Dave Still) & Edward Ellis beside the Bedford truck.
Gordon Donaldson, "Jock" Still & Edward Ellis with the Chevrolet truck loaded with coal.
The Coal Yard & other storiesPage 7 |
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Dave Still) & Edward Ellis beside the Bedford truck. |
Gordon Donaldson, "Jock" Still & Edward Ellis with the Chevrolet truck loaded with coal. |
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As there was no more cartage work late in the day, Bill had to dig the garden until five o’clock. Rutherford and Walker had the contract for carting coal for the Roslyn Woollen Mill. They bought a steam driven lorry and carted coal far cheaper than anyone else could. The lorry had a cab with a big body and a hoist that when tipped up could be used like a dozer. Another contract that they won was to deliver the drum of steel cable from Dunedin, to the cable car shed at Kaikorai. As they came up the hill the truck would sometimes run out of steam and chocks would be put hastily behind the wheels to hold them from running back down the hill. Once the fire was stoked up and a good head of steam raised, the truck would continue its journey up the hill. Prior to motor trucks a team of twenty-two horses was required to pull these 11 ton drums up the hill. On reaching the top, only two horses were needed, but a cable car was attached behind the load to act as a brake. The steam truck had iron wheels that were not so good for the roads. A law was brought in regarding rubber tyres and also heavy traffic licences, so Rutherford and Walker bought a big “Leyland” truck. The cable used to pull the cable cars up the hill was replaced now and then. The new would be spliced on to the old by men like Archie McLeod who lived in Greenock St. Where Mrs McLeod kept two cows and sold milk. Riding on the coal truck was a great pleasure to us children, but not to Mum who washed our clothes. Wedged in amongst the full sacks of coal, we looked down smugly on the local kids as we went out on deliveries. Carrying the empty bags back to the truck from the clients coal bins was also a good perk. A shilling or sixpence from the housewife brought grins to grubby faces that looked by then, like the smiling Negro moneybox on the kitchen mantle. The most fun of all was to travel on the trucks to Burnside railway yard where the coal sat in open railway trucks on the north siding. A chalked consignment note on the corner of each wagon, which merchant’s coal was on board. Coal came from many areas, and was in demand for various reasons, like clean burning, hot, slow burning or low priced. Black Diamond, Wangaloa, Strongman or ” Kai” (Kaitangata) coal were common. Local coal came from Brighton and was fetched in Grandad’s truck straight from the mine. This for us was a real special trip. One of these mines was known as Freeman’s and each mine, by regulation, was required to have a minimum of two workers for safety. At one time the coal merchants were assigned certain areas to work in and were not allowed to deliver across these boundaries. Norman Ellis recalled a lady standing at her gate crying. Please sell me some coal she begged as I have had to start burning my picket fence. Jack Sharples had just finished delivering coal across the street said that he was not allowed to. Could you not sell me some of that ladies coal ? he was asked. We take it in and don’t take it out he replied. Go to Next Page |