Thomas Young Hall (25 October 1802 – 3 February 1870) was an English mining engineer and coal mine owner. A native of Tyneside, he was a well-known figure in Newcastle in the mid-nineteenth century.
Early life He was born in Greenside on 25 October 1802. His father, James Hall, was a mining engineer, manager of the Folly Pitt, and agent to several leading coal mine owners including the Dunns, G. Silvertop, Capt. Blackett, W. P. Wrightson, P. E. Townley, and John Buddle.
With this background, Welford's assertion that T. Y. Hall started work as a pit-boy out of economic necessity seems unlikely.Welford R. Men of Mark 'Twixt Tyne and Tweed, Vol. II. p.421 et seq. Walter Scott, (1895)London, 1895. [Internet] Retrieved July 2013 from Men of Mark
Young Thomas received his education at the Crawcrook school, also known as Craiggy's School after the father and son, John and John Alexander Craiggy, who acted successively as Master. Crawcrook was at the centre of the coal mining industry at that time and other eminent pupils included Sir George Elliot, Nicholas Wood, J. B. Simpson and others who were to become eminent mining engineers in Europe, and America. Bourn comments, "it is a question whether any other village school in England has turned out so many distinguished men who have been connected with the coal trade". Thomas entered the mines and was apprenticed to his father and John Buddle at Towneley, Whitfield and Crawcrook collieries.Bourn W. The Parish of Ryton including the Parishes of Winlaton, Stella and Greenside. G.& T.Coward, The Wordsworth Press, Carlisle, 1896. Retrieved in February 2013 from History of Ryton
Early career
At the age of 22, he became under-viewer at the North Hetton Colliery. After four years, he joined Jonathan Backhouse at the Black Boy and Coundon pits. This period, which coincided with the early years of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, introduced him to the importance of costing the transport of coal to the nearest ports. He reported on the potential for exploitation of the Coxhoe, Shadforth and Sherburn pits, which led to the development of Hartlepool as a coal port. By 1832, he was a director and shareholder in the Old Hartlepool Docks and Railway Company.Durham County Records Office (DCRO)Bound papers. DCRO, NCB01/TH11 p.52 (1832) FordyceFordyce W.Local Records, Vol. III, or Historical Register of Remarkable events 1833–66 T. Fordyce, 60 Dean St., Newcastle upon Tyne, 1867. subsequently reported the opening of Hartlepool Docks on 9 July 1835, as follows: "That stupendous undertaking, the Hartlepool docks and harbour, was opened for the shipment of coal and merchandize. The day being extremely fine, great rejoicings took place. The first shipment of coals was made in the Britannia of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. Having taken her cargo on board, she proceeded to sea amid the ringing of bells, the firing of cannon, and the acclamation of those who had assembled to witness the ceremony." The first shipment of South Hetton coal, following the completion of the South Hetton railway branch, followed on 23 November 1835.
In late 1832, Hall became mining engineer at South Hetton in addition to his other duties. Over the next four years, he made his first major contribution to the mining industry by developing the tub, cage and guide-rod system for raising coal from the pit,Hall T.Y.Correspondence 20 September 1834. DCRO NCB01/TH14(1834) Established practice had been to bring coal to the surface in wicker baskets or "corves". These had increased in size over the years from 3 cwt. to about 6 cwt., making them difficult to fill and handle underground and prone to snagging while being lifted in the shaft. Adding to the difficulties was the common practice amongst miners of hanging to the ropes or lifting chain to ascend and descend the 1500 ft or more of the pit shaft. Hall replaced the corves with low tubs which ran on rails underground. Initially these were emptied at the shaft bottom, but he subsequently developed a frame or cage into which several tubs could be loaded for lifting. To prevent the cage fouling the sides of the shaft, he developed an idea proposed initially by a Mr. Curr of Sheffield and fitted guide rods to constrain it. A model of the system was exhibited at the Polytechnic Exhibition, Newcastle, and the Museum of Practical Geology, London.
These developments had a profound effect on mining costs which Hall later quantified as a saving of 1s.3 d. per ton of coal or over £1m. p.a. for the NE Coalfield Hall T.Y. Notes on the production and consumption of coal in France Trans. NEIMME, (1858)Vol.6, p.49, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1858 By 1836, Hall was entering a partnership with Buddle and Potter to work the Ryton Glebe and Stella collieries. This soon extended to the Townley Main and Whitefield pits, and workings in the Crawcrook area. The group became known as the Stella Coal Company and traded successfully until the 1860s. Hall became resident at Stella House and, as part of the developments, leased an area of land to the west of Blaydon Burn.NEIMME TYHall's papers, Folder 2C10 – Blaydon Lease, NEIMME, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1841. As his principal interest was the development of the Stella staithes, land was sub-leased to a range of industrial users including an acid and white lead factory. These complex legal arrangements were to return to haunt him in later life.
America
In the late 1830s, the Blackheath Colliery, Etna and Mid-Lothian pits in Cleveland County, Virginia, were devastated by fire and explosion, resulting in what the NEIMME reported as "sacrifice of life in negro workmen". The best American engineers failed to clear the resultant gas and Col. Heth, the Managing Partner, visited London to consult the eminent Engineer, Robert Stephenson.Fordyce W. The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham, Vol. II. (1857) On Stephenson's recommendation, Hall and Frank Forster, Engineer to the London Sewerage Company, visited Virginia. Within a month, it is claimed that Hall, assisted by one NE pitman who had accompanied him, had restored the mines to working condition. This was clearly a highly lucrative development for Hall. For restoring a mine valued at £50k, he was initially offered £10k for his involvement, subsequently amended to a £7k share option and a five-year term as Mining Superintendent on a salary linked to production (and frequently quoted as circa £2k p.a.). Following the intervention of Thos. Wood,Wood T.Bound Correspondence, DCRO NCB01/TH11,1840, p.42. it was agreed that Hall should receive " normal Viewers' customary perquisites" and be allowed to pursue private work for three months in the year. This led to him crossing the Atlantic 16 times between 1839 and 1843, no mean achievement in the age before steamships were fully established. The Agreement for the formation of the Chesterfield Coal & Iron Mining Company dated 30 April 1840,DCRO Agreement for the formation of the Chesterfield Coal and Iron Company. DCRO, NCB01/TH11 p.33. lists John Heth (Virginia), Charles Scarrisbrick (Lancaster) George Morten (Old Bond St.), Thos Wood (Castle Eden) and Samuel Amory (Throgmorton St.) amongst the directors. Arrangements for Hall are detailed, even specifying that during his time in America he should have, "two horses for his use and the keep of a cow". Welford notes that having an English company holding assets in America caused constitutional issues, requiring negotiations with the American Government. During his time in America, Hall took an interest in mining in Russia, including the publication of a letter in the New York Herald in 1840 arguing the case for a railway from St.Petersberg to Moscow. This led to Gen. Tcheffkine, the Czar's Director of Mining, and a Russian delegation visiting Tyneside to study railway and mining practice. The party spent several days at Stella with Hall and the local Consul, John Thomas Carr, presenting Hall with a gold medal and letter of appreciation from the Czar,).
Later career
On his permanent return to Tyneside in 1843, residing at 39, Collingwood St., Hall was an established and secure figure. In addition to his lucrative mining and property holdings, he is listed as a shareholder in the Old Hartlepool Docks and Railway Company, Newcastle, Shields and Sunderland Union Banking Co., Scotswood Bridge Co., and J.S.Challoners, Scotswood Rd...DCRO Bound papers. DCRO, NCB01/TH11 p.50(1841) Additionally, he had an interest in the Ovingham Bleachery, George Hartford & John Reed and the Middlesbrough Sail Cloth Co. Unfortunately, the late 1840s seem to have been a bad time for business. Correspondence from the period tells of a series of failures.DCRO Bound papers. DCRO, NCB01/TH08.(1847) In May 1847, the Middlesbrough Sail Cloth Company was heading for bankruptcy and Hall was referring to the Banks, "going wrong". William Thompson Dixon, Sailcloth Manufacturer, has managed to pay only 5/3 in the £. By December, even Hall himself is being refused further credit by Balamore Mills on the supply of flax for his bleachery. Finally, in March 1848, the Union Bank is appealing to its members for additional funding to stave off its collapse.DCRO Bound papers. DCRO, NCB01/TH11 p.81. (1848) A further concern during this period was the developing problem with the Stella Haugh land. Townley, who had previously controlled the lease, sought to demonstrate that Hall had neglected his duties as lessee and landlord, which would potentially have allowed him to benefit from the considerable investment which Hall and his sub-lessees had made over more than a decade. The case was heard as Molyneux v. Hall before Mr. Justice Williams at the Durham Summer Assizes on 30 July 1851. Mr. Justice Williams reduced the argument to five points of law, on all of which the jury found predominantly for the defendant, Hall.
Publications
In 1851, Hall, a lifelong bachelor, was living with two servants at 11, Eldon Square.1851 Census. [Internet] Accessed June 2013 at: www.ancestry This coincided with the formation of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers and over the following years he contributed a number of leading papers to their Proceedings, drawing on his extensive knowledge of the coal industry internationally. His definitive work on the North East Coalfield appeared in 1854,Hall T.Y. A Treatise on the Extent and Probable Duration of the Northern Coal-Field. Trans NEIMME, Vol.2, p.104, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1854. including a detailed map. This was followed by the companion paper on the ports of the region in 1861.Hall T.Y. On the Rivers, Ports, and Harbours of the Great Northern Coal-Field. Trans. NEIMME, Vol.10, p.41, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1861. Hall defended vigorously the position of the Tyne, possibly because of his vested interests, but also made a strong case for the development of Redcar as a 40 ft. deep water port to transport iron ore to Tyneside for smelting. He clearly took a keen interest in the development of North Yorkshire's iron deposits, as shown by the inclusion of the Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway Bill, 1854, in his bound papers,Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway Bill. TYHall's papers, Vol.2, NEIMME, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1854.
Other papers analysed the potential of leading overseas coalfields. His paper on Styria and AustriaHall T.Y. The Coal Measures of Styria in the Austrian Dominions. Trans NEIMME, Vol.4, p.55, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1855. presented his usual factual analysis of production and transport issues backed by economic analysis, but members were then treated to a review of his 1854 summer holiday with slides of the Adelsberg Grotto.