The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-08-08

w,eAS, ENGLAND, July %, ls92-Thc
"Pit Brow LasIeG" of England and
WalCs aro about GOOo in number. They
are the girls and women Of all ages who
arc employed about the "brows" or
mouths Of British coal and iron mines
No other working women In England
have received SO much notorety from
tho press, owing to various futile efforts
in parliament to enact laws prohibiting
such form OF labor, and among the lowly
OF England l have never come upon q
more interesting or worthy class.
In former times women were en-
ployed "beIow grass" in the English
mines, and 1t is scarcely fifty years
since, in 1912, that all female labor in
the underground collieries WAS put m
end to, almost solely by the efforts OF
the late Lord Ashley. Wholesome re-
strictions upon juvenile labor in mines
were also Imposed a year later. But
previous to that time, ever since English
coal, iron and tin were first mined, the
labor OF women was utilized in man
ner revolving and horrible beyond de-
scription. The prohibition OF female
labor in mines was therefore wonder
full revolution. In Lancashire, York
shire and Wales it was especially SO.
Here thousands OF girls had found en-
ployment in the pits. Their chief labor
was as drawers and "thrutChers" for
the golfers who cut or dug the coal.
They could never rise above this worse
than slavish condition. Many could
"pick" as well as any man, and at times
"stood turns" with husbands or brothers
in this extraordinary toll.
These iemate workers we're chiefly
girls from twelve to twenty years OF age,
and their work OF drawing, or hurry
ing" rs it is called in Yorkshire, then
consisted Of dragging the coal in boxes
on slcdges or in trucks on wheels from
the "stall" where the collier was at work
to the shaft OF the pit. Often the min
ers would be cutting the coal, as is now
frequently the case In a place not two
feet in height, and from one to two
miles from the only outlet to the world
above. Through pitch-blaCk passages,
too low to permit OF their standing up
right, and up and down steep inclines
they were compelled to crawl, pulling
the heavy loads after them, or "thrutcl-
ing" that is, pushing them from be-
hind. Frequently two or three children
were harnessed together to thus pull
one or, more loaded trucks. Leathorn
belts were put around their waists, and
then the little ones were fastened to-
gether, by . chain passing between
their legs from one belt to another,
when the children clawed, scrambled
and tugged along on their hands and
toes after the manner Of four-foOted an
finals.
THIRTEEN MILES A DAY.
The distance these loaded trucks had
to be hauled was in most cases fright
full. Instances are authenticated where
grown-up female drawers had to traverse
over 5000 yards OF rugged galleries and
inclines each journey, or in q days
work were compelled to travel dis
lance OF thirteen miles, always in a
stopping, and often in a creeping, pos
ture. Then there were many sGdder
wrongs aud outragcs in these under
ground slave pens, where the law was
unknown and not even dreaded. One
OF the horrors proven before the House
of Commons was the case OF q tiny lad
who was compelled to drag truck along
mine passage scarcely two feet high,
in which there was a foot Of muck and
water, so that his head could be scarce
" kept above the noisome stream.
The infamous treatment OF women in
these mines is only known to their
Maker. Tho exposure of but the faint
est part Of all this wrong brought in
slant legal prohibition under tho gray
est penalties. :.
But there was large pumber OF
women left in every collieryregion who
clutched at my manner Of labor that
would sustain life. a fey were already
working with men and .1als ut the pit
brow. Gradually nearly NIL OF this work
such as dumping the trucks IRON the
"cage" in which they are Drought 10
surface" from the bottom Of the mine
shaft, screening th1 coal and sorting out
the slate and stone, loading the coal
wagons with thccoal ready for the mar
ket, and carrying the coal dust to the
ovons where It Is transformed into coke
game to the lot Of women. Theorcti-
cally the collier opposed 1t at the public
house and in meetings of his union.
Practically, he secretly supported it, for
his brother might have been killed in
oil explosion and the wife or daughter
Mt tho pit-broE took up the fight for
broad where death had checked it; and
his own arm or leg might be picked off
some day in the machinery, and his own
motnor or wife could spring to the spade
or screen, and do mans labor for half
mans wage,
So for 4 name for them all, though
many were lasses no longer, and | have
seen women OF fifty and sixty years
working nimbly at the screens, they
camo to be known rs "pit-Brow Lasses,"
and in time got nearly all tho pit mouth
labor into their dextrous hands. But,
iow years ago, mnttcrinGs were heard
in those districts like Northumberland
and Durham, whore no women wore
employed, against tho system. 1t
meant, these fellows who had all tho
labor themselves said, the impovcrish-
ment OF that many men and often OF
that many families. Then came
minors c5niorencs At Birmingham, in
January, 1855, and a resolution there
passed that women should not be al
lowed 10 work about the mines was
covertly Inserted a. clause III the Coal
Mines regulation amendment bill, which
came up for debate in the House Of
Commons In March, 1856. This was
followed b. broadsides against women's
pit-hrow labor In the MinErE' Journal
and moro influential trades papers, as
,,,oiI 90 IN a horFIfvin0 leader in the