Coal Mining

[MTbowels]

On a similar vein (no pun intended!) to the question below, how did they sink coal shafts hundreds of feet in depth vertically years ago? I'm currently reading a book on coal mining in my area and the book seems to evade this issue. I can well understand the use of picks and shovels to dig the horizontal adits but how do you dig a hole to that sort of depth without it collapsing?

thanks

[carrust]

Fred Dibnah showed how they did this on one of his TV progs. I think it was the one where he built a miniature coal mine in his back garden! I'm glad I don't live next door to him:-)

[carrust]

It's on here somewhere.

[Sycamore3House]

There has been evidence of the sides of the shafts being lined with tree trunks to stop them collapsing. I read this about the Lancashire mines.