 Following the practice of the time, the mined coal was processed into coke in rows of beehive ovens banked into the hillside below the mine opening.In 1897 a Robinson-Ramsey Coal Washer was installed, increasing the efficiency of coke burning and therefore the overall efficiency of the mine.Other advanced equipment was also installed at Brookside, placing it at the forefront of mining technology in the Birmingham District at the turn of the century.