Thank you for replying Regards Janice >From: Alistair Cameron <acameron@hinet.net.au> >Reply-To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com >To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: Re: [MLN] What is a Shale Miner >Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2005 09:15:54 +1100 > > > >Janice Aitkens wrote: > > > Hello Everyone > > Could someone tell me what a Shale Miner is ..... > >In the days before petrol motor cars and the international mineral oil >industry >the common cooking and lighting products kerosene, candle wax and >"vaseline" >were made from baked shale. A soft laminar stone, I think of it as baby >coal. >But much older than peat. > >Edinburgh was the source of large scale mfr of shale products and some to >the >town horizon is now the artificial hills of waste dumped in the process. > >Joadja NSW now a ghost town, was populated with hundreds of immigrant >miners >from MLN, whose managers brought the science of mining and refining the >stuff. >They built a railway and a tramway to move it, plus the retorts, storage >tanks, >pipelines, offices, laboratory, chapel, school etc for the village. > >A nuisance waste product was petrol ie motor spirit. Motor cars not yet >invented, the petrol tanks would be drained into the river on New Years Eve >and >set alight to illuminate the celebrations. > >The nearest town is Mittagong NSW and bus tours are sometimes offered. I've >been twice. > >Cheers, > >ALISTAIR M. CAMERON A.A.G.R.A. > >Professional Genealogist http://quozl.netrek.org/cameron-research/ > >PO Box 215 BUNDANOON NSW 2578 AUSTRALIA > > Researching in & Around Kettle Fife & West Calder Edingburgh Scotland: Aiken/Aitken Forrester Geddie Haxton Hugh