South Yorkshire Times January 3, 1959

Barnburgh Pit Gets a Million Tons

With the New Year less than 48 hours away, Barnburgh Main  Colliery became the only pit in the National Coal Board’s No. 3 Area to attain the million tons-in-a-year target.

The last ton was hauled to the surface at about eight o’clock on Monday night, one and a half hours before the end of the afternoon filling shift.

The only other neighbouring pits capable of producing one million tons in a year—Manvers Main in No, 3 Area and Hickleton Main in No. 2 Area—failed to do so. All three pits reached the target last year.

Barnburgh’s success, announced by statistical department of the No. 3 Area on Tuesday morning, was even more praiseworthy than in previous years when about five South Yorkshire pits have had little difficulty in reaching the million mark. The discontinuation, earlier in the year, of the voluntary Saturday shift slightly reduced the weekly output figures of all pits and miners found it much more difficult to get near a million tons.

Barnburgh, which employs more men than any other pit in the area, has a weekly output of over 20,000 tons and a labour strength of approximately 2,800.