Durham Mining Museum - Hetton Colliery Shaft Details (original) (raw)

Blossom Pit

Strata sunk through at Hetton Colliery, in the Engine or Blossom Pit. Begun December 6th, 1820

Shaft Details

Shaft diameter: 12' 0", Sunk: 06 Dec 1820, Closed: 11 Jul 1950

Approximate surface level 330 feet above sea (Ordnance datum)

Switch to measurements in: fathoms, feet & inches, or metres

				Geology encountered Thickness Depth ft. in. ft. in. Outset 6 0 6 0 Soil 2 0 8 0 Sand 9 0 17 0 Gravel 4 0 21 0 Limestone marl and soft limestone to where the pit is walled 18 0 39 0 Yellow limestone of various descriptions 95 6 134 6 Limestone of a blue grey colour, called the "blue rag" in these flags near the bottom 44 2 178 8 (N.B.�The water increased regular from the depth of about 16 fathoms to the bottom of the limestone to about 2,000 gallons per minute.) 0 0 178 8 Blue metal 5 2 183 10 Very soft sandstone (stratified) and was drawn by the pumps 4 4 188 2 Very soft white post 1 2 189 4 Grey scamy metal stone, and where the first three wedging cribs were laid 0 9 190 1 Strong brown limestone, like whin 8 8 198 9 Blue grey metal, very soft, with a little water 32 3 231 0 COAL, mixed with black metal, and the last wedging crib laid on the grey metal below it . -. 1 4 232 4 Grey metal stone 4 8 237 0 Blue metal 9 0 246 0 COAL, mixed with black metal 1 9 247 9 Grey metal stone, with partings and water 17 10 265 7 COAL 3 9 269 4 COAL 1 0 Grey metal 0 4 COAL, mixed with black metal 0 7 COAL 1 10 Drift through to the Minor Pit. 0 0 269 4 Grey metal stone or sill 1 4 270 8 Grey metal stone, with partings 24 10 295 6 Strong white post, with water near bottom and spongy 19 8 315 2 COAL - Three-Quarter Seam 2 4 317 6 COAL, wet 2 4 Drift to Minor Pit. 0 0 Sill stone 1 6 319 0 White post 2 3 321 3 Grey metal 8 5 329 8 Strong white post, and water in several places, which is wedged off and piped into the 3/4 Coal Seam 39 3 368 11 Grey metal stone 2 8 371 7 COAL, mixed with black metal 1 6 373 1 Sill stone 0 8 373 9 White post 2 5 376 2 Grey metal 2 2 378 4 Post girdles 1 4 379 8 Grey metal 0 6 380 2 COAL 0 10 381 0 Sill stone 0 3 381 3 Grey metal stone 0 10 382 1 White post, with partings at 8 feet down, and wedged 10 2 392 3 Grey metal stone, inclining to post 2 9 395 0 Soft black and blue metal 11 10 406 10 COAL and a drift through to Minor Pit 0 3 407 1 Sill stone 1 3 408 4 White post 7 9 416 1 Grey and white post, mixed with grey metal 11 2 427 3 Whin 3 7 430 10 White post and partings of blue metal, and water wedged off 2 10 433 8 Strong white post, with a parting at bottom and water 10 6 444 2 Strong white post, spongy, and partings with water 29 11 474 1 Grey and white post and water, wedged off and piped up to the third standing sett cistern 19 3 493 4 Grey metal stone 4 6 497 10 COAL 7 5 505 3 COAL 0 4 Grey metal 1 0 COAL 1 3 Band 0 5 COAL 3 2 Band 0 4 COAL, mixed with black metal 0 11 Thill 1 8 506 11 Grey metal stone, with large balls of ironstone 8 4 515 3 Strong grey metal stone, with girdles 21 9 537 0 Black metal, with scares of coal 0 9 537 9 COAL 3 10 541 7 COAL 1 2 Black grey metal, with scares of coasl 2 8 Grey metal stone, with balls of ironstone 2 6 544 1 Strong grey metal stone, with strong dunnish post girdles 19 10 563 11 Grey metal 6 8 570 7 COAL - Five-Quarter Seam 6 10 577 5 COAL 1 7 Black metal, with scares of coal 0 6 Dark grey metal 4 4 COAL 0 5 Grey metal stone, with post girdles 34 6 611 11 Grey post 4 10 616 9 Blue and grey metal stone 23 9 640 6 Blue and grey metal stone, with strong girdles 11 3 651 9 COAL - Main Coal Seam 6 6 658 3 COAL, top 1 8 Band 0 1 COAL 4 9 Depth of the sump 27 0 685 3

Source: An Account of the strata of Northumberland & Durham as proved by Borings & Sinkings, Volume F-K, published by the North of England Institute of Mining & Mechanical Engineers, 1885

original entry for sinking/boring number 1154 in "An Account of the strata of Northumberland & Durham as proved by Borings & Sinkings, Volume F-K, published by the North of England Institute of Mining & Mechanical Engineers, 1885"

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