V4-Chapter 4

Chapter Four The Dead Workers’ Work

The dead workers were not dead, it was the name given to the non-profitable sinking of shafts and driving of levels. These men were itinerant workers, working for a contractor. Theirs was difficult, dangerous work, days, weeks, and month spent drilling, blasting and mucking off, inching their way downwards.

Things sped up with the advent of pneumatic drills, to the delight of mine owners, but the drills made widows of the men that operating them.

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Note: Whilst the author has tried to identify and attribute copyright holders to illustrations and photographs, she would be grateful for information about those where this has not been possible and would be glad to rectify any such omissions in future editions. She may be contacted on her site.