Between 1895 and 1977, timber was floated along the Öre River, from the hinterland down to the coast. In order for the floating to take place smoothly, stone chests and guide arms were built which prevented the timber from lying along the shores.
The stone used for this stone coffin was wedged out and finished in a quarry at Björkåsen about 2.5 km west of the construction site. The stone was cut by hand and tools such as chisels, drills and sledgehammers were used.
Transport of stone to the construction site
The stones were driven by horse from the quarry down to the construction site, where they were unloaded on the hillside. The load capacity was about 0.6-1.0 cubic meters per horse load. Normally you had time for 3-4 turns per day.
The coffin is built up
The stones were loaded on carts equipped with wooden rollers. The warnings were controlled by hand-operated stone cranes. With the help of so-called stump breakers, the stones were placed in place. The daily allowance was SEK 10 for the horse riders and SEK 3 and 80 öre for the stone workers. The coffin cost a total of SEK 6,010.
The stone coffin was built in 1933
Supervisor and floating foreman was Karl-Johan Sjöberg, Hummelholm.
Horse riders were Nisl Nyström, Anselm Holmgren, Valdemar Holmgren and Fritz Johansson, all from Hummelholm.
Stoneworkers were Ferdinand Ledström and Gottfrid Holmgren from Högbränna, Bertil Johansson and Algot Sjöberg from Hummelholm, and Erik Gustavsson, Högland.
Text: The County Administrative Board