Hebburn Collieries 

.....In the middle of 1831 Sir Edward Parry the then Australian Agricultural Company's superintendent (or agent) reported to his English board of directors that two shafts had been driven; a steam engine was erected; a wharf had been constructed 13 feet above the high-water mark to allow the loading of coal into the ships. Ventilation in the mine was made through the two shafts and using brattice. Coal was sent to the wharf from the mine on an inclined skip rail track. Quite outstanding progress for the time. 

By 1840 convicts had been phased out from working the Newcastle coal mines, and miners were brought from England to replace them.     

...James and Alexander Brown, two brothers, in the early 1840's had opened a small coal mine near East Maitland to supply the new steamer ships plying between Sydney and Morpeth, the port for the Hunter and Maitland districts. Such trade made inroads into the Australian Agricultural Company's coal business. The Company requested the NSW Government to take action to prosecute this breach of the coal monopoly. J. & A. Brown were found to be guilty, but damages were set at only one shilling, ($0.10). With such an indication and trend the Australian Agricultural Company shortly afterwards relinquished its rights to a "coal monopoly". This move did not remove the Australian Agricultural Company from its very strong position and dominance in the coal trade. It continued to work several mines at Newcastle. The "Sea-Pit" Colliery operated by the Company for many years was very successful and profitable.

Following Mr T.W. Edgeworth David's (later Professor) report on the Greta Coal Seams in the 1887 Mines Department Annual Report, and the very obvious success of the East Greta Coal Mining Company in the early 1890's, the Australian Agricultural Company kept a close watch and review of this new South Maitland coalfield. The Australian Agricultural Company's "Sea-Pit" mine like many other Newcastle District worked collieries was then ageing. There was difficulty in further expansion in the Newcastle region and this new area offered good opportunity to supplement the Company's production output.

Charles J. Hebblewhite, whilst giving evidence at the NSW Parliamentary inquiry concerning the Stanford Railway construction application, (Act assented 25th July 1900), stated that he had sunk two bores on his estate to prove the existence of coal. One bore had found a 15 feet thick coal seam at a depth of 66 feet. The other bore at a depth of 87 feet met a 12 feet thick coal seam.

The Australian Agricultural Company in early 1901 purchased the Hebblewhite estate of 1280 acres in the Parish of Stanford with a view to opening a new colliery.

Meanwhile another group, the Aberdare Collieries of NSW had been formed on the 24th January 1901. This company had taken up a large lease of over 12,000 acres and which included the original Silkstone lease of 1996 acres. The Aberdare Collieries of NSW Company sought permission from the NSW Government to construct a railway from a point on the new Stanford Railway to Cessnock township. Authority was granted by the "Aberdare Railway Act" dated 27th December 1901. Whilst the Aberdare Collieries of NSW Company had acquired the original Silkstone lease, the Silkstone Railway survey was not followed. Instead a route for a rail track was made. This new altered rail line meant that Hebburn No.1 Colliery would not be served by this new railway. Consequently the Australian Agricultural Company signified to the Aberdare Collieries of NSW Company that provided the railway route was altered to give their new colliery rail access, it was willing to become a half owner of the new Aberdare Railway. The proposal was accepted, and the new railway was commenced in early 1902. The Australian Agricultural Company at this same period had also purchased the lease rights for some 900 acres of the original Silkstone lease from the Aberdare Collieries of NSW Company.

During the period the Aberdare Railway construction was in progress, the Australian Agricultural Company had a huge dam built on the creek, which drains from Mt. Tumbleby and later runs through the area now known as Chinaman's Hollow. Clay from the Aberdare Railway cuttings was carted by horse and dray, and was utilised in the batter walls. The dam, which was said to hold 50,000,000 gallons, was so necessary to provide a guaranteed water supply for the steam required for haulage motors, electricity generation plant, and in the Company's own railway locomotives. Later, because of its financial interest in the Aberdare Railway, it supplied water for the East Greta Coal Mining Company's locomotives at Weston railway station. The elevated water tank, now long disused, still standing close to Weston township shopping centre, has the brand, "A.A. Co" proudly flaunted on its steel walls...

...The Newcastle Morning Herald newspaper in its issue dated 5th January 1904 published an interview made by a reporter with Mr Edwin "Ned" Pepper, an early mining shaft sinker, bore-driver, in the Newcastle, Greta and South Maitland areas. Mr Pepper claimed that he was engaged by the Australian Agricultural Company in early 1901 to sink four bores on the Hebblewhite Estate. Later the Company contracted him to drive in the tunnel, that became known as Hebburn No. 2 "Sore-eye" Colliery. (Author's note: This small tunnel, although early named Hebburn No. 2 Colliery should not be confused with the very much more important Hebburn No. 2 Colliery, the sinking of which commenced in 1918)...

...The Aberdare Railway construction had reached Weston in December 1902, and the first locomotive arrived on Tuesday 20th January 1903. The first train of coal produced from the Hebburn Colliery lease was despatched by the railway on Friday 24th May 1903. This coal was sent from the Sore-eye Tunnel workings. This small tunnel working had its own rail sidings and a separate entry junction points to the Aberdare Railway. Both Hebburn tunnel workings were being driven at the same time with the main pit-top and rail sidings yard at the Hebburn No. 1 Colliery location. Eventually the workings were linked underground. The Sore-eye pit-top, screens, rail sidings, and the connection to the Aberdare Railway are said to have been all disconnected, dismantled and removed during 1908...

...The Australian Agricultural Company continued to honour the agreement made in August 1903, that the East Greta Coal Mining Company should provide the locomotive power, the personnel manning, the management and the administration for the operation of passenger, coal and goods trains haulage services on the Aberdare Railway...

...Almost from the commencement of operations at Hebburn No. 1 Colliery, the mine had generated its own electricity. The Cessnock Eagle newspaper in its issue dated 24th July 1916 reports that Hebburn Limited had submitted a proposal to Cessnock Shire Council that for a fee of £110-0-0 ($220.00) per annum, it would erect 10 electric street lights in Aberdare Street [now Cessnock Road], Weston and 10 lights in Station Street, Weston. When this agreement was ratified, electricity for lighting and domestic power was also made available to householders. At this period, the power supplied was direct current electricity.

A unique condition in the 1916 agreement with the Cessnock Shire Council on town lighting was that Hebburn Limited did not have to illuminate Weston Street lights on moonlight nights. From my own experience this condition still applied in 1945. When electricity was supplied straight from Hebburn No. 2 Colliery powerhouse in February 1938 to Weston township, about two-thirds of the customers were changed from direct current to alternating current electricity. This caused some problems to the local storekeepers in that both current type appliances were required to be stocked. This position was maintained until July 1957 when the Government instrumentality, Hunter Valley County Council, was created to control and supply electricity to the homes and street lighting in Weston township...

...On 22nd November 1918, a new company, South Maitland Railways Limited was incorporated. This new company was to own, control, administer and operate all rail track, locomotives and equipment constructed under the Silkstone Railways Act, Stanford Railways Act and the Aberdare Railways Act...

...Similar to other major coal companies, the expansion to larger markets and greater coal sales was a natural progression for Hebburn Limited. The influx of Huddart Parker Limited capital, and that company's close association with Victorian business interests soon required increased production. To meet this demand, Hebburn Limited decided to open another colliery on mining lease 79, Parish of Stanford, on the foothills of Mount Tomalpin (Tumbleby). Mining operations at this new mine (Hebburn No. 2 Colliery) commenced on the 28th November 1918...

~ Excerpts  taken from John Delaney:  A HISTORY OF THE GRETA COAL MEASURES, Hebburn No.1.  

The temporary hospital operated out of a small cottage located at the corner of Alexandra and Rawson Streets, Kurri Kurri. The building could accommodate five patients, the matron and an assistant. It was owned by Mr. Waugh of Bulli and rented for 15/- ($1.50) per week and had formerly been the residence of Dr. Thrower. A management committee and a Ladies Hospital Committee were formed. While the main role of the Ladies Committee was to serve tea and sandwiches at hospital meetings and functions, they were also the main organisers of all fundraising activities including balls, social events and concerts. The Ladies Hospital Committee raised £8.2s to allow the hospital to have funds in the bank before it was even opened.

The official opening of the hospital was 20th Aug. 1904. The first Matron was Mrs Elizabeth Griffiths but she resigned shortly afterwards and Miss Agnes Macready was appointed. Dr. Latham, Dr. Fisher and Dr. Thrower were the first Honorary Medical Officers. On the 30th December 1904 the hospital was registered under the Hospital Act and was then eligible to receive a subsidy based on the subscriptions received during the first year. The subsidy amounted to £140.

The hospital survived its first year through financial subscriptions from the Miners' Lodges and an A. A. Company subsidy of £15.17s. The Lodges' contributions were:

• Abermain £7.16s from 280 employees

• Heddon Greta £8.18s from 120 employees

• Pelaw Main £18.2s from 500 employees

• Stanford Merthyr £18.6s from 250 employees

• Hebburn £15.17s from 250 employees.'

The deputation asked for an alternative proposal, to which Mr. Harle finally agreed, and drafted an agreement, to be signed by the wheelers, as follows:- "We agree to accept the tonnage rates existing at this colliery for wheeling, and in the event of our not making the shift wage, through shortage of skips, shortage of men to wheel off, or any other cause whatever, we agree to accept the wages as made on contract only, and under no conditions will we stop the pit if our wages on contract fall below the ruling shift wage. All wheelers empty locked In the colliery to be on contract rates only."

In the event of this agreement not being favourably received, Mr. Harle offered to employ all wheelers on shift work at the shift wages ruling at the time.

The deputation took these proposals back to a meeting of the lodge, and a strenuous argument ensued. A number of the miners resented the power of the wheelers to throw the pit idle by strikes, and this view was  forcibly voiced by Mr. James Thomson, check weighman, who declared that the attitude of the wheelers in the varlous lodges had caused repeated strikes, and that now, instead of the executive officers of the lodge or the majority of the lodge ruling, it was the tail ruling the head. He predicted that the time would come when the wheelers would have to be expelled from the Colliery Employees' Federation, and said that had he been in the manager's place he would have been just as incensed as Mr. Harle was at the repeated stoppages of the pit.

Finally the wheelers agreed  to accept the contract rates, and sign the agreement drafted, provided that they were reimbursed for the alleged shortage of wages at the last pay.  The lodge decided to investigate the claims, and guarantee legitimate claims.

It is expected work will be resumed tomorrow.  

Page 528:

"Coal Dry Cleaning Plant

In 1928 Hebburn Limited constructed a Coal Dry Cleaning Plant at its Hebburn No 1 Colliery to clean the small coal produced at its two Hebburn Collieries.

The Coal Dry Cleaning Plant was located on the western side of the dam at Hebburn No 1 Colliery and was connected to the Hebburn No 2 Colliery Branch Railway by a triangle allowing access direct off the Branch Railway for propelling the trains into the dead end.  Trains of coal could be worked direct to the dead end and shunted into the empty sidings."

Pages 528 to 531:

"Coal Dry Cleaning Plant Sidings

After leaving Hebburn No 2 Colliery Branch Railway, the Running Road continued past the Coal Dry Cleaning Plant to terminate in a dead end.  Two loop sidings were formed from the Running Road for storing the uncleaned and clean coal and were known as Nos 1 and 2 Sidings.

The No 1 Siding was constructed adjacent to the Running Road and left the Running Road approximately one train length from the dead end in the trailing position.  After passing through the Coal Dry Cleaning Plant joined into the Running Road approximately one train length from the Coal Dry Cleaning Plant.  The No 2 Sidings branched from No 1 Siding joining the latter siding approximately at its midpoint on each side of the Coal Dry Cleaning Plant.

Wagons of coal were delivered from the collieries to the Coal Dry Cleaning Plant where the doors of the wagons were dropped allowing the coal to discharge into a hopper below rail level.  A bucket elevator lifted the coal into the Coal Dry Cleaning Plant for processing.  After processing the coal was loaded into rail wagons for distribution.

With opening of the Coal Preparation Plant at Hebburn No 2 Colliery, the Coal Drying Plant was abandoned and dismantled."

~ With special thanks to Peter Williams

A complaint re street lighting was received from a resident of Aberdare-street, and the matter was left to the exceutive to inspect the plan, and take necessary acton to improve the lighting. 

The dangerous turn at Hector's butcher's shop, Kurri Kurri, was discussed, The silent cop was said to be in such a position that drivers could not turn around it without running into the gutter.

The question of Kurri Kurri Hospital not having received its share anf deposits from Caledonian Collieries Ltd. was discussed and referred  to Kearsley Shire Council for inquiry.

Complaints were received that Hebburn, Limited, was not keeping its promise with the matter of new consumers of electricity being charged 10s deposit and old consumers no deposit, Cases were cited in which old consumers, desiring extra power, which necessitated an extra meter, being forced to pay the extra 10s deposit before the work was carried out. In cases of complaints for faulty registration of meters, the association understood that the meters would be examined by the company, and if found to be in order a charge of 10s would be made, but if faulty the cost would be borne by the company; but it was stated that the amount was being charged before any investigation was made. These matters were referred to Hebburn, Limited, for inquiry and [ ? ].

On the largest coalfield in Australia-South Maitland (N.S.W.), which includes Cessnock, Kurri Kurri, Weston, Abermain, Bellbird, Paxton, Kitchener, Kearsley and Neath—this is how the miners are to-day faring.

NO money is coming into miners’ homes. Sustenance is obtained by a credit docket issued by the Miners' Federation on the local storekeepers.

The single man receives a docket to the value of 12/- weekly, and the married man 25/-, plus an allowance for each child.

South Maitland is losing a wages bill of approximately £50,000 a fortnight while the strike is on. This has been a blow to local traders.

Since the men have ceased work, many have been preparing their plots of ground for vegetables. Most of the houses have a fifth of an acre of ground around them. Now that the long drought has broken, men and women are busy planting. After the rain seedmen and sellers of plants did more trade than they have ever done before in such a short period.

The spell from work in the mine has given the men the opportunity to put a coat of paint on their houses and throughout the district there has been great activity by the amateur painters.

The "Black Pint" has gone out of existence. This is the pint of beer most miners have before going home from the mine. This is marked on the slate and is paid for on pay day. Since the strike the slates in the hotels have been wiped clean. Tick is off. During the week the hotels are empty. They liven up on Wednesday and Saturday, when the men saunter in to listen to race broadcasts, but there is little drinking.

Committees have been formed to assist those in indigent circumstances. Relief committees sought assistance from the farmers in the district. Vegetables were collected and brought to depots for distribution among the needy.

Fishing On Lake Macquarie 

Boot-repairing depots were started in Cessnock and Aberdare. These depots are kept husy throughout the week repairing boots for men, women, and children. There is no charge for the work. The material is supplied from funds collected by the relief committees,

Many of the contract workers have week-end resorts on the fishing grounds about Lake Macquarie. There has been an exodus to Lake Macquarie of many of these men and their families from all over the coalfields. They can augment their food docket by fishing. Other parties are in the fishing grounds to send supplies back to the coalfields.

Parties of men travel to Broke, Singleton, and the districts nearby, where rabbits abound. The supplies  are brought back and distributed to those in the greatest want.

Hair-dressing salons have been opened and the mineworker and his sons are able to get a haircut free of cost. 

Women and the girls must go without the permanent wave until the strike is ended, however.  Women's auxiliary of the miners are doing a great job of work. They have a depot where sewing machines are busy making up and repairing clothing for miners children . These women make it their business to find out where there is any sickness. They then visit the home and clean up, wash the children, even prepare a meal if necessary. Now that the drought has broken, they are making arrangements to instal soup kitchens near the schools, so that those in need can have a bowl of hot soup at midday.

There is one section of the mine workers thoroughly enjoying the strike. They do not care how long It lasts. These are the pit horses.  They can be seen prancing around in the paddocks adjacent to the collieries. They are sleek and happy. A strike brings the sunshine into the lives of these friends of man. Otherwise they never see the sun.

Unemployment Hits Finances

Daily the men congregate in groups and discuss the strike and hazard as to its length. Many express resentment at the hard things said about the miners. The miners have heen granted the 40-hour week and an increase for day wage men of 10 per cent on wages. The only kick the miner appears to have is that he should have been given a 20 per cent increase for the day wage men. This would have made the fortnightly pay up to 11 shifts, previously worked before the granting of the 40-hour week.  

Unemployment in some of the other industries is seriously affecting the miners' leaders in financing the strike. Each fortnight £40000 has to be found to redeem the dockets being handled by the storekeepers. One docket has been issued since the strike, and another is due at the end of this week. Promises have been made to the storekeepers that one docket will be redeemed before the new docket is issued.

When the miners return to work they will be called upon to repay the cost of the dockets.  After the strike in 1939 the men were levied five per cent of their wages until the strike relief had been liquidated. Contract men who are the big earners in the mining industry, will pay back much more than they receive. This will be an even greater levy on the single man who is a contract worker. His docket is only worth 12/- a week but he will have to pay the five ner cent from his larger wages. The lower paid man who is married and has children will pay five per cent from his small wage.

The social side of the strike is not being overlooked. Concert parties have been organised. There is plenty of good talent on the coalfields. Dances are often held and everything is being done to brighten the lives of those who have been most aftected by the coal strike.

The whole Hebburn No. 2 Colliery yard was a huge crescent or new moon shape. Coming from the Hebburn Limited branch railway from the north-easterly direction turning and curving right up into the 3 dead-end sidings in the south-eastern corner. In the original Hebburn No. 2 lay-out 3 curved sidings ran underneath the loading facilities, which lay roughly in the centre of the length, and all converging at each end. At the most south-eastern part of the colliery yard, the 3 dead-end sidings continued on. A "run-around" loop laid parallel to the loaded vehicle standage, allowed the inwards train, after the locomotive had reversed ends, to be propelled into any of the 3 dead-end empty vehicles standage. From these sidings the empty vehicles were gravitated to the standage siding area at the western end of the pit-top.

As production increased at Hebburn No. 2 Colliery additional loading sidings were required, and attained by extending the run-around loop and the construction of another siding for both empty and loaded vehicle standage. This reconstruction necessitated a new running road at Hebburn No. 2 Colliery to be laid on the northern side of the nest of sidings within the crescent shape. Frequently after this alteration, empty vehicles were propelled in train loads from Hebburn "Flat" at Weston all the way to Hebburn No. 2 Colliery. Under this new system if the train was hauled from Hebburn Flat, the inwards train on arriving at Hebburn No. 2 Colliery ran up one of the 3 dead-end sidings, then to be propelled back into the loading sidings.

When Hebburn No. 2 Colliery development was commenced in November 1918, the first mineworkers and shaft sinkers, like at other early pits attracted a "tent" or "calico" community at the site. With the competition for mine-workers amongst several new mines, like Pelton, Kalingo, Paxton, Aberdare Central, etc., Hebburn Limited had to find a means to overcome the isolation of Hebburn No. 2 Colliery. One enticement was the company's offer to provide free transport from Weston to the new mine.

To achieve this transport offer, Hebburn Limited during November 1923 purchased two disused NSW Government Tramways cars in Sydney, at a cost of £150-0-0 ($300.00) each. After being reconditioned and repaired the cars were used for the miners' transport. A third tramway car was purchased on the 24th September 1924.

The shafts were sunk by day-labour with Ted Seward as the ganger in charge. (Author's note: Ted Seward was Bill Seward's father). The shafts were sunk by blasting and picking. "Sullivan's" air drills were used to bore the holes for blasting.

Robert A. Harle, Hebburn Limited superintendent, on 14th February 1917 purchased a second-hand steam winding engine for £600-0-0 ($1,200.00) from the "Sea-Pit" for use in the shaft sinking. This steam engine had raised a cradle, which transported the "sinkers" to the shaft level being driven. For the conveyance of materials, both up and down, such as fill or spoil disposal from the shaft digging, etc., or the bricks and timber used in the shaft wall construction, all was moved in a bucket lifted by a rope, through a hole in the centre of the cradle. The shaft workings were lit by a 600 candle power light in each.

Both shafts were brick lined. Bricks had come from East Maitland kilns. Timber inserts were placed in the bricked shaft wall every 10 feet to carry heavy steel rails vertically. Later claws on the cages used these rails to stabilise the raising or lowering movements. The shafts were sunk a further 19 feet below the seam floor level to allow space underneath the cages for the counter-balance ropes.

The 1920 Mines Department Annual Report records that ventilation in the shaft sinking operation was provided by small "forcing fans" in each. In this same year a small 7½ kW direct current electricity generation plant was installed at Hebburn No. 2 Colliery.

On the 26th November 1921, when both shafts at Hebburn No. 2 mine had been completed, the sinking gear was despatched to Metropolitan Colliery south of Sydney. Huddart Parker Limited had had a financial interest in Metropolitan Colliery as a separate company. The day-labour workers or more commonly known as the shaft-sinkers were offered employment in the new Hebburn No. 2 Colliery, but not all accepted.'

The up-cast air shaft also had a smaller poppet head to carry a single cage. Here again the poppet head was erected by A. Goninan and Company, and the cage was supplied by Morrison and Bearby. The winding engine for this single cage was again supplied and installed by Yates and Thom. This engine had a 27 inches diameter cylinder with a 5 feet stroke and operated a single 10 feet diameter drum.

When the mine opened steam was supplied by two Babcock and Wilcox boilers and one Lancashire boiler. The three boilers worked at a pressure of 150 pounds per square inch.

In the first years of operation, and as the main underground headings were being driven, pit-horses were used to move the skips.  200 small skips had been supplied by A. Goninan and Company by the time the mine had commenced producing coal in December 1921.

As further headings were driven and working places developed, two endless rope haulages, electrically driven, were installed in 1925. On the 15th June 1927, A. Goninan and Company of Newcastle supplied 500 new 2 tons capacity steel skips at a price of £11-11-0 ($23.10) per skip. When the main underground heading due south had by about 1935 reached the lease boundary, a direct haulage rope driven by a 250 horse powered electric motor was installed on this particular heading. Subsequently in the mid 1940's the previous endless ropes haulages were altered to become "main and tail" haulage, and was driven by an 80 horse powered electric motor.

On the 17th September 1940 Hebburn Limited ordered 7 battery operated underground locomotives, as well as 40 larger skips. Records researched show that the sizes of these larger skips as being 8 feet long by 5 feet 6 inches wide by 4 feet 6 inches high. The battery powered locomotives hauled a set of 9 skips to bottom of the pit shaft. The skips were raised in the cage, two at a time, side by side. When mechanisation reached a peak, 17 locomotives were involved in the underground haulage. On the pit-top surface, a transport was used to move the skips sideways. These large skips were unloaded in a rotary tippler onto the Marcus conveyor shaker screens.

In early 1962 the Australian Civil Engineering Company (A.C.E.) was engaged by Hebburn Limited to drive underground a rising drift or tunnel through the conglomerate for the purpose of constructing coal holding bins below the surface. With the introduction of the continuous miner, the "Joy 1 C.M.", it became essential to erect a conveyor belt system to quickly transport and clear the coal production from the working area. The 1967 Mines Department's Annual Report informs that the new conveyor system comprised 5 trunk conveyors and was installed in August 1967. This system replaced the previous battery locomotives haulage to the pit bottom. Due to having a colliery shaft exit and its limited volume handling, it was necessary to hold and store and later reload into the larger skips to be raised to the surface. Consequently underground coal holding bins were essential in the haulage scheme.

The 1922 Mines Department Annual Report records that Hebburn No. 2 Colliery was bailing pit-water from the mine in a large vessel under the cage.

A combined meeting of the three lodges was adjourned till Sunday.

The manager states that if the men wish to return to work they will have to do so under the conditions operating when they laid the pit idle on December 20.

The men allege that a principle of working conditions is involved, and that the dispute was caused through an attack on established principles.

"Frivolous Stoppages"

Mr. C. M. M'Donald, president of the Northern Collieries' Association,

states:—

"In view of the unprecedented slackness of trade in the coal industry, an effort is being made to solve the problems of intermittency, and sectional  stoppages at the pits.

With this object, a conference is being convened.

Late in 1922 the powerhouse building at Hebburn No. 2 Colliery was completed and ready for operation. This was a fine, large brick building. It housed a 1000 kW mixed pressure turbine, with both high and low pressures, plus an exciter pillar. This produced alternating current electricity at 2200 pressure volts. This generation plant was manufactured by the Swiss firm Brown Boveri. Its cost had been £8,900-0-0 ($17,800.00) "free-on-board" ship at Antwerp, Holland. British General Electric Company (B.G.E.) had supplied a "high and low" tension switchboard for installation in the new powerhouse. This switchboard had cost £1,270-0-0 ($2,540.00) "free-on-board" a ship in London. In the same ship consignment, British General Electric Company had furnished seven 15 horse powered and seven 5 horse powered electric motors for various uses at Hebburn No. 2 Colliery. The electric motors, with "switch starter controls" had cost £693-15-0 ($1,387.00) "free-on-board" the same ship.  

The boilerhouse was completed on the 2nd March 1921. It was a partly brick, partly open, galvanised corrugated iron roofed structure, and when it was first completed, it housed 3 boilers. Adjoining the boilerhouse stood the remarkable, unique, free standing colliery chimney stack. (Author's note: The stack was still standing as at November 1988). This stack was constructed from strongly reinforced concrete. It was erected straight up and down, and it is 184 feet tall, and 12 feet 6 inches outside diameter, and 9 feet internal diameter. The stack was erected by the Country Concrete Company of Marrickville. Their contract price had been £2,875-0-0 ($5,750.00). Construction had commenced in March 1918. Unconfirmed information advised that the stack was completed in August 1918. This appears logical because in that month (August 1918), the Country Concrete Company won the contract to erect the fine concrete pit-top at the new Hebburn No. 2 mine. Further the sinking of the shafts began in November 1918. A Lancashire boiler is said (unsupported) to have been on site to provide steam for a second-hand steam winding engine used in the shaft sinking.

The first boiler at Hebburn No. 2 Colliery was a Lancashire boiler, 30 feet long by 8 feet diameter. In mid 1922, Hebburn No. 2 Colliery installed the two Babcock and Wilcox boilers. These two boilers were each 30 feet long and 5 feet 6 inches in diameter, and each had a heating surface of 3146 square feet. Each Babcock and Wilcox boiler had cost £1,250-0-0 ($2,500.00). During 1917 a large earth bank dam had been constructed at Hebburn No. 2 Colliery to supply water for the boilers. This was quite a large dam and laid to the south-eastern side of the latter boilerhouse and stack.

The 1924 Mines Department Annual Report informs that this was the first year that Hebburn No. 2 Colliery had underground lighting, a total of only 10 lights. A comparison of similar details in following Annual Reports shows Hebburn No. 2 Colliery had:

In 1924 88 surface lights, 10 underground lights
In 1925 88 surface lights, 35 underground lights
In 1927 100 surface lights, 70 underground lights.

By 1924 Hebburn No. 2 Colliery had increased its total miners numbers to 248. The colliery was planning to develop its underground electrically driven endless rope haulage system in some long headings. Demand for electricity from the Hebburn No. 1 Colliery had increased with the erection of the pole transmission line from the Hebburn No. 2 Colliery powerhouse, and which had been completed on the 24th October 1923. All this increased electricity demand was met by the installation on the 10th November 1924 of a 500 kW Brown Boveri generation plant producing alternating current electricity at 2200 pressure volts. This new unit plant had cost £4,260-0-0 ($8,520.00) landed at Weston. The extra switch gear for the unit had cost a further £300-0-0 ($600.00).

With the opening of Elrington Colliery in 1925, and because all its electricity requirements was supplied from Hebburn No. 2 Colliery powerhouse, plus the ever increasing demand for electrical power for domestic use in Weston township, two new Swiss made Brown Boveri generating plants were ordered. These were installed in August 1928.

The Hebburn No. 2 Colliery boilers, as well as supplying the steam for the powerhouse, also provided the steam for the shaft's winding engine. The miners workforce numbers at Hebburn No. 2 Colliery had doubled by 1928, and production consequently was much increased. To meet this increased steam demand two more boilers were added. These were John Thompson boilers with chain-grates and Fredrick stokers.

As with the first three earlier boilers, "dirty pit rubbish" such as chitter, shale and poor coal was utilised as fuel. With the five boilers in situ, all "discarded coal" from both Hebburn No. 1 and Elrington Collieries was forwarded to the Hebburn No. 2 powerhouse where it was fed by automatic machinery to the fires. About 40 tons of fuel was used daily. Two fuelmen worked each of the 3 shifts, together with a single powerhouse attendant.

In March 1935 the last two supplied John Thompson chain-grate boilers were scrapped. These were replaced by two new John Thompson "retort type stoker" boilers at a cost of £3,000-0-0 ($6,000.00). The suppliers, International Combustion Company, had especially modelled these boilers to burn "duff" as well as crushed chitter. From the early 1940's poor quality and un-saleable coal was purchased at a very cheap price from Stockrington Colliery to be used as fuel. This coal was either transported by rail or road, depending on the most suitable and economical method pertaining at the period. When transported by rail the coal traversed the Richmond Vale Railways, via the Pelaw Main - Weston Spur Link, and with a "fancy shunt" on South Maitland Railways at Weston to be placed into Hebburn No. 1 Colliery exchange sidings, and thence by the Hebburn Limited Railway. The poor quality of this fuel caused perpetual complaints from the fuelmen, because of the troubles from "clinkering". It is of interest that the residual ashes from the boilerhouse was put to good use as road construction and rail track ballast.

Hebburn No. 2 Colliery powerhouse never had a cooling tower or steam condensers. Hot water from the generators were cooled by open spray lines running out over a second dam (or pond) on the north-eastern side of the boilerhouse. This small dam was some 100 yards by 50 yards square. The spray lines blew steamy hot water about 20 feet high to cool. In later years timber louvered walls were erected on either side of the spray lines to protect passers-by.

When the new electric motor was installed in 1958 to drive the air shaft fan, the steam, from the boiler that supplied the steam engine, was diverted and introduced into the overall steam supply. This early steam engine was a high pressure unit with a low water gauge. It was found that this blended steam was not efficient. A fifth generator, a 2500 kW General Electric Company unit was installed in late 1958, and a sixth boiler was added. This boiler was an International Combustion Industry production, that used pulverised fuel. It had been principally designed to burn unsaleable fuel direct from the recently erected washery and coal preparation plant at Hebburn No. 2 Colliery. With this new generator installation, the 1922 installed 1000 kW mixed pressures turbine and the 1924 installed 500 kW Brown Boveri plant were retired to become stand-by units.

The Hebburn No. 2 powerhouse electricity energy was never interlocked in a grid with J. & A. Brown Abermain - Seaham Company and Caledonian Collieries powerhouses. Following the formation in 1957 of the Hunter Valley County Council, Hebburn No. 2 powerhouse supplied its surplus power into NSW State electric power grid. At the time of this introduction, Hebburn No. 2 powerhouse had an output of about 3000 kW (or 3 megawatts) and one third of this went into the State grid. After the Coal and Allied Limited purchase of Hebburn Collieries Limited from Boral Limited in 1967, a cross-country pole transmission line linked Hebburn No. 2.

As well as the powerhouses linking after the Coal and Allied take-over, a water main pipe line was run from Richmond Main Colliery across country to Hebburn No. 2 Colliery. It should be recorded that Hebburn No. 2 Colliery had always been abundantly accommodated with water supplies. Thus:

(A) Construction of colliery earth dam in 1917.

(B) A water pipe line from the large dam at Hebburn No. 1 Colliery had been laid to the Hebburn No. 2 powerhouse in early 1929.

(C) A Hunter District Water Board water main pipe line was laid from Neath Pumping Station across country to Hebburn No. 2 Colliery. Research has failed to reveal the actual date of this pipe laying. Unsupported advice suggests about the mid 1930's. (Author's note: The 1930's was certainly a time of much expansion by the "H.D.W.B." in the Cessnock District).

(D) A water pipe line was laid from Richmond Main Colliery across country after 1967.

After the closure of the Hebburn No. 2 Colliery powerhouse, the plant, boilers and equipment are said to have been scrapped and sold in the late 1970's. In their removal, some damage was occasioned to the buildings, and as a result both the powerhouse and boilerhouse structures were demolished.'

He was presiding over the Central Coal Reference Board when the dispute was brought before it.  Mr. R. W. Davie, secretary of the Northern Collieries Proprietors' Association, said that the men at the Hebburn No. 2 were still on strike, although the chairman of the Northern Coal Reference Board had decided that there was no cause for dispute, and that decision had been approved by the Arbitration Court. The dispute was about "make-up payments, and if the Central Coal Reference Board continued the hearing of evidence dealing with the same matter it would, indirectly, be supporting the strike. The decision was being defied not only by a large miners lodge, but by the northern district board of management of the Miners' Federation. Actually, the miners were defying the machinery established by the Government at their own request.

OFFICIALLY ENDORSED

Mr. H. Scanlon, northern president of the Miners' Federation, said that the Hebburn No. 2 strike had been officially endorsed. The federation considered that an anomaly existed at the mine, and that men there were not able to earn the minimum rate. Judge Drake-Brockman said he had no intention of delaying the present inquiry into "make-up" and "deficiencies" generallv, even if the whole coal industry was on strike, but if the northern district of the Miners' Federation asked him to deal specially with the Hebburn No. 2 case he would not do so whilst the miners were on strike.

Referring to the claim by the Miners' Federation for a daily settlement of "make-up" pay in "deficiency" places. Judge Drake-Brockman said it seemed to him that the weakness of that proposal was that it would probably lead to daily disputes about whether certain places were "deficient" or not. He would like both miners and proprietors to give particular attention to that aspect of the case during the inquiry.

The board adjourned to 10 30 a.m. on Tuesday,  April 27.

Stoppages involved more than 900 men and caused a coal production lag of 2500 tons.

Both Hebburn Nos. 1 and 2 miners turned out for work this morning. The Hebburn No. 2 men returned early.

The sight of the returning Hebburn No. 2 miners influenced the No. 1 men. After a pit-top discussion, the men decided to resume work.

The majority of the decision was not sufficiently large, however, to ensure their resumption.

Those who had voted against the motion walked off the job and the others had no alternative but to follow.

After considering the issue of garnishee orders against a number of Hebburn No. 1 miners. the Northern Board of Management of the Miners' Federation yesterday decided to refer the matter to the Central Council for determination of a policy.

The council is meeting in Sydney today. The men's wages were garnisheed to meet payment of fines, and the action is regarded by miners as a threat to production on the field.

Yesterday's board of management meeting was attended by the Coal Liaison Officer Mr. R. James M.HR). and a report issued later said that concern had been expressed by members at the Government's attitude in enforcing fine payments by garnishee, particularly in view of the fact that production last week was probably the best for this year and because it had appeared that this production would be maintained until the Christmas holidays.

If the Government continued this attitude, board members felt it would inevitably lead to the position which had developed at the two Hebburns extending to many other mines.

The previous decision of the board, expressing resentment at garnishees and adding that industrial action would be taken to combat them was endorsed.

Unless the Government withdrew its hand in this issue  industrial conflict seemed inevitable it was stated. Hebburn No. 1 and No. 2 collieries were both idle yesterday in protest against the garnishees.