Boring. British coal mines are riddled with miles and miles of roadways (tunnels), most have been created to access the reserves of coal which are the life of a pit. The methods used to develop and advance roadways are numerous and varied. Over the years machines have played a bigger role and have made life a little easier for the miners. One of the earlier methods of developing roadways involved boring the heading with hand held drilling machines, then, using explosives to blast away enough of the mineral so that new rings (arch girders) could be erected and therefore the roadway extended approximately 3 feet to 6 feet each cycle. Positioning the bore holes correctly was very important especially if the strata was strong. It would be a waste of time to simply drill every hole straight forward. A small opening had to be created first to give the rest of the drill holes better scope to work, this virtually meant releasing a wedge shaped section of the head. The rest of the mineral would then be blown towards the wedge opening. This was achieved in a couple of ways, the drill holes for the wedge started off well apart but came closer together towards the back end of the hole. Then delay detonators within the explosives ensure the wedge is blasted first. Boring patterns were provided by the management to obtain the best results and these were expected to be adhered to. In reality miners used their own experience, they knew better than most what worked and what did not. Occasionally the simple process of drilling, cleaning up, and setting rings, hit snags. This happened especially if the heading consisted from top to bottom of really hard stone (rock). Different types of stone were of a different strength and sometimes drilling was exceptionally difficult. One man pushing the drilling machine could not provide sufficient power to penetrate the stone. Usually the other men would try to assist, pushing on any part of the drilling machine where they could place a hand. Possibly 4 or 5 men attempting the operation, all in very close proximity to each other, and at times standing on a wood plank scaffold. Sometimes unorthodox drilling techniques were brought into practice these included pushing the drilling machine with one foot placed on the machine while sitting on the ground with the arms stretched out behind the back to prevent sliding backwards, (another workmate held and operated the machine), leg muscles were by far stronger than arm muscles and therefore produced better results. Other parts of the anatomy were utilised, the knee, thigh, stomach, chest, and shoulder, when the arms became tired. Miners became very inventive, they would use wooden boards to push with if the machine was out of their reach, and a 6 foot wood plank was very handy. One end could be placed just inside the ring leg ( the leg of the arched girder ), and the drilling machine perhaps 2 feet further along, this meant the remainder of the plank could be used to apply pressure onto the drilling machine. This same principle is used to lift heavy objects, a long iron bar is used as a lever and some other item is used as a fulcrum. But instead of lifting an object, the drilling machine is pushed forward because the ring leg is set and does not move. In later years compressed air or hydraulic systems were introduced which provided the pressure. But in certain instances these methods still required manual help. Vibration caused by drilling was so intense that the men still suffered from the results of the vibration long after their shift ended. If they went for a pint that night, it was difficult to lift their glass without spilling the beer. Even to this day many still suffer, they have problems carrying out simple tasks such as fastening shirt buttons, picking up small items, or fastening their shoe laces without a struggle. Miners did not realise there was a price to pay for doing this type of work.