No. 120. — Mr. Liddell, Viewer of Gosforth and Coxlodge Collieries.

Any cases of overtime-work are considered great privileges by the boys, inasmuch as the are paid extra :— A lad having 1s. 3d. for working 12 hours, will have 1s. 6d. for 14 hours. The trappers never exceed 12 hours and in many cases work less, the rolley-drivers alone exceed the 12.

In working in the whole mine, the putter works for one shift of men only, in the broke there are 2 shifts of men, (hewers) working each 7 hours (commencing 2 hours before the lads.) In the former case they may get finished before the 12 hours, in the latter never.

As soon as the putters are done, the trappers are done, the crane giving over before another liberates the putters but not the rolley-drivers, the horses being all unyoked at one period, or nearly so. Thinks that a law restraining children from going down before 10 years of age would be beneficial to the pitmen and not disadvantageous to the owners. Looking merely at the interest of the children could recommend it.

If the putters open their own doors they are allowed 6d. per door per diem extra; does not like swing doors in places of any importance. Old men are impracticable as door-keepers for many reasons, chiefly from the difficulty of getting of them and the dislike they have to the work. The parents would in most cases send their children to school if restricted from the pit, and undoubtedly if the production of an educational certificate were necessary. Disapproves of a medical certificate of strength being required; from the hardships it would be on the parents. No arrangement of relays of children would be practicable in the ordinary way of working pits, nor is it desirable for the children themselves. Exercise, without heavy over tasks, is desirable for any children for 12 hours out of 24. Work in pits is here decidedly healthy and conducive to health. Every remove from an efficient ventilation would cause a corresponding decrease in health.

A pit mall would be greatly benefited by education, since he would be capable of being promoted and there would be much less risk of accidents, if workmen were acquainted with the causes of accidents. No foresight or education of men will entirely prevent accidents in pits. as the grand preventive rests in the ventilation of the pits. Thinks that educated pitmen ought to be the more valuable to the employer. Ranter preachers are obnoxious men. An annual hiring corrects abuses. in very wet collieries e.g. higher wages are given. Legislative enactments are very undesirable, and, excepting as above explained, unnecessary in collieries. Comparatively, the pit population generally are better off than any class of labourers in the two counties; the common pitmen will average 20s. per week, coal and house excluded, which will be given to him without charge. All workings here are contrived so that the full corves are put down an inclination and the empty ones up.

Thinks that any instructions as to the mode of working coal and on geological facts, would be apt to unbalance the men and make them dissatisfied with their condition.

No. 121. — May 10th. Mr. John Menham, Under Viewer of Gosforth Colliery.

Has been such for about 10 years. Was overman at Coxlodge for about 10 years. At the last binding (April 5th, 1841,) nearly 30 families left this colliery for Seaton Delaval and different collieries. About 30 families came from other collieries. Killingworth, West Cramlington, and St. Lawrence's Main collieries. Never recollects seeing more moving than at the last binding, in this neighbourhood; perhaps they might have as many more the binding before the last, perhaps more. On inspecting the bond for 1839, it would appear that about 40 families moved; and on inspecting that for 1841, that altogether 118 hewers were bound, 37 putters half marrows 29, drivers 31, trappers are not bound in general; of these 30 hewers were new hands to this colliery, as were 9 putters, 5 half marrows, and 6 drivers. The men and boys at bank are not so shifting as those in the pit but part of the boys working at bank belong to men working in the pit. A boy at bank may have from 110d. to 1s. a day for wailing or cleaning coals and this boy would be from 11 to 13 years of age; such a boy as this could drive a horse down the pit and could get 1s. 3d. a-day. Boys have their own thoughts about the work at pit or bank, and it is generally arranged by their parents. Men who have been brought up in pits themselves generally wish their boys to work in the pit. Men at bank are not so much brought up to it, and they are merely labourers who have two or three children and wish them to be working and earning money about pit heaps. For instance, about a dozen men are now wailing or screening coals at bank here and out of these, the children of 3 perhaps are down the pit. Now boys are seldom taken down the pit before 9 years of age although the parents apply for them to be taken at 7 years of age or so. Most of the parents do not care about the work of the children so as they get good wages; for example, Matthew Bland a hewer here, begged the hewer to bind his boy Thomas Bland, who may be about 16, to put, and it was found that the boy could not put for want of strength: witness said beforehand that he could not put, but bound him to oblige the father. The lad was not strong and is now a craneman getting 1s. 9d.; as a putter (or heads-man) he would have made by the piece, if strong enough, from 2s. 6d to 3s. 6d. a-day. Boys here will put from 16 years of age to 20, according to their strength, as headsmen, that is, putting a tram alone; as half marrows (two to a tram) they will be from 13 to 16. There are few half-marrows; there are no foals here, and no drawing with soams. They mostly here put the full corf to the dip (or down-hill) and the empty corf (up-hill) to the rise. The trams here weigh 4 stone (141b. to the stone) and 6lb. each. The corf when empty weighs about from 10 to 11 stone, (a 20 peck corf,) and when full of coal, about 58 stone: thus the whole weight the putter puts here is about 62 stone. The greatest rise that a putter puts a full corf up-hill here is about three quarters of an inch to a yard and then he has a helper up. It will be very near a level where he puts for any distance by himself unaided by a helper up. Here the score price for putting is 1s. 3d. for the first 80 yards, and 1d. for every 20 yards further. The 2 half-marrows have together the same price, making it half for each; the height of the corf tram is 3 feet 10 inches, and therefore no place can be lower where there is a little creep (or rise in the floor of the pit) the corf may stick a little but this creep is always removed in the night by the shifters. Sometimes two or three strong half-marrows are sent down with them to put their stone and rubbish. They are now working in the High Main Seam here, which is from 4 feet to 4 feet 6 inches in thickness. They are working a good deal in the broken here, and in the broken the hewers always fill their own coals in the corves and work in two shafts, one going down at 2 o'clock, a.m., and coming up at 10 o'clock and another going down at 10 and coming up at 4 o'clock, p.m. In the whole the hewers go down at 2 o'clock a.m. and come up at different tunes from 10 a.m. to 1 o'clock in the day. In the whole there are seldom two shifts of hewers; the hewers fill their own coal as long as they remain down, in working the whole — as they must do this sometimes to get them out of their way — but they are only paid for the quantity of coals they hew; 5s. per score under a post, (sandstone) roof, and under a blue metal (shale) roof, they are paid 5s. 4d. a score. If there is any wet dropping from the roof &c. they get 4d. per score more. In the broken the score price will he from 3s. 6d. to 4s. 6d. according to the roof. The boys go down at half-past 3 o'clock, a.m. in all cases, and leave their work at 4 o'clock, and ride up the pit by half past 4 p.m.

It is 12 years since the pit began and the boys go in by from a mile to a mile and a half. Putters are not paid anything more when working in the broken, although the way may not be quite so good as in the whole. Putters are healthy in general and have good appetites.

About 12 years ago the tram would have taken 2 men of 20 years of age each to put it, as the seam rose 10 inches in a yard and now the seam will not rise more than three-quarters an inch to the yard in the steepest places they are working at present. The steepness or otherwise of the tram-ways will always be the same as that of the seam of coal. There a here 2 shafts, an up-cast and a down-cast shaft, about 12 feet apart, the depth of each being 181 fathoms. In the broken workings the air is sometimes mixed with gas, but of the boys only the putters work there. In general the children get well fed and clothed, but there are some exceptions, owing to the bad habits of the parents. Being near a town is not a good thing for the habits of the people. Not many pitmen save much here. Those that do save any, perhaps not more than 6 here, put it in building society's funds, &c. Not a bit of difference is made in the clothing of children, or even pitmen, in the winter time: but does not think they get many colds from this. More go to night-school in winter than in summer-time but it is not common for them to go to such schools at all. Would think it a very good thing if parents were forced to educate their children, for they will never do it of their own accord except very seldom and would be glad of any law that should make children be obliged to read and write before they went down a pit, which should not be before 10 years of age, and would think boys might have 2 hours schooling every night after pit-work, and keep up their learning They often run about till 8 or 9 o'clock at night playing and idling.

No. 122. — May 10th. Michael Watson, Schoolmaster at Gosforth.

Keeps a school here; has done so for 10 years. Was trained at Barrington school Bishop's Auckland, by being brought up altogether there from 6 years old. Encourages the feeling not to send boys down pits, if they have an inclination for any other business, because they learn such bad habits, swearing, lying, and all such things, which make them unfit for any other business. If a boy has not learned a good deal before he goes down, he loses what he did learn and takes no further thought about it. Out of 100 boys down the pit, not more than 10 will be at night-school in winter and not at all in summer. The boys on leaving the pit at evening are sleepy, tired, and unfit for school and nothing can be done for their learning while they are so long at work: as at present. Pit-parents never think of educating their children, that is hewers and so on. There are some few exceptions, especially among the deputies, overmen, &c. This is a private school, although the colliery owners built the school and masters house and give the master coals every year. Each child 4d. for reading. 2d. more for writing, and 3d. for ciphering; 10s. a quarter pays for everything. The number boys averages 100 and of girls 11; (71 boys were present on this occasion, and 2 or 3 girls.) There are but few pitmen's children here. Perhaps 10 of these boys here may be sent down pits. Two winters ago he had 30 boys at night-school, of whom perhaps 20 were pit lads and these 20 always fell asleep.

(1)	Thos Soulsby	aged 16	is a	Half-marrow	and earns	2s.	0d.	a day.
(2)	John Stuart	16	""	""	""	1s.	8d.	""
(3)	William Thorn	15	""	""	""	1s.	6d.	""
(4)	William Hays	15	""	""	""	1s.	8d.	""
(5)	George Newton	16	""	""	""	1s.	6d.	""
(6)	James Punton	15	""	""	""	1s.	6d.	""
(7)	Mark Friar	15	""	""	""	1s.	6d.	""
(8)	John Borrow	14	""	""	""	1s.	6d.	""
(9)	Glendenning Pot	13	""	Driver	""	1s.	3d.	""
(10)	William Phield	13	""	""	""	1s.	8d.	""
(11)	John Hays	13	""	""	""	1s.	3d.	""
(12)	Michael Pott	12	""	""	""	1s.	3d.	""
(13)	Thomas Fryer	11	""	""	""	1s.	3d.	""
(14)	Robert Lumsden	11	""	Trapper	""		10d.	""
(15)	Charles Dodds	11	""	""	""		10d.	""
(16)	James Borrow	10	""	""	""		10d.	""
(17)	Nicholas Ferguson	8	""	""	""		10d.	""
(18)	Thomas Todd	10	""	""	""		10d.	""

All these do occasionally the work to which they were bound, as named, but not generally being put to other jobs as required All called at 3 o'clock. All are working 12 hours in the pit. Sometimes it is 5 o'clock when they are done. More rarely still it is 6 o'clock. Are paid extra, the drivers 3d. for 2 extra hours and half-marrows, 6d. (6) stops 14 hours every day. Goes in with the men in the mornings. Takes picks in. Hoists a crane. Hoists the corves off the trams on the rolleys. Is never sick or ill. Doctor never attends him. Foot burned 2 years ago by waggons and he was off a week. Is apparently healthy. (4) has been lamed twice by rolleys running over him and a horse flinging at him. Was off 6 months altogether. Big lads often strike him, not to hurt him much. Was never kept off work by being struck or punished. (7) knows a drivers lad who sometimes takes his meat home and cannot eat it. The air where he is is the best, but he is not well. His ill-health does not arise from the pit. Was always a sickly boy; bad at his breast. Never ought to have gone down the pit (3) was bruised twice and was off 6 days. (4) bruised his foot and was off 14 days. Is quite well and sound now. Nothing is the matter with him. Never has a doctor. (8) has been bruised twice. Once was cut in leg and was off 21 weeks. His shoulder was put out and he was off 8 weeks. (9) corves fell on him and he was off a fortnight. Health good. (11) once lamed in the foot with rolleys and was off 5 weeks. Out of these 18 witnesses 10 can read; 11 can write their names 6 can cipher; 7 go regularly to night-school; 3 only go to Sunday-school, about once now and then. Are healthy-looking boys and cannot be brought by any questions to make any further statement relating to their work. They are all witnesses selected by an agent of the colliery.

No. 124. — May 10th. James Foster.

Going to 14. Drives a horse. Gets 1s. 3d. a-day. Has been down this pit above 4 years. Kept a door for 2 years. Goes down at 4 o'clock [a.m.], and looses at 4 [p.m.] It is half-past 4 before he gets home; sometimes 5 o'clock, but not often; and this is when the rolleys are all full and he has to wait for them. Gets up when the caller calls at 3 o'clock [a.m.] and goes to bed about 8 o'clock [p.m.] Once a horse flung him and he was off a week. Is very seldom beat, and the barrow-men beat him only once, for driving wrong. Likes the pit very well. There is good air here. Has a good appetite. Gets plenty to eat. Father is a deputy. Can read [fairly]. Writes his name. Goes to no school at all now. Attends church on Sundays.

No. 125. — Henry Bolam.

About 11. Keeps a door. Gets 10d. a-day. Has been down the pit a month. Is in the pit from 4 to 4, sometimes till 5, not often. Never beaten. Whiles he falls asleep in the pit not going to bed early. Father is a shifter. Can read [fairly]. Writes his name. Goes no school now. No place of worship now. Will go to chapel here when it is built. (Looks delicate).

No. 126. — Thomas Forster.

Going to 10. Keeps a door. Has been down about a month. Works like the preceding and the same hours. Is always healthy. Cannot read at all, never learnt to write. Goes to no school now, except sometimes to Sunday-school. Attends church now and then.

No. 127. — May 25th. Peter Rutter.

Aged 15 and some months. Puts stones now. Has been 5 years down this pit. Kept a door for 2 years. Drove for a year. Was helping up about half a year or so. Next hoisted at the crane a year. Cleaned the way for half a year. Was putting some days. Works 12 hours from 1 o'clock [a.m.] to 1 [p.m.] It is generally 2 before he gets up and home. Puts stones for men who are driving air-courses. Gets 2s. and 1s. 10d. a-day or shift. Always works these hours for one fortnight and changes the hours for 2 [p.m.] till 1 at night the next fortnight. Sometimes the air makes him bad. There is bad air at the crane called Wellington, which fills the men's lamps with fire sometimes. This makes him dizzy and gives him the head work. Some putters put there. Witness travels in the waste sometimes. Whiles he stops longer by two hours than above mentioned, and gets 3d. for that. Has stopped a canny few double shifts, that is 24 hours at a time. Is now putting in low places, and is strained sore it times. The skin of his back is often knocked of. Has now marks on his back where he has hit it yesterday and today. [Shows the marks]. Reads [fairly]; writes his name. Goes to no Sunday-school now, but attends service at a house on Sundays while the chapel is building. There is a night-school in the winter on. Works by day.

No. 128. — William Alder.

Aged 14. Has been down the pit four and a half years. Is now driving at a bank-head. Gets 1s. 6d. a-day. Has been lamed 6 times; 1, the stone fell on him and he was 6 months; 2, rolleys jammed his leg was off 12 weeks; 3, rolleys jammed him and he was off 4 weeks; 4, the same cause laid him off 6 weeks; 5, horse trod him down and he was off a week; 6, the corf jammed his leg against the cleat [a piece of wood on the rolley-end], and was then off 1 week and 2 days. Has three times worked shifts of 24 hours, without coming up the pit. Kept a door in the night shift for half a year, when he was 9 years old. Can read [fairly]; writes his name. Goes to no school, but goes to Methodist chapel.

No. 129. — Robert Walker.

Aged 15. Has been 4 years in the pit. Is now greasing rolleys, and gets 1s. 8d. a-day for that. Works from between 3 and 4 to half-past 4 [p.m. ] Once or twice of a fortnight stops an hour or so longer to get the work out, but gets no more for it. Has stopped double shifts, 24 hours at a time, 6 or 7 times perhaps. Has twice stopped 3 shifts, that is 36 hours following, when they wanted a place made ready for another crane to stand in. Once or twice has been bad from bad air, but not very bad. Reads [fairly]; writes his name. Goes to no school or place of worship.

No. 130. — James Punton.

Aged 15. Hoists at the crane. Makes 1s. 6d. a-day. Has been down pits 9 year about. Was six and a half years old when he went down first. Kept a door for 4 years. Next drove for 3 or 4 years. Has twice wrought double shift; and once wrought 3 shifts together. Has been lame twice, not very bad. Heads very easy words; writes his name. Goes to no school, but got to Primitive Methodist chapel. Sometimes was brayed if he was caught asleep when keeping a door and the putters knocked him about.

No. 131. — William Wilson.

Aged 14. Has been down pits 6 years. Was at Houghton or Newbottle pit 2 years. Was next at Sherwin Hill pit, near Durham, for a year. Next was at Pontop for a year. Is now leading the wood here. Goes down at 6 [a.m.]. and comes up at 6 [p.m.] Has worked double shift, 24 hours at a time, twice here. Was putting always before he came here, along with his brother. His brother braved him when the tram got off the way and used to thump him. Has been lamed once slightly. Cannot read at all, or write. Goes to Sunday-school, and was at school for half a year once.

No. 132. — Michael Pott.

Aged 12. Has been 2 years down this pit. Is driving. Once was lamed with the chain at the bottom of the pit, and was off one day. Can read [fairly]. Writes his name. Goes to no school now. Goes to Ranters' chapel.

No. 133. — John Borrow.

Aged 14. Sometimes helps up, or drives, or cleans the way. Has been down above 4 years. Has been sick now and then with the bad air and was laid off a day or two. Has been lamed twice; once the corf jammed his shoulder and he was off 12 weeks; next was run over by the rolleys, and was off 21 weeks. Can read [fairly]. Writes his name. Goes to no school or place of worship, except at chance times.

No. 134. — William Hays.

Aged 15. Has been down this pit 10 years. Is now leading the wood, and gets 1s. 3d. a-day. Goes down at 6 [a.m.], and comes up at 6 [p.m.] Has 3 times worked double shifts 24 hours at a time. Whiles his head works and that like. Has been lamed twice. Once his leg was broken in two places, two years ago, by the rolleys running over him and was off a years. Walks a little lame now. The other time his leg was broken and was off 6 weeks. Cannot read at all, or write. Has forgotten his schooling. Has been at night-school for a time. Goes to no school or place of worship.

No. 135. — George Alder.

Aged 16 years and 2 months. Has been in pits 9 years; 3 years in this pit. Was at Walbottle for 6 years. Has been unwell of late with the hard work. Is now putting a tram by himself. Has only been on this year at putting and it does not agree with him. Never ailed nought before he went down pits, but has been off since at times, from different things whiles a week. Has twice strained himself since he has been putting, once from a wrench in his back, and another time from a wrench in the side, both done [May 25th] at the same time, and he was off 3 days. Has felt very weak and very sick all this last week, from the work. Is now in a very heavy place, called the Hospital Crane. [Looks very pale and unwell]. Was lamed twice slightly at Walbottle. Has 4 or 5 times worked for 3 shifts, that is 36 hours at a time, at Walbottle; and has worked twice or thrice double shifts there. The ways are not cleaned enough in the pit and the putters have to clean it themselves. Reads [easy words]. Cannot write, excepting very badly. Goes to no school now, but goes to Ranters' meeting, at a house.

No. 136. — Michael Fryer.

Aged 16. Has been down pits 8 or 9 years. Was at St. Lawrence 5 years, where two of the seams are very low. Is loosing of the chains and putting them on the rolleys at the incline bank. Was twice lamed slightly. Has worked double and treble shift a good few times. Reads [fairly]. Writes his name.

No. 137. — Robert Harle.

Aged 16. Has been down pits eleven and a half years — at this pit and Seghill. Is now hoisting at the crane and gets 2s. a-day. Has often been sick and ill with the bad air and when he was putting for a quarter of a year. Putting did not agree with him. The doctor said the work was too much. He was putting as a half-marrow. Has been about 3 times off from illness. Was once off 3 weeks very bad. Was sick, and short of breath and was troubled in his head whiles. Has sometimes thrown up his victuals when down the pit. Has a very bad appetite for victuals. Cannot eat much down the pit, perhaps about a slice and a half of bread; and seldom eats much any way. There is stythe and bad air very nigh all over the pit. He is often dizzy with it. The putters often complain of the bad air. Has worked double shift 5 or 6 times, that is 24 hours at a time. It is a common thing for boys to do this. The putting is very heavy in some places here. Was at school before he went to the pit, but seldom since. There is no Sunday-school [Dissenting] here; but they are building a chapel. Goes to worship sometimes. Can read [fairly]. Writes his name. [Looks pale and unwell.]

No. 138. — Mark Fryer.

Aged 15 next month [brother of preceding witness]. Has been down pits 7 years. At St. Lawrence he was 5 years helping up. It was very hard work there. Is leading wood here. At St. Lawrence the coal-seam was 20 inches and they took up about 6 inches bottom. Has wrought double shift about 10 times here and treble shift twice. They were making places ready for fresh cranes. Has been twice or so sick, so as to throw up his victuals, down e pit, from bad air and hard work. Has to shove a tram when wood leading. Reads [fairly]. Writes his name. Goes to no school now. Last Sunday night he went in at 6 o'clock, and came up at 2 o'clock [a.m.] on Monday morning; then went down again at 6 clock [a.m.] and stopped down many hours after. Often goes in on Sunday evenings, and stays down the pit till Monday evening without coming up.