A NEW SYSTEM OF WORKING AND GETTING THE MAIN OR THICK MINE OF COAL
Year: 1818

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
READ, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourteenth day of March, in the fifty-eighth year of His
reign, did give and grant unto me, the said John Read, and also unto WILLIAM
HOWELL, of Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford, Ground Bailiff, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, during the term of years therein expressed, that we,
the said John Read and William Howell, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of
A NEW SYSTEM OF WORKING AND GETTING THE MAIN OR THICK MINE OF COAL ;"
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging us, the
said John Read and William Howell, one or either of us, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
to cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said John
Read, do hereby declare that the nature of our said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, is described and ascertained by the
following description and Drawing, in which the dark or shaded part represents
the portions of the mine of coal which have been worked or are in the course
of working, and the lines on the unshaded part describe the direction of setting
out sections and ribs for working the coal remaining to be got.
This new system of working, as particularly adapted to the main or principal
bed of coal known to be in Staffordshire, Worcestershire, and part of Shrop-
shire, commonly called the thick main or ten yard coal, and may be applicable
to other thick veius or mines or coal in England and Wales, is intended to
obtain a larger quantity of coal from such mines than has on the average been
yet produced. Instead of working the coal by means of insulated or detached
pillars, it consists in getting the coal in sections or divisions from eight to
twenty yards, more or less, in width, or as wide as the strength of the roof will
almit, one rib of coal from six to eight yards in width, or about one half the
width of the sections, to be left between every two sections, and a great part
of the coal in the ribs so left may be got afterwards. It is to be performed as
follows: After driving out a gateway or road, as in the old method, repre-
sented by No. 2 on the Plan, and taking the usual precaution to drive it to
the deep part of the coal to be got, proceed to drive other gateways at right
angles with the former, or as near to right angles as the nature, form, or
position of the mine will admit, as shown at No. 3, for the purpose of opening
the work to get the coal; when arrived at a proper distance with these last
roads, and which distance will vary according to the extent of the mine intended
to be got, begin to open off or enlarge the gateway into as wide a section as the
nature of the mine or the strength of the roof will admit, and which may be
from eight to twenty yards, more or less; then work such section back towards
the main gateway, as at No. 4, being careful to leave a small rib or portion of
coal from three to four yards broad against the main gateway to support or
protect it, as at No. 5. Whilst this section is working back, drive other gate
roads on a parallel line with the former, or as near to a parallel line as the
nature, form, or position of the mine will admit, as at No. 6, to open other
sections as the former become worked out, in doing which you in each case
cut off a rib, as at No. 7, the thickness or size of which ribs will, as before,
depend on the strength of the mine and roof. They may be left from six to
eight yards in width, more or less, or about half the width of the sections.
After the sections are all got, proceed to get the ribs, which being connected
with the main gateway, a great part of the coal left in them may be recovered

page_text: by driving a gateway down them as at No. 8, and working them back towards
the main gateway, and the supports which form the main gateway itself are to
be got out; and as you proceed with getting the ribs, it should be remarked
that it will be sometimes necessary to alter the direction of the main gate-
ways through the intervention of faults and deepings of the mine, which
interruptions are well known to miners, and also from the form or position of
the mine it may be necessary to alter the course of working, but not the
system. This new system of working may be adopted for getting the sections
and abandoning the ribs, in which case the sections must be formed and
worked as before, but the ribs may be left narrower. The new system may
also be applied and worked upon by leaving the ribs broader. In this case
the sections to be made of the same dimensions and worked in the same
manner as those already described, and broad ribs of about two thirds of the
width of the sections, more or less, to be left between every two sections, and
after the sections are all worked out then proceed to work the broad ribs,
which may be done in much the same manner as the ribs are already directed
to be worked, but in getting such broad ribs it may be necessary to leave
some small portions of coal against the old works to support the workings.
It should be remarked, that levels to take off the water, and air heads to carry
off the damp air, will be as much required in this system of working as in
the old method.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Read, have hereunto set my
hand