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General view of aviary from S.
SC 376744
Description General view of aviary from S.
Catalogue Number SC 376744
Category On-line Digital Images
Copy of B 17618
Scope and Content Aviary, Bilston Glen Colliery, Midlothian Bilston Glen Colliery, one of five super-pits opened by the brand new National Coal Board, was begun in 1952. Sinking was completed in 1963 and production peaked in 1970 when a workforce of 2,367 produced 4,000 tons of coal per day. It was closed in 1989. This small aviary housed the canaries used to detect dangerous gasses underground. The birds pass out when exposed to even low gas concentrations and so, until recently, were more reliable than any mechanical detecting device. Pockets of naturally occurring gas have always made coal-mining dangerous. These include: extremely toxic carbon monoxide; highly explosive methane mixed with oxygen, 'firedamp'; and noxious-smelling sulphur dioxide. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/376744
File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap
Attribution: © RCAHMS
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