HACK. — A heavy and obtuse pointed pick of the length of 18 inches and weight of 7lbs. used in sinking or stone work.

HADE. — The slope or inclination of the leader of a slipdyke.

HALF-BALK. — (See Balk.) A balk sawn down the middle into halves. Used where the roof is not so heavy as to need a balk.

HALF-MARROW. — (See Headsman.)

HALF-WORK OR HALF-WARK. — When the day's work is half over, or when by reason of bad trade, half-time is worked.

HAND-FILL. — TO separate the small from the large coals in the mine, the latter being filled by the hand into the tub or corf, and the former thrown to the side of the working place, or filled separately as required.

HANG. — To incline or dip.

HANGER-ON. — (See Onsetter.)

HANGING-ON. — The occupation of the onsetter, also the place where tubs are put into the cage.

HAUD-OFF, HOLD-OFF. — Keep back. Called by a barrowman putting a full tub or corf to another meeting him with an empty one, the latter being obliged to get out of the way.

HEADSMAN. — A lad not strong enough to put alone, but able to do so with the assistance of a little boy, who performs his part by pulling the tub by a couple of ropes or traces attached thereto, called soams. The little boy is called a foal. He sometimes assists the headsman by pushing behind the tub beside him. The wages made by the headsman, who is 16 or 17 years of age, are about 2s. 9d. per day of 12 hours, the foal being paid 1s. to 14d. per day (1849). When the boys are of the same age or strength they are equally paid and are called half-marrows.

HEAD-TREE. — A piece of a crown-tree, a foot long, placed upon a prop to support the roof, the head-tree being to extend the bearings of the prop.

HEADWAYS. — The direction of the cleat, also a place or holing driven in this direction. When a pair of headways are driven for exploring or winning the coal, they are called exploring or winning head ways, the principal of which is called the fore-headways, and the other the back-headways.

HEADWAYS-COURSE. — A line of walls or holings extending from side to side of a panel of boards.

HEAPSTEAD. — The elevated frame work of wood or iron at bank, to the top of which the pit is continued above the surface, to provide the necessary height to pass the coals over the skeens into the waggons.

HEAVE. — (See Creep.) Also to heave the crab, raising the load.

HELPER-UP. — A lad employed to assist the barrow-man out of a dip place.

HEWER. — A man who works coals. His age ranges from 21 to 70. His usual wages (1849) are from 3s. 9d. to 4s. 3d. per day of 8 hours working, and his average employment 4 or 5 days in the week. He also has, as part of his wages, a house containing two or three rooms, according to the number in his family, and a garden, of which the average size may be 6 or 8 perches ; also a fother of small coals each fortnight, for the leading of which he pays sixpence.

HEWING-DOUBLE. — (See Double-working.)

HITCH. — An abrupt elevation or depression of the strata to the extent of from a few inches to the thickness of the working seam of coal. l. W hen of larger dimensions it is called a slip or slip-dyke. Adjoining to a h itch or slip the coal is often i nferior, and near to very la rge slip-dykes there is frequent evidence of the existence of great heat.

HOGGER. — A wide leather pipe used to deliver water into a cistern.

HOGGER-PUMP. — The top pump of a set, with a short delivery pipe cast into it at right angles, near r the top. The hogger is lashed on the short pipe.

HOGGERS. — Stockings without feet, chiefly used by the barrow-men or putters.

HOLING. — The communication between a pair of places.

HOLING-ABOUT. — When the coal has been won the first operation is to get an air current between the down-cast and up-cast shafts, and to form off the shaft pillars or walls. As these are sometimes of very large dimensions, and as the coal when first tapped is liable to discharge fire-damp very freely, and as it involves driving considerable distances with bratticed air, very great care is necessary. This operation is called "Holing-about." It was in holing-about in the Bensham seam at Wallsend Colliery that 52 lives were lost on the 23rd October, 1821.

HOOKER-ON. — (See Hanger-on) The hooker-on used before the introduction of guides, to strike the hook, or hooks, at the bottom of the pit, on to the corf bows.

HORNY TRAM. — (See Tram.)

HORSE BACK. — A small balk or depression of the roof. (See Balk.)

HOUGH. — "The posterior part of the knee joint." — "The ancle bones more or less completely united." (Webster's Dictionary.) — According to Brockett, hoff or hock is the thigh.

"Crook your hough!" the friendly salutation of a pitman who wants you to sit down and "have a crack" scarcely allows hough to have this meaning. It means either to sit on a seat, or on your hunkers; originally, in all probability, the latter.

HOVEN. — Crept. (See Creep.)

HOVER. — "Hover a bit." — To pause and consider before action.

HOW!" To which the reply is "HOW AGAIN!" The salutation and response of two pitmen, near to or within hail of each other. It may be friendly or otherwise, but is usually the former.

HOWDIE. — A midwife.

HUDDOCK, HUDDICK. — The cabin of a keel.

HUNKERS. — Sitting on the hunkers. Sitting with the balls of the feet upon the ground and the knees bent, so that the thighs rest on the calves of the legs. This position no doubt became habitual to pitmen from the nature of their underground work, and the conditions under which it is performed.