1994 - Page 8

Ollerton Was Closed 1994, After 69 Years

- Continued -

By kind permission of Martin Weiss

The development of the colliery: Top Hard seam: Pit bottom drivages: Sep / Oct 1925 - North head No2 Arthur Beresford, South head S Spencer. George Eyre, Deputy. No1 Pit bottom Cox. East head off North head No1 Pit bottom, Harrison; East head, Holmes.

At 1st Dec 1925: South West head from No1, Beresford, and head to South East from same, Spencer; North head Holmes, Harrison to West off same; Leatherland driving the coupling road to East, opposite, Roe, and South West off same, Beresford, then Holmes and Jenkyn to drive South off same. Spencer to East drivage at South junction met Boughton from West head from No2 pit bottom; Brough to East head and Brough to South East head from No2 and Calver to North head at No2 in stone through large fault. Generally the roadways were set with a straight steel girder and two thick wooden legs. 2 gob gates were driven set on wood.

Weekly tonnage and manpower: 1925: Aug 551 tons; 5 Sep 234 tons, 21 sinkers, 48 underground, 140 on surface; 12 Sep 429 tons, 27 sinkers, 30 u/g, 145 s/f; 19 Sep 533 tons, 33 sinkers, 18 u/g, 148 s/f; 26 Sep 450 tons, 35 sinkers, 5 u/g, 148 s/f; 3 Oct 360 tons, 16 sinkers, 136 u/g; 10 Oct 383 tons, 20 sinkers, 200 u/g; 17 Oct 341 tons, 10 sinkers, 228 u/g; 24 Oct 409 tons; 31 Oct 617 tons; 7 Nov 718 tons; 14 Nov 909 tons; 21 Nov 1,015 tons, 28 Nov 1,134 tons; 5 Dec 1,131 tons; 12 Dec 1,057 tons; 19 Dec 859 tons; 26 Dec 730 tons. Holidays 25 and 26 Dec. 1.39 acres worked at 5’ 9” coal, 8.34 foot acres, 9,007 tons per acre and 1,510 tons per foot acre. That means for every foot thick would yield 1,510 tons. Total tonnage for 1925 was 12,520 tons. 1.39 acres of coal worked at 5 feet 9 ins thick, 9,007 tons per acre or 1,510 tons per foot acre. 0.6 miles of roadway open.
The North district was 150 yards from the shaft, South district 100 yards, East district 120 yards, South East district 150 yards to walk. That gave a total of 0.6 miles of roadway open. 327 men on books,129 u/g and 198 on s/f.

• By Oct 1925: Jenkyn, McCall, Holmes, Lancashire, Cox, Roe, Beresford, Harris and Lickey, main contractors.Smith and Co., Hancock and Co., Vincent and Co., Brough and Co were sand packing the gobbing to prevent spontaneous combustion.
• 30 Jan 1926 -Visco Engineering Co No1 cooling tower erected
• 3 Feb - large fall of roof
• 10 Feb - completed the installation of the 5 Davy boilers
• 20 Feb - No1 shaft pulley wheels widened for coal turning
• 22 Feb - first fatal accident underground
• Feb - Stables made (Hurts head) Back Road and gob gates (McNulty)
• No2 shaft pulley wheels widened for coal turning
• 1 Mar - coal winding at No1 shaft
• 4 Mar - only one heading at work
• 11 Mar- thirled pit bottom roads
• 15 Mar - changed cages at No2 shaft
• Campbells staple pit down 42 feet deep beyond the big fault
• 14 Apr - Lassen Hjort auto water softener capable of 10,000 gals / hour 40 feet x 12 feet x 10 feet
• 2 May - carried on working pit bottom roadways
• by 1 June the strike was over at Ollerton and more men were allowed back to work
• Coal could be worked and used in the boilers but could not be sold
• 7 June - coaling at No2 shaft only
• Pump and lodge built in No2 pit bottom
• 7 July - Nat Rothwell contract started in No1 pit bottom building arched roadway in brick
• The Royal Assent was received for the railway
• Several snickets and gob gates
• 1 Sep - First coal to leave Ollerton by rail was LNER No 6413 loco from Tuxford depot and the train of coal trucks to be delivered to Coote and Warren, St Ives, Huntingdon
• 29 Sep - Commenced 7 hour shifts
• 5 Oct - George Spencer MP was secretary of the Nottinghamshire Miners Association and he formed a breakaway non-political union called the Nottinghamshire and District Miners Industrial Union (NMIU) with Gascoyne as Treasurer and Spencerism was to last until 1937
• 20 Oct - capping No2 shaft rope
• 13 Nov - second fatal accident
• 20 Nov - agreement between Nottinghamshire and District Coal Owners and Representatives of the workmen
• 26 Nov - Miners strike ended after 7 months in abject failure as it was a disaster for the miners and their families
• 8 Dec - Price list for all jobs
• 18 Nov - No1 shaft guide ropes put to work
• 21 Dec - Rothwells contract in No1 pit bottom completed. Ponies introduced underground, stables built for 40 and ? Green was the ostler
• Butterley Co had their own trucks because the hire charge was 12 shillings a ton.
• An exemption under sec 40 (1) of the Coal Mines Act (I assume) was granted by the Inspector for the district.
• The hot water system to the village housing was working satisfactorily except for the bottom of Whinney Lane.

The Butterley Co Ltd Price list for Ollerton

The Butterley Co Ltd Price list for Ollerton for Top Hard seam to come in to operation on and from 8th December 1926:
1. (a) Coal getting per 20 cwts.

• 2s 2d (11p), extra for opening off from shaft pillar side
• First 20 yards (18m) ...3d (1p)
• Second 20 yards (18m) ...2d (1p)
• Next 10 yards (9m)..d (?p).

(b) Slack per 20 cwts

• 1s 3d (6p). (a) All loading places to be thoroughly clean before commencing to load, and all coal and slack to be filled into trams clean and free from clunch, bats, bind, ‘jacks’ and holing dirt.

(c) Coal and slack to be shovel-filled into trams, 5% of the total output to be paid for at slack rate and 95% at coal rate.
(d) The Company reserve the right at any time to introduce 1” (0.04m) forks (screens) in place of shovels for loading coal, slack to be loaded separately. In such case Clause 1 (d) would for the time being become inoperative. The above prices include for all ordinary Stall work not covered by the Clauses following.

2. Ripping and Packing - Ripping to be paid for

• Per foot thick per yard forward 3s 0d (15p), extra on Main Gates and Cross Gates running at an angle of 45 with the face
• Ripping and packing per yard 4s 6d (22d)
• When over 6 feet (1.82m) high 5s 3d (26p) and so it went on
• When dirt is not gobbed, per foot thick per yard (0.3m per 0.91m) of ripping 2s 3d (11p).

3. Cheeking and Dinting - for cheeking side and dinting up floor including filling and gobbing dirt

• Per cubic foot1d (p)
• When dirt is not gobbed, per cubic foot (m) 1?d (p).

4. Heading per yard 6s 9d (33p), with coal at present rates.

5. Timbering setting round bars, wood bars or steel girders

• 6 feet (1.82m) long each 1s 0d (5p)
• 8 feet (2.44m) long each 1s 6d (7p)
• 9 feet (2.74m) long each 1s 10d (9?p)
• 10 feet (3.05m) long each 2s 3d (11p)
• 11 feet (3.35m) long 2s 7d (13p)
• 12 feet (3.65m) long each 3s 0d (15p), providing girders do not exceed section 6 inches x 5 inches (0.15m x 0.13m), if heavier section
• 10 feet (3.05m) long- each 3s 0d (15p)
• 11 feet (3.35m) long each 4s 6d (22p)
• 12 feet (3.65m) long each 6s 0d (30p)

6. Junctions - setting out new gates including the building of junction V packs, turn packs, clearing away dirt and leaving the entrance to the new gate clean each 30s 0d (£1.50).

7. Packing Airways where Airway packs are specifically built to form airway per yard each side 1s 6d (7p), above 6 feet (1.82m) in height per yard 2s 0d (10p).

8. Clunch in Stalls where dirt over seam is

• 13 inches (0.33m) in thickness and less than 19 inches (0.48m), payment per 20 cwts extra d (p)
• Over 19 inches (0.48m) and less than 25 inches (0.63m) to be 1d (p),
• Above every additional 6 inches in thickness over 25 inches (0.63m), per 20 cwts extra - d (p).

9. Loose side heading - where Stalls have broken down through no fault of the stallman, and it is necessary to loose side head past same per yard 3s 9d, with coal at present rates.

10. Refuge holes, ..5 feet (1.5m) wide, 5 feet (1.5m) deep and to height of seam12s 0d (60p).

11. Wood packs building solid wood packs

• 6 feet (1.83m) square up to 6 feet (1.83m) high, each 7s 6d (37p)
• 6 feet 6 inches (2.0m) and over in height extra 1s 3d (6p)
• Solid wood packs 4 feet (1.22m) square up to 6 feet (1.83m) high each 6s 0d (30p)
• Plus 6 inches (0.15p), 1s 0d (5p).

12. Building V or Junction packs up to

• 6 feet (1.83m) high 9s 0d (35p)
• 6 feet 6 inches (2.0m) and over extra per pack 1s 6d (7p).

13. Cutting Stalls with 2 fast ends per yard 3s 0d (15p).

14. Emptying or filling dirt trams,

• With dirt 6d (2p)
• Emptying coal trams of dirt 1s 0d (5p)
• Filling coal trams with dirt 9d (3p)
• Filling water, per barrel 6d (2p).

15. Tramming where men are required to tram a greater distance than 30 yards (27m), d (?p) per 20 cwts, plus d (?p) for every additional 30 yards (27m).

16. Day work rates

• Stall contractors working for the Company to be paid 8s 3d (41p) per shift
• Stall day men 7s 6d (37p).

17. Abnormal Stall rates where they prevail in any stall by reason of faults, bad roof, water or other exceptional circumstance, Day rates paid as if normal.

18. Props gobbed by Datallers where props are badly buried through no fault of the men ordinarily working in the stall, withdrawing shall be paid for as agreed between the Officials and the workmen concerned.

19. House coal all underground men who are householders shall be entitled to 20 cwts (1 ton) of coal per calendar month, providing 100% attendances have been made during the month, all shifts lost during any month shall be made up before the workman is entitled to house coal. Widows’ sons living with and supporting their mother, or orphans living with and supporting their younger brothers or sisters, to be allowed coal providing an elder brother does not work for any other Colliery Company or in any other industry. Coal to be allowed at the rate of one load every 2 calendar months, providing attendance etc as above. In all cases coal drawing charges are to be paid by the workman.

20. The above rates are 1911 basis to which current district percentages are to apply.

21. The company to provide forks, shovels, sylvesters and chains, coal ringers, hammers and tool box. The workmen to provide all other necessary tools.
Occasionally a prcis has been made in the above wording

This price list comes into operation on and from Wednesday December 8th 1926.

Signed on behalf of the BUTTERLEY COMPANY, LIMITED, Jack Bircumshaw, Mining Agent, Montagu FM Wright, Manager.
Signed on behalf of the workmen: George A Spencer, Moses Horsley, William Osborne, Arthur Beresford, FW Parkin, R McNulty, William Jenkins, Thomas Green, Arthur McCall, and Aaron Jenkins.
Witness John W Elliott, December 9th 1926.