The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1866-07-25
Children in English Iron Mills.
sad Stories of Suffering.

Children in English Iron Mills
sad Stories of Suffering.
correspondent of the Pail Mall Ga1ete
who has visited some of the iron furnace:
in the black country" of Statfordshir,
and Worcestershire, tells these sad stories
g In the mills and FORCES boys of all ages
from eight and upward, may be found, annie
the labyrinth OF machinery and the coils OF
heated iron, engaged by day and night in
turning long, red-hot seething bars. Their
activity is very great, owing to the nature
Of their work. which requires rapidity of
movement, and contrasts strangely with
their otherwise .iaaed and worn appearance.
In addition to the labor Of dragging along
the iron. each Of these little fellows has 10
run, III short stages, a distance Of more
than eleven miles every day, in an oppres-
siye atmosphere. thick with dust and steam.
Owing to the quick and uncertain move
ments of the hot iron bars in their passage
through successive rolls before having time
TO cool, The occupation Of these boys is at
tended with some danger, serious burn
being an almost every day occurrence.
'Standing in the midst Of an extensive
forge a few years ago was alarmed by a
cry Of terror at the farther end of the
works. There was general rush to the
spot, and | shall never forget the horrible
and slckenlug sight that met our view. A
large rod Of seething iron in coming from
the rolls had somehow twisted aside, and
had literally pierced through the body Of
little fellow some ten years old. For
while the loar Of the machinery was sus-
pended and two OF three brawny puddlers
carried the helpless creature home; but
when the first thrill Of horror had passed
away the wheels were again set in motion
and all went on as before
The lives of these boys are almost en-
tirely spent IN the FORCES, except the hours
allotted TO sleep. They have their meals
there, and in the snatches of leisure it is
their playground. In most Of the works is
the arm or basin Of a canal, the water of
which Is kept Is kept in a state of chronic
fever, and in which, despite lis inky color,
they delight to battle, both in winter and
summer SO constant are they in theii
additions that they often come out parboiled
like a washer womans thumb Some OF
the proprietors of these works have pro-
vided night schools for the instruction OF
the children in their employ; but, as a rule,
they are in mind and body alike neglected,
and the densest Ignorance prevails. They
have no home training, most Of their houses
being locked up all day, the parents and all
the children being out at work and return
ing home fatigued at night, nothing but bed
or carousal in the Fox and Dragon is ac-
ceptable.
Returning home late one evening, saw
two little children, a boy and girl, lying
asleep on door step, which proved to be
that OF their own home. On awakening
them they told me they were waiting for
their mother to come out of a neighboring
tavern, and open the door. They had nc
father, and had been hard at work all day.
The boy worked in a forge. the girl in
foundry, and the mother in .japannine
factory; and being thus separated all day
no bond of affection seemed to bind them
when they met together
'sWest Of Dudley is a strange wild region
known as the mailing district comeosed
Of scattered hamlets, to all the houses O
which is attached what appears to ths
stranger a blacksmths shop. The manu-.
facture Of wrought nails is, and has beer
for century or more, the great staple in
dustry of the district. 1t is carried on b,
the nailers in their own houses In few
trades Of the district does the employment
of women and young children assume
more Objectionable form than in this. TIL,
women seem 10 have lost all traces of the
modesty Of their sex, and from childhoo,
are addicted TO swearing, smoking,-re
sembGng as far as possible the other sex il
their habits and department, even to tn
wearing of their coarse flannel Jackets
They mostly marry very young, often a
fourteen, and seldom late than eighteen O
twenty. With such women as mothers,
is not difficult to Judge of their children
From tenderest ages, often from five to ST
years, they are trained to that round of la
Dor in which their lives are doomed to b
spent The first stage is blowing the bel
lows, and next they are taught to forge tn
smaller kinds OF nails.
"The hours Of labor are dreadfuIly pro
ionged, often exceeding sixteen hours pc
day; the rate Of remuneration very low, al.
the homes are consequently wretchedly
poor. Entering one of them lately, l sa,
the father, mother, and eight sons an
daughters, all toiling in an ill-ventilate
dirty -hovel. II was growing late in tn
evening, and | inquired, Is it not time t
cease your days work ? oh, noa, master,
relolned the mother; we've a noit's worl
afore us yet, or there'll be no bread O. tn,
the loaf O Sunday. 1t was Friday night
and II was, as learnt, practice to worl
from Friday morning until Saturday after
noon, without having more than shor
snatches of rest for meals. While linger
ed, little fellow, who could not have beer
more than eight, fell from his work appa
rently exhausted, but his father, on obsery
ing it, threw at him hammer handle, tell
ing him with an oath, to rccommence hi
work. He took no part in our conversation
having. like his two eldest daughters, a
short pipe in his mouth, which seemed t
him and them .the calumet Of peace
This is by no means a solitary case
Hundreds Of such instances arc to be foun
OF little boys and girls, just emerging fror
boyhood, ill-fed, ill-clothed and overworke ed
trained amid vulgarity and vice, and in th
densest gloom OF ignorance. We're it no
for Sunday schools, shudder to think Q
the future Of these hapless children. Thei
lives could only be compared with those o
the 'heathen in his blindness on whose be
half Exetet Hall is pleading SO eloquent,
during this month Of May. visited Sun