CHAPTER XV. 



THE NEWCASTLE COALFIELD. 



The principal collieries of the Northern .District work 

 seams either in the Upper (Newcastle) coal measures, or the 

 Lower (Greta) coal measures. There are, however, minor 

 collieries working' in the Middle (Tomago) measures, near 

 East Maitlund. In the Newcastle measures, the Wallarah 

 or Bulli seam is worked in the Wallarah colliery. The Great 

 Northern seam is worked in the Pacific, Northern Extended, 

 and Rhondda collieries. The Fassifern seam is worked in the 

 Northumberland colliery. The Burwood or Victoria Tun- 

 nel seam is worked in the Ebbw Vale and Waratah collieries. 

 The Young Wallsend seam in the Young Wallsend colliery; 

 and the Borehole seam in the Lambtpn, Maryland, Co-opera- 

 tive, Wallsend, Duckenfield, New Winning (A. A. Co.), Het- 

 ton, Newcastle A. and B., Seaham No. 1 and No. 2, West 

 Wallsend, West Wallsend-Killingworth, Teralba or Borehole, 

 Dudley, Burwood, Lambton B., and Burwood Extended col- 

 lieries. The first five mentioned as working the Borehole 

 seam are outcrop collieries. The Yard seam produced good 

 coal, and was formerly worked near Newcastle, but is no 

 longer mined. The Dirty seam has no commercial value at 

 present, so is not worked. 



The Borehole seam, from which most of the coal in the 

 Newcastle district has been obtained, besides the so-called 

 " penny bands/' have two well-known bands of inferior clayey 

 coal running through it. The upper one is known locally as the 

 ''morn-en," and the lower as the "jerry." At the A. A. 

 Co.'s Sea pit, the upper part of the Borehole seam is -sepa- 

 rated from the lower portion by a band of clay shale, 5 to 

 Sin. thick. As the seam goes west, this band becomes thicker, 

 splitting the seam into two. The upper portion is called the 

 Young Wallsend seam, and the lower part retains the name 

 of the Borehole seam. At the Sea Pit, the Young Wallsend 

 portion is 3ft. thick, and the Borehole seam 16ft. 5in. At 



