Walker Iron Works.
John Galley age 12. Files iron, and gets 3s.6d. a week. Lives with his parents and gives his wages to them. His father who works here draws wages his for him. His usual hours of work are from 6 to 6. Goes to no weekly school; goes to Sunday school sometimes at the Walker pit, Methodist chapel. Cannot spell, read or write: tries to spell at Sunday school.
Adam Pannan age 12. Files iron and gets 4s. a week. Gives nearly the same account as John Galley.
William Easton does not know his age. Hooks up at the rolling mills. Has alever to put the iron over the rolls when it has come through. Gets 5s. a week. Lives with his mother. Goes to Sunday school; reads (very easy words;) does not know what he he is taught at Sunday school : never heard of heaven or hell; does not recollect hearing of them in public worship: seldom goes to worship. As to his work it is not to hard for him. He works 6a.m. to 6p.m.
John Liddell 13 years old. Wheels iron to the shears, and gets 4s. a week. Works from 6 to 6. goes only to Sunday school. Reads (well), spells, and writes: reads the Bible at Sunday school.
Peter Dixon. Past the 11 years of age. Draws a factory furnace door, and gets 3s. 6d. a week. Works from 6-6. Goes to Sunday school. Cannot read much; cannot write.
Roger Robson the aged 11. Wheels scrap iron, and get 3s. 6d. a week. goes only to Sunday school; went to week school before he came here. Reads (fairly.) Goes to worship on Sunday. Came to work here when he was six years old.
John Maughn, age 15, earns 7s. a week.
John Todd, age 15, earns 5s. a week.
Thomas Jobling, age 14 earns 6s. a week.
George Moor, age 14 earns 6s. a week.
the two former are apprentices two founders, and two latter to blacksmiths. All work 12 hours day, having half an hour allowed for breakfast and one hour for dinner. All are pretty healthy, and like their work as well as any work. Two go to weekly schools sometimes at night. All go to Sunday school. All can spell, read, and write.
Robert Hobson age 14 and six months in earning five shillings a week.
George Todd aged 12 and six months earning four shillings a week.
Robert Stirling aged 14 and earning four shillings a week.
William Smith the aged 13 are earning four shillings a week.
Hobson is apprenticed to a fitter. The three others are apprenticed as more moulders in the foundry. All work 12 hours, from 6-6 each day, having an hour and a half allowed for meals out of that. all of pretty well in health and like their work. Three spell. All read fairly, and write their names. Two go to night school sometimes. All go to Sunday schools.
Thomas Knox, ageed 15 earning 5s. a week: apprentice to a blacksmith.
Thomas Brown, aged 11 earning 4s., makes cores in the foundry.
John Robinson aged 14, earning 4s. carrying cinders.
All work 12 hour, and have one and a half hour for meals. All can spell and read (fairly), and write their names. All go to Sunday school and Methodist chapel pretty often.
Joseph Elliot. 17 in October. Works at the rolling mills. Lifts the rails and iron into the mills with a hook. When it has been sent through the mills once he puts it through again and again as required. Works 6a.m. to 6 p.m. works by the day getting 1s.6d. a day. Sometimes works overtime on a Saturday night 4p.m being the regular time on a Saturday. Has been there about 5 years. The first job after picking scraps for a day was striking bars, making them straight when they come from the rolling mills; then drew doors for the mill furnace; then piled iron for the furnaces; then came to his present work, in which he has been engaged two and a half years. Has always been well in health since he came. Has had several burns, none very bad; has not been kept off at all for any of them. He has worked nearly as much at the night shift as the day shift. Gets 1s. 6d. a night, but only for five night in the week. Works six days a week in the day shift, the Saturday being the sixth day. Never works on Saturday night. Never works Sunday or Sunday night. Perhaps 13 to 14 times since he has been there he has come at 6 p.m and has worked until 9 and 10 or 12 and 1 then gone home: this counted as half a days work. Can read the Bible; writes his name. Goes only to Sunday (Methodist) school.
Thomas Robson aged 15. Is a puddler. Gets 11 shillings a week now. Not an apprentice. Has been working here seven years. About a year and three-quarters, when he first came, picked scraps for the bushel furnace; got three shillings a week for this work: then drew the door for the mill furnace, at which he was occupied about two years; got four shillings a week for this: then went to the Rolling Mills for about half a year catching the iron with tongs at the backside; got nine shillings a week for this work: then went to "puddle" after this. Comes in the morning when the night shift is done, which are sometimes at four o'clock and sometimes at half past four. First puts the metal or heat into the furnace; then gets it hot; and then works it to about two with 'rabel's' and 'paddles', i.e. long bars, about 3 yards long, not very heavy. Stirs the metal about for maybe an hour and a half without stopping, his master William Archer,coming now and then to help him; then makes it into roundish balls in the furnace, and pulls it out with tongs; then put another heat in, generally working six heats a day, which is generally done by four o'clock in the afternoon; whiles till 5; never later than 5, when they come in at four a.m.. Thus he now works for more than 13 hours at a time. He has worked seven heats in a day five or six months since, having better iron then; thus they get on seven heats in 12 hours. A quarter of the year age came at 4pm worked on to 11 o'clock in the next day; thus 6 heats, and three heats extra. Did this because the Bill Fellows, a man who is a puddler, was bad. Got for this a day and a half's wages. Never did this more than once: never knew any other lad to do this. The master, Tom Cooper the puddler, asked him to stop; was not forced to stop. The master to puddles hires his boys whom he likes, and he pays the lads. The Master Cutler gives them what he likes and the agree to, according to the strength of the boy. bar on working next furnace to him has his own son to assist him. Far others may bring their sons if they have a mind. One Bill Marrow, puddles are for his brother in law, Jack Marshall. Bill Marrow, is a very weakly lad. Sometimes the masters beat the puddle lads with their hands on the back, sometimes over the head, but never very hard: they make them cry a little. His master and never hammers him or beats him. Has been bad sometimes but not very often. Had the scarlet fever once; off three months. Has been bad with the headache: it came on itself while he was working. Thinks the sweat running about his head might have given it to him. Sweats heavy sometimes. Has no father. Mother cleans the offices. lost his father for years ago: he was a cart man. His master pays him his money every fortnight, and he gives it to his mother directly: mother gives him sometimes a shilling out of the 22s. has one brother here at the same work; he is 17 years old: he gets 12 shillings a week, and gives it to his mother. Has two sisters. Gets a bit of bread and butter before he goes to work. Coast home to breakfast at eight o'clock a.m.; stops for five minutes or so before he comes to work. Gets his coffee and bread and butter, and then comes back. Is always backed by a quarter past eight. goes home to dinner at 12 o'clock: gets meat and potatoes. Sometimes has not time enough to get much to eat. Is back by a quarter past 12. went to school before he went to puddling for about five or six months. Could read an easy book then. Cannot read at all now. Goes to no Chapel or Church: is too tired to go.
William Marrow going on to 13 years old, a puddler. Has worked here two years. Jack Marshall never beats him. Father is a Keelman; has 4 brothers, 2 are puddlers at Hawks Iron Works, one is a moulder at the foundry, the other brother is a sailor. The puddlers are 20 and 30 years of age. Cannot read or write; goes to Sunday school regularly, not to a weekly school could never read, was at night school a month when hooking up.
William Fullwood. About 12 years old; draws a furnace door; gets 10d. per day His father works in the blacksmith shop; has 6 brothers William is the oldest, all but two are in school in general. Cannot read or write; goes to Sunday school only-the Methodist chapel school, and to chapel afterwards; learns the spelling book.
William Lewis, Going to 15. A vast of swearing at the mill. The men often get drunk.
Thomas Seaham aged 12 next May; heaves up at the rolling mill; works 6 shifts one week and 5 the next, gets 9d. a shift. Reads well, writes his name; goes to no weekly school, there is non about here ; he is not a good cipherer; goes regularly to Sunday school and attends the chapel at Bell's-close.
Christopher Grant aged 14 last month; is moulding at the foundry. Has been 2 years; comes generally to work at 6 o'clock and goes away at night at 6. has a hour and a half for meals out of that time; goes home for meals; now gets 4s. a week. Begins and finishes small moulds for trams wheels etc. Has been off 2 or 3 times with burnt feet, not very sore but Robert Elliot was burnt very sore on his foot about 8 weeks ago, and was off about 10 weeks with it. William Winship is often off from a bad headache. Can read well, and write his name. Has been at Jubilee school and others before he came to work, never since. Goes to Sunday school and chapel often.
Chritopher Dagget. Aged about 13 years and 4 months; labours about the factory; carrying bricks out to mould with, making cores and small castings.
Samuel Pescod. Aged 14 next December; has been here nearly 3 years in the foundry. is now making moulds. Reads fairly, writes his name very badly. Goes to no school now, but goes to chapel on Sundays.
William Pescod. Aged 15 making engine bars in the foundry; has 4s. a week. Can read fairly, writes his name badly. Goes to no school now or chapel often.
John Paterson. Aged 14 last November; has been here about 2 years. Strikes to a blacksmith. works in general 6 to 6. Reads fairly, writes his name goes to Sunday school and church.
Elijah Ryles. Aged 15 years and 6 months. serving time as an engine wright. Has been here 8 months. Reads well and writes. Goes to Sunday school and chapel.
Several boys have been discharged from these works within a few weeks from want of employment for them. the accidents that occur in the foundry from the carelessness or inability of the boys in carrying ladels of hot metal.