RAG-PUMP, RAG-WHEEL PUMP. — A pump used in early coal mining for lifting water by manual labour from small depths. It consisted of a pipe with an endless chain with discs of iron and leather attached to it at short distances apart, which when moving upwards lifted the water by means of the discs, which passing over a wheel above the top of the pump, returned down to the water outside of the pipe. Bastier's patent chain pump is an adaptation of the chain wheel principle.

RAKE. — A rake with about 8 teeth, 2 inches apart, and 3 inches long, used by the hewer in working coal by separation; the shaft may be 3 feet long.

RAM. — (See Forcing Set)

RAMBLE. — Called also FOLLOWING STONE. — A thin stratum of shale or post, often found lying immediately above a seam of coal. It falls down, and getting mixed with the coals, causes some trouble to the hewer, in getting it separated and cast back. At some collieries, an extra allowance of 3d. or 4d. per score is made for hewing with ramble; at others, the nature of the coal with all its inconveniences, is taken into account in the hewing price.

RAPPER. — A lever placed at the top and bottom of a shaft or inclined plane, or engine plane, connected with a wire placed between the two. Its use is to signal by means of a hammer or bell.

RECKONING DAY. — "The day on which the workmen receive their pay-notes or checks from the overman showing the amount each man or each set of men is entitled to receive for the fortnight, usually two days before the pay day." (Nicholson.)

REFUGE STALLs. — Man-holes required by law to be made in engine or self-acting planes and horse roads for retreat during the passing of the trains.

REGULATOR. — A frame containing a sort of door, one half of which slides open past the other half, like a transom window. It is placed in that division of air which has least distance to travel; the use of the slide being to regulate the quantity of air travelling in that direction. A row of holes should be made in the middle batten of the sliding part, and one in the middle stanchion of the frame, so that the regulator may be locked by means of a screw bolt in the proper position, to prevent it from being ignorantly or wilfully altered. An ordinary door with a sliding shutter in it to allow a portion of air to pass, is called a regulating door.

RENK OR RANK. — A standard distance of 60 or 80 yards (called the first renk), upon which a standard price is paid for putting a score of coals. This, for 20 peck tubs and 80 yards varies from 1s. to 1s. 3d. per score, the height and inclination of the seam being taken into account; and an increased payment of 1d. per score is made for every addition of 20 yards to the first renk. The renk is measured by the overman in the middle of the fortnight; the average distance from the fiat or station to each working place being taken, commencing to measure from the middle of the station, and the score price for putting for that fortnight calculated thereon.

RENT. — Colliery rent consists of a fixed or certain rent, in consideration of which a certain quantity of coals is allowed to be annually worked, or worked and vended, but paid whether that quantity is worked, or worked and vended, or not; and also of a surplus or tentale rent, payable for the coal worked, or worked and vended — above the certain quantity. It is usually covenanted that if the quantity worked, or worked and vended, in any year, shall fall short of that allowed in consideration of the certain rent, such "short workings," as they are called, shall be allowed rentfree in future years, when the quantity worked shall exceed that allowed for the certain rent. Excess above the certain quantity is called "over-workings." When the rent is chargeable upon the coal worked, there is allowed free, a suitable per centage for engines, workmen, &c. When it is chargeable upon the coals worked and sold, no charge is made for consumption at the colliery. There are also :—

Outstroke Rent, for the privilege of breaking the barrier, and working and conveying underground the coal from an adjoining royalty.

Shaft Rent, for the privilege of drawing up the shaft the coal worked from another royalty by outstroke.

Wayleave Rent, for the privilege of conveying, over the surface, from the pit to the boundary, coal worked from another royalty by out-stroke, and drawn up the pit. Wayleave may be charged by any proprietor across whose land he may allow coal, &c., to pass.

Damaged Ground Rent, usually double agricultural rent for land occupied by engines, heapstead, shops, houses, railways, &c.

RETURN. — The airway by which the air returns to the upcast shaft after it has left the working places.

RIDE. — To go to bank.

RIDER — Sometimes, at a hitch, there is only a slipping of one fractured edge of the coal past the other, but sometimes these are separated by mineral matter of various composition, often soft clayey shale, called the rider; also called the gowk of the trouble.

RING. — A crib laid in a pit to collect water. (See Crib.)

RISE. — To the rise of; above the level of.

RISER. — A hitch which throws up the coal in the same direction as the drift which approached it.

ROBBING. — (See Broken.)

ROLL. — (See Balk.)

ROLLERS. — Made usually of metal, sometimes of hard wood, and placed upon inclined or other planes, to support the ropes and remove the friction which would be occasioned by their dragging along the way.

ROLLEY. — A carriage used formerly to carry tubs or corves along the horse-roads underground. The rolley was contrived as an improvement upon the train upon which a single corf was placed; a horse drawing one, two, or three corves at a time. Upon the rolley, which travelled upon larger wheels, and on round topped rails instead of tram plates, two, or in some cases, three corves were placed, the horse drawing two or three rolleys. A further improvement took place, when the rolley-ways were constructed more perfectly; and in some rare cases, as many as 7 rolleys with 21 tubs of coals, each full tub weighing 12 cwt. have been the draught of a good pit-horse. Rolleys have given way to tubs on their own wheels, from 20 to 25 of which upon a carefully laid and well kept way, and containing 8 cwt. each, can be drawn by a good horse.

The following is given as the regular daily work of 12 hours of a good pit horse, upon a level rolley-way, in a good state —

EMPTY LOAD.
9 rolleys, weighing 7½ cwt. each, 27 journeys of 500 yards, equal to	204,120	, led 500 yards.
18 empty tubs, weighing 2½ cwt. each, 27 journeys of 500 yards, equal to	136,080	,,
FULL LOAD.
9 rolleys, as above	204,120	,,
18 full tubs, weighing 9½ cwt. each, distance as above	517,104	,,
Total weight equal	1,061,424	, led 500 yards.

And taking the fraction at 1.130th part, or one half of that of common tub-way (see Barrowman), the power of the horse is found to be for 8 hours equal to 25,515 lbs. raised one foot high per minute.

According to Desaguliers, a horse drawing a weight out of a well over a pulley can raise 200 lbs. for 8 hours together, at the rate of 2½ miles per hour, equal to 44,000 lbs. raised one foot high per minute. Mr. Smeaton states the efficiency of a horse at 22,000 lbs. raised one foot high per minute. The ordinary estimate of engineers is 33,000 lbs.

ROLLEY-WAY. — The horse road underground.

ROLLEY-WAY MAN. — A man whose business it is to attend to the rolley-way and keep it in order. It is also his duty to keep away the work, and see that no time is lost in getting the full waggons to the shaft and the empty ones in-bye again. His wages are about 2s. 9d. for 8 hours, or 3s. 4d. if be stands 12 hours (1849.)

ROOF STONE. — The stratum lying immediately above the coal.

ROPE. — Pit ropes were formerly all made of hemp, and previous to about 60 years ago, were generally round. They are now almost entirely made of steel or iron wire. The first wire ropes used for winding, following the then form of hemp ropes were made flat, four or six ropes, laid side by side, being stitched together with iron wires; but where the position of the winding engine, with regard to the pit will allow, round ropes are now almost always adopted. In several cases, however, where the winding engine has been placed very near the pit, so as to be employed in pumping, flat ropes are used. Hauling ropes, both above and under ground, are now also of steel or iron. Crab ropes are generally of hemp, but those of steel or iron wire are rapidly taking their place. Each round wire rope is usually manufactured with 6 strands, each strand containing 6 wires, with a hempen or wire core.

In the year 1842, the price paid at a Durham colliery for a round wire rope weighing 6 lbs. to the fathom, and having 7 wires in each strand, was 77s. 6d. per cwt.; and for a round wire rope weighing 6¼ lbs. to the fathom, and having 6 wires in each strand, it was 75s. 0d. per cwt.

ROPE ROLL. — A cylinder fixed upon the main shaft of the wind ing engine, upon which the ropes used in drawing coals are wound. In the case of Flat rope rolls there are two compartments, or planes, each of a little more width than the breadth of the rope, upon which the rope coils and uncoils, being kept in its place by side arms or horns. The diameter of a flat rope roll should not be less than 8 feet, and may, with advantage, be 10 or even 15 feet or more.

A Scroll drum is constructed of a comparatively small diameter at the sides, the diameter increasing rapidly towards the centre part which is level, the rope travelling on scrolls of iron mounting up from taking the lift at the bottom towards the top, and continuing to coil for a few turns upon the level portion of the drum, the object being to counterbalance the ropes.

In a Conical drum the diameter of the drum in the middle is greater than that at the sides, the drum surface being plain.

In a Parallel drum the diameter is the same all across. With this form of rope roll, a rope similar in weight to the winding rope, one end of which is attached to the bottom of the cage at bank, and the other end to the bottom of the cage at the bottom, and allowed to hang freely in the sump forms a complete balance weight. This form has always been adopted in the water balance pits of South Wales — chains, however, being altogether used both above and below the cages : it would probably be better to substitute chain for rope in the above case.

ROUND COALS. — Best coals, from which the small has been separated by skreening.

ROUNDER. — (See Bore.)

ROW AND STOWCHES. — (Roll and Stanchions?) (See Jack Roll.)

ROYALTY. — The minerals with the right of working them. They presumably belong to the owner of the freehold, except in the case of royal mines, from the surface to the centre of the earth. The ownership of the surface may be vested in one person, and of the mines in another. In the case of copyhold and customary lands, the right of property in minerals is vested in the lord of the manor, and the right of possession is vested in the tenant of the surface, and consequently, in such cases, neither the lord nor the tenant can exercise any right to work them without mutual consent. (Bainbridge's Law of Mines and Minerals.)

RUNNER. — (See Bore.)

RUNNING BALK. — A balk set in the direction of a drift, at its side instead of across it, to form a support for the cross balks. A running balk at each side, with balks or planks supported by them is the common method of timbering through an old board or place where the roof has fallen so heavily as to make the entire ridding of the fall too expensive.

RUNNING FITTER. — The subordinate of a fitter; he looks out for orders from shippers.