On the occasion of his leaving the manager’s position in 1886 to take up his directorship, he penned a letter to all his employees:
To The Staff and Workmen at Shireoaks, Steetley & Clowne Collieries.
“ My Dear Friends
I cannot resign today the high position I have held for 28 years as Manager of these collieries without expressing the deep regret of myself and my family that we are about to leave you.
You are too numerous and too widely separated for my voice to reach you, so I can only very faintly express my sentiments in this letter.
I doubt if any colliery through these changing years has worked more regularly or been more free from accidents or serious disputes than Shireoaks; this is entirely due to the high class of the workmen which have made this their home, to the excellent staff that has assisted me and especially to the skill, experience and judgement of my friend Mr John Jones.
He, I am glad to say, remains with you and I am confident that under his care the good feeling and sympathy which have always existed between the employers and employed will be maintained with the same happy results.
Once more thanking you for the loyal support you have given me and for your many acts of kindness to me and mine.
I remain your ever faithful friend”
(C Tylden-Wright)
Shireoaks was never an easy pit to work. The water bearing rock which had provided so many problems during shaft sinking caused constant corrosion to the cast iron shaft lining. This needed regular repair and renewal, often interrupting production. Whilst the deepest mine in the coalfield, it also quickly became very extensive underground and therefore ventilation became a problem. To create a satisfactory airflow a great underground furnace was kept burning in an inset situated in No.2 shaft bottom – the upcast shaft. The furnace was tended to by a Mr Joseph Burton and burned the colliery’s own Top Hard coal. This may have eased one difficulty but it brought about others. Excessive heat from the furnace, continually rising up the shaft, weakened the timber guide rods so much that in 1865 they had to be replaced by iron ropes. The men undertaking the replacement work were unable to work for more than 5 hours at a time due to the intense heat in the shaft.
The site of the colliery enabled coal to be transported to anywhere in the country by two methods. Firstly by rail via the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincoln Railway, which also provided export sales via the ports of Grimsby and Immingham. Secondly by water – on 11 October 1861 an agreement between the Duke of Newcastle and the railway company (the canal owner) was signed to make a connecting link between the colliery and the Chesterfield and Gainsborough canal.
A basin was provided at the colliery for the loading of barges. Local sales were catered for via horse and cart at the colliery itself and also via a canal-supplied coal wharf on Dock Road in Worksop.