Collieries belonging to Messrs Gavin Paul & Sons, Limited.

New Developments at the Collieries belonging to Messrs Gavin Paul & Sons, Limited.

The MOSSIDE COLLIERY, and the RIDDOCHHILL COLLIERY, belonging to this Company, are situated about 1 mile to the south-east of Bathgate Station, and the BOGHEAD COLLIERY, belonging to the same Company, about three hundred yards south-west of Bathgate station. The coal seams worked throughout the Colliery dip from the horizontal at 1 in 3, and belong to what is geologically known as the "Carboniferous Limestone Series," but they are locally known as the Balbardie, Jewel, and Main coal seams. The Balbardie seam has been worked in the district for a considerable time. It contains three classes of marketable minerals. The upper portion consists of a rich Cannel coal, known to the trade as Boghead. The centre portion of the seam is a Blackhead Ironstone, and the lower portion is a good House coal, known as the best in the district. The Jewel seam is 20 yards below the Balbardie seam. This coal is used principally for Locomotive and Steam Navigation purposes. The Main coal seam is 20 yards below the Jewel seam. This coal is used for Gas coking coal, and also for Steam purposes. These , three seams are worked in Boghead Pit. The Balbardie and Jewel seams are worked on the Longwall principle, and the Main coal seam on the Stoop and Room principle. The whole output is filled by the colliers in the form of "triping," and the cleaning and separating is done on the surface. Coal screens hare been erected at this Colliery to facilitate the loading of the House coal direct into carts to suit merchants and farmers. Hitherto the Screened coal was passed over barred screens into waggons, but this system has been abandoned in favour of the more modern one of passing it over Jigger screens, whereby the dross is separated from the coal, and the coal is passed on to Travelling Picking Tables, at which boys are employed examining and in removing any foreign material from it, before it is passed into the waggons. The Treble Nuts are also passed over a Travelling Table where they are also examined before being put into waggons.

BOGHEAD COLLIERY.

The objects of special interest at Boghead Pit are (1) The Coal Screening and Cleaning Plants, which have been recently erected by Messrs Dickson and Mann, Lid. (2) A large Compound and Condensing Pumping Engine, made by Messrs Andrew Barclay and Sons, Kilmarnock, the cylinders of which are 38 and 76 inches diameter, with a 9 feet stroke. The engines are controlled by Davers Patent Differential gearing. The Pumps, which are driven by this engine, discharge 30,000 gallons of water per hour from a depth of 900 feet, thereby draining all the underground workings of Boghead and Mosside Pits (3) The Coupled Winding Engines which haul the coal from this Pit. These are fitted with Drew's Patent Balance Piston Valve, and are capable of dealing with large output. A powerful Crab engine has also been pit. This is used for handling the heavy pump castings in the shaft. The adjoining sketch shows the relative positions of Boghead and Mosside

MOSSIDE COLLIERY

The seams of coal worked at Mosside Colliery are the Jewel and Main. A large coal screening and cleaning plant to be fitted up at this Colliery, he has been recently contracted for and is in course of construction.

NEW COAL WASHING PLANT

The outstanding feature in the recent developments at this Colliery is the erection of an extensive Coal Washing Plant, on the Feldspar system, which has just been completed. During times of trade depression, and increasing competition, the necessity of separating foreign material from the coal is a matter of great importance to Colliery owners. This problem forced itself upon the management who, after careful consideration of the most modern plants, adopted the one here described. The order for it placed with Messrs Dickson and Mann, Ltd., Armadale, by whom it has been constructed and erected. All the dross from the dry screening arrangements at Boghead and Riddochhill Pits will be conveyed in wagons to this coal washer. After the new plant has been erected at Mosside Pit the dross will be conveyed by means of scrapers direct from the pit to the washer. The motive power for the Washing Plant is by a pair of horizontal engines. The dross is emptied from the wagons by a hydraulic lift into the Dross Elevator Pit. It is then elevated to a height of 44 feet vertical. An elevator having 60 buckets, each carrying 32-lbs., discharges the dross into a revolving riddle, where it is separated into what is known as Singles, Doubles, Trebles, and Pearls. There are four Washers, on the Bash principle, each class of Nut and carried into the respective washers by means of "shoots." After being operated on in the Washers the Singles, Doubles, and Trebles are discharged, over water amines's, into hoppers, from which they are loaded into wagons. The Pearls, after passing into the Felspar Washer, are discharged into a well underneath. This is fitted with a Scraper Conveyor, which takes them along to a pit from which they are again elevated and discharged into a Hopper, and thereafter loaded into waggons. By these processes all the impurities are taken from the coal, and the debris discharged into a setting well. From there it is scraped along to an elevator pit and elevat e d and emptied on the refuse bing

RIDDOCHHILL COLLIERY

The underground workings of this Colliery are separated, in the meantime, from the workings of the other Collieries by several faults (Dykes), of considerable magnitude, which intervene, but an effort will be made to connect them with the lower level in Boghead Pit. A large output of Jewel and Main coal is drawn from this Colliery. The coal is passed over a Jigger Screen and Travelling Picking Table before being put into waggons. An Electric Installation has been erected at this Colliery, supplied by Ernest Scott and Mountain. This is used for pumping water from the Dook Workings to the vertical shaft. The Cables which carry the current extend about 700 yards from the Dynamo. This Plant also supplies the light for this Colliery. The Company work the Minerals on different estates, viz. Boghead, Balbardie, Mosside, Wester Inch, Riddochhill, and Pottishaw, and give employment to about 500 men.

West Lothian Courier, 21st March 1902