This pulling harness connected a worker or draft animal to a loaded coal tub. It was typically hooked onto the front of the tram and passed between the legs or over the shoulders of the person hauling it. The harness allowed workers to drag heavy loads out of low seams where horses could not fit.
Heard on the job
The putter hooked his soam to the full tub and dragged it out to the main haulage road.
Insider tip
Using a soam required immense physical exertion, and historic accounts often highlight the severe strain it placed on young workers known as putters or hurriers.