The Modern History of the Bathgate Mines

THE MODERN HISTORY OF BATHGATE MINES.

The modern history of the Bathgate mines is much easier to write than the ancient. Whereas in the ancient, one has to look here and there for the tracings of old workings and investigate musty old documents to discover the dates and character of the workings; in modern all that is necessary to visit the town and look about. The Bathgate to-day is nothing like the Bathgate of half a century ago. New streets have been opened, large buildings erected, and an air of business has been imparted that did not exist before, and improved travelling have been inaugurated. All these changes have been brought about by the development of the coal mines. Mining is now the principal industry of the town, and to judge from the progress all around, it is a profitable industry. The population has increased at a rapid rate, and it is probable it will increase at a greater rate in a few years. When the new workings that are contemplated have been opened up there will of necessity be an increased number of miners, and these will require more accommodation and more facilities of other kinds, thus giving employment to numerous other trades. In Bathgate proper there are really only two colliery companies, the Balbardie Colliery Company (Limited) and Gavin Paul and Sons (Limited.) Though in the matter of output there may not be much difference in the two companies, the Company has the precedence in the matter of being the older, or successors of an older concern. Both firms have, however, worked the Balbardie seam for a considerable time. In this seam there are three different qualities of mineral—the gas or cannel coal, the house coal, and the blackband iron stone.

BALBARDIE SEAM FIRST WORKED. The first to work the Balbardie seam in modern fashion was a Mr Hosie, who lost his life in the Winchburgh railway collision. Mr. Hosie commenced between 1850 and 1860. Previous to that there were outcrop workings, a day level being run from the Bathgate burn to the outcrop of the seams. In those days there were not the facilities for pumping water that exist to-day, and only the coal to the rise this day level was worked in to take the water off it. The Balbardie was worked for the house coal, and the value of the blackband iron being unknown at that date, it was passed by as useless Mr Mushet discovered that this mineral contained sufficient ironstone worth smelting, and this discovery was the real foundation of Bathgate’s prosperity. Mr Hosie's pit. which had a vertical shaft, was about fifty yards from the outlet of the present coal mine, and also mine a few yards away. When he was killed the Balbardie coal, was taken over by Mr Robert Stewart, of Omoa Ironworks, and after few years came into the hands of Henry Walker and Son, coalmaster in Airdrie, who converted the concern into liability company about six ago. with Mr W. H. Walker as chairman. When the Messrs Walker came' into possession, the Balbardie mine and No.1 pit were working and another was then sunk on the south side of the estate. The Bog pit, it was called, was worked for ten or twelve years after which was abandoned. The mine and No. 1 Pit are still going, and in addition the company have sunk Easton and No. 2 Pits. In Mr Hosie's time the Balbardie seam, the jewel and main coals were wrought. Mr. Stewart wrought the Balbardie only, and Henry Walker and Son did likewise. The limited company worked the same seams as Mr. Hosie. The Balbardie mine catches the main coal at the outcrop, and the Easton pit, which is about a mile to the west, catches the jewel and main coals at a depth of 173 fathoms There is a mine driven from the Easton pit bottom which catches the jewel and main coals. The jewel is 20 fathoms below the Balbardie and the main about 30 fathoms, but by cross-cut mines they are caught at the same level.

INTERESTING COMPARISON As illustrating the progress that has been made in the mining industry in Bathgate, it may be mentioned that when Mr Stewart worked the Balbardie Colliery there were about 250 men employed in connection with it, while o-day the limited company employ about 650. The output from the mine and the three pits totals about 500 tons per day, or over 171.000 tons a year In the course of a few days it is expected that this output will be trebled. No. 2 pit, which has been recently sunk, is expected in a few years to come to turn out alone about 500 tons a day, and the Easton pit, it is thought, will be able to turn out about 600 tons. A noteworthy and gratifying feature about these pits is that no accidents of a serious nature have occurred in them. One reason for this, perhaps. Is the entire absence of fire damp. The only disagreeable factor is the large quantity of water that has be coped with. DESCRIPTION THE PITS The most interesting feature of Balbardie Colliery mine to north of the town. This pit has been working for forty-five years, and it is capable of being worked for number of years yet come. It is about the largest mine working from an outcrop in Great Britain. Known as ingaunee (in-going-eye) it is about 1 in 3 at outcrop and 1 in 5 at the bottom. The miners walk down morning and are hauled in the hutches when the day’s work is over. There are 75 men employed below ground and 25 the surface. The machinery consists of a winding engine with 22-inch cylinder diameter, a stroke of four feet and drum of six feet, hauling from depth of 200 fathoms.

No. 1 pit is about 30 fathoms deep, and its machinery consists of a winding engine, hydraulic pumping engine, and electric engine for supplying light and power. The number of men employed here is about 105. No. 2 pit has just been recently sunk to the jewel and main seams along with which it is intended to work the Balbardie seam. Only 13 men are employed at it meantime. Easton pit, which took about two years to sink, was started in September 1896, and reached the seam in twenty-one months. It is 173 fathoms deep and works the Balbardie seam, the jewel seam, and main seam. Its equipment is most complete, and consists in addition to the winding engine, a large compound and condensing pumping engine, compound and condensing engine for generating electricity for the underground haulage and the pumping the colliery, a high-pressure steam engine for generating electricity for lighting the colliery, and complete plant for cleaning and screening the coal. It gives employment to 250 men below ground, and 100 men at the pithead. The company have minerals taken from five different landlords. They lease 1200 acres on Ballencrieff estate, 800 acres from the estate, 30 acres at Fallside, 140 at Boghead, and 30 acres at Woodhead. They recently erected thirty-two workmen’s houses between the Balbardie and Easton pits, and they contemplate erecting a similar number in a short time.

A BIG FIRM.

The connection Gavin Paul and Son with Bathgate dates back to 1878, when the father of the late Gavin Paul took lease of the minerals on the Mosside estate. Two pits were immediately sunk to the Balbardie seam. The seam was rapidly developed, and was worked till it became exhausted in their lease in 1892, Before that, however, the pits were sunk deeper to the jewel coal and main coal seams, and operations have been carried on since then in those two seams. In 1888 lease was taken of the minerals on the property of Riddochhill, the parish of Livingstone, belonging Sir William Honeyman. A private branch railway was extended into the centre of this property, and two pits were sunk to the jewel coal and the main coal seams. About this time the proprietor of Mosside, Mr Alexander Russell, also became proprietor the property of Wester Inch, to the east of Mosside, and lease of the minerals on this property was combined with the Mosside lease. Subsequently leases were entered into with the governors of Daniel Stewart’s Hospital for the minerals in a part of the estate of Balbardie, Standhill estate, belonging Robert Mitchell and others, in Pottishaw estate, belonging to Mr John Johnstone, and part of Boghead estate, belonging to Mr J. A. Robertson Durham, C.A. In 1898 firm of Gavin Paul and Sons was turned into a limited liability company, and this company, addition to holding the leases referred to, became proprietors the estate of Redheugh near the village Blackburn and adjoining their Riddochill leasehold. The property is known to contain valuable minerals, but it has not yet been opened up. Since 1898 the company have been engaged in fitting, sinking. and developing a large pit on Boghead property. This pit is about 160 fathoms deep and passes through the Balbardie seam, the jewel seam, and the main coal seam. The present output from the company's collieries is about 180.000 tons per annum, double what it was in 1898. Added to the Balbardie Coal Company’s figures, the total output for district about 350,000 tons year. The firm of Gavin Paul and Sons employs over 500 men in connection with their collieries. As already mentioned, steps are being taken increase the workings the district and double or treble the output. When calculated that the coalfield will last for eighty years more perhaps, it. will be seen that there is yet a long run for the flourishing town of Bathgate.

Linlithgowshire Gazette 14th March 1902