Dear Kelvin,
 
There is a bit more behind all this really one way and another.
 
Absolutely true of course with what you say re competition speed:  
additionally, there always has been (and will always be), friendly/professional  
'competition' in the work place with certain specialist skills. In the 'early  days' 
demonstration/proof of a skilled workers skill was a matter of very great  
pride, and an indicator of how good and professional one was with ones' chosen  
field (and of course the opportunity of public demonstration helped  
considerably). Those 'chosen' for public demonstration (whether by the Mine  Captains 
and/or the men themselves - or both... & don't forget the Captains  had in the 
main had come up 'through the ranks'), were obviously the 'best of  the best', 
and represented the 'pride of the mine' where they worked so  therefore much 
was at stake - such things were taken very  seriously in those days... and, 
furthermore, it must also be borne in mind,  that ones' reputation of excellence 
in ones' given field helped considerably in  guaranteeing work - partic. 
around the date in question when things were 'tight'  in regards to metal prices.
 
Re underground drilling rates. True re local rock conditions obviously, but  
don't forget that this did vary mine by mine (from 'gentle' to v.hard  
granite), but much more importantly in actual working 'air'  conditions... the latter 
being terribly important. Continuous hand drilling as a  'job of work' is 
extremely hard work at the best of times, but in hot/humid air  it is very 
considerably more difficult, and in cramped stopes even worse;  how these hundreds 
and hundreds of men managed to keep up the pace they did  underground in those 
days beggars belief, and it is deserving of very great  admiration - whatever 
part of GB they worked in (don't forget the early days of  coal mining as well 
- and if one bears this in mind we are talking about  thousands of workers 
then - at one point in time or another anyway).
 
At the peak of hand drilling days, these men were the mainstay of any mine,  
since their performance determined a mines success - particularly in shaft  
sinking when their skills in 'getting speed' was obviously very important -  
whether for mining Co. or Contractor.
 
With the onset of machine drilling the skill of boring holes for blasting  
remained the same... speed/accuracy of drilling being the essence. Machinemen  
then further prided themselves with their efficiency and effectiveness in  
their skill, and I yet again have great admiration for these men since in  the 
early days they had to cope without water injection - dust becoming a a more  
serious killer than it was before. After water injection, machinemen still had  
to cope with the still very heavy and cumbersome eqpt., so, in brief, the  
skill still had some way to go before the advent of todays' modern lightweight  
drilling methods.
 
As you say, "But at least they give some idea of speeds", but don't forget  
the bigger history!
 
Regards, Bernard