If anyone has ever wondered what happens in the engine-room when the Captain on the bridge rings 'Full Ahead' on the telegraph then this book will enlighten the reader. This is a story of one man's life at sea, from his beginnings as a lowly cadet to his qualification as a Chief Engineer. There are many anecdotes about his experiences - some amusing and some terrifying - together with pen portraits of a few of his fellow seafarers and the places he visited. In the Treacle Mine starts in the 1960s when steam power was still the preferred option for larger and more powerful ships but over the following decade, the availability of ever more powerful and more fuel-efficient, diesel engines sounded the death knell for steam propulsion. Now there are only a few preserved steamships left as a reminder of how things used to be down below in the 'treacle mine', which was how Geordie marine engineers described the engine-room. Despite the fact that steam power has disappeared from everyday use,