Our Coal and Coal Pits

J. R. Leifchild

Prefatory Observations, Coal and Gold Consequences of Contiguity to Coal-fields, Products of the Principal Coal Countries, Number of British Collieries, and their Produce Area of British Coal-fields, Summary of their Localities and Contents, What Coal is, and its Vegetable Origin GÖppert’s Experiments on Fossil Plants, Summary of GÖppert’s Essay on the Formation of Coal Imagined Vegetation from which Coal was formed, Calculation of amount of Vegetation in Coal Deposition of a Coal-field, The “ Drift” Theory, and its Difficulties, Why Coal is confined to certain Localities, How Coal lies in the Earth: Coal-fields or Basins Dislocations in Coal-fields: “ Faults, Dykes, Slips,” &c. Starting for the North, its Sights and Scenery Newcastle, the Metropolis of Coal Richard Grainger, his Genius and Creations First and General Aspect of the Colliery District, The River Tyne: its Course, its Coals, its Keels, and Keelmen The Staiths, and Mode of Shipping the Coal: Fleets, Steam, and Railway, Annual Coal Trade of the Tyne, Wear, and Tees Rivers The Great Northumbrian and Durham Coal-field: its Approaches, Boundaries, and Contents. How long will the Coal last? No Mining Records, Computations Discovery of the Durham Coalfield beneath the Limestone Unsuccessful Trials for Coal, The Winning of the Coal, or How to Get at It Boring for Experiment, with Illustrations Sinking the Shafts: Expenses of Shafts Water in Shaft-Sinking: Lining, Tubbing, &c. Difficult and Costly Winnings, Winning of Gosforth Colliery A Grand Ball in a Coal-pit, The Winning at Pembertons’ Shaft, near Sunderland, Steam Power in Collieries: Pumping and Winding Engines, Pumps, &c. . Amount of Capital Invested and Profits Returned in Northern Collieries, The Coal Won— Final Arrangements, Methods of Excavating the Coal Method of, Working Coal on the Newcastle System Royalties and Rents of the Northern Coal-field Pillars and their Dimensions, “ Creeps” and “ Thursts,” and “ Drawing the Pillars” Descent and Description of the Deepest Coal-pit in Britain— The Journey to Sunderland— Preparation for the Descent— Descent of the Shaft— Description of Shaft: Cause of its Depth — Commence Journey: Horses and Drivers— Doors, and their Little Keepers: Boys, and their Hardships— The Trappers’ Petition— Further Progress in the Pit— Various Labours of Lads— “ Putting” the Coal— The Hewers, their Work and Wages— Marvels and Meditations in the Recesses— Return, Ascent of Shaft, the Banksman Bruce the Traveller Under Ground Temperature of Mines Night-work at the P it: a Night Scene Numbers, and their Dependents, employed at Collieries Analysis of a great Colliery Establishment, South Hetton Rate of Salaries, Wages, and Earnings, Discipline and Duties in the Mines, Habitations of Pitmen and Pit Villages, Evening in a Pit Village, Physical and Domestic Condition of Pitmen, Costume of Pitmen— Ancient and Modern “, Strikes” of the Pitmen, and Striking Sketches; Education in the Colliery Districts, Religion among the Pitmen Moral Character of Pitmen, Vices of Pitmen Economy and Forethought of Pitmen, Contrast between Scotch and English Colliers, Ascent of Pitmen in the Social Scale— ,George Stephenson— a Biography in Brief Higher Education in the Mining Districts