Coal Staiths

[Jimmy Scougall]

hi colin, i was just reading message regarding 'staithes at blyth', your comments reminded me of the times when i sailed on the mv aldrington/ashington/arlington in the late 70s and 80s,we use so sail down the tyne and under the tyne bridge to get to the staithes at dunston, i remember the trams coming along the top of the staithes to load coal into the hatches, the stucture use to shake and rumble i use to wonder if they would ever collapse. i do also remember lowereing the ships aerial on the monkey island as we pass under the tyne bridge all the local yobs use to drop bricks and bottles on the ship as we pass under the bridge those were the days lol.i only remember sailing to blyth once i cant recall much but i do certainly remember playing darts in a nearby pubmmm i wonder what they call that pub

Hi hugh Only pub i remember in Blyth was the Dun Cow,tied up right beside it nice and handy.About 20 years later i met a geordie couple on holiday and the woman worked in the pub ,small world .All the Best

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates spoke to Bill last week about loading coal on ships in Cardiff docks and south wales ports This is what he said,The coal wagon trimmers had the worst job massive shovels' 12 to 14 hours a day Cardiff held the record for loading ships in the U.K. his job was to send full wagons' down the shoot? which got block in wet weather cant' remember what else he was on about, must be the rum but he will tell me more next time 17 years he was on that job very dirty coal dust every-where but the money was good ,but a few lost there lives' and limbs hard times

[Albert Bishop]

Hard times indeed Louis, saw a trimmer killed on the Findon when he jumped on to the Magregor hatch cover as it was closing,I think to retrieve a shovel someone had dropped, Lost his ballance, and was crushed between the closing lids. A.B on the winch took it pretty badly. On a lighter note, If the berth was empty, we used to say,"Itll be a quick turn round lads. The trimmers have all had time to polish their shovels". Cheers Albi