Quote:
Originally Posted by jumpy shore
As I remember it (32 years ago) there was a stone belt that ran out the side of screens, I think it loaded into wagons that tipped near the 'land sale' hoppers and was moved by bucket loader up the 'stone road' and was levelled off up behind the old drift.
Were the settling ponds not on the hill above the 'new drift'? I seem to remember being taken up there one one occasion during my apprenticeship to check the outlets (by Old Ted White an Amble man from Albert Street and former Hauxley Fitter) I think the water came up there from the big centrifugal pumps in the pump house along at 7 or 8 West ?? which as on the left of the 10 West belt road down to the Shilbottle bunker.
The pumps didn't run all of the time, there was float level in the tanks which switched them on. I think there were 4 pumps along there with 2 running at any one time. They had to be primed by hand by allowing some of the water in the delivery pipe back into the pump which was held by a 'Clack Valve' in the suction side and the air was bled out of each stage of centrifuges by the pump man, hence the 24/7 staff cover. The road along there was very low in places and you could feel the air blowing along so it must have vented somewhere beyond the pump house? The pumps were maintained by the electrician and fitter based in the underground Loco battery charging shed. (Willie Taylor was the Fitter as I remember)
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It's gone from my memory the stone tipping at Whittle so thanks for that. Looking at the
plan to remind me the pump house was around 9 West area (or east of it, as you mention, 7 or 8 West). East of there was the old Whittle workings which were flooded and were effectively the standage for the pump house? I should have a better recall of that area as I spent my apprenticeship with John Trotter (from Berwick) and we were often in the pump house, mucking about with the phones. (skiving).