Whilst reading a recently discovered report on the operation of the Poynton
Collieries, Cheshire, in 1826 I found myself wondering about control of the winding
of coal.
The report states:
"The pits are generally sunk in pairs at from 50 to 150 yards as under - a Winding
Engine placed between them draws the coals from both. Two rope drums wrot by spur
wheels, work 2 ropes on each pit. The one pit is sunk generally plum rise from the
other.
The deep pit is called the Lower Pit the rise pit the Bye Pit."
In such cases as those described how might the communication be effected between the
banksmen and hookers-on and the engineman who would necessarily be at some distance
from the shaft? Was this system of one winding engine winding on two ropes each from
two shafts common practice?
Winding two shafts from the same engine via two drums would introduce considerable
complication and seems to me to be that this system was an accident waiting to
happen. That said, there are no records of winding accidents at these pits at this
time that I have been able to find. I would welcome any comments.
Is the use of the term "Bye Pit" to describe the shaft to the rise common in the
industry? Why Bye?
Cheers,
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