PACK-WALLS. — (See Long Work.) Also band or rubbish built or stowed up behind a face of long work.

PAIR OF GEARS. — (See Gallows Timber.)

PANNEL WORK. — The division of a colliery into districts (or pannels) separated from each other by barriers of coal, except where communications are indispensable, with the intention of confining the results of an explosion to the district in which it takes place.

PARROT COAL. — Nearly the same with cannel coal, which see.

PARTING. — A separation between any two beds or layers of coal in the same seam, but without any band.

PEAS. — A description of small coals, smaller than beans, and also produced from the duff.

PEE-DEE. — "A lad employed on board of a keel." (Nicholson.)

PICK. — An implement used in hewing coal. It consists of an iron head, 18 inches long, and sharp at each end, and weighing from 3 to 6 lbs. In the centre of the head is wedged a shaft or handle of ash, of the length of 2½ feet. The hewer finds his own picks, but has them sharpened and sct out for him by the colliery smith (called the "pick sharper ") employed for the purpose, paying to him in return 1d. per fortnight.

PICTURE. — "A covering of sheet iron or brattice deals hung from the roof and shaft-framing to protect the onsetters from the dripping of water at the shaft bottom." (Nicholson.) A similar cover to protect the hewer from water which falls from the roof in wet working.

PILLAR. — An oblong or square mass of coal contained between two boards and two beadways courses, and left during the first working for the support of the roof. Pillars vary from 20 to 40 yards in length, and from 2 to 20 yards in thickness. When left so thin as 2 or 3 yards, they are not, unless the mine is very shallow indeed, intended to be worked away.

PILLARING. — The building up of stone fallen from the roof by the side of any way required to be left op en.

PILLAR WORKING. — (See Broken.)

PIT. — A circular, oval, square, or oblong, vertical sinking from the surface. The term shaft, which is often used as synonymous, may either be a pit, or only a portion of one, severed off by means of a vertical or main brattice. Thus: "a pit divided by a brattice into two shafts, viz., a coal and an engine or water shaft," is a correct expression.

PIT HEAP. — (See Heapstead.)

PIT HOOK. — (See Clippers).

PLACING WORK. — The direction given by the overman as to the arrangements for the day; also an operation performed by the craneman for the purpose of ascertaining the proportion of the tubs or corves hewed, and from whence each barrowman shall put. The putters at the flat cavil at the commencement of each week (or longer period as the custom of the colliery may be) for the "going"; the first cavil being "first placed" ; the second "second placed," etc.; the first placed putting from the hewer nearest and furthest from the flat; the second, from the nearest but one, and furthest but one, etc.; and the last placed, in consequence, getting all his work from the "middle sheth," as the mid number between the nearest and the furthest places is called. The arrangement is made as follows: the cranemen places the men's names in their order, commencing with the nearest, vertically upon the chalking deal, with the number of tubs each man is allowed to hew, so that each may have a fair share of the work to be done; the tubs are then added up, and divided by the number of putters, which gives the quantity each putter is to put, if hewed; half of this quantity is then taken by the craneman, and is made up from tho nearest hewers, and the other half from the furthest, and this is the "first placed's (he is called, "first placeder") work. If any coals are left of the work of the nearest and furthest hewers, they form the commencement of the quantity to be put by the "second placed" ("second placeder "), and so on.

PLATE. — Metal — Blue or Grey shale : — the term "plate" was first used about 33 or 40 years ago, to describe bricks ("plate bricks") made from metal or shale. "Plate," in the Western parts of the Counties, particularly in the lead mining districts, means the same as regards strata, as Metal in the colliery districts.

PLATE NAILS. — Used in laying tram plates or bridge rails, to nail the plates or rails to the sleepers. They weigh about 22 to the pound; are from 2 to 2½ inches long, and are made with flat countersunk heads, round shafts, and flat points.

PLUG AND FEATHER. — (See Fox wedge.)

PLUNGER. — (See Forcing set.)

POST. — Sandstone. (Hazle of the lead districts.)

POUT, PUNCH. — A tool used by the deputies in drawing timber out of a dangerous place. It has a shank about 8 feet long with a spade handle, and a head, pointed and slightly curved towards the handle at one side, and like a hammer at the other; it is either used as a rain to knock the props down, or to draw them out after they have been knocked down; it is supported by a hook and chain when in use.

POWDER. — Gunpowder: used coarse for blasting, fine for charging kitties.

PRICKER. — A rod of copper, about a quarter of an inch in diameter at the thick end, at which it is turned round into a ring, and tapering to a point at the other; it is about 3 feet long. The point is inserted into the cartridge for blasting, and by it the cartridge is put into its place in the drill hole; the pricker being allowed to remain in the hole until it is stemmed or tamped up with small shale or metal. The stemming should be damped. After being stemmed the pricker is steadily drawn out by the ring, thus leaving a port-hole to the gunpowder, by means of which, with a kitty and match, the powder is ignited (1849). Frequent accidents having occur red by the ignition of the gunpowder from sparks occasioned by the attrition of an iron pricker against stone or pyrites, the use of iron for the purpose is forbidden by law (Mines Act, 1872.) Copper is not absolutely safe.

PRICKING. — A thin layer of soft coaly shale often found between the bottom of a seam of coal and the regular floor. It is used to "prick" in — in kirving — and is advantageous to the hewer.

PROP. — A piece of unsawn wood, cut 2½ or 3 inches shorter than the thickness of the seam of coal, and set upright beneath the end of a crowntree, or under a headtree for the support of the roof. Props are best made of peeled larch when this can be obtained. Where the wood is not less than 3 inches in diameter, they are worth, when of Scotch and larch fir mixed, about 4/- per 72 feet (1849.) The supply which used to be principally from Scotland having fallen short, it is now mainly obtained from Norway and Sweden; and the use of cast and wrought iron, particularly for permanent propping, as in rolley ways, is advancing.

PROP MAUL. — An iron maul, with an ash handle 3 feet long, used by the deputies in drawing or setting props.

PROVE. — To ascertain the position of a seam of coal when it has been thrown downwards or upwards by a slip, or the nature of the strata in a district, by boring or sinking.

PULLEYS. — The wheels placed above a pit, over which the ropes for drawing coals, etc., are passed. They should seldom be less than 10 feet diameter; they are, sometimes, more than 20. They should, as a rule, be of the same diameter as the average diameter of the rope roll. They should be placed as low as is consistent with safety, on account of the angle of the ropes.

PULLEY FRAMES. — The gearing above a pit upon which the pulleys are supported; they were formerly constructed altogether of timber, they are now frequently of iron.

PUMPS. — (See Forcing set; Lifting set.)

PUNCH-PROP. — A short prop, sct upon a crowntree or balk, where it does not support the middle of the roof on account of the roof having fallen before the timber was set. Also a short prop, about 14 or 15 inches long, placed by a hewer under his sump or back-end when there is any danger of its dropping down before he has got it kirved sufficiently far. It is best always to set these, whether danger is apprehended or not. (See Back-Sprags.)

PUTTER. — (See Barrowman.)

PUTTING PONIES. — Ponies 10 or 11 hands high used in substitution for putters or barrowmen.