Just as well ....

[Bluechip]

Just as well the last UK deep mine has closed ...

None of us would get a job there anyway. 

Exam herewith:

http://www.dmm.org.uk/certs/1891.htm

Dave

[Joules]

Is a levelling book used by debutants to despatch over amorous suiters ?

[mechman48]

Hmmm...
1.  If you multiply the throbblewangle by the free velocity of the forced draft flu combustible knuckle fan that is driven by the clockwork onion then describe how you arrive at your nominal starting wage of £1 10s 6d ...
2. Explain the above process & what your conclusions are           

George.

[Fergus OMore]

Jokes apart, fellas this quite normal stuff even in my day. I recall Sir Basil Simpson of Bradley Hall and Hedgefield Offices( Stella Coal Company), again Neville Hall where I have mad many a dinner in Newcastle next to the Litt and Phil.
't know apart from the lack of the 'Geordie' miners lamp( why- I don't know because George Stephenson was born just on the other side of the river.

The questions were only Durham Matriculation stuff- and we had to add Geometry, Trig and - well, I did Marine Navigation. Don't ask but I  then I looked at 'Fourstones'. It was only a drift mine. Nice place for car body panels  with Hadrian. Nowt to get the pulse racing.

A good bit of Trachtenburg maths and gessing stick  and Bobs yer bleedin uncle

Norman

[DavidA]

There has to be something wrong when it is cheaper to buy in coal than it is to dig it out to feed as power station just down the road.

I believe that Bob Dylan had a song for the occasion. can't remember the title, but it had a line something like
the coals cheaper from the South American mines; where the miners work almost for nothing.

Mind you, there is a certain cruel logic to it.

Dave.

[Sid_Vicious]

I believe that Bob Dylan had a song for the occasion. can't remember the title, but it had a line something like
the coals cheaper from the South American mines; where the miners work almost for noth.

Dave.

I think that song is called sundown for the union, or something like it.

[hermetic]

the song is "north Country Blues" as I type this coal is providing less than 11% of the base load, whereas wind is providing 15% (http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/) The days of king coal are over for now. A pity we have so much good quality coal under our island.

[hermetic]

The song was about iron ore mining, but the same effects are suffered by the UK coal mining communities as are recounted in the song.
Phil

[Fergus OMore]

You see- but mine wasn't a song. Mine was the real world. A couple of miles from Hedgefield office mentioned, there was a cinema. Not much of one but it was all that we had.
I'd taken a break from homework. Matriculation, school cert -whatever but the film was Cronin's the Stars Look down- a mining story. I came home in the blackout to a home in another dirty mining village to find my father sitting naked  in the tin bath in front of the fire with my Mum trying to remove a mixture of coal dust, shale grease and blood from cuts which ran from the base of his spine almost to his scrawny neck. A month or two later- in January 1946, he was again in hospital, this time  he'd been in the mine locomotive and in the boiler and a heating tube had crushed his thumb etc. I'd just started to work but the boss was kind and gave me permission to visit. He had more complications but in the next beds were closed with screens but the moans couldn't be masked. There had been a misfire and the occupants were riddled  with coal and rock- and it was not a question of 'If' but 'When' would they die.

 I still live in a former mining village not far away.

Perhaps the moderators will delete my post. So far, it is in print.

[Bluechip]

I don't see any reason to delete it. I lived in a coal mining area and that's the way things were. I believe safety improved  after nationalisation but that work always was, and still is, dangerous. The Chinese seem to have regular incidents.

My father was in mining during WW2, shot-firing amongst other things, and had some horrendous tales when you could drag them out of him. The 'Bevin Boys' thought the Services were a safer bet re: survival.

I actually got a job as an Apprentice Electrician with the NCB but, as I was not 18, he had to sign the papers. He tore them up and put them on the fire in front of me. He said what you do when you're 18 is up to you, but no way will I sign them. There ended my career with #5 Area NCB.

Subsequent events proved him right. Thanks Pop ... 

Best Wishes to you, Norman. Keep up the good work.

Dave

[appletree]

Iworked in the power industry until I retired, and it is a sad dathe closing of the last mine. Sadly the situation is not as straight forward as peoples hearts, we have sold off so many of our utilities to companies driven by profit. Due to lack of expensive new plant development (clean burn technology) soon there will be no coal burnt in any power stations.
latterly we were blending coals from different parts of the world to influence the make up of the flue gas so that the flue gas cleaning system work to maximum efect.
Not all coal is the same, moreover surfaced mined coal is muchcheaper to extract than deep mined.
Not wishing to gèt into the debate about subsidies etc, underlying is the long term lacl of a suitable energy policy, and the pressures of the policies on climate change.
But yes a  very sad day for the industry, and a bitter blow for families and communities.

[mcostello]

Same thing going on here in USA.

[lordedmond]

Not only the coal but the iron/steel industry as well

I used to work at the local iron works six blast furnaces pipe spinning now there's nowt they employed above 7000 people


Stuart

[mechman48]

... we have sold off so many of our utilities to companies driven by profit...

The majority of them are foreign owned so there is virtually nothing left to call 'British; we are virtually run by foreign CEO's who, when they need to cut back they shut the outer regional dept.'s ( UK & elsewhere) laying off thousands in the process, TATA are doing it, SSI have done it. What do you think will happen when the Chinese investment into 'our' new nuclear power stations start... they will be built with 'Chinese' Steel... much lower quality, allegedly, the control systems will no doubt be Chinese manufactured, & I'll bet the controlling system will be linked back through Beijing, so if the political situation turns sour between the west & China all they'll do is pull the plug ( master switch) & bang goes our power grid... it's obvious, but it seems that our political elite much rather have a quick buck than long term security... so endeth my Political aspect.

George.