A Disastrous Year in the Coal Mines

January 1894

Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 19 January 1894

A Disastrous Year.

The annual official return, showing the quantity of South Yorkshire coal (chiefly hards) sent to Hull during 1893, shows the result of the strike.

The tonnage during the past year only reached 1,439,071 tons, against 2,236,168 tons in 1892, being a decrease of 804,096 tons. The tonnage forwarded during the month of December last, when all the pits were at work, only reached 119,971 tons, being a decrease of 16,397 tons, when compared with the corresponding month of 1892.

The exports last year only totalled 387,291 tone, as compared with 879,127 tons in 1892, or a decrease of 491,836. Since the year 1884 down to 1891 the coal trade at Hull showed a continuous increase. In the year 1899 there was a decline of about 150,000 tons, and last year, as stated, the tonnage declined over 800,000. In connection with the exports the chief decline has been in the business done with Sweden and Norway and North Russia —to the two first countries less by 117,000 tons, whilst the falling off to North Russia reached nearly 100.000 tons. The quantity sent to Germany decreased by about 60,000 tons, whilst France received 68,000 tons less than last year.

The largest tonnage sent by any one firm in 1893 is put down to Denaby. The firm is accredited with having sent 102,512 tons during the year, compared with 169,672 tons or a decline of 67,160. In the first half of the year the company supplied 71,301 tons, so that only 31,211 tons were sent in the last half of the year.

The second position is held by the Manvers Main Colliery Company. The company last year claimed the second position with only 45,496 tons, being a decrease of 63,800 tons on the corresponding retied of 1892. They forwarded no less than 40,048 tons, so that in the second half of the year their contribution was only 2,448 tons.

The fourth place falls to Thrybergh Hall Collieries, whose total only reached 59,512 tons, a decrease of 22,640 tons compared with last year. The quantity sent in the last half of the year was 38,600 tons.

Kilnhurst Colliery Company claim the fifth position with 51,592 tons the decrease being 23,952 tons. The sixth position on the list falls to Wharncliffe Silkstone Coal Company, who only sent a little more than half the tonnage sent the previous year, when the firm was accredited with 76,304 tons.

Elsecar holds the seventh position with only 29,632 tons, being a decrease of 17,418 tons, the falling off being nearly equal to the quantity sent in the first half of the year. The Shireoaks Colliery claims the eighth Place with 25,928 tons, against 49,792 tons in 1892, that there was a falling off to the extent of 23,0104 tons.

The following return shows the quantity of coal sent front Yorkshire collieries during the past years:-