Hello,
I'm researching late nineteenth century mining techniques for a
screenplay and was wondering if anybody on this list could offer me
some advice.
The story involves a group of British miners despatched to resurrect
an ailing mineworks in Spain in 1893. For story logistics the party
consists of an under-manager/engineer (acting as leader) and a mix of a
dozen hewers, carpenters and mechanics. From the research I've done
this would appear to be a fairly unlikely scenario but story logistics
demand otherwise!
The most plausible outline I’ve developed so far is that the men have
been sent to transform a mothballed iron ore mineworks in order to
satisfy the market demands of the British steel industry for iron ore.
What I need to know is how mining techniques would have differed, if at
all, for the extraction of coal and iron ore. I’ve envisaged the hewers
hailing from the Durham coalfield and am guessing that the basic pick
and shovel, ‘bord and pillar’, dusty, accident-threatened, roadways and
horse-drawn tubs world of the coal mine would apply equally to iron ore
mining. Do iron ore mines face the same threat of gasey seams? Do they
vary from shallow and wet shafts to deep and hot as coal mines? Also,
what technological advantages did British mining possess that could
turn an uneconomic mine into a profitable one? Or would it be more the
case that greater capital reserves and better access to markets were
British mining’s real strengths. Finally, what would the preliminary tasks
involve for re-establishing the mine?
If anyone can help with the above or is prepared to discuss the
screenplay in more detail I would be very grateful (a recent draft enjoyed
a performed reading at SCENE, part of the London Film Festival, and the
project is presently supported by North West Vision). Any assistance
would, of course, be acknowledged in the completed screenplay.
Rather than cluttering the list please send any replies to the
email address listed below.
Many thanks.
Jon Greenley
email: jongreenley(at)yahoo.co.uk
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Jon Greenley
Sunday Co-ordinator
Manchester Metropolitan University
All Saints Library
Manchester M15 6BH
tel: +44 (0)161 247 6104
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