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Ken Brennan (1920-2006) -- Miner, Paxton Colliery. Recorded 18 December 1991. Part 1/2.
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SummaryKEN BRENNAN
Recorded 18 December 1991
Part 1 of 2
0:30
Description of the South cage pit. Main & tail electric haulage rope. A set of 24 full skips loaded.
2:12
Description of North cage pit. Describes hauling skips by winch. The South-East Slant where the main work force was.
4:53
Bords, Paxton Colliery 18ft x 6ft high. Width of cut-throughs, Paxton Colliery. Dimension of pillars, Paxton Colliery 22 ft long x 10 ft wide.
7:50
5 or 6 sidlers, Paxton Colliery worked the wheeling roads. 60 pound miners, Paxton Colliery before any mechanisation. Description of set-riding. 2-East and “4 East”. and “5” which went straight in and SE Slant.
8:53
Recalls riding skips into flat with the winch at the bottom a bit more than a mile in. Describes how main & tail operates. Recalls driving skips back-up flat.
10:48
Battery Locomotive hauled 24 skips up hill. Recollection of contract wheeling – paid by the ton. Each pair of miners had two bords. 12:35 Recalls sidling in SE Slants – 100 yards. He’d hook on to a dozen full and take back the empty dozen. Number of roads in section. Describes wheeling at Paxton – for a couple of years.
14:18
Recalls being paid for emptying trolley back inside. Describes hand-boring on the coal. Worked on the coal for 6-8 years in the 1950’s.
15:43
20 Miners' dag, Paxton. 60 pairs contract miners, Paxton Colliery. 10 - 15 pairs of wheelers, Paxton Colliery. Recalls having to buy own explosive powder.
16:46
There were 2 Jeffrey locomotives, Paxton Colliery. Describes using scraper-loader. Describes how scraper-loader was operated. Loaders loaded directly into a chute. About 6 scraper-loaders at Paxton Colliery – paid a day wage – not contract rate of pay. Recalls the introduction of mechanisation.
18:45
Joy shuttle cars/Joy coal-cutters. Describes using Joy coal-cutter. Cutting straight across the floor with rubber wheels. Description of sweeping and “shooting” the holes of powder . Distance that loader hauled shuttle cars on a cable which was anchored. Describes loading sequence at Paxton. Dimensions of coal bin, Paxton Colliery – 8 ft high and wide.
22:35
Distance that belt shuttle car tipped from. Belt was extended as mined further as you got in further. Number of shuttle cars, Paxton Colliery – 2 to each loader. A loader per section. Pit horses were finished by then. Pumped underground water up the air shaft .
25:21
Recalls pit bottom sump, Paxton – electric pumps. Diameter of pipe used to pump water – about 6”-7” diameter. Used brattice to ventilate sections – return airways.
26:41
Describes driving of main headings. 2 water pumps, Paxton Colliery. Recalls pumping water to borehole. Describes plugging up bore hole – in the 1950’s.
29:58
Five sections had one deputies, Paxton Colliery. Richmond Main supplied Paxton with power in 1946 – running a line overland from Abermain 2 across past Kitchener, near the Hotel past the Caledonia line past the manager’s house at Kalingo then up on top of the hill at Paxton then down the road to the Substation. (1947). Used battery-operated coal-cutters. Used hydraulic-oil coal-cutters sent down the pit in 44 gal drums. Description of a coal-cutter – 8ft long and 18” wide.
33:14
Recollection of fatalities at Paxton Colliery (3 over the years). Recollection of fatal accident in pit – last day before Christmas. Recalls name of pit horses at Paxton. Location of 8 pit horse stables, off the travelling road at Paxton.
36:15
Describes intelligence of pit horses – very orderly. Recalls riding cage with pit horse.
38:18
End (Tape 414/Side A) Part 1 of 2
Brennan, Kenneth Francis, 1920-2006PersonJack DelaneyCollectionVoices of the HunterLocation[1] Paxton Colliery (N.S.W.)[2] Kitchener, NSWIdentifier414A
Recorded 18 December 1991
Part 1 of 2
0:30
Description of the South cage pit. Main & tail electric haulage rope. A set of 24 full skips loaded.
2:12
Description of North cage pit. Describes hauling skips by winch. The South-East Slant where the main work force was.
4:53
Bords, Paxton Colliery 18ft x 6ft high. Width of cut-throughs, Paxton Colliery. Dimension of pillars, Paxton Colliery 22 ft long x 10 ft wide.
7:50
5 or 6 sidlers, Paxton Colliery worked the wheeling roads. 60 pound miners, Paxton Colliery before any mechanisation. Description of set-riding. 2-East and “4 East”. and “5” which went straight in and SE Slant.
8:53
Recalls riding skips into flat with the winch at the bottom a bit more than a mile in. Describes how main & tail operates. Recalls driving skips back-up flat.
10:48
Battery Locomotive hauled 24 skips up hill. Recollection of contract wheeling – paid by the ton. Each pair of miners had two bords. 12:35 Recalls sidling in SE Slants – 100 yards. He’d hook on to a dozen full and take back the empty dozen. Number of roads in section. Describes wheeling at Paxton – for a couple of years.
14:18
Recalls being paid for emptying trolley back inside. Describes hand-boring on the coal. Worked on the coal for 6-8 years in the 1950’s.
15:43
20 Miners' dag, Paxton. 60 pairs contract miners, Paxton Colliery. 10 - 15 pairs of wheelers, Paxton Colliery. Recalls having to buy own explosive powder.
16:46
There were 2 Jeffrey locomotives, Paxton Colliery. Describes using scraper-loader. Describes how scraper-loader was operated. Loaders loaded directly into a chute. About 6 scraper-loaders at Paxton Colliery – paid a day wage – not contract rate of pay. Recalls the introduction of mechanisation.
18:45
Joy shuttle cars/Joy coal-cutters. Describes using Joy coal-cutter. Cutting straight across the floor with rubber wheels. Description of sweeping and “shooting” the holes of powder . Distance that loader hauled shuttle cars on a cable which was anchored. Describes loading sequence at Paxton. Dimensions of coal bin, Paxton Colliery – 8 ft high and wide.
22:35
Distance that belt shuttle car tipped from. Belt was extended as mined further as you got in further. Number of shuttle cars, Paxton Colliery – 2 to each loader. A loader per section. Pit horses were finished by then. Pumped underground water up the air shaft .
25:21
Recalls pit bottom sump, Paxton – electric pumps. Diameter of pipe used to pump water – about 6”-7” diameter. Used brattice to ventilate sections – return airways.
26:41
Describes driving of main headings. 2 water pumps, Paxton Colliery. Recalls pumping water to borehole. Describes plugging up bore hole – in the 1950’s.
29:58
Five sections had one deputies, Paxton Colliery. Richmond Main supplied Paxton with power in 1946 – running a line overland from Abermain 2 across past Kitchener, near the Hotel past the Caledonia line past the manager’s house at Kalingo then up on top of the hill at Paxton then down the road to the Substation. (1947). Used battery-operated coal-cutters. Used hydraulic-oil coal-cutters sent down the pit in 44 gal drums. Description of a coal-cutter – 8ft long and 18” wide.
33:14
Recollection of fatalities at Paxton Colliery (3 over the years). Recollection of fatal accident in pit – last day before Christmas. Recalls name of pit horses at Paxton. Location of 8 pit horse stables, off the travelling road at Paxton.
36:15
Describes intelligence of pit horses – very orderly. Recalls riding cage with pit horse.
38:18
End (Tape 414/Side A) Part 1 of 2
Brennan, Kenneth Francis, 1920-2006PersonJack DelaneyCollectionVoices of the HunterLocation[1] Paxton Colliery (N.S.W.)[2] Kitchener, NSWIdentifier414Aloading google map....
Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010, Ken Brennan (1920-2006) -- Miner, Paxton Colliery. Recorded 18 December 1991. Part 1/2., [414A]. Living Histories, accessed 09/06/2023, https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/56055