The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-06-20

.f e1 d avfnl Ti ~
tthat have been proposed trops sims 70 time
and als0 in matters affecting legal questions
that came up between the employers and
the employed. ass*9
Previous to being q miners agent, whaI
we're you, had yod worked Yourself with
| your own hands, In the pitf Yes vi
| Have you worked from % early period In
your life was in the mines before
was eight years OF age, or about eight years
tof age.
> And you have worked from that time con.
ipuousiy asa working miner how many
years I ls years. z.r
You were l6 years from eight years old in
the pits as working miner Yes
You have therefore had considerable ex.
OF the pits, and the feeling OF the miners on
all these questions Yes.
! Can you state comparatively he state oi
the mining population nowas compared with
what it was when You were lad, has il i'm
provedf With the permission of the com
mission, should like to state what 1t was
when entered the mine, and then I shat
better be able 10 put the contrast by stating
what think it isnow. a NY ".
What year was it in which ron entered
the mines About the year 1885 | think
Iicould not hx the year. When I entered
the mines, at 8 years Of age or 90, at that
time workings were not so large, for we had
act sunk iu Scotland 70 the thicker seams
which are COW being worked. ...r.,.s, W..
What mine did you enter A mine called
tLe Dy ke Head Ironstone Mine.
Not a coal mine : Not . coal mine a
first. ~ s
Where is that mine situateds In Ian
AYRSHIRE.
Does that mine still exist 10 does no,
exist now, il has long since been closed. The
condition of the minel's boy then was to be
raised about O'Clock or 2 o'clock in the
morning il the distance was very fur TO
travel, and at that time had TO travel q
considerable distance, more than three mixes
was raised ut that time at Z O'Clock, aud
never later than 3.
Do you mean that some one went round
the place to call the boysp No. The men
then lived more in their own cottages tnan
they do now, in that part of the country.
We goi up in the morning, being called BY
my father ut O'Clock, or very often at 2
O'Clock. We remained then in the mine till
and at night. 1t was an ironstoDs mine,
some instances less.
That is you remained l6or IL hours in
the pitt Yes, as u rule.
Was the work constant for boy of that
age At that time : The work WAS perfectly
cansta1t-
No break No break. Then | removed
Tn aft L. L..
seams also, very low. There we had no
rails to draw upon, that is, tramways laid
like rails now for our tubs, or corves, or
wairlies as we call them to run upon. We
mad leather belts for our shoulders. One
was before and the other behind, aud the
wheels were cuttiag the pavement or floor,
1--WE called it pavementl and we had to keep
Dragging the coal with these ropes over our
shoulders, and sometimes round the middle,
and . chain through between the isgs Tnen
there was always another behind, pushing
with hIs head. n4
That work was done BY children 7 That
work was done by boys, such as | was, from
10 or II down TO 3. aud have known them
C. low as seven years old IN. the miaes a.
that time the state Of ventilation was really
frightfui A. aF.lasf eisrss5'
Mr. Mathews-Ar youi new spsakiug of
lronstene mines OF cuzf mines Of coal and
ircnstone mines together. The gases at that
time pervading the mines IN Scotland were,
for the most part aJbonic acid gas, not car
buret.ed hydrogen; and i remember well
often having three or -four lamps put togsth-
er for the purpose Of keeping so much light
as to enable as to see by. A very great deal
Of our drawing, as we All it, was performed
10 the dark, in consequences OF the waat OF
ventilation. ss.s4 IVY
Lord Sicho-bid that want of Ventilation
~ that time lead TO frequent accidents 1t
did not lead TO frequent accidents but ii
led to o. emature death.
Not 70 explosion . No; carbenic acid gas
in no case leads TO explosion. There was
no explosive gas in those mines was in, o.
scarcely any. l may state incidentally here
that in the FIRST ironstone mine that was
an, there were some twenty or more boys
besides n-self, AMI l am not aware at this
moment tnat any one is alive excepting my
self.
O1airman-Are you aware that they are
deadg am aware that they are dead.
have made every inquiry, and have aseer-
tanned as far as GOULD that they have all
died .V B4.YH NGaaa
Lord Elcho-- Have hey died as miners
They have died as miners. Not Que or them
rose from the grade Of miner that am
aware of. In the second mine that i was in
think that there were from 20 to 30 boys
and number of girls. / thick that with
the exception u my brother who Is now "
America, ] am the only one who is alive oi
Hal who we're there. Their deaths were causr
ed, am satisfied, fron the noxious gas
csr6onic acid gas, that we then worked in.
and the Degrading kind Of labor that va
were subject To-, and che long hours, l6 OIL
IL hours. tng
lro BIZ CONTINUED.