The Forth Bridge/The Workmen
The Workmen.
Taking them as a whole, it must be freely acknowledged that the workmen employed upon the bridge have not, to any material extent, added to the troubles and anxieties attendant upon such a work. Black sheep are found everywhere, and of the doings of such a tolerably lively account might easily be presented. Many of them hundreds of them were mere birds of passage, who arrived on the tramp, worked for a week or two, and passed on again to other parts, bringing a pair of hands with them and taking them away again, and having in the mean time made extremely little use of them except for the purpose of lifting the Saturday pay packet and wiping their mouths at the pothouse; many others also, who, too clean-shaven and too closely-cropped as to hair, vainly tried to deceive any one as to the character of the hotel they were last staying at, or to invent a plausible account of the big job which they had just left completed. The paddle-steamer, which carried the men across the river morning and night, during the day made hourly trips to the north shore and back for the service of the works and for the accommodation of visitors. Before many months had gone by it waa known all over the country to every tramp that a free passage could be had for the stepping on board the boat, and the number of men who, when on tho south side, were invariably asking for a job on tho north side, and vice vend, increased at such an alarming rate that steps had to be taken to stop the nuisance.
But apart from these, it is no exaggeration to say that no one need desire to have to do with a more civil or well-behaved lot of men, always ready to oblige, always ready to go where they were told to go, cheerfully obeying orders to change from one place to another, and, above all things, ready to help others in misfortune, not with advice but with hands and purses. Nor was there any difference in that respect on account of nationality; Scotch, English, and Irish were about equally represented as to numbers, and though the latter furnished very few skilled hands, they were mostly very hard workers and very conscientious and reliable men.
For the sinking of the caissons a number of foreign workmen were employed for a short time, and it is rather a curious coincidence that, as foreign workmen did some of the earliest work in connection with the bridge, so now again a number of foreign men are employed upon some of the last work—namely, the laying of the asphalt pavement along the footpaths of the permanent way, which is done under a sub-contract by the Seyssel Asphalt Company.
Several strikes occurred during the building of the bridge, most of them brought about, not by the men themselves, but by organised committees in connection with various Trades Unions and their disputes with employers in other parts of Scotland. The causes were often trivial enough, such as the discharge from the works of some idle scamp with an inordinate allowance of the gift of the gab, and whose demand to be reinstated in his dignity at twenty-two shillings per week, caused an immense amount of useless suffering to scores of his fellow-workmen, and more still to their families, and a proportionate increase in the takings of the neighbouring whisky shops.
The principal strike took place early in June, 1887, and was brought about through an accident, caused entirely by the carelessness of a few men. A movable stage for rivetters, consisting of two girders about 110 ft. long, disposed on either side of the vertical columns, was hung by wire ropes from winches worked by worm and wormwheel placed above. The stage served for rivetting the wind-bracings between the columns, and was made good by planking across the two girders in any place required. When one section had been done the stage was raised to the next section, and while this was being clone one of the girders fouled a piece of timber left in the girders. This was not noticed, and in spite of the resistance the men kept forcing at the handles of the winches until one of the wheels broke, and the whole stage rattled down, carrying with it some other staging on which some men were working. Two men and a boy were killed, and two more wounded, and before the real facts were known the usual agitators quickly organised a strike, demanding an increase of a penny per hour all round, equal to a rise of from 15 to 20 per cent, in their wages, on account of the dangerous nature of their work. As might have been expected the principal spouters at the meetings held during the next following few days were men who worked in the yards away from all danger, or who did not work at all, and after holding out for a week most of the strikers were glad to be allowed to come back.
That accidents were frequent no one who can form an idea of the nature of the work upon such a structure need be told, but it is equally true that fully three-fourths of all more serious accidents were due entirely to what may strictly be called preventible causes. If any charge can be brought against the workmen, or at any rate a large proportion of their number, it is that of utter indifference or carelessness with regard to danger of causing injuries or death to one another. Not that in cases of sudden accident men would have hesitated to risk limb or life for the sake of helping. On the contrary, at such times the most heroic efforts were made to succour those in need; but in the every-day work with that fatal familiarity that is said to breed contempt while working on stages which could hardly be made large enough or strong enough to hold the litter of tools and rubbish which they constantly gathered, they were throwing about hammers and drifts and chisels, and pieces of wood, which in a moment were over the side, and tumbled down upon may be three or four other tiers of staging, where men were engaged upon their work. Special gangs of men were organised to clear all these things away, and endless warnings and entreaties were given, but to no avail, and it needed the sight of a wounded and mangled fellow-creature, or his bloody corpse, to bring home to them the seriousness of the situation and the advisability of stooping to put down a tool instead of throwing it carelessly away.
In the summer of 1883 a Sick and Accident Club was started upon the works. The membership was compulsory for all employed by the contractors, and the amount of contribution to the funds was one hour's pay per week, the maximum contribution being 8d. per week. Members were entitled to medical advice and medicines, bandages, &c., for themselves, and medical advice for their wives and families, but no medicines, and, in addition, if unable to work, an allowance from the funds proportionate to the weekly contribution made. This aliment ranged from 9s. up to 12s. per week. The funerals of members were also paid within certain limits, and in cases of death or permanent disablement by accident or injury sustained on the works, grants were made to widows, wives, and children. The contractors contributed a sum of 200l. yearly to the Club, and gave a good deal of other substantial assistance. The Club proved a great boon to the men, and more still to their wives and children, inasmuch as they got a great deal more care and attention than they otherwise would have been likely to experience. Special medical men were appointed at Dunfermline, North Queensferry, Leith, Edinburgh, Kirkliston, and South Queensferry. An ambulance waggon was provided, and temporary hospitals with every appliance needed in case of accident were established upon all three main centres.
The amount contributed by the members of the Club in the year 1888, when the greatest number was employed, was 4096l, which, with donations, the contributions by the firm, &c., came up to 4546l. Out of this sum sick allowances were paid out to the amount of 1621l.; accident allowances, 729l. ; funeral expenses, 143l.; widows' allowances, 176l.; donation to the Royal Infirmary, 100l.; and the rest being medical fees and other expenses. The attendances by the medical staff amounted to over 26,000 in the year. On the average 99 men were receiving aliment from the Club every week. Of accidents between July, 1883, and Christmas, 1889), when the Club ceased to exist, there had occurred 57 fatal, 106 which required removal to the infirmary in Edinburgh (in which number, however, some of the fatal accidents are included, the men having died after admission), and 518 minor accidents, which required, however, the attendance of a medical man.
Apart from the benefits of this Club, however, the men's welfare was looked after in every respect. While working in the foundations boots and waterproofs were provided for them free of charge. Later on, during the erection, they were given thick woollen jackets, as well as overalls and waterproof suits, and although a nominal charge was made for some of these in order to check the carelessness and bad treatment of these things, it was rarely enforced against a careful and deserving man.
Large shelters and dining rooms were provided for them, with stoves and men in charge to heat their food for them, and these were not only on deck but on the top of the central towers, at the level of the viaduct and right out near the very ends of the cantilevers. Here the men not only could take their meals in warmth and comfort, but they could retire also in case of heavy showers or sudden storms.
In cases of accidents not caused by the men's own fault, the full wages were as a rule paid by the contractors until the injured man was able to return to work, or unless an action was raised against the contractors.
Every care was also taken and no expense was spared to make good and secure staging for the workmen, and to construct gangways and roomy staircases to all places where work was carried on. The wages paid to all classes of workmen were as a whole rather above the average, and as by far the greatest amount of outside work was done by the piece, a skilful and steady workman was enabled to make double and treble his ordinary time wages if he applied his abilities and energies in the right direction.
Some curious aspects of the labour question developed themselves in connection with piecework. The hand-rivetters worked invariably in squads of four, namely, two rivetters, one holder-up, and one rivet-heater, generally a boy or lad. Now it is easy to see that the skill or the want of it in the last functionary was of great influence upon the number of rivets put in during a day's work, and consequently a sharp handy lad was worth a good wage, and as a rule he knew it. Rivetters are not generally very steady, but often lose a day or two, in which case one or more of the squad are liable to enforced idleness. After some little discussion among themselves, these rivet-heating boys stood out for a fixed minimum sum, 20s. to 24s. per week, and this had to be paid whether the squad worked or not. This did not of course affect the employers, for in piecework the head man of the squad was paid so much per 100 rivets, and he had to settle with the other members of his squad. In another sense it is said the boy is father to the man; here the boy was master of several men. The wages were paid weekly.
The number of men employed varied somewhat with the nature of the work to be done, and naturally also with the seasons, as in some instances it was next to impossible to work during the night. In the spring of 1887 the number had risen to 3200, and rose to over 4100 in September of the same year. After the lifting platforms were up to full height in the central towers the number fell again during the winter months to about 2900, but rose again as the summer advanced. The largest number employed at one time was 4600. From January, 1889, the numbers gradually decreased, and in January, 1890, the average was 1200, and in February, 1000. A large proportion of these hands are platelayers working upon the permanent way, and painters and their labourers. The removal of the staging round the piers and the landing jetties, and the disposal of the plant, as well as the restoration of the ground occupied by the workshops and yards, for agricultural purposes, will occupy a goodly number of hands for some months to come yet.