THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

AND

JOURNAL OF THE COAL AND IRON TRADES.

Vol. CIX.

FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1915.

No. 2838.

The Transformation of a Durham Colliery.

By HENRY HOLMES.

Murton is not only the largest, but also one of the
oldest collieries in the county of Durham. This
general account shows how the management have
practically re-modelled the undertaking in, the
Course of the last few years.

Murton Colliery, which is the largest pit in the county
of Durham, is owned by the South Hetton Coal Company
Limited, who are also the owners of the South Hetton
Colliery. It is situated six miles south of Sunderland,
and two and a-quarter miles south-west of Seaham.

In the year 1831 the population of Murton was only
96, in 1841 it was 521, and 10 years later it had increased
to 1,387. It has now 9,000 inhabitants, and is one
of the most thickly populated colliery districts in the
North of England.

The sinkings were attended by extraordinary diffi-
culties. The sod was first broken on February 10, 1838,
and two months later the second shaft was commenced.
In these shafts little water was met with down to a
depth of 32fms., when the quicksand feeders were
encountered. Great trouble and anxiety were caused on
June 26, 1839, when the loose sand feeders, to get vent,
burst away from the bottom of the shaft, and thrust up
with great force 4 ft. of limestone which intervened
between the bottom of the shaft and the top of the sand.
So great was the upheaval that before the capstan
engine could lift up the pumps from the shaft bottom,
they had become choked, and over 15 ft. of sand was
thrust into the pit. The income of water remained
insuperable until engines of extra power were placed in
position at both shafts; 4,678galls, per minute were
pumped to the surface over a considerable period,
without much effect upon the feeders. However,
through sheer determination, the difficulties were got
under, and the pit successfully tubbed.

The third shaft was then commenced, and was much
more successful, for in six months a depth of 73fms., or
146 yds., was reached, when two pumping engines, and
winding engines also constructed to pump water, were
erected.

The thicknesses of the yellow sand feeders in the three
pits were 34 ft. 6 in. east pit, 27 ft. 8 in. west pit, and

26	ft. 8 in. middle pit. The horse-power of the sinking
pit engines was 1,584 in June 1840. The pumps had

27	in. sets. The largest quantity of water raised per
minute was 9,306 galls, from a depth of 54 ft. In order
to raise the necessary steam for the engines, no less than
39 boilers were employed, and the consumption of coal
for these steam generators amounted to 1,325 tons per
week. Much difficulty was met in pumping the water
to the surface through it being mixed with sand, for it
was due to that factor that the leather buckets were so
frequently worn out and expensive to uphold.

Great rejoicings took place when these difficulties
were overcome, and the following seams reached : Main
coal, 6ft. 2 in. thick; Low main, 4 ft. 7 in. thick;
Hutton seam, 5 ft. thick. The total depth of the shaft
to the Hutton seam is 246 fms., or 492 yds., and this
was reached on April 5, 1843. These sinkings alone
cost a.quarter of a million of money;—a large sum in
those days. Great credit for the successful sinkings
was due to the indomitable perseverance of the then
colliery viewer and engineer, Mr. Edward Potter.

The colliery may now be considered the most exten-
sive in the county, drawing, the enormous amount, of
4,000 tons of coal per day of four shifts of coal hewers
and three shifts of putters, etc., with one repairing shift
of various classes of workmen. The record drawing
was on April 1, 1909, when 4,249 tons of coal were
drawn.

The company have their own wagons and railway
running from South Hetton and Murton collieries on to
Seaham Docks, where the coal is shipped. Mr. E. S.
Wood is the manager, and Mr. John Bulman resident
engineer.

The extensive colliery offices are up-to-date in every
way. These offices contain the various compartments
—pay offices, capable of dealing with the wages of 3,500
men and boys in one hour; clerks' room, surveyors1
rooms, compensation room, under-manager’s room,
assistant manager’s room, with the manager's office, all
fitted up with electricity and telephonic connection.
There are over 1,400 colliery houses, with gardens, and
the Easington and District Council are busy building
100 rented houses.

Of the three shafts, two are double winding shafts,
divided by a wooden partition. One section is used
exclusively for the raising and lowering of men. The
two winding shafts are 13 ft. diameter each, while the
third shaft, the old furnace pit, is used for the ventila-
tion of the mine, and is 14 ft. diameter. Three of the
shafts have wooden “ skeats ” as cage conductors, while
wire rope conductors are used in the other. Two of the
shafts or sections wind 1,000 tons each, while the other
winds 2,000 tons per day. The electric signals are so

Fig. 1.—General View of Headgear.

arranged that they can be given to the brakesman by the
workpeople from the inside of the cage.

The heapstead is spaciously laid out, and is so arranged
that it acts for the whole of the winding shafts. The
screening plant, which is electrically driven, is com-
posed of automatic revolving tipplers, distributing
shakers, and steel plated travelling picking belts, with
a subsidiary plant of travelling coal and dirt belts.

The west pit is used as the return, or fan, shaft for
the large quantity of 300,000 cu. ft. of air per minute,
or a weight of 615 -tons per hour. Up to five years ago
this mine was ventilated by the largest underground
furnace known. It was stoked from three points on
both sides, and over 500,000 cu. ft. of air was set circu-
lating through the many miles of underground venti-
ducts, or passages. At the time of the old furnace a
large range of 20 boilers was employed underground to
raise steam for the haulage engines and pumps, and
great indeed was the quantity of air used for the purpose
of feeding the boiler fires and the furnace itself.

There are two fans employed, driven by electricity,
and situated on the surface; they are of the Capell
closed type, one being a double inlet fan, 14 ft. in
diameter, whilst the other is 15 ft. wide. The inlet of
each fan is 9 ft. in diameter. The double-inlet fan is
generally used, the other being used only for emer-
gencies. These fans run with a water gauge of 5 in.,
and have an efficiency of 85 per cent, for the 300,000

cu. ft. of air of the furnace for a water gauge of 1-5 in.
Special separation doors are fixed for the changing of
the ventilating current, if necessary, and actuated from
the surface to the fan drift.

In the far-off ventilating districts of the mine there
are also fixed five auxiliary fans. The fans are of the
Capell and Sirocco types, the sizes being 5 and 6 ft.
respectively. They are driven by compressed air.

This remarkable colliery is not a smokeless one, as
may be noticed even in the distance when black smoke
is pouring from the high chimney. The new chimney
stack towers the great height of some 210,ft.

As motive power, steam, compressed air, and elec-
tricity are all employed. There are three winding
engines, each with a drum 18 ft. in diameter. Two of
these massive engines are of the vertical type, and are
the original engines that have done service for over 70
years. The other engine is of the horizontal type. The
dimensions of the engines are as follow :—No. 1, Polka
pit : Size of cylinders, 46 in.; length of stroke, 6 ft.
No. 2, Middle pit: Size of cylinders, 36 in.; length of
stroke, 6ft. No. 3, East pit : Size of cylinders, 30 in.;
length of stroke, 6 ft.

Besides the above, the other section (the new pit) of

the winding shafts is used exclusively for the riding of
men and boys. The following are the dimensions of the
engine used in this shaft:—Size of cylinders, 36 in.;
length of stroke, 6ft.; while the drum is the same as
the others, viz., 18 ft.

These engines are fitted with the “ Visor ” overwind-
ing gear. The winding ropes in each pit are of the best
patent steel, although arrangements are being made to
substitute for these patent locked coil wire ropes. The
Ormerod patent safety detaching hook is used.

In addition to the ordinary pumping machinery for the
drainage of the mine, a special pump is set apart, and
is at all times in readiness to be applied in case of fire
at or near the colliery, it having a pressure of 100 lb.
at the end of the hose nozzle.

The electrical part of the business at Murton is
especially interesting. The power is obtained from three
distinct power stations :—(1) Cleveland, and Durham
Electrical Power Company, Middlesbrough, duplicated;
(2) Newcastle Supply Company, Carville Power Station,
duplicated; (3) The Durham Collieries Electrical Power
Company, Philadelphia. It is transmitted from such
supply companies through a network of cables. The
switch house contains medium- and high-tension switch-
boards, panels, feeders, transformers, etc., etc. The
electric machinery on the surface is operated by current
at 5,500 volts.

Not, only are the colliery surface and underground