New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-04-15
Labor and the Poor In England 80. No ".

| THE DOCKS OF LONDON
The Docks Of London are among the most re-
markabe things in that mighty emporium. They
are yastartfcia basins excavated for the accommo-
dation of the shipping for which the river Thames
could not afford the necessary space. There are
several of these establishments four of them are
enormous namely the West India Docks, covering
with buildings and dock room 295 acres. opened
in Loo the London Docks covering ninety acres.
giving for 500 ships the work and its buildings
having cost s2O,0O0,000 the Z. India Docks one.
finished in l-O6, for ships loading and one for those
discharging aud finally St. X atberne's Dock. OPEN
ell in l-2-, containing with the space occupied BY
whsrves and store houses twenty four acres.
About these docks great number OF sborers are
required for the purpose OF loading and unloading
vessels Mr.. MATHEW estimates that 20. 900 per
sons get their living by this labor. which is every
where OF the most arduous description, though some
docks have better machinery and more convenient
arrangements than others Ships are unoaded with
astonishing dispatch at these establishments Be
fore they were in existence it took month to dis
charge an Indismas OF 1000 tuns burden and shin
of3jO tuns required more than week now atSt.
atherines dock ship OF $50 tuns is unloaded in
twelve hours, and one OF 800 tuns in two or three
days, the goods being slowed away in the ware
house The labor at the London Docks is thss de-
scribed by Mr.. MATHEW:
In reality the lsbor is OF that heavy and con
unuous character that you would fancy only the
best fed could stand il The work may be divided
into three classes wheel work, or that which IL
moved by the muscles Of the legs AID the weight
Of the body iigger or winch work, or that which
Is moved BY the muscles of the aru-in each ~
these the laborer is stationary but in the truck
work, which forms the third class the laborer has
70 travel over space OF ground greater or less in
proportion 20 the distance which the goods have to
be removed The wheel work is performed some
what on the system Of the tread wheel, with this
eXcepnOn-that the force is applied inside instead
OF outside the wheel From six 10 eight men enter
a wooden cylinder or drum. upon which nailed
battens, and the laying bold Of ropes, COM
nence treading the wheel round, occasionally sing.
lng the while. and stamping in time in a manner
that is pleasant from its curiosity. The wheel il
generally sixteen feet IN diameter and eight or nine
feet broad, and the six eight men treadIng with.
in it will lift from sixteen 10 twenty hundred
weight and often tun forty times in an hour an
average Of twentyseven feet high. At trucking
each man is said " 90 on an average thirty miles
| day and two-thirds o! that time he In moving II
cwt at miles per hour
There are two classes OF laborers used in the.s
establishments the permanent and the casual.
The former receive, 81 the average, los. Cd. fsp.
week, except mechanics, who are paid the regular
wages Of their trades the latter, when occupied
! are paid 70 Sd. l62i cents per day, or are some