The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-05-26
WORK WITH DEATH
Child Labor Near to Tragedy In
Cotton Mills.
PERIL OF THE BACK BOYS.
Compelled to Clean Spinning Mules
While Machines Are In Eot.o on
Shop Rules tt at Are Meant to Be
Broken,

|
While Machines Are In Motion
Shop Rules That Are Meant to Be
Broken.
The work of boy in Il cotton mill
can't be as pleasant as n fishing "Trip,
but II might be made just us human
There are few laws. regulating the
toll of minors which ale ained toward
the safety of child lahurerS. In
Through the MILL" In the Outlook. Al
Priddy. who worked when IL child in
southern mandatory. gives the fol.
lowing peep into child life among the
spinning mules:
For the protection of minors like my
self two notices were posted in the
mule room and In every room in the
mill. They are rules which II obeyed
| would have reduced the dangers of my
mill work The notices read
| The cleaning of machinery while II Is
| in motion is positively forbidden.
All minors are hereby prohibited from
working during the regular stopping hours
If had made any effort to obey the
first law | should not have retained my
position. The mule spinners were
working by the piece and would stop
their mules only under exceptional
stress. The back boy who demanded
that the machinery be stopped while
he oiled the spindles was deemed in.
capable. 1t was even expected of me
that | should with Il hand brush clean
pulleys whirlng hundreds of revolu-
tons minute at the risk of having
my hand drawn over the belt. had
| to clean fallers. which If taken ut the
wrong minute on the change was like
putting ones hands between the clos
| ing teeth of some wild creature. In
cleaning the front spindles or oiling
them was in constant danger of be
ing crushed between the carriage and
the iron posts. which when they met
left hardly an inch of space. Alfred
get caught one day, and his body was
pinned close and was crushed badly,
but not too severely to keep him from
his work-at his own eXpense-for
more than four days
The most dangerous cleaning | had
to do was the cleaning of the back
wheels of the mule carriage. The car
rage runs forward for about three
yards on tracks. 1t starts from the
frame and spins the cotton thread as
It moves ahead at a slow pace. Then
when the thread is spun the carriage
darts back swiftly and gathers the
thread up on the spindles. This back
motion is swift rebound. just like Il
rubber ball which we throw and draw
back by an elastic cord. The wheels
are about ten inches in diameter. and
the tracks on which they run are sharp
like knives 1t was dangerous enough
| to try to creep after these wheels viii
they were in motion. for the waste was
always wrapping around the axles or
being Jumped under the whee.s. and
there was the added danger of not
crawling back swiftly enough ahead OF
the rebounding carriage.
had to creep. almost at full length
under the frame and Il long steel shaft
and crawl back out of the way of the
returning carriage. had to estimate
lust how low to duck and be careful
not to back into Il post or box which
would block my retreat. Yet that was
the process. and no spinner would stop
his mule for me.
If let the waste lump under the
wheels it would lift the carriage out
of gear and break a thousand threads.
When that occurred there were oaths
from the spinner. u lecture from the
second hand and all sorts of disagree
able criticisms from the hands who
were called upon to piece the. broken
threads together One day | had
my little finger dragged on the track
and the end nipped. Almost every
back boy Of my acquaintance had had
one of his fingers either nipped or cut
off altogether. Once in awhile one Of
them would be caught as he backed
and be severely MANNED.
The only consolation we got in case
Of these accidents was few days
''layoff." always delightful; free treat
ment by the "company's butcher as
so many days wages.
If boy was absolutely bent on
keeping that rule in regard to the
cleaning of machinery he had to leave
that part of his work until the mill
was stopped for dinner or do II be-
fore the mill started in the. morning.
This. however. was jumping from the
frying pan into the fire. for 1t led to
an infraction of the second rule. "All
minors are hereby prohibited from
working during the regular stopping
hours"
1t was absolutely impossible for me
to do all my days work in the ten and
half hours of the regular working
day. did not shirk my work nor was
lazy. Neither was ] undertaking
more than would bring me an average
wage. My weekly pay for the four
mules was $3.50. Not only was much
- tha dongarotts cleaning left till the