Coal hewer

[Greyhound]

any ideas?
I have been researching my family tree and it seems most of my family worked down the mines as a coal hewer or coal hewers laborer, /coal below laborer can anyone let me know what this occupation is?
thanks
Steve.

[GeoffP]

Hi Steve,

HEWER
A miner who cut coal, stone, etc., a face worker in a mine.

                                                       Geoff

[Greyhound]

Geoff,

thanks very much it was much appreciated, must have been hard working in thoses days.

Steve.

[ricky1]

hi Greyhound
here is some of the jobs in a coal mine
The job of a Sinker

The sinkers were men, who were employed sinking the coal mine. The average wage for these men in 1708 was 12d per day. The requirements or skills for the job were.... one who understands the nature of stone and Styth (bad foul air) and Surfet( inflammable bad air), and in possession of a sinking hank. It was noted by the owners that this was a very dangerous job where a loss of a eye, arms or legs due to the stone flying in all directions when the sinker was hitting the stone. He was also in danger of drowning, water from underground sources were a constant danger, wooden plugs were supplied to try and stop the water gushing into the shaft which was "four square in diameter".
    To draw the water from the shaft  using tubs or buckets up to thirty fathoms with the men winding up the "Rowl", any deeper, then a "horse engine" was used, there was generally 2 horses used. When the shaft was completed it was customary to award the sinker with  a piece or Guinea to drink the good success of the new colliery

The Hewer

Was expected to work the coal at the board of 3 yards length, with a pillar of coal 4 yards between each hewer. This was called the "winning" and to be paid 10d to 12d for each score of corves and not by the day or shift work.

Barrow Men (Coal Putters)
Takes the hewed coal from the Hewer and fills the corves, and using a sledge of wood drags it along the barrow way to the pit shaft, this takes 2 to 3 men one pushing and one pulling, and one helping when required. Once at the bottom of the shaft it is attached to the cable via the "corf bow" where it is drawn to the top or day (phrase used in 1708). Paid 20d a day

Banck's Man (Banksman)

Collects the loaded corfe onto a empty sledge, takes it off the pit rope, and takes it to a pile of coal. He then sends down a empty corfe. Paid 20d per day

Over-Man of The Tree (chief Banck's Man)

Takes account of the quantity of the loaded corves coming out of the pit, marking them with bits of wood with the "Barrow-Men's"   number. If by any chance the Hewer does not hew correctly, he will give the full account to the "Under-Over-Man" and a fine will occur to the Hewer. The Chief Banck's Men will be paid 2d more per day then the Banck's Men.

Over-Man
His job is to place the Hewer at his board, headway. He also takes the account given by the Hewer of the work completed.

The Corver

The Corver makes the corvers, which are made out of Hazel.

The Viewer

He ought to know lineing and levelling and the method of coal working, together with the nature of coal. he should know how to line well, set out headways according to the rule by compress.

regards ricky

[dennford]

Steve,
        The actual job of hewer would have changed over the years, so if you could give some dates and the area/mines worked in, it would be possible to tell you exactly what they did. The one thing for certain is that a hewer would have been working at the coal face where he definately would have hewn coal rather than rock. Rock was usually worked by a ripper, back ripper or tunneller.
         
Ricky,
           Your description, although correct, sounds much like a method of mining called "pillar and stall" which generally was replaced in later years by what was called longwall mining which although considered a more dangerous method was much more efficient because of the fact that it left little coal behind, while the older pillar and stall method left possibly over 50% of the coal as roof support, however although longwall was mor prone to roof falls, it did have the benefit of a less complex system of roadways and airways.

                                               Denn

[Greyhound]

Ricky,
in the 1901 census, I have the following, John Ashton aged 42 yrs, coal hewer along with three of his sons aged 22yrs, 18yrs  and 15yrs who were coal hewers labourers. I am pretty sure they all worked down the mines at Haydock  St. Helen's Lancs, looks like the whole family followed their dad into the same job.
Steve.

[AnneMc]

Ricky;
Thanks for the discripton of the coal mining jobs my grandfather and other relatives worked in the coal mines in Yorkshire.  In the Barnsley area. Now I know for sure what they did in the mines.  My grandfather was a St. John's ambulance men in the mines.  But the rest of the relatives worked underground.

Thanks again.

Cheers
Anne
Canada

[dennford]

Steve,
       Thanks for your pm, have been trying to find as much as I can for you but with limited success.
        However it does seem more than probable that longwallmining was being used in that area in the early 1900s, it is believed to have been developed in Shropshire, England, near the end of the 17th cent. I dont have proof but I imagine that by then most of the larger mines would have been using explosives. This would mean that a coal hew r would have been making a narrow undercut some five feet deep near the bottom of the coal seam. This was in conjunction with a driller who would drill holes for the explosives near the top of the seam. With the face undercut so, it would only take a small amount of explosive to drop the coal where the hewer had undercut it.
         I quote here from theattached link
"Each man then finding from the deputy that his place is right, proceeds onwards to his kyevel- his picks in one hand, and his lamp in the other.  He travels thus a distance varying from one to six hundred yards, the height of the roof being from three feet six inches to four feet.  To progress in this space the feet are kept wide apart, the body is bent at right angles with the hips, the head is held well down, and the face is turned forward.  Arrived at his place, he undresses, and begins by hewing out about fifteen inches of the lower part of the coal; he thus undermines it, and the process is called "kirving;" the same is done up the sides, this is called "nicking." 

The process of kirving is conducted as follows:- The hewer sits on a low stool (four inches in height), and grasping his pick with both hands, makes successive horizontal blows.  To give the greatest effect to the stroke his head is thrown to one side, his left leg extended and his right bent, his right elbow resting on the right thigh enables the leg to augment the force of the arms.  The coal thus hewn is called small coal, and that remaining between the kirve and the nicks is the “jud" or "top," which is either displaced by driving in wedges or blasted down with gunpowder.  It then becomes the “roundy."  The hewer fills his tubs, and continues thus alternately hewing and filling.  Meanwhile the caller having roused the putters, drivers, and off handed men, the pit "hings on," i.e., starts work at five o'clock.  The putters get down into the workings, and either push the full tubs along or get them pulled by ponies towards the shaft.  The tubs are conducted into the cage by the “onsetter," and conveyed to "bank," where the coal is weighed, screened, and sorted for the market.  Hewing is decidedly the hardest work in the pit.  The men are generally perspiring freely by the time they reach their kyevel; and although they work almost in a state of nudity, in a few minutes after they begin to hew the perspiration is running from them in streams.  Unless hindered by want of tubs this continues until the end of the shift.  At nine o'clock the back shift men arrive, and begin work, and the fore-shift men go home. "

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/FTPROOT/coal/tr0588.pdf


         As your relatives worked in and around Haydock, they almost certainly worked for Richard evans and company, who appears to have almost had a monopoly on coal mines in that area. see link

http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/mhn/1896-78.htm

          Here is a link to modern longwall mining,

http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/current/longwall/


                                  hope this is of some help
                                                        Denn

[Greyhound]

Denn,
         thanks for the hard work you have done, it was very grateful I can now picture the job my GG/Grandfather did. I am now working on Richard Evans & family  which you are right about , they owned most mines in Haydock.

Steve.