The great outdoors

COAL

My father was in business as a coal merchant and contractor in the days when everyone depended on coal for heating and cooking. We had two lovely horses, Boxer and Jack. Boxer for the coal cart and Jack for contract work, which at that time was chiefly for carting blue boulders from the beach for transport, as they were used for many things, china especially. We dealt direct to the collierys and the factories use to call each month for orders.

Wonderful names! Mackham Main, Sheen, one in Wales. My father was invited to visit a mine. He went with my brother to Yorkshire for the day. He said it was awesome as he went down in the cage to the bottom of the mine. He realy felt apprehensive and couldn't believe the conditions in which the men had to work. Everything then was manual, no modern technology, he thought them all marvellous and all skilled men in his opinion. He was really relieved to come back to the surface.

He also saw the ponies, they very rarely came up but if they did they did they had to wear eye shields as they were not used to strong light. They were treated well by the men as they relied on them to move the coal. We had customers who disagreed with pit ponies and were asked to find a mine that did not use them. There was one that was gradually phasing them out, only using them near the surface, so that helped a bit.

Our two horses finally ended their days when lorries arrived. Two or three years ago, when the mines began to close, I wrote to one management to wish the miners well, as so many lost their jobs. I had a nice letter back and was sent a brass identity token which each miner had personally, he handed it in as he went down in the cage and it was handed back when he returned, so that each man was accounted for. I really treasure that, to me it is quite vaulable.

I think of those wonderful workers, their colliery bands that used to give so much pleasure and I think of the coal fires and coppers of clothes being boiled each week. Coal then was 2/4d per cwt for house coal, 2/8d for really good shiny coal and my father used to have it all washed before being weighed up because customers didn't want dusty coal. The coal dust was sold separately to bank up fires at night and keep them going for the morning.

They say never look back but who can help it!

by Mrs E. Sprague

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