Industrial Revolution – Coal Industry Working Conditions Notes

  • Worked from dark of the morning to the dark of night
  • Many worked in the dark
  • Whole families worked in the mines
  • Even pregnant women would work underground because they needed money
  • Saw sunlight one day a week
  • Many deaths (As the coal industry expanded, so did the number of deaths)
  • Working was dangerous and had many risks involving toxic materials
  1. Coal dust (Could cause a disease, Black Lung)
  2. Lead (poisonous)
  3. Lime (Can blister or Blind)
  4. Cave-ins (Roof falls; common)
  5. Explosions (Which are caused by easily ignited methane gas)
  6. Flooding
  7. Gas Pockets (Which could be ignited from a flame or a spark from a pickaxe)
  • Fatalities, Respiratory Illnesses were common
  • Miners had nothing to protect themselves with
  • Some miners used certain methods to help
  1. Some brought canaries (When they stopped singing that means there was gas)
  2. Some left columns of coal “Pit and stall” method (Wasn’t the safest because coal collapses easily)
  • Ventilation was a problem as the miners went deeper underground
  1. They dug a down and up shaft and at the bottom of the up-shaft a fire was set ablaze which sent the hot air up and sucked fresh air down
  2. To make sure the air reached all parts of the mine, trapdoors were used.
  • Another serious danger was the need for light
  1. They used to bring candles but as they went deeper this proved to be dangerous because it could ignite pockets of gas
  2. 1815 Sir Humphrey Davy invented the safety lamp which allowed miners to have light without an exposed flame because of a wire gauze that acted as a barrier.
industrial1

Report of miners killed from June 30th, 1850 to December 31st, 1851. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/victorianbritain/industrial/source1.htm

source6

Newspaper extract includes deaths and injuries from July 1898 to June 1899. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/victorianbritain/industrial/source6.htm

 

 

Child Labour

  • Many workers hired at young ages
  • Child workers were widely used (some age from 5)
  • Even child workers were in the dark for over 12 hours
  • Older girls had to carry baskets of dug coal which was far too heavy
  • Some had to work in water that came up to their thighs
  • Caused deformation for young females and was fatal later in life
  • Children were exploited and beaten
  • 1860; Banned children under twelve from working underground
Childlabourcoal

Child workers from The Coal Mines. http://historylearning.com/great-britain-1700-to-1900/indrevo/coal-mines-industrial-revolution/

 

Payment

  • Paid by amount and quality of coal mined
  • Could be fined if there is too many smaller pieces (Slack)
  • Children were payed less (around 2 pennies) and instead were compensated with food

Mining Legislation

  • Government Reform was slow to take place (People didn’t know the conditions)
  • First mines act passed in 1842; Very general, with no provisions for housing or inspection (Did signify Government taking responsibility)
  • 1850; Act that allowed for inspection of mines and allowed inspectors to get involved in how the mines were run while also being able to fine owners and report deaths. (Only 4 inspectors at this stage)
  • New act in 1855 introduced seven basic rules about:
  1. Ventilation
  2. Air shafts
  3. Unused pits being fenced off
  4. Proper lining inside
  5. Better signalling from mine to surface
  6. Adequate breaks for the steam powered elevators
  7. Safety rules for stream engines
  • 1860 there was permanent legislation to build on previous laws (Child labour)
  • 1872 increased the number of inspectors and made sure they had experience in mining before they began
  • By the end of the century the industry went from mostly unregulated to having miners represented in parliament as well as starting laws regulating mines.

 

 

 

Crossroads 2nd Edition (Pg. 250)

http://www.saburchill.com/history/chapters/IR/039.html

http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/industryandagriculture/fl/Coal-Mining-Living-and-Working-Conditions-in-the-Industrial-Revolution.htm

http://historylearning.com/great-britain-1700-to-1900/indrevo/coal-mines-industrial-revolution/

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/victorianbritain/industrial/default.htm

 

Industrial Revolution – Positive Effects of Steam Power Notes

  • Railroad sped up transportation
  • Steam power created countless new jobs
2543160

The industrialization of the Steam engine created new jobs forcing people to move to cities. http://railroadandsteamengine.weebly.com/impact.html

 

  • Propelled countless industries
  • Boosted production and transportation of natural resources (which were vital to society)
  • Steam locomotive was a big turning point that changed the business outlook which is present today.
  • Steam power brought many opportunities for inventions (E.g. Telephone, Electric lighting, etc.)
  • Steam power offered a way to generate power which allowed advancements in technology, manufacturing, transportation, and other fields
080616-turbina-speed-02

Charles Parsons’ Turbinia yacht, seen here in 1897, was the first steam turbine-powered ship. http://www.livescience.com/2612-steam-engine-changed-world.html

 

  • Many things today we would not have if not for the Steam engine
  • Spike in population
industrial_revolution

Industrial Revolution gave way to a huge rise in population. https://mmuntazir.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/industrial-revolution-advantages-disadvantages/

 

 

 

 

http://railroadandsteamengine.weebly.com/impact.html

http://www.ask.com/history/positive-effects-steam-engine-44b80cbf6a64b594