STORM WARNING

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 9th Year

Issue

Issue No.

11

Date Released

Jul 1956

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1STORM WARNING
2. 2LINK-UP
3. 3AREA PROFILE: ABERDARE

Story

Story No. within this Issue

1 / 3

Summary

BFI synopsis: barometric alarm for shotfirers at Groesfaen
NCB Commentary - At Groesfaen colliery, overlooking the Rhymney valley, shot firer Tom Jones prepares to go on shift.
A quick check on how the Barometer stands before he signs the book and then he’s ready to pick up his lamp and go below.
Why the Barometer reading? Because shot firing underground is only permitted when the atmosphere pressure is above a certain level. If the Barometer falls during the day there’s a risk of gas seeping out and being ignited by shot firing to cause an explosion.
At Groesfaen shot firing is not allowed if the Barometer stands below 28.
So to shot firers all over the country a Barometer reading is an essential check before they go underground to start a shift.
But there’s a snag. Once men go underground how are they to know about sudden changes in the weather on top? Manager Evans has devised a way out of the difficulty. In co-operation with the local Inspectorate Sid Evans has designed a simple addition to the ordinary Barometer which turns it into an automatic alarm system.
With Tom Jones underground starting his shift let’s see how it works ...
The weather at Groesfaen gets suddenly worse. Tom Jones underground doesn’t know about that; but in the Lamp Room, manned 24 hours a day, a red light comes on as the Barometer falls to 28.4. The lamp-room attendent makes an entry in the record book and phones both the Manager and pit bottom as a first stage warning.
Later in the day the weather breaks up even more. As the Barometer falls to danger point a bell sounds, and will keep ringing until action is taken. This time Tom Jones himself takes the message on the underground telephone, and shot firing is suspended.
At the end of the shift Tom Jones goes up with unused powder still in his box - powder which might, unwittingly, have set off a major explosion.
Manager Evan’s invention is being adopted by other collieries as a simple safeguard against increasing the hazards of an already dangerous calling.

Researcher Comments

Commentary recorded 4th June 1956.

Keywords

Weather; Mining; Safety devices; Inventions and discoveries; Fuels

Locations

Wales

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
Film User   Vol.11 No.123 January 1957, p30.
The National Archives COAL 32   /12 Scripts for Mining Review, 1956-1960

Credits:

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Sponsor

National Coal Board