Balbardie No.5 pit

A pit in the lands of Balbardie

The 1883 List of Mines records Balbardie No.5 pit as owned by Henry Walker, manager James McPhail, working the Balbardie Coal by the longwall method, employing 10 on the surface and 49 underground, with downcast shaft measuring 14.5' x 7' and 780 ft deep and an upcast measuring 7.5' x 7' and 750 ft deep. It was a non-fiery mine, relied on natural ventilation and was described as newly sunk..

The 1885 List of Mines records Balbardie No.5 (Boghead) pit as owned by Henry Walker, manager James McPhail, working the Balbardie Coal 5½' by the stoop & room method, employing 15 on the surface and 90 underground, with an downcast shaft 14' x 5' and 90' dee p.Upcast was by No.4 It was a non-fiery pit ventilated by furnace.

References

BATHGATE - NEW MINE

Henry Walker & Son have been boring on the eastern part of the Boghead estate and have come upon what is knowm as the Balbardie seam at a depth of about 135 fathoms. The seam consists of the gas coal worked at the Messrs Walker's Balbardie pit blackband ironstone of first class quality , and common house coal. There is also a layer of fire-clay and the workings in all will be about six feet. A mine will be driven from the present pit at the Bog on the Balbardie estate, to form a connection with the new pit, and, in addition to the mineral thus wrought out of the same seam at Standhill will in the course of time be worked from the same shafts . It is expected that £ 25,000 will be expended on the new work. At present Messrs Walker are working from their Balbaldie pit mid mine, not only the Balbardie mineral, be also the extension of the seam through the Woodhead estate, and it is stated that the firm intend following its course over 200 acres of the Hopetoun estate. The boring, which has been conducted by Mr Thomas Wilson of Armadale, has been carried, out by steam power and new apparatus. Mr Wilson's machine requires only three men to carry on the operations, and the work has been carried out in a fourth of the time usually taken by the ordinary method.

The Scotsman, 21st February 1880

.......

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.