory. It is well worth a visit.
However, the most spectacularmining remains are on the adjacentisland of Raasay. Here ironstone wasmined during the First World War,largely by German PoWs. There weretwo mines, both connected to thecoast at Suisnish by rope-workedtramways.
At Suishnish the ore was crushedand calcined before being sent alonga pier to be taken away by ship. Thepier, the bases of the calcining kilns,the crusher and the storage bin allsurvive, together with some ancillarybuildings.
The tramway can be followed to theNo 1 mine; it runs in a straight line foraround 2 miles. About ¾ of the wayalong was a branch for the No 2mine; the piers for a girder viaductsurvive, which carried this branchacross the Inverarish Burn.
At the terminus of the main tramwayare buildings from No 1 mine; whatseems to be a power house and alsothe engine house to drive theropeway. A short distance to thenorth-east is the gated adit of themine itself. The fan-house, higher up
Mines of SkyeDavid Poyner
the hill also survives and there is alsoa second entrance to the mine theother side of the hill.
A useful book on the history of themine is available; “The Raasay IronMine” by Laurence and PamelaDraper (ISBN 978-0-9514870-0-6)available from the authors
(Cnocmisan, Culbokie, Dingwall,Ross-shire, IV7 8JH) or on Skye orRaasay; well worth getting if only forthe photographs.
If anyone is visiting, I’d alsorecommend the Isle of Raasay Hotelfor post-exploration refreshments!
Above: Power and engine house, Rassay No1 mine. (David Poyner)
Below: Interior of engine house (right), Rassay No1 mine. (David Poyner)
Right: MarbleQuarry, Skye.
(David Poyner)
6 “Below” 2010.3
Some Notes on the Mines of the Lilleshall Company, No.5Pits in the Donnington Field (Colliery), Ivor Brown
So far this series has included noteson 12 pits, but a glance at the map inBelow 2010.1 (page 14), shows manytipped areas without a nameattached. There must therefore havebeen many more pits, indeed anotebook in the Lilleshall Co. recordslists 74 sinkings between 1818 and1835 in Donnington andWrockwardine Wood alone.
In later years “Donnington Colliery”area seems to have included allCompany pits North of the oldWatling Street (more recently calledthe A5). These included those shaftstaken over from older pits in theWrockwardine Wood, Wombridgeand Hadley Fields. In 1870 thecompany had 30 “pairs of pits” in theDonnington and Hadley Fields andthis was before they becamecompletely responsible for theWrockwardine Wood andWombridge Fields. The latter alsocontained an extensive drainagesystem, including the navigablelevels of the late 1700s and the Daylevel system of the early 1800s, bothof which had many shafts, enginesand other features. Many of theseremained Company responsibilityuntil Nationalisation in 1947.
There were also a number of centralpumping engines, some at the pits
which have already been described,but each assisted with the drainageof other pits. Three of the engines atpits where mineral production hadlong since ceased are listed below,but there were also pumping enginesat sites where the locations are nowunknown, including Freemans,Rookery and Donnington Wood.Some of the pumping engines wereoperated in association with othercompanies, each contributing a shareto their maintenance and runningcosts.
In 1870, the Company stated that ithad 15 pumping engines raising200,00 tons of water per month fromdepths ranging from 50 yards to 200yards and these included Granville,Grange, Waxhill and Muxton Bridge,which have already been mentioned.It also included the three below:Stevens, New Hadley andWombridge.
13 Steven’s Engine(also known as Stephen’s)SJ 710 126This was described as a “new pit”before the 1830s and, according to anold diary, was “stopped for good” onFebruary 6th 1928. It was scrappedshortly afterwards. It pumped from570ft. and in 1870 had a beam enginewith 52 inch diameter cylinder.
14 New HadleySJ 682 116 (probably)It could be one of the direct actingvertical engines shown on theHadley Colliery Section of 1812.Wheeler’s Diary says the pit andpump was “stopped for good” onApril 11th 1879. Local tradition saysthat it was similar to Pudley HillPumping Engine, certainly both hadvertical cylinders, but New Hadleywas direct acting while Pudley Hillhad a beam. (Pudley Hill will be dealtwith under the forthcoming “PriorsLee Colliery” notes.)
Figure 1
Steven’s EnginePit, DonningtonWood (c1920).
Situated besidethe DonningtonWood canal (notethe tub boat onthe right). The pitceased workingcoal about 1880,but continuedpumping until1928.
(IGMT Collection)
Figure 2: New Hadley PumpingEngine (believed to be pit No.17)from a “Parallel Section of HadleyColliery” by Charles W.Pearce, 1812.
7“Below” 2010.3
15 WombridgePumping EngineSJ 692 121Operated in association with others,it was installed in 1858, possibly on amuch older shaft, and ceasedpumping in 1886.
The house formed a landmark as itwas in a very prominent position andit survived until December 1964.
On the 27th December it was blasteddown for a developer - but with Clubinvolvement! (82lb of gelignite wasused and the fuse lit at 4pm, 2minutes 2 seconds later the buildingwas a pile of rubble).
The engine had been of Cornish
Some Notes on the Mines of the Lilleshall Company, No.5Pits in the Donnington Field (Colliery), continued ...
ReferencesWheeler’s Diary (in private
possession)Brown, I.J. “East Shropshire
Coalfield”, Tempus 1999page 77: Stevens Engine,p84 Wombridge Engine,p11 Hadley Engine
British Geological Survey, “TelfordMemoir” 1995 and maps.
Brown, I.J. “The Hadley MiningField”, Telford Historical &Archaeological Society JournalNo.4, 2000
Ball Siding PitChimneyLathamsSour LeasowLangleyHumphersonsTub EngineGriffithsBlue FlatJervisWhite
Pell Neck PitDraytonBrownsWeirHortonsPascallsBowerRookeryNobbySaleWoodfield
type, 60 inch diameter cylinder, 10ft.stroke, and could raise 3388 gallonsper minute with 3 strokes, but it wascapable of doing 11 strokes perminute. It could produce 250 hp andlift water from a shaft nearly 600 ft.deep. There had been a much earlieratmospheric pumping engine atWombridge dating from c1730 (seePrestwich, “On the Geology ofCoalbrookdale”, 1842).
Other PitsAs stated previously, there weremany more pits in the DonningtonColliery area, certainly exceeding onehundred. The locations and names ofthose listed in table 1 are known, butlittle further information has yet beenfound. (see B.G.S. publications)
Table 1
Below: Front view of the WombridgePumping Engine house, showingthe bob wall, just before demolitionon 27th December 1964.
The ‘chunk’ missing from the right-hand corner was a result of a testexplosion carried out by JohnMason. (D.R.Adams Collection)
Above: View (c1920s) up the Trench Incline plane with WombridgePumping Engine house dominating the skyline (right). (IGMT Collection)
Left: Rear view of theWombridge PumpingEngine house inDecember 1964during demolitionpreparations.(Ivor Brown Collection)
8 “Below” 2010.3
During a recent break in Tuscany, Ihad determined to do someunderground exploring in the ApuanAlps. Some internet research hadhighlighted a number of old mines aswell as several cave systems.Unfortunately, all did not go to plan!
However, I did succeed in gettingunderground once, if rather bychance. We had been exploring someof the sights of the Serchio rivervalley north of Lucca and headed upinto the hills to view an old hermitagebut further up the hill arrived at theGrotta del Vento, now a show cave.
Grotta del VentoThe name (Wind Cave) derives fromthe violent air current, which runsthrough the cave, due to thepresence of two openings, which aresituated at different levels. This windcan reach 40km/hr so a massive dooris closed during tours.
Although first noted in the 17th
century, it was not until 1964 that theextent of the system was realised,there being over 4km of passageswith extensive flowstone andspectacular formations. We arrived alittle late for the stated tour time butas there were no other visitors wewere given the 1 hour trip by a veryknowledgeable, bilingual lady born inLondon.
A (short) Tale of 2 mines, 2 Caves & Lots of Marble in the Apuan AlpsAndy Wood
The route is very well constructed toguide the visitor and protect theformations and the experience ismercifully free of the over the toplighting and special effectssometimes used in such places,despite the fanciful titles for some ofthe chambers.
For full details and good qualityphotographs see the web site:
www.grottadelvento.com/grotta/indexen.htm
Buca della Vena MineMy main aim was to visit the Bucadella Vena Mine, which was exploitedfor barite and iron oxides as recentlyas 1987. The mine is situated halfwayup a mountain and has manyartefacts remaining including a trainstill inside the mine.
It used an aerial ropeway to bring theore down to the valley road and I wasable to find the base of this withoutdifficulty. But, when I followed thepath up the hill it soon petered out soI battled upwards through denseundergrowth looking for the minesite.
It was the wrong time of year to dothis as all the greenery obscured anyview and I totally failed in mymission, getting only badly scratchedarms and legs for my trouble andrendering my oversuit, helmet andlight a waste of time. There has to bean easier way up but I ran out of timeto find it.
Should you be in the area, give it atry, for details see:
www.mindat.org/sitegallery.php?loc=2165
The following day we had a groupouting right up into the mountains.From Pietrasanta, near theMediterranean coast, the roadtowards the hills is lined on bothsides with marble and stoneworkbusinesses. Huge blocks of stone ina wide range of colours are piled highand huge cranes and saws appear onevery site.
As the road winds up the valley, vastscars can be seen on almost all thehillsides where high quality stonehas been carved out and spoilallowed to tumble down towards theriver. It reminded me of Snowdoniaexcept that the spoil was mainlymarble white rather than slate grey.
LeviglianiWe stopped in a small, elevatedvillage (582m, nearly 2,000 ft up)called Levigliani for lunch (and very
Above: Interesting stalagmites in theGrotta del Vento, hanging into gourpools. (Andy Wood)
Above: Formations in the Grotta delVento. (Andy Wood)
Left: A bear skeleton in the Grotta delVento. (Andy Wood)
9“Below” 2010.3
A (short) Tale of 2 mines, 2 Caves & Lots of Marble in the Apuan Alpscontinued ...
good it was too) but I knew there wasan old (since 1153) cinnabar minethere known for occasional depositsof native mercury. It also turns outthat a new mercury-bismuth sulfo-salt mineral species, rejoicing in thename of Grumiplucite, wasdiscovered there.
We found the site but, to mysurprise, it had beenturned into a show mine
in 2009 (Mina dellArgento Vivo) andwas only open on
Sundays at this time ofyear.
You can see a video of it at:www.youtube.com/
watch?v=kNZuC1d7lGs
The village’s main claim to fame isthe nearby presence of the MonteCorchia cave system, the largest inItaly with 70km of passageways, a1200m height range and a 2km touristroute opened in 2002. Our timing wasagain awry, as the ticket office onlyopened in the morning, so no visitwas possible.
However, it is clearly a majorattraction for Italy’s cavers as onelarge hotel window was plasteredwith speleological club stickers fromacross the country. (see
www.antrodelcorchia.net/underground/discovery.html
for a slide show of some of theincredible formations and a series ofshots of an active marble quarry)
The mountain roads were typicallynarrow and steep with many tighthairpins; on the uphill approach tothe road tunnel through the highestpeak, our feeble hire car washounded by the local bus in themanner of the truck in the film ‘Duel’.Once in the tunnel with a clear viewahead, it blasted past us complainingloudly about our slow rate ofprogress.
Above: Blocks of cut marble stacked near the roadside. (Andy Wood)
Below: Possible base station for the aerial ropeway from Buca della Venamine. (Andy Wood)
Below: Entrance to Miniere dell’Argento Vivo (Mines of “Argento Vivo” -Quicksilver). (Andy Wood)
Note: The mining ‘character’ aboveis used to promote the variousunderground attractions (caves andmines) around Levigliani.
10 “Below” 2010.3
News Round-Up 2
Rabid Vampire BatsPeru’s health ministry has sentemergency teams to a remoteAmazon region to battle an outbreakof rabies spread by vampire bats.
Four children in the Awajunindigenous tribe died after beingbitten by the blood-suckingmammals. Health workers have givenrabies vaccine to more than 500people who have also been attacked.
Some experts have linked massvampire bat attacks on people in theAmazon to deforestation.
The rabies outbreak is focused onthe community of Urakusa in thenorth-eastern Peruvian Amazon,close to the border with Ecuador. Theindigenous community appealed forhelp after being unable to explain theillness that had killed the children.
Vampire bats usually feed on wildlifeor livestock, but are sometimesknown to turn to humans for food,particularly in areas where theirrainforest habitat has beendestroyed.
Some local people have suggestedthis latest outbreak of attacks may belinked to the unusually lowtemperatures the Peruvian Amazon inrecent years.
News Reports
Mining Museum GetsEU GrantPurbeck Ball Clay mining museum,dedicated to Dorset’s 2,000 year-oldball clay mining industry could openwithin a year after receiving a£100,000 EU grant.
Volunteers have been dismantling amine building and re-erecting itbeside Norden Swanage Railwaystation in preparation for the project.
The grant from the EuropeanAgricultural Fund for RuralDevelopment should see the museumopen in summer 2011. The PurbeckMineral and Mining Museum Grouphave been running weekly workingparties since 2003 to try and re-createmine workings and a mile-longnarrow gauge railway. They havealso raised an additional £45,000towards the project.
The Ball clays mined in Dorset andDevon produce a fine quality ceramicand were used by 18th centurypotters including Wedgwood andSpode.
BBC New Reports 17th August 2010
Mines Rescue Station DemolishedNew Life for WrexhamMiners’ InstituteThe Muslim Association of Wrexhamhas bought the town’s formerMiners’ Institute and plans to turn itinto a mosque and a centre foreducational and cultural studies.
The institute was set up as a club forWrexham miners but closed in 2008after a drop in membership.
The deal to purchase the Institutebrings to an end a 20-year search fora permanent base for the Muslimassociation, which used to holdprayer meetings in portable buildingsat the former North East WalesInstitute.
News Reports 1st September 2010
permission three years ago to knockdown the building and constructflats. The demolition work hassignificantly damaged the specialinterest of this building, particularlythe training gallery at the rear of thebuilding.
Wrexham Council are consideringlegal action as it is a criminal offenceto undertake unauthorised works tolisted buildings without listedbuilding consent. The maximum finein such cases is £20,000 and/or sixmonths imprisonment.
Wrexham Mines Rescue Stationclosed in the 1980s and was handedto the fire service, but it recentlypassed into the ownership ofbusinessman and former WrexhamFC chairman Mr. Neville Dickens
News Reports August 2010
On Wednesday 18th August,demolition work on the 1913Wrexham Mines Rescue Station wasstopped by Wrexham Council, whichsaid a safety certificate was needed.Heritage body Cadw then listed thebuilding for its “special historicinterest” as a mines rescue building,purpose-built to serve the mines ofthe north Wales coalfields andimportant for retaining significantoriginal form and layout, in particularthe training gallery, after campaignerscalled for the protection.
However 2 days later on Friday 20thAugust, Police were called after keyparts of the Grade-II listed buildingwere destroyed following theresumption of the demolition work,despite the Listing.
The owner was granted planning
Toddler in Mine ShaftAt 9.45am, on Tuesday 31st August,Fire crews were called to Newhallnear Swadlincote after a two-year oldboy fell into a “mine shaft” in hisgarden.
An eight-foot (2.4m) deep, six-feet(1.8m) wide, hole had suddenlyopened up. The boy’s father also gottrapped in the hole after he jumped into rescue his son. Both were unhurt.BBC News Reports 31st August 2010
Venezuelan CollapseAt least seven people were killed in acave-in at a mine in the east ofVenezuela.
A number of miners are also believedto have been trapped by the rockfallat the illegal gold mine in El Callao, inthe state of Bolivar.
Safety standards at these unofficialmines deep in the Venezuelan jungleare often minimal, or non-existent.
President Hugo Chavez has tried tocrack down on illegal mining.In April, he deployed the army toshut down some of the mining campsin Bolivar state.
BBC News 25th August 2010
11“Below” 2010.3
What the Papers Said - From the Colliery Guardiansubmitted by Steve Dewhirst
THE annual examination for the iron and coalmasters’ prizes took place on Saturday last, whenthe candidates, with their respective masters andmistresses, attended from the following schools :—Madeley, Madeley Wood, Coalbrookdale, Broseley,Ironbridge, Wellington, Pool Hill, DonningtonWood, Lilleshall, Ketley, and Shifnal. Theexamination was conducted by her Majesty’sInspector, the Rev. J. P. Norris. The subject chosenas a test of their religious knowledge was theparables of our Lord. The boys were examined inmensuration, arithmetic, mechanics, geography,
FROM A CORRESPONDENT AT KETLEYIRON AND COAL MASTERS’ PRIZES.
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTSubsidence of the Commercial Difficulties - Fatal Accident at Blast Furnaces - Severn Valley Railway.
A MEETING of a most gratifying character to allpersons engaged in the iron making and, coal-mining of Shropshire, took place at Shifnal onTuesday. It was that of the Twenty-second AnnualGathering of the Shropshire Banking Company.Mr. Henry Dickinson, presiding. The Directors’Report was as follows :-Your directors have much pleasure in meeting theproprietors on the present occasion, and in reportingon the progress of the Bank. The net profits for theyear amount to £4,091 16s. 1d. To this sum hasbeen added £1,000 13s. 9d., the balance from lastyear, making a total of £5,092 9s. 10d. ; from whichamount has been taken £2,025, being £3 per shareupon the 675 shares allotted to the directors inconsideration a the relinquishment of their loans, inconformity with the resolution of last year’s meeting.
This leaves an available balance of £3,067 0s. 10d.,which the directors place at the disposal of themeeting ; and recommend the payment of 3s. pershare, being 5 per cent on the present capital of thecompany, and leaves a balance of £817 9s. ltd.From this they propose to take £750 to place to aReserve Fund, and to carry the balance, £67 9s. ltd.,to nest year’s Profit and Loss Account.
The present account stands as followsNet profit for the year ... £4,091 16 1Balance from last year … £1,000 13 9
£5,092 9 10 Deduct £2,025, being £3 per share on 675 sharesallotted to the directors £2,025 0 0
Balance £3,067 9 10
The accounts of the Bank have been audited byMr. Banks.The Chairman, in introducing the report, said hewas happy to announce that they had at lengthreached the turning point of their late difficulties,and although the dividend now recommendedwas rather smaller than they had hoped to declare,yet he trusted it might be fairly taken as an earnestof their future prosperity. This he could assurethem, that the accounts now presented were of abona fide character, and that the dividend wasfairly divisible out of the profits. After somefurther congratulatory remarks, the Chairmanconcluded by moving the adoption of the report,which was passed unanimously.
BLAST FURNACE ACCIDENTOn Monday evening, a boy named Pope, whileassisting another in tipping some mine at the LightMoat furnaces, Madeley, met with an accidentwhich terminated in his death. It appears that theboy was engaged at the time doing something infront of the carriage, which being ti ltedunexpectedly, threw the material upon him.
SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAYA great impetus to the development of the mineralresources of Shropshire will be given by theSevern Valley Railway. The works are progressingin the neighbourhood of Bridgnorth, and noticesarrived on Wednesday to be served on theproprietors of houses in the High Town, underwhich the tunnel will pass.
24th July 1858
history, grammar, &c. The girls were required tomake a child’s miniature cap; the competitors forthe higher prizes had also to cut it out. Twocandidates, a boy and a girl, had their papers takenfrom them and were not allowed to compete,owing to their dishonesty, in making use of writtennotes during the examination, This is the firstinstance of the kind which has occurred since thescheme commenced its working. A dinner, towhich the children did ample justice, was providedfor them in the school room.
20th March 1858
12 “Below” 2010.3
A Union for Shropshire Mine OfficialsIvor Brown
The mineworkers union is wellknown, but it is not so well knownthat there was also a union for themiddle management at mines, theshotfirers, deputies and overmen.This includes their predecessors, thecontractors or Chartermasters, the‘fireman’ and ‘examiners’. All in thesecategories have always risen from theranks of workmen and representedsome of the most skilled and versatilemen.
At small mines a deputy’s certificate(which required the passing of apractical and theory test) usuallyqualified a man to take on the role ofcolliery manager. This was the caseat both the Shortwoods and RockMine in Shropshire in the 1960s.
There were several unions for mineofficials in the 19th century includingthe forbidding, highly protective“Shropshire ChartermastersAssociation” of the 1870s and the“Undermanagers and FiremansFederation” mentioned at severalinquests following accidents in thelater 19th century (e.g. WaxhillBarracks fatality in October 1894).There was also the National
Federation of Engineman’s ProtectiveAssociation to protect the workersaround the shaft top during enquiriesinto the many winding accidents.
During the first half of the 20thCentury a colliery would normallyhave a manager, undermanager, and 3overmen (one for each shift). Thiswas the case at Madeley Wood inthe 1950s and there would then be adeputy for about every 50 menunderground and a similar number ofassistants or shotfirers. At Madeleyfor 500 men below there was about 10deputies and 10 shotfirers. Oftenthese men were called “collieryofficials”.
The 1927 Colliery Directory lists theMining Officials Associations(MOA) alongside the normal tradeunions of the industry. There was aNorth Wales and Shropshire MOA inthe list but there does not appear tobe any national organisation.
By 1937 the North Wales andShropshire MOA had become part ofthe “Lancashire, Cheshire and NorthWales (including Shropshire)Deputies and Shotfirers
Association”. A surviving agrementbetween the association and theMadeley Wood Company uses thistitle (see figure 1, below).
Figure 1: Page one of the November1939 agreement.
Figure 2, below: Officials of the Madeley Wood Co. c1941. The picture includes the Manager, 2 undermanagers, 3overmen and senior deputy, electrician, engineers and clerk, together with company officials: agent, ManagingDirector and secretary. (Ivor Brown) [For identification of individuals, see “East Shropshire Coalfield”, p53.]
By 1948 most of the local Miner’sAssociations had joined together toform the all-embracing NationalUnion of Mineworkers. This includedthe powerful enginemansassociations and the Colliery Office
13“Below” 2010.3
Staff Associations (COSA, of whichthe writer’s father was the MadeleySecretary). It was fully expected thatthe colliery officials associationswould join them but at a Conferencethat year these decided to form theirown Association separate from themineworkers.
The new association was to be calledthe National Association of CollieryOvermen, Deputies and Shotfirers(NACODs). Shropshire appears tohave become it’s own ‘Area’. Areport of 1945 stated that theShropshire pits (excluding Ifton andpits with less than 50 men) employed83 overmen, deputies and shotfirers.
By the above breakaway the mineofficials had abandoned their‘firemans’ and miners image andbecome a full part of ‘management’ ata colliery - this has been welldemonstrated by the actions thatthey have taken in modern minersstrikes.
When the writer became a mineofficial at Madeley Wood in 1959 heterminated his 7 years period in theNUM and became a member of
A Union for Shropshire Mine Officialscontinued ...
NACODs (Shropshire Area).The earlier 1937 agreement betweenmine owners and officials was by thistime being replaced and he waseventually given a copy of the newagreement between the NCB West
Figure 4, below: The Madeley Wood Colliery official’s staff party, c1950. (Ivor Brown) [Some of the faces at the front can be seen in the picture on p12 - but 10 years younger!]
Midlands Division and its variousmine officials union “areas” (NorthStaffs, Warwickshire, CannockChase, South Staffs and Shropshire(see figure 3).
In 1955 the management of MadeleyWood, with about 500 below ground,consisted of manager, undermanager,3 overmen, 10 deputies and 10shotfirers.
Fifteen years later GranvilleColliery, with 600 menunderground, had an Agent-manager, deputy manager,two assistant managers andtwo undermanagers and afull complement of overmenand deputies. Granville Pit’scoal production in 1970 withfull mechanisation was verylittle more per man-shiftworked than MadeleyWood’s partiallymechanised operation in1955! Granville seems tohave been very much overstaffed.
Figure 3: Front cover of the“Negotiations and ConciliationsScheme for Deputies, WestMidlands Division of the NationalCoal Board”, September 1961.
14 “Below” 2010.3
I was free on the evening of the 14thand decided to give ‘The Founder’(sorry been watching too much DeepSpace Nine!). a hand and acted as tailend Charlie, with Margaret leftholding the cash till and demandingpayment for service to be renderedby the Founder.
Due to a copy of Malcolm Newton’sdrawing of the suggested layout ofthe site complete with engine house,chimney and head gear being copiedinto the local freebie magazineadvertising the walk some 84 peopleturned up. The Founder hadoptimistically produced 50 copies ofthe walk plan and associated notesfrom his book and was thereforeoverwhelmed on the evening.
Fortunately the Last Inn had beenclosed for several months, but it hadjust reopened with a new owner andrenamed ‘The Aston’. The car parkwas just about able to cope with allthe vehicles but only due to myselfacting as a car park attendant andtelling people to move. It just showshow common sense goes out of thewindow when members of the publicpay over their fee and then expect tobe told exactly what to do. At leastno one turned up with lamps andhelmets as usually happens asoptimism overtakes reality!
The Founder spoke to the peopleimmediately in front of him andbeckoned for them to follow himthrough the kissing gate into the field
David Adams (The Founder) – Church Aston Walk, 14th June 2010Mike Moore
as the rest stood around bemused.Crowd controller Moore again swunginto action and persuaded themasses to follow the leader.
Have you ever timed 87 people goingthrough a kissing gate? Well its takesa third of the time as it did to get thesame numbers through two kissinggates with the A518 Newport By-pass sandwiched in the middle.
Since the club’s first adventures tothis site it has been intersected bythe Bypass. Trees have been plantedwhere once cattle and sheep grazed,and as a result there is now a densejungle and all played follow my leaderas you could hear his dulcet tonesdroning just like one of thoseVuvuzela’s somewhere in thedistance.
The Founder then took the crowdinto the woods and around the topsof the Limekilns to the top of TwinDog Shaft and proceeded to explainto those in front of him some of thesite complexities meanwhile the other40 or so were still crossing the road. Ipointed out the relevant bits whilstthe crowd wandered past me into thewoods where they had great funfalling down the now very slippybank at the side of the shafts. At thispoint I offered the forgotten few analternative viewpoint in order to hearthe Founders words. As theFounders group moved on I tookmy group via the alternative routeand managed to reach the site of the
Engine House dig in front of theFounder thus saving further sprainedankles and strained backs (apart frommy own that is).
The Founder then proceeded to holdcourt around the Engine House dig,my group who were by now in frontand had the advantage of hearing hiswords whilst the rest continued toarrive for the next 10 minutes. Thefounder seemed oblivious to the factthat many of his followers wereunable to hear his full speech; Iconcluded that this was a ploy toensure they turn up next year to hearthe missing bits. In spite of myconstant reminders the Foundercontinued to drone on oblivious tothe fact half his audience were notpresent.
We then reversed the stroll throughthe woods and ended up by the canalbasin, again The Founder plunged into his next lines as the crowd againfound difficulty traversing thekissing gate and keeping to theSchedule.
As the final members of the grouparrived, the Founder moved on andtook the group into the centre ofPitchcroft Lane in order to cross intothe field to follow the line of the OldCanal. Margaret and I were left tostand sentry against boy racerswhilst the remaining 85 leapfroggedover the stile into the field this againtaking forever.
The founder with open fields nowfound it much easier to stand and talkto the now converted who werehanging onto his every word.
We continued to cross the boundarybrook past the quarries and intoBarrack Lane with the Founderstopping twice more, only 6 peoplehad dropped out by this time and theremainder had worked out how to getthrough gates and stiles and still beable to hear and understand theFounders Vuvuzela!
At last we reached Sylvan Closewhich is on the corner of Barrack
Below: David Adams (The Founder) bidding the crowd a fond farewell atthe the end of the walk in Sylvan Close. (Mike Moore)
15“Below” 2010.3
Lane where sadly the final barrackshas been lost to new builds. Theevening concluded at about 21:45and the crowd yomped back to theAston Car Park where the Foundercontinued with the retail therapyselling signed copies of his clubvolume on the mines.
Joking apart David has spent alifetime researching , drawing ,writing and talking about these longforgotten mines and does a great dealof PR for the SCMC long may hecontinue but smaller crowds nexttime!!
David Adams (The Founder) – Church Aston Walk, 14th June 2010continued ...
Right, top: The crowd gathers roundDavid in the field, while he talksabout mines - he’s in theresomewhere!
Right: David Adams standing on theexcavated engine house with thewalkers gathered around theperimeter.
(Mike Moore)
The Pitchcroft DigThe Pitchcroft digging season startsagain in October. It is hoped that byChristmas the extent of the boilerbase and engine house will havebeen revealed.
Further investigation of the floor ofthe engine house might also beundertaken. The tiles that appear tocross under the wall in the one cornerare curious (see below), as is the wellor drain inside the building.
Left: The tiles that go under the engine house wall.
Below: Some of the small lengths of chain discoveredduring the June dig, earlier this year.
Left: The drain or holein the floor of the mainengine house chamber.Could it be just a soak-away or a condenser pitor well?
(Kelvin Lake - I.A.Recordings)
16 “Below” 2010.3
The Chilean Mine Rescue
The big mining story in the news atthe moment is the continuing rescueattempt of the 33 miners in Chile.
The miners were trapped, on 5thAugust, when part of the San JoseCopper and Gold mine, in Chile’sAtacama desert collapsed.
Further rockfalls blocked early rescueattempts, however contact waseventually made with the men on22nd August when a rescue team’sborehole broke through into the areawhere the men where.
After the roof fall the men had takenshelter in an underground refugeabout 600m below the surface (themine extends about 700m below thesurface). Food, medical supplies,clothing etc.. are being sent downthe borehole.
Access to the mine is via a longdecline, with a number of escapeshafts (winzes) between parts of thedecline. Unfortunately at least 2 rooffalls have occurred (at approximately350m and 450m below the surface)blocking both the main decline andthe escape route.
The current rescue plan involvesdrilling 3 rescue shafts, two of whichare well underway, and one has juststarted, using different types ofmachinery.
Plan A - Rescue Shaft 1Using a 40-ton Strata 950 Raiseboremachine which will cut down to thelevel the miners are on (about 702mdeep). The drilling of a 33cm pilothole for this rescue shaft had reacheda depth of 320m by the 17thSeptember. The sides of the shaft arebeing lined as drilling progresses.
Plan B - Rescue Shaft 2Started on the 5th September, using afaster raise bore-type drill, a SchrammT-130 to cut down 678m.
This was delayed when the drill bitshattered and pieces had to be fishedout by large magnets. However, the33cm pilot hole reached a workshopclose to the miner’s refuge on 17thSeptember.
The shaft will now be reamed out to adiameter of approximately 70cm (28inches) to allow the miners to bepulled out. During the reaming-outoperation the trapped miners willhave to clear debris from the bottomof the holes - it’s estimated 12 to 15tonnes of rock will need to be clearedeach day.
Plan C - Rescue Shaft 3.Started on the 20th September usingmachinery usually used in oil drilling,will drill at an angle of 85 degrees to alevel 567m below the surface.
The Rescue CapsuleThe rescue capsule that will be usedto bring the men out is effectively a“Dahlbusch Bomb”. Named after it’sfirst successful use in 1955, when itrescued 3 miners after anunderground fire at the DahlbuschColliery, Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen,Germany. It was deployed again on7th November 1963 when it recovered11 miners trapped in the Lengede-Broistedt ore mine - this rescueinspired several movies anddocumentaries.
Examples of the capsule (2.5m longand 38.5cm in diameter) can be foundin German Mining Museums (e.g.Deutsches Bergbau-Museum,Bochum, and Grube Samson, SanktAndreasberg, Oberharz).
Further ReadingThere are some excellent graphics,diagrams and descriptions of therescue on the BBC web site. Nodoubt it will soon be a film starringTom Cruise, showing how theAmericans saved the day - after all,NASA is advising the Rescuers!
Left: The Dahlbusch bombpreserved in the DeutschesBergbau-Museum, Bochum.(Kelvin Lake - I.A.Recordings, 2002)
Right: A slightly different design,but with similar dimensions, the
Dahlbusch bomb preserved atGrube Samson Museum.
(Kelvin Lake - I.A.Recordings, 2003)
17“Below” 2010.3
Left: Museum guide AndreasRavens with club memberEdwin Thorpe “modelling” anearly rescue kibble in thereconstructed 1787 mine shaftbuilding of August CarolinerSchacht (OberharzerBergwerksmuseum inClausthal-Zellerfeld), 2003.
(Kelvin Lake - I.A.Recordings)
News Round-Up 3
Cononish Gold Mine Plans RejectedScotgold Resources is hoping toredevelop the Cononish Mine, whichwas abandoned in 1997, howeverPlanning permission for theunderground gold mine nearTyndrum, Scotland has been refusedby the Loch Lomond National ParkAuthority, over concerns about thelong term impact on the landscape.
The National Park claimed that theimpact would be significant bothduring the 10-year proposed life ofthe mine and in the long term.
Scotgold Resources wants to minegold and silver at the site, but it wastheir plans to build a large processing
building on the surface that effectedthe decision. The complex wouldhave covered about 39 hectares (2.5acres) on the surface.
The company, which bought themine in 2007, first applied forapproval from Loch Lomond NationalPark Authority more than a year ago.Its parent company is Australian andhas ploughed millions of Australiandollars into the venture.
Earlier this year, Scotgold Resourcesfloated on the London stock marketand raised more than £700,000towards the mine’s development.
BBC News Reports August 2010
New Dudley Tunnel Put On HoldPlans to re-open another of the oldDudley Canal tunnels has been puton hold as part of the entrance tunnelhas been found to be unstable.
It was intended to re-open the canaltunnel from the existing Castle Millbasin to the large underground canalbasin under Wren’s Nest. This basingave access to the thick and thinlimestone beds (which at this point
are nearly vertical).
Access to the surface was reputed tobe via a 240 step cast-iron spiralstaircase (hence the name “Step Pit”),installed by Lord Dudley for a BritishAssociation for the Advancement ofScience banquet. When DudleyCouncil re-opened this shaft in 1998,remains of parts of the worn cast-ironstaircase were found!
Underground CannabisA former World War II FighterCommand bunker near Nottinghamhas been used as a Cannabis farm.
Following a tip-off form a member ofthe public, Police cut their waythrough the steel doors of the FighterCommand 12 Group filter room atWatnall where they discovered 2large rooms of cannabis plants.Nottinghamshire Police claimed itwas their biggest drugs discovery.
The plants, plus lights andequipment used to grow the drugswere destroyed.
New Cave CharterA new charter for cave protectionhas been ratified as a referencedocument by the EuropeanSpeleological Federation.
The charter sets out 10 principles forminimising the impact of caving, suchas using environmentally friendlylighting, leaving nothing butimpressions, not damaging the caveenvironment, etc. The pdf of thecharter can be downloaded from:tinyurl.com/36vfmhe
Descent 214, August 2010
18 “Below” 2010.3
British MiningPublications - from NMRS
British Mining No.88 - Memoirs
2009, A5, sb, 138pp.
A collection of articles from variousauthors.Contents:The Rothwell Haigh Collieries, Leeds.Mr Pope’s pots and the rapid
smelting of Lake District copperand lead ores 1579-83.
The Inverness Gold.Tracing the Traces (gold).Dyliffe & Dyngwm Mines - revision
of lode geometry.Women’s place in lead mining at
Grassington, Yorkshire.Onshore oil and gasfields.The ‘Iron Man’ coal cutter.The East Cumberland Coalfield.
British Mining No.89 - TheMetalliferous Mines of Cartmel& South Lonsdale, A5, sb, 104pp,by Max Moseley.An interesting account of a miningarea usually over-looked by mineexplorers and historians, who tend tofocus on Hodbarrow and the minesof the Furness area.
ISBN: 978-906663-09-4Softback, 320 pages, over 200 b&wphotographs, drawings and plans.Price £12.95.
Library, News, and Books
The Lead, Copper & BarytesMines of Shropshire
By Michael Shaw, Logaston press.
Ratgoed- A Study in Slate,The Quarries, the Tramway
and the Social Life of aMerionethshire Valley
By Sara Eade, SB, A4, 132pp fullcolour photos - cost £15.00 + P&P
This is one of the best books I haveseen for a while, it is well researched,contains excellent photography andis everything it says on the tin. Thisis not just a run of the millphotographic volume, it has a clearlogical text throughout.
The photos are mainly in colour withsome archive black and white archivepictures. A very well produced book,easy to read, and a bargin at £15.
Mike Moore
Library AdditionsNorth Wales Caving ClubNewsletter, Issue 315, July2010. The full colour front and backcovers really bring the mud to life!Trip reports to OHA, Pool Park andDan-yr-Ogof. Details of new accessagreements to Rhyd Alyn andwarnings of suspect fixtures aregiven.
Norfolk Mineral & LapidarySociety, Stone Chat Vol.31,No.1, Autumn 2010 - Severalinteresting items including one onHertfordshire Puddingstone, a typeof conglomerate, similar samples towhich have been found atStonehenge.
Subterranea Britannica,Subterranea, Issue 24:September 2010 - some interestingarticles on Thames Tunnels, trips tobunkers in Sweden, Maastricht andWest Germany, plus a short item onlong canal tunnels and Scottish oil.
Oldest Arrows Found?The stone points are approximately64,000 years old Researchers inSouth Africa have revealed theearliest direct evidence of human-made arrows.
Scientists have unearthed 64,000year-old “stone points”, which theythink were probably arrow heads.Close inspection of the ancientweapons revealed remnants of bloodand bone that provided clues abouthow they were used. They alsocontained traces of glue - plant-based resin that the scientists thinkwas used to fasten them on to awooden shaft.
The arrow heads were excavated fromlayers of ancient sediment in SibuduCave in South Africa. During theexcavation, the team dug throughlayers deposited up to 100,000 yearsago.
The presence of glue implies thatpeople were able to producecomposite tools (where differentelements produced from differentmaterials are brought together tomake a single artefact), which is anindicator of a cognitively demandingbehaviour. The discovery pushesback the development of “bow andarrow technology” by at least 20,000years.
BBC News Reports August 2010
Fossil CaveFossil hunters in Australia havediscovered a cave in the RiversleighWorld Heritage fossil field, north-west Queensland, filled with 15-million-year-old remains ofprehistoric marsupials.
The find includes 26 skulls from anextinct, sheep-sized marsupial withgiant claws. The giant-clawed,wombat-sized marsupial is namedNimbadon lavarackorum; researchersdiscovered the first of the Nimbadonskulls in 1993.
Discovering such a large collection(including babies still in theirmothers’ pouches) suggests theanimals may have travelled in herds -like modern-day kangaroos.
It is thought that the herd might haveaccidentally plunged into the cavethrough an opening obscured byvegetation and either died from thefall, or became trapped and laterperished.
Journal of VertebratePalaeontology,
July 2010
19“Below” 2010.3
Books and Videos
Glengowla
for details of availability visit: www.iarecordings.org
A TOUR OF IRELAND’S FIRST SHOW MINE
Glengowla lead mine nearOughterard, County Galway inIreland started in 1851 and miningwas suspended in 1865. During thatshort 14 year period, 545 squaremetres was stoped to produce 390tonnes of lead containing 28kilograms of silver.
Today the mine is rich in what wasleft behind by the miners.
Underground, many artefacts can beseen, including ladders, pump rodsand pipes, pulleys, windlasses, guidechutes and timbers.
There is also a scintillating variety ofminerals: Marble, dolomite, quartz,calcite, barite, sphalerite, chalcopyriteand very rare blue/greenoctahedral fluorite. Vugs largeand small are lined with gleamingcrystals.
On the surface, the powdermagazine, blacksmith’sworkshop and the agent’scottage have been restored andthe stables is a museumfeaturing mining history,minerals from this mine and allover the world and items rescuedfrom the mine.
A hand windlass and a horse-ginhave been constructed over theshafts where they had originallybeen used.
The mine is owned by theGeoghegan family who havedone an astonishing amount of
work to stabilise the surface, pump-out the mine, build steps to giveaccess to the upper workings, andrepair the buildings.
This DVD shows highlights of theunderground tour, then goes evendeeper to show what might be seenin the future!
Extra chapters feature Dr. MatthewParkes telling us what is specialabout Glengowla Mine, Dr. MartinFeely describing the fascinatinggeology of the area, and a tour of themine museum with PaddyGeoghegan.
£12.95 DVD(£10 to Club Members at meetings)
The Mines of the Peak District - An underground FieldGuide Volume 1
Field Guide to StiperstonesMines, Shropshire
Edited by Adrian Pearce, A5, 60ppPrice: £6.00 inc P&P
Published on behalf of theShropshire Mines Trust, This pocket-sized (A5) book provides anintroductory field guide to the minesof the Stiperstones area.
Snailbeach is world famous howeverother mines in the area are alsoworthy of a visit. This guidedescribes 12 of the ‘main’ mines inthe area, giving the NGR of each,along with advice on any accessrestrictions the visitor may face.
There is also a potted history of eachsite, with photographs and notesabout the surviving remains. Thereare a number of mistakes whichshould have been corrected beforegoing to print, such as technicaldescriptions ending in mid-sentence.
The book is designed for a non-technical visitor to the area to be ableto spend a day driving around to seeeach site and in that respect it willachieve it’s aim.
Price: £6.00 inc P&P
Available from the Miners Dry VisitorCentre, Snailbeach or Mike Moore atClub meetings, or online atwww.moorebooks.co.uk
length In this volume he includes -Mines of the Manifold Valley - EctonHill - The Bincliffe Mine Mines - TheDove valley - The Churnet Valley -The Mines of Axe Edge.
Price: £4.00 + P&PMike Moore
By Byron Machin, A5, sb, 36 pp,colour, illustrated with photographs.
Byron has set out to provide adetailed underground guide to themines of the peak district. Each mineand level has an exact grid referenceand details of pitch lengths and adit
20 “Below” 2010.3
Diary DatesClub Officers
1st - 3rd Oct.: ‘50 Years of MiningHistory’. Jubilee Conferencecelebrating the 50th anniversary ofthe founding of Northern MineResearch Society at Reeth MemorialHall, Swaledale. More details on:
nmrs.org.uk
9th - 10th Oct.: Welsh MinesSociety Occasional Conference“Towards a better Understanding -New Research on Welsh Mines”. AtPlas Dolguog Hotel, Machynlleth.
www.welshmines.org
23rd - 25th Oct.: 26th SUICROSymposium, Ramada Hotel,Drumshanbo Co. Leitrim.
16th - 20th Nov.: ‘Speleology &Spelestology’, Internationalconference, Naberezhnye Chelny(550 miles east of Moscow), followedby 2 days of excursions and trips.Details on tinyurl.com/ybn82m3
Cave Lighting Improvements (?)
Catch us on the World Wide Web. Club activities & the labyrinth: http://www.shropshirecmc.org.uk/
Membership, Insurance &BCA Rep: Mike Davies
Tackle: Andy Harris
First Aid Officer:Alan Moseley
Librarian: Alan Robinson
Bat Officer: Mike Worsfold
Rescue Officer:Neal Rushton
‘Below’ Editor, Publications:Kelvin Lake
e-mail: [email protected]
President: David Adams
Chair: Neal Rushton
Vice-Chair: Tony Wilson
Secretary: Andrew Wood
Treasurer: Marian Boston
Training Officer: Ian Davies
Conservation & NAMHORep: Steve Holding
Oh, you’ve still got an
Oldham !
That’s Sooo last
Century !
20114th - 5th April: Conference onGeological Collectors & Collecting,organised by the History of GeologyGroup, affiliated with the GeologicalSociety. At the Flett Theatre, NaturalHistory Museum, London. For moreinformation contact: Nina Morgan
91
Now, THIS is a light !
My BAT-STAR-350,
2 Mega-lumens of pure LED lightmelts cheese at 50 paces!
cracks boulders..
bla, bla ...
