Who needs to Work Out?

[onotoman]

Hi Guys,
I saw this picture of a Hewer from Stanley Pit just up the road from us - he survived the huge 1909 explosion there.

The text with the picture explains that the bow legs were caused by Rickets from malnutrition when he was young. By the look of his muscles, it looks like he made up for the malnutrition though.

Presumably the muscular neck, arms and chest are from hand-hewing?

Probably impossible to identify, but I wonder what make and model of lamp he's holding. As he's from the North East, possibly a Patterson?

www.razorandsoap.com/Jonty Lambert - Stanley Pit.jpg[/img]

[John]

Rippers and stable hole men used to be pretty muscle bound from hours of shoveling.

I've seen main gate rippers carry a leg down on their shoulders, and they aren't light!! Made me cringe just looking at legs stacked in the gate, let alone trying to carry one!

This was before we knew what "Abs" were. We had one stable hole man, his nickname was "Lumpy" due to his "six pack" abs. Even he wasn't aware it was his well worked out Abs, he went to the Doctor about them!! Nowadays we know from workouts what muscles look like after a while. He was the only feller I ever saw back then with well defined Abs.

[inbye]

My guess on the lamp would be Ellis of Wakefield. Not possible to be sure, but it does look "Ellis like" & also looks like it could contain an Ellis burner.

Tough man, you wouldn't want to wind him up, down the pub...