News on Screen

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 5th Year

Issue

Issue No.

6

Date Released

Feb 1952

Stories in this Issue:

• 1. DOWN DIESELS
• 2. EMERGENCY LAB
• 3. BIRD IN HAND
• 4. FIRE DOWN BELOW

Story

Story No. within this Issue

2 / 4

Summary

BFI synopsis: a mobile laboratory developed in the Northumberland area for testing pit gases. The lab, developed at Benton, seen at work testing gas.
NCB Commentary - At Benton, near Newcastle, is the NCB Northern Division scientific department, where laboratory workers are daily carrying out routine gas and stone dust analyses from the pits in the area. Last year they did over a quarter of a million tests.
But in case of trouble, a pit may be miles away from the laboratory. So at Benton they have designed their own mobile lab, the first in the country, which goes out on regular test runs to surrounding collieries. With its crew of three and a driver, the mobile lab is completely equipped and self contained.
Here’s how it works at the pithead. Samples of gas from underground are taken direct to the van. In a matter of minutes a report can be given on their qualities. Here, Ronald Varney is making the test for methane. Now the test is for the oxygen content. He’ll go on like this until he knows the quantities of all the constituents of the sample.
Let’s hope that this lab is the forerunner of many others, so that the problems of the miner underground can be dealt with in the shadow of the pithead.

Researcher Comments

BFI sources suggest that this story was researched by Somner in September 1951. Commentary recorded 8 January 1952.

Keywords

Science and technology; Mining

Locations

England; Northumberland

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for Synopsis
Film User   Vol.6 No.74 December 1952, p651.
The National Archives COAL 32   /3 Scripts for Mining Review, 1949-1956

Credits:

Support services

Basil Somner

Director

Basil Somner

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Camera

John Gunn

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Camera

Ronald Bicker