Taken about 1955
in the timber yard at Ushaw Moor colliery. This picture shows
George Connor, Billy Thompson and Mat Strong who were filling
clay 'stemming' into a 'tub'. Stemming was used in the pit to
fire shots (blast down coal or stone). The pony is yoked into a
set of limbers.
Additional Information submitted by
Brian Mc Loughlin,
Mr Connor lived in Flass Avenue next
door to my Headmistress
(Miss Jenny Unsworth).
(St. Josephs RC Elementary School)
As lads we spent quite a few of our Saturday and Sunday
afternoons playing in the timber yard with one eye open for the
local Policeman. There was a wagonway from the top of the slope
in the Colliery Yard where the timber was carried on the flat
bogie of a tub. We would push the tub as far as we could up the
slope as we could and as many as could manage would jump on and
ride the tub down to the end of the line. We never damaged
anything and always left the yard as we found it. Near to the
timber yard, across some railway lines there were the remains of
some beehive ovens. They were long derelict and the remains of a
tramway still ran the length of the ovens.