The were no gummers in the headings as the duff was thrown out into the road way and shovelled away, the jib size for headings was dependent on the size of road way required, a 9' jib could give up to 18' or it was possible to pull the cutter back from the caunch and 'jib in' from an angle for a shorter cut (as in mothergates and tailgates with a 6' jib). I remember Alfie on the 03.45 shift he used to live next to my grandparents on Henderson St.
There were several variations of the Y23 cutter, myself Geordie Coward, Bob Straker, Brian Watson and many others were often on the face doing repairs! The water dust suppression rarely worked and visibility due to the dust (coal and stone) was virtually zero when it was running.
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