Liverpool Journal Sept 15th 1877
Canal Life
“The Canal Boat Act and the bargemen”
From Special correspondent of the Standard :-
The condition of things on the Bridgewater Canal at the point where it joins the Mersey.
I walked on to the canal bank at Runcorn and jumped onto the first barge alongside the wharf. Its cabin accommodation was very bad indeed, there was a woman on board and I asked her how many children she had.
“One of her own and one given to her.” “Given to you!” said I, “What do you mean?”
“Well this ‘ere lad,” said the woman, pointing to a boy about 12yrs of age, “he was giv’ to me.”
Later in the day I happened to mention this incident to a gentleman whose knowledge of the barge people is extensive, he had laboured as a missionary among them, preached every Sunday at a mission chapel on the canal bank to the boatmen and was in every way qualified to give me trustworthy information.
“it’s a very common thing for them to be lending their children from one boat to another,” he said, “boys and girls both. For instance we had a little girl who used to attend our Sunday School. She was about seven and attended school for eight consecutive Sundays and gained eight good attendance tickets. The child was looking forward to gaining a ninth ticket by attending on the ninth Sunday. During the week she was lent by her parents to another boat, the poor child fell off into the cut and was drowned. We never saw anything else of her after she left school.” “Good heavens” said I, “Do you mean such things have been permitted by these people?” “How was it to be prevented?” he replied.
Up to the present no one has taken the slightest interest in the condition of the boatmen. George SMITH of Coalville has been the man mainly instrumental in drawing public attention to the matter and thank God we have got the Act. Now we shall see what has to be done.
The state of the barges on the Grand Junction Canal struck me as being paradise compared with the state of many of the barges on the canal side in the neighbourhood of Runcorn. They were filthy and in many cases unfit for human habitation.
I ascertain of all the boats plying the Bridgewater Canal the Wigan “flats” are out and out the very worst and the Wigan boat people the most depraved. As was said to me, “They are more immoral, more dirty, and that would be quite mild to say of some of their boats, and the more difficult to labour amongst. Other barge people are bad, and very bad some of them, but the Wiganers are more depraved in every way, shape and form.”
I am merely repeating word for word what was said to me by a gentleman of great experience among the boat people on the Bridgewater Canal and the statement was confirmed by many.
I made some inquiries during my stay at Runcorn concerning the rate of wages paid to the boatmen, and ascertained, two men working one of the “broad” boats earned between them 50s a week. No women are allowed to live on board this description pf barge, which is worked by a skipper and mate. The skipper earns on an average 27s the mate 23s a week. The accommodation provided seems to be ample, and the ventilation with a little improvement may be made all that is to be desired.
I took occasion to ask a man who had served first as a boatman on the canal and then as an able seaman in the merchant service, and afterwards in the same capacity in the Royal Navy, a man of wide practical acquaintance with shipboard accommodation, I asked what hands in his opinion the barges might reasonably be allowed to carry.
He thought on board the “broad” boats two, and on the “flats” three, the “narrow” boats might likewise be permitted to carry three.
The space in the cabin of the “broad” boats was about 5ft 6ins high, 9ft long and 9ft wide, the sleeping berth 9ft by 3ft.
While walking along the canal bank at Runcorn a man came over and said he would like me to come over to his barge. I stood on his barge deck, the centre of a circle of brawny-armed women, shaggy headed children, and very frouzy-clothed men. An Amazon with tanned face and goodly beard put her arms a-kimbo, and stood forth the champion of the party, what she had to say was received with bargee cheers thus;-
“Ers right.” “Sal knows on ‘t.” “Leave ‘er alone for knowin’ about us.” “Its right what she’s a-sayin’ master.” “Listen to her master.” and soon.
The Amazon was very clear and decided in her manner. She looked round now and again upon the circle around her, much as a great speaker looks upon an audience, and gave an appropriate shrug of the shoulders here and a nudge of the head there, and a lusty bang of her fist at that portion of the speech which was very telling in point of oratorical action.
“Master”, she began, “they’s got to recompense us, They’s got to gi’ us more money. They’ll ‘ave to do som’at for us when they take the childr’n out of the boats, or us can never live. The masters will ‘ave to find the ’orses to pull the boats and they’ll ‘ave to pay the boatmen reg’lar weekly wages. That’s what theys got to do, we’d like to be ashore and ‘ave the childr’n to school, but us can’t live ashore without more wages.”
I asked the woman what she considered fair wages for the husband to earn and she replied,
“Thirty two shillin’ a week, and to find nothing’.”
“Look you, master, I wants to know, what’s to come o’ the poor women as works the boats?”
The Amazon gave a nod of the head sideways, and an inquiring look around, as much as to say, “Now, friends I have him.” and continued.
“You go to’ards Wigan and what do you see? You’ll see lots of poor women, captains, and they works the boats to maintain their childr’n, whats to come o’ them?”
“Why workus to be sure” exclaimed a sinewy sister of the barge, “What else?” “Four out o’ six boats as comes from Wigan is worked by the women who’ve lost their ‘usbands. What’ll ‘come to them poor craters?” asked the spokeswoman of the assembly. “Who’s to support the childr’n as the mothers ‘s took away from their boats?”
“It is not intended“ , I said, “to prevent the women working in the boats if the accommodation is sufficient, and things would be better for them all, they would find this time next year.”
“We ‘opes so, I’m sure master.” was the chorus in reply, and with that I took my departure.
Burslem Monday, I have arrived at the following conclusions of the experiences of my canal boat journey, first, that a great difference exists in the social conditions of the boat people in different canals, secondly, that the Canal Boat Act is received with favour by the barge owners, boat people and canal companies alike, and thirdly, that there will not be such difficulty in carrying the Act into operation as might at first appeared.
My observations lead me to consider that the condition of the boatwomen and children, the accommodation on the barges, their cleanliness and the habits of the boatsmen themselves are altogether worse in this district than in London. I saw nothing nearly so offensive on my journey down the Grand Junction Canal as I met within my walk on the canal side at Runcorn, and more recently on the banks of the Trent and Mersey canal in the vicinity of Burslem. This may be accounted for by the fact that the boats congregating about these places are as a rule coal boats, which are more difficult to be kept clean and neat in the cabins as those carrying, general merchandise, timber and hay. These latter are mostly to be met on the canals running through Worcestershire and Herefordshire and the Grand Junction Canal on sections on which the country passed through is open and attractive, void of dense smoky atmosphere common in the manufacturing districts.
There is much needs looking into in the canals of North and South Staffordshire, it is in these districts as well as Wigan in Lancashire that the authorities will find the most work to do in connection with the Canal Boats Act. They will have to cope with the most fearful ignorance, the result of too long neglect of the condition of our canal population, they may first encounter resistance and obstacles to their work on the part of the canal-boat people. If the wages question didn’t crop up in the matter it would be plain sailing in carrying the various classes of the Act into operation, but as it is, the wages question is in fact the one great hinge on which everything seems to turn, let this be adjusted satisfactorily and the boat men and women will welcome with gladness the efforts being made by the Government to improve their condition.
I have been curious to ascertain some statistical particulars of the population on the Bridgewater Canal, Mr BEDDOWS the company agent at Runcorn has been good enough to give me the following information ;-
At present the Bridgewater Navigation Company owns 335 boats, employed on these are 662 men, of these 422 are married, only 6 women are employed on the boats of the company, only 10 children are living on board any of their craft. More than three-fourths of the men can read and write, 105 are total abstainers, 576 of the men proved to be sober. Out of the whole men and women 646 have a home on shore, but, 35 have not. If the accommodation on board the craft will bear as close inspection as the above stated, the Bridgewater Canal proprietors have reason to congratulate themselves and the help they will be able to afford the Government.
I am told however that the boatmen working for this company as of other companies are deficient in sanitary knowledge.
A boat owner informed me that it is not uncommon for some boatmen to drive their horses for 30 consecutive hours without resting them. The following admission will cap this act of cruelty.
I was talking to a genial bargee at Tunstall on how he worked his boat, of which he was the owner, his two lads worked her he said, “and last night the lads came home from bottom of Wolverhampton locks to Tunstall, about 45 miles without stopping.” Said I, “Was a horse drawing the boat?” “No it waren’t a ‘orse, it were a mule and when ‘er come in to the stable ‘er eat its meat and rolled about on the straw for all the ‘orld like the donkeys does.”
I ascertained the lads started at 3am and arrived home at 11pm, these men have not the slightest notion they are ill-using their beasts by over driving them. To “keep their bellies full” is the one great thing and to do the boatmen justice the tin provender cans tied to the noses of their horses, donkeys and mules are seldom empty. This man informed me he was paid for his work by the ton
When visiting Runcorn I visited some of the cottages of the boat-people, they were decent and fairly good, consisting of two rooms and a wash-house, for this a rent of 3s-6d a week was paid. The tenant generally well supplied with children, lived without exception in the boats on their “voyages” and whilst away locked up their cottages.
The wife counts as one hand in working boats, more particularly in the “narrow” boats. When the wife has to live wholly on shore as will probably be the case when the Canal Boats Act comes into operation, there will be so much taken away from the joint earnings of husband and wife and additional expense incurred for a hand to take the wife’s place. This point will have to be carefully considered.
I personally would prefer to see the women with their husbands in the boats, narrow, broad or flat. I believe the wives exercise an influence for good over their husbands, keep them from spending their earnings in the beerhouses and endeavour to keep the cabins tidy and comfortable, and are generally useful in many ways.
Wigan, Paddington on the Grand Junction canal, Birmingham on the Birmingham and Warwick canal, Etruria as being the most central town on the Trent and Mersey canal, Wolverhampton on the Staffordshire and Worcester canal, Manchester the point of junction of the Bridgewater, Rochdale, Ashton and Peak Forest canals, Runcorn, Leeds, Liverpool, Blackburn, Coventry, Oxford and Stafford. It might be desirable to establish at some of these principal centres homes and schools combined for the accommodation of children during the absence of parents on the “voyage” and it would be a question for consideration whether the Government might not contribute to the support of such schools and homes. In the case of families being large it would be impossible for parents to pay out of their earnings the cost for maintaining and educating their children between the ages of 4 -12 yrs who are prohibited from joining the boats.
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