This transport vessel is loaded with broken rock or coal at the working face and moved to the shaft bottom, where it is hoisted directly to the surface. In older operations, it was a literal wooden bucket, while later mechanized mines used small steel rail cars that could be rolled right into the hoisting cage.
Heard on the job
We need three empty tubs sent down to the 400 level before the end of the shift.
Related terms
Corf
A large, traditional basket made of hazel or wicker used to haul coal out of early mines.
Hutch
A compartment or box in an ore-dressing machine where heavy minerals settle out of the crushed rock.
Skip
A guided hoist container used to lift ore or waste rock out of a mine shaft.
Cage
The primary elevator car used in vertical mine shafts.