Industry- Coalmining Flashcards
Give reasons for the increased demand for coal…
- Population increase
- Railways- power for the steam locomotives
- Steamships fuel
- Steam powered machinery
- Iron and steel industries- smelting process
- Street lights and domestic purposes
Name the different jobs in the mines
The hewer
Children- putters (drawers )
Women- bearers
The trapper- the youngest member of the family
State a hewers job and dangers
Cut coal
Hot, hard, dangerous, dirty
Rock falls were common
State a putters (drawers ) job and it’s dangers
Pulled carts of coal
Done on hand and knees in the dark
Cave ins and falling rocks
State a bearers job and it’s dangers
Carry the coal up the shaft on their backs
Tiring and back breaking
Dangerous- could be hit by falling coal for a bearer further up the ladder
State a trappers job and it’s dangers
Open and shut door to let bearers and fresh air through
Suffocation or an explosion if they made a mistake
Name the dangers of working in a mine
Flooding
Poisonous gases
Moving coal carts
Cave-ins, falling rocks and coal
Dangerous technology
Describe the dangers of flooding in a coal mine
When the mines became deeper the water table was reached
Water was pumped out using steam pumps
Or underground springs
Drown or suffocate
Describe the dangers of poisonous gases in mines…
Carbon monoxide, colourless + odourless difficult to detect
Suffocate or choke to death
Methane
Flammable
Describe the danger of moving coal carts in a mine…
Moving heavy loads of coal carts in the dark
Strike and crush anybody in its path
Describe the dangers of Cave- ins, falling rocks and coal…
Weak rock, weak pit props
Mines collapse
Miners crushed or trapped
Describe the dangerous technology used when working in mines…
Winding gear, broke- accidents
Buckets of coal- strike workers at the bottom of shaft
Winching rope- snap
Steam and electric coal- produce coal dust- lung disease
Describe the mines act 1842…
First mines act
Females and boys under 10 banned for working underground
Minimum age for winding gear- 15
Inspector appointed
Describe the 1855 mines act…
Each colliery to to draw up safety rules
Describe the 1860 mines act…
Stopped children under 12 going under ground unless they could read and write.
Describe the 1862 mines act…
Compulsory for mines to have two exits
Describe the 1872 mines act…
Compulsory for the mine manager to have a certificate of competency
State each thing in the mine that was changed by technology..
Mining the coal
Ventilation
Moving the coal underground
Lifting the coal
Pumping out the mines
Safety in the mines
Describe how mining the coal was changed by technology
Hewers used a pick at first
Then a steam powered coal cutting machine was invented
Describe how ventilation was changed by technology…
Two shafts were dug out for ventilation and a fire lit at the bottom of one for a draught
Steam powered fans
Describe how moving coal underground was changed by technology
Children was used
Put ponies and STEAM POWER
Describe how lifting coal was changed by technology…
Horse + water winding gear lifted coal to the surface
Steam power
Wire used instead of rope
Describe how pumping out the mines was changed by technology…
Steam powered pumps were used
Describe of the safety in the mines was changed by technology
Instead of coal pit props
Wood and steel
Instead of candles that could ignite gas and cause explosions
The Davy safety lamp
