Me Fatha, now 88 years old, was a mechanic/fitter in the north east pits before the 2nd world war. He maintained the pit machinery both above and below ground. He tells me that the rapper is the drum that the cable winds on to. Rapper to bank means wrap the cable on to the drum to bring the cage to the surface. When a friend asked if the miners pulled a rope to ring the bell to call the cage he said " wey no man, tha was always a button ta press!".
The rope obviously goes back to the early 1900's when Henry Natress wrote the words.
It's a great song but I always felt it was left unresolved, what did happen to me Fatha after the awful fall of stones?. I wrote a final verse which gives a happy ending to the story.

Now it's off to work all by mesel'
Never more with me Fatha
It's my job now to call the torn
But I'll see him after fower

Richard Ridley
www.myspace.com/smallpictures