LAID-IN. — When a colliery has ceased working from being exhausted, or from any other cause, and is dismantled, it is said to be laid-in.

LAID-OUT. — A laid-out tub of coals is a tub of coals containing stones or foul coal beyond a certain specified quantity, usually one quart, the hewer of such tub being fined according to the amount of such stones, &c., found in the tub.

LAME-SKIRTING. — Taking coal out of the side of an excavation. To make a narrow place wide, or a wide place wider. A term peculiar to the Etherley district. When not ordered to be done, it is a fraudulent way of getting coal with little trouble.

LAMP-CABIN. — A place above ground, or underground near the pit bottom, where the safety-lamps are repaired, cleaned, examined, lighted, and locked, before being handed to the workmen in cases where naked lights are not allowed to be taken from the bottom of the shaft. In other cases the lamps are repaired as above, but naked lights are used until stations are reached, where the lamps are lighted by responsible persons, beyond which stations no naked lights are allowed.

LANDING. — The top or bottom of a self-acting incline, or of an engine bank, or the ends of an engine plane.

LANDRY-BOX. — A wooden box placed at the top of a set of pumps, into which the water is delivered and spouted to where required.

LANDSALE. — Coals sold to carts at a colliery for direct delivery. Also in bags, and taken away on horses' or asses' backs into out-of-the-way places. Also a colliery to which there is no railway, or tramway, or canal, is called "a landsale," or a landsale pit. Of these there are several towards the out-crop of the coal measure and limestone seams of coal.

LAYERED. — Choked up with mud. Commonly applied to the falls of a bucket or clack thus prevented from working, or to the choking of the snoreholes of the windbore, when the waterway through them is impeded.

LAZY-BALK. — "A balk of timber placed at the top of a skreen or hopper, against which the top of the tub is thrown in teeming to prevent the tub going over, where there is no cradle or kickup." (Nicholson.)

LEADER. — The gut of a hitch or slip-dyke.

LEASE. — A formal agreement, for a term of years, between the proprietor of a royalty and an adventurer or adventurers who work the mine. Leases are for various terms, usually from 21 to 63 years, and generally with powers on the part of the lessees to relinquish at the end of any year, or third year, on giving 12 months' previous notice. "Leases under the Dean and Chapter of Durham were formerly granted for original terms of 21 years, renewable every 7 years on payment of a fine, or on a certain annual rent and tentale rent, and sometimes on the payment of a fine and tentale also, in which case the fine covered a stipulated number of tens, to be worked annually. Leases under the Bishop of Durham were generally for three lives, and some (but few) for years under reserved annual rents, and renewable by fine in both cases." (Buddle, Evidence before Select Committee of House of Commons, 1838.) The fine for renewal of Dean and Chapter leases was about 1½ years' purchase of the estimated rental of what the mine was worth to let. New leases of church mines are granted by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

LED. — A led tub or corf means a spare one, for the barrowman to leave empty with the hewer whilst the full one is being put to the flat, the empty one being filled by the hewer against the return of the barrowman with another empty one.

LEVEL. — A drain cut in the bottom stone to set away or convey water. A pair of levels is a of drifts, driven in the water level direction of the strata for the purpose of winning coal.

LEVEL-FREE. — Drained by means of an adit or free-level.

LIFT. — To heave at the bottom, to creep; also a column or parallel columns of pumps; also a broken jud. (See Jud).

LIFTING-SET. — A description of pump in which the engine lifts a column of spears (which work in the column of water in the pumps or pipes) at the bottom of which is placed a bucket which works in a chamber called a working barrel. When the engine lifts the bucket, it lifts the whole column of water above it, and at the same time the water below follows the bucket through the clack.

LIG. — To lie down.

LINE. — To survey.

LINING-MARK. — A drill hole in the roof with a wooden plug driven into it to show where the next lining is to commence. The plug is for the purpose of inserting a small fork from which to hang a plumb-line, behind which to hold the candle or lamp which forms the back-sight. The fore-sight is also fixed by a temporary plumb-line suspended from a piece of clay stuck to the roof.

LIP OF SHAFT. — The bottom edge of a shaft circle where open to the seam workings.

LIPPEN. — To reckon or calculate upon.

LOFTING. — Wood, usually old refuse, placed upon the top of the ordinary balks or crown-trees, used in timbering through a fallen place, for the purpose of keeping up the loose stones, which would otherwise fall between the common timbering. This mode of timbering is practised in close drifting through a heavy fall, which is less expensive than ridding. Lofting is also frequently used when a place is ridded, part of the stones being conveniently stowed upon the timber.

LONG-WORK, OR LONG-WALL, OR LONG-WAY. — A system of work in which the whole of the coal is removed in long face, without any preliminary preparation by pillars, the roads to the face being either supported by pack-walls made from the stone taken down to make road-height or from elsewhere, or by pillars of coal left at either side. This mode of work is of comparatively recent introduction into Northumberland and Durham, due to the necessity of working thinner seams of coal than formerly.

LOOSE ("LOWSE"). — Finish working. (See Kenner, Jenking).

LOW. — A light.

LOW-ROPE. — A piece of tarry rope, used as a torch. Sometimes used in shaft or pump-work. The rope passing from the under side of the rope-roll or drum, and over the pulley.

LUM. — A chimney placed upon the top of an up-cast pit for the purpose of lengthening it.