Here a collier can be seen using a mandrel (small pick) 'Holing Out' beneath the coal seam. This cut was made to a depth of around three feet, making it easier for breaking down and removing the coal from the coalface. Depending on the hardness of the coal, sometimes the coal would prove very difficult to remove, even when it had been undercut. In these circumstances an explosive shot or two would be needed to help free the coal. The young boy can be seen drilling a hole between where the coal joins the overburden, and where the separation would hopefully take place. Before the shot was fired everyone would retire to a safe place, usually a manhole, which was a recess cut out of the side of a heading (tunnel) where they could be safe from the blast. The job of firing these shots was done by a specialist trained in explosives usually some one with the title of fireman who did this job as part of his underground duties.
