In 1948, Bothwell miners reckoned they knew a man who can knock spots off Slogger Williams, the record-breaking Welsh miner’s record of loading coal. Their champion is 32-year-old Tommy Travers, Baird’s Row, Blantyre. Tommy’s record is 21 tons a shift —or the equivalent of about 60 bags of coal every hour! It’s not as high as Slogger’s figure. But Slogger has only to fill the coal on to a conveyor belt. Tom has to strip the coal from the face, fill it into hutches —then push the hutches out of his ” ben.” Tom earned as much as £17 10s a week a few years ago. Now his wage averages £6 10s. Reasons are poor coal seams, shortage of hutches, long roads. Not content on being second best with his endeavours, the Bairds Row man said “But give me a downhill run-out from the face, and I’d welcome the chance to beat the record.”