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BELPER NEWS - FRIDAY 8TH APRIL 1910

MAPPERLEY COLLIERY SWIMMING CLUB

There was very good attendance of members at the annual general meeting of the above Club, over which Mr. J. Hartley presided. The balance sheet showed a credit of £4 14s 3d. It was decided to affiliate with the Midland District, A.S.A. and the Derby and District S. and LSA.  A great interest in life saving had sprung up among the members, and a successful season is anticipated. All the young people in the neighbourhood are being invited to join. The following officers were elected; —Committee Messrs. H. Bingham, A. Clarke, J. Creswell, R. Creswell, W. Everton, J. Hartley, T. Hartshorne,  S. Kirkham, W. Martin, T. Shaw, J. Sprmgthorpe, J. Walters, W. Wimant and J. Witham; captain. Mr. J. Creswell; vice-captain. Mr. S. Kirkham; hon treasurer. Mr. J. Flint; hon. secretary. Mr. W. Skelton; assistant hon sec. Mr. J. Hart. A ladies club is being formed, and one for non-colliery employees is contemplated.

BELPER NEWS - FRIDAY 12TH AUGUST 1910

SWIMMING CARNIVAL AT WEST HALLAM.

The second annual gala of the Mapperley Colliery Swimming Club was held at the West Hallam Baths on Saturday. The weather was beautifully fine, and there was a good attendance.

Of the purely sporting events, interest chiefly centered round the 100 yards handicap, open to employees of the Company, who gave two handsome prizes, and Mr. R. H. Turner, of Ilkeston, gave a third. There were a large number of entries for the event, and the heats took place some weeks ago, leaving only the semi finals and final to be contested on Saturday. The winner of the first prize, H. Green of Stanley, is quite a youngster in years, and was heartily applauded for his pluck and ability.

The obstacle race provided considerable amusement, the competitors having to swim to a raft half way up the bath, put a pair of trousers on, and then finish the race. Unfortunately as each competitor was getting the garments nicely on, a companion upset the raft, and the whole business had to be gone through again.

"The musical buoys" was also a laughable event, strongly resembling musical chairs. The competitors had to swim round and round the buoys to the accompaniment of a concertina and get their heads into the buoys when the music stopped. The life-saving competition proved an instructive event, whilst the team race and polo match added considerable interest to the afternoon’s amusement.

Tea was provided in a marquee, following which G. H Blount, M. C. Co. President of the club, presented the prizes, and also the Royal Life Saving Society’s certificates and medallions recently won by the Life Saving Class.

The prize winners were as follows:

100 yards handicap - Semi-final -
Heat 1 - J. Walters (Stanley Common). 30 secs; 2. L. Witham (Ilkeston) 25 secs.
Heat 2 - F. Hartshorne (West Hallam). 25 secs; 2. T. Draper (Ilkeston) 18 secs.
Heat 3 - I. H. Green (Stanley), 30 secs; 2. J. Witham (Ilkeston).
Final - I. Hartshorne; 2. Green; 3. Draper.

Life saving competition -
1. J. H. Springthorpe (West Hallam)
2. G. Hartley (West Hallam)
3. E Hartley (West Hallam)
4. W.Mabbott (Stanley)

60 yards boys’ handicap -
1. A. Clarke (West Hallam) 3 secs.
2. A. Blount (West Hallam) 10 secs
3. E. Hartley, scratch.

Obstacle race (raft) -
1. S. Kirkham (Stanley Common)
2, J. H. Springthorpe.

Back swimming race. -
1. L. Witham
2. C. Knowles (Stanley Common).

School boys race two lengths -
1. W. Toplis (West Hallam), scratch
2. E. Hollingsworth West Hallam), scratch
3. J. Brown (West Hallam), Scratch.

Plunging competition -
1. J. H. Springthorpe 42 feet
2. J. Skelton (Stanley) 35 feet.

Musical buoys -
1. H. Green (Stanley)
2. B. Hartley.

Team Race - Derby St. Alkmund's beat Mapperley after a keen struggle.
Polo match - Mapperley v. Derby St. Alkmund—Draw, two goals each.
The club and gala officials are as follows President. G. H. Blunt Esq.; Judges. Mr. George Spencer, Mr. F. M. Brown, Mr. W. Bramley, Mr. E. B. Mason - Life Saving Judge. Mr. P. G Wraith (Derby) - Starters. Mr. G. H. Carlisle and Mr. H. Mee - Secretary, Mr. W. Skelton - Treasurer Mr. J. Flint - Captain. Mr. J. Creswell - Vice Captain. Mr. S. Kirkham - Committee Messrs.- J. H. Springthorpe. J. Hartley, H. Blkey, J. Hart, A. Mabbott, J. Walters, H. Bingham, J. Witham, A. Clarke, T. Hartshorne, G. Hartley, and W. Everton.


BELPER NEWS - FRIDAY 8TH APRIL 1910

MINING INVENTION IN USE AT STANLEY PIT

A decidedly ingenious invention has been conceived by Mr. F. M. Brown, the manager of the Stanley Colliery, the Mapperley Colliery Company and Mr. J. Hartley, the engineer, which considerably simplifies the landing and starting the cage at the pit head. Under the method at present generally in use, the cage, upon coming up the shaft, is drawn a little higher than the level of the earth, and then lowered again upon “props” or “keps“—protruding ledges of iron which have been thrust out under the cage whilst hung in the air. Similarly, when lowering, the cage has had to be raised whilst the keps were withdrawn.

The two gentlemen mentioned have succeeded in inventing an arrangement to avoid this somewhat cumbersome method, and much time and power is saved. Indeed, before the "Stanley Patent Kep Arrangement", as  the invention is named, was introduced the Stanley pit turned out 700 tons of coal a day, but the output has now been increased to 800 tons. The new kep is almost circular in shape, but has a protruding piece of iron resembling a large cog on the side nearest the shaft. The kep is pierced in the centre by a spindle running horizontally, and four keps are placed so as to support each corner of the cage. The underside of each cog is curved, and thus the kep is forced up by the ascending cage, but when the cage has passed, the kep drops back to its old place, and forms a ledge for the cage to rest upon. When it is desired to lower the cage the keps are forced gradually round by means of a lever and the cage glides smoothly from the pit head without the least suspicion of a jar.

The driving ropes are subjected much less sudden strain, and accidents by the rope breaking will be less frequent. Mr. Brown and Mr. Hartley are to be congratulated upon the invention of a decided improvement.

(The details of the patent states:  "January 29th 1910. Patent No. 2,324. Joseph Hartley and Frederick Matthew Brown, Registered Office, Temple Buildings, Albert Street, Nottingham. Improvements in "Props" or "Keps" for pit cages". Mapperley Colliery Company, (Stanley Colliery), Station Road, West Hallam, Derbyshire - Roger Wood)


The Hartley Family

Hartley

The Hartley Family by Mr. & Mrs. Rowlands.  There are some questions which they need assistance with so can anyone viewing this supply any answers please?   (July 2018)

My wife’s great grandfather was Joseph Hartley who was the Enginewright at Stanley Colliery from before WW1 until his retirement in the mid 1930s. He lived in Newdigate St, West Hallam and his funeral in November 1935 (reported in the Derby Daily Telegraph of 6 November 1935) was attended by F M Brown, HS Tomlinson, T Clough, M Eyre and T Coles of the Mapperley Colliery Company.  I am trying to flesh out his story and I would be grateful if your visitors to this website  could point me in the direction of any photographs of Stanley Colliery that date from the period when he was employed at the pit. Do the pre NCB records of the Mapperley Company still exist? I think Joseph Hartley moved from Langley Mill to West Hallam around the time when Stanley Colliery was being sunk so he had a long association with the colliery. His second son was killed at the Somme in 1916 but all his daughters married miners. His eldest daughter Sarah Ethel, my wife’s grandmother, married Ben Ancliff who was a Deputy at Ormonde Colliery until he retired.

Sarah Ethel married Ben Antcliff and they had two children George and Edna. The name Edna was chosen in remembrance of Edgar who died at the Somme.

I have been trawling through the local newspapers for the period 1880 to 1940 which are now online at the British Newspaper Archive. So far the two most interesting items to come to light are an invention patented by Messrs FM Brown and J Hartley and details of the swimming pool which was built in 1910 at the Nibby pit. It appears that Joseph Hartley was the President of the Swimming Club that met there and held regattas.

For some years now I have been writing a book about the life and times of members of my family and my wife’s family in the last 200 hundred years. What people did, where they worked, what church/chapel they attended etc are all of interest as material. I would therefore be interested in any details of the Nibby pit that anyone may have (in addition to what is already on your website) from bald statistics to operating details.

My wife and I have been continuing our researches into Joseph Hartley and, courtesy of Maurice Hartley one of his great grandsons who now lives in New Zealand, we have unearthed a photo of Joseph and his family taken in 1906. A copy is shown above. Edgar Hartley who was killed at the Somme and whose name is on the War Memorial in West Hallam is the young boy on the right of the photo. The other are: Standing left to right George, Sarah Ethel, Ivy, Florence and Edgar: Sitting Joseph and his wife Ann Elizabeth.

Letter

Joseph was the Colliery Engineer at the Stanley Pit West Hallam from 1898 until 1932. We have a presentation letter signed by F M Brown recording his 34 years service with the Mapperley Colliery Co which was given to him on his retirement. He was 72 years old when he finally retired. He died in Deal in 1935 but was buried at St Wilfrid’s West Hallam.

In later years Joseph lived at The Bungalow 1(now19) Bagot Street. There is a family memory that his son George mined outcrop coal somewhere nearby and ran a domestic coal delivery business from the Bagot St address until at least 1934. Does anyone have any recollection of this? Where was the coal outcrop that he was mining?
Note - Roger Wood has put the full family tree on Ancestry.

If anyone can help Mr. and Mrs. Rowlands or have any further information or photographs would you contact me please on  mapperleyhistory@hotmail.co.uk


Thank you
Elaine



Ray and Ann

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