I now come to the timber and deal trade. The labourers connected
with this portion of the trade are rafters or raftsmen, and deal or
stave-porters; these are either permanently or casually employed. I
shall give an account of each, as well as of the system pursued at each
of the docks, beginning with the Commercial, because it does the most
extensive business in this branch of the wood-trade; and here let me
acknowledge the obligations I am under to Mr. Jones, the intelligent
and courteous superintendent, for much valuable information.
The working lumpers, as I before explained, are the labourers employed
to discharge all wood-laden vessels, except foreign ships, which are
discharged by their own crews; the vessels unladen by the lumpers are
discharged sometimes in the dock, and sometimes (when too heavily
laden) in the river. The cargoes of wood-laden vessels are termed
either landed or rafted goods; the “landed” goods are deals, battens,
sleepers, wainscot logs, and indeed all but hewn timber, which is
“rafted.” When a vessel is unladen in the river, the landed goods are
discharged by lumpers, who also load the lighters, whereas in dock the
lumpers discharge them into the company’s barges, which are loaded by
them as well. With smaller vessels, however, which occasionally go
alongside, the lumpers discharge directly to the shore, where the goods
are received by the company’s porters. The lumpers never work on shore.
Of the porters working on shore there are two kinds, viz. deal and
stave-porters, whose duty it is to receive the landed goods and to pile
and sort them, either along the quay or in the building ground, if duty
has to be paid upon them.
The hewn-timber, or rafted goods, the lumpers thrust through the
porthole into the water, and there the raftsman receives them, puts
them into lengths and sizes, and then arranges them in floats--there
being eighteen pieces to a float. If the ship is discharged in the
river, the rafter floats the timber to the docks, and then to the ponds
of the company. If, however, the ship is discharged in dock, then the
raftman floats the timber only from the main dock to the ponds.
The rafters are all freemen, for otherwise they could not work on the
river; they must have served seven years to a waterman, and they are
obliged to pay 3_s._ a-year to the Waterman’s Company for a license.
There are sixteen or seventeen rafters (all preferable men) employed by
the Commercial Dock Company, and in busy times there are occasionally
as many as forty casual rafters, or “pokers,” as they are called,
from their poking about the docks for a job: these casual men are not
capable of rafting a ship, nor are they free watermen, they are only
employed to float the timber from the ship up to the ponds and stow it,
or to attend to deliveries. The skill of the rafter lies in gauging
and sorting the timber according to size, quality, and ownership, and
making it up into floats. It is only an experienced rafter who can
tell the different sizes, qualities, and owners of the timber; this
the pokers, or casual rafters, are unable to do. The pokers, again,
cannot float the timber from the river to the ponds; this is owing to
two reasons: first, they are not allowed to do so on account of not
being free watermen; and, secondly, they are unable to do so from the
difficulty of navigation. The pokers work exclusively in the docks;
neither the rafters nor pokers work under contractors, but the deal and
stave-porters invariably do.
The following statement of a rafter at the Commercial Dock I had from a
prudent, well-behaved, sober man. He was in company with another man,
employed in the same capacity at the same docks, and they both belonged
to the better class of labouring men:--
“I am a rafter at the Commercial Dock. I have been working at that dock
for the last six years, in the same capacity, and before that I was
rafter at the Surrey Dock for between five and six years. I served my
apprenticeship to a waterman. I was bound when I was sixteen. We are
not allowed to work till we have served two years. In my apprenticeship
I was continually engaged in timber-towing, lightering, and at times
sculling; but that I did only when the other business was slack. After
my time was out I went lightering; and about a dozen years after that
I took to rafting. I had been a rafter at the Surrey Canal before
then--while I was in my apprenticeship indeed. I had 18_s._ a-week when
I first commenced rafting at the Surrey Canal; but that, of course,
all went to my master. I was with the Surrey Canal about two years as
rafter, and then I joined another party at 30_s._ a-week in the same
capacity; this party rented a wharf of the Surrey Canal Company, and
I still worked in the dock. There I worked longer time--four hours
longer; the wages would have been as good at the Surrey Canal at
outside work as they were with the second party I joined. The next
place that I went to as rafter was the Commercial Dock, where I am
now, and have been for the last six years. I am paid by the week. When
I work at the dock I have 1_l._ 1_s._ a-week, and when I am rafting
short-hour ships (_i.e._ ships from which we work only from eight till
four) I get 4_s._ per day. When I am working long-hour ships (_i.e._
ships at which the working lasts from six till six) I get 5_s._ a-day;
the other rafters employed by the company are paid the same. Our wages
have remained the same ever since I have been in the business; all the
other men have been lowered, such as carpenters, labourers, watchmen,
deal-porters and the like; but we are not constant men, or else I dare
say ours would have been reduced too. They have lowered the wages of
the old hands, who have been there for years, 1_s._ a-week. Formerly
they had 1_l._ 1_s._, now they get 1_l._; the men are dissatisfied.
The wages of the casual dock-labourers have been reduced a great deal
more than those of the constant men; three months ago they all had
18_s._ a-week, and now the highest wages paid to the casual labourers
is 15_s._ The reason why the wages of the rafters have not been lowered
is, I take it, because we are freemen, and there are not so many to be
had who could supply our places. Not one of a hundred lightermen and
watermen are able to raft. We are only employed at certain times of
the year. Our busy time begins at July, and ends in October. We are
fully employed about four months in the year, and get during that time
from 1_l._ 1_s._ to 30_s._ a-week, or say 25_s._ upon an average. The
rest of our time we fills up as we can. Some of the rafters has boats,
and they look out for a job at sculling; but that’s poor enough now.”
“Ah, very poor work, indeed,” said an old weather-beaten man who was
present, and had had 40 years’ experience at the business. “When I
first joined it, it was in the war time,” he added, “and then I was
scarcely a day idle, and now I can’t get work for better than half my
time.”
“For the other eight months,” continued the other man, “I should think
the rafters upon an average make 5_s._ a-week. Some of them has boats,
and some gets a job at timber-towing; but some (and that’s the greatest
number) has nothing at all to turn their hands to excepting the casual
dock labour; that is, anything they can chance to get hold of. I don’t
think those who depend upon the casual labour of the docks after the
fall season is over (the fall ships are the last that come) make 5_s._
a-week, take one man with another. I should say, more likely, their
weekly earnings is about 4_s._ There are about 16 rafters at the
Commercial Docks, and only one single man among the number. They none
of them save any money during the busy season. They are in debt when
the brisk time comes, and it takes them all the summer to get clear;
which perhaps they does by the time the fall ships have done, and then,
of course, they begin going on in the old strain again. A rafter’s life
is merely getting into debt and getting clear of it,--that is it--and
that is a great part of the life of all the labourers along shore.”
He then produced the following account of his earnings for the last
year:--
1st week £ 1 1 0
2d „ 1 8 0[28]
3d „ 1 4 0
4th „ 1 5 6
5th „ 0 0 0
6th „ 1 1 0
7th „ 0 0 0
8th „ 1 1 0
9th „ 0 0 0
10th „ 1 1 0
11th „ 0 4 0[29]
12th „ 1 1 0
13th „ 0 4 0[29]
14th „ 0 7 6
15th „ 0 0 0
16th „ 0 0 0
17th „ 1 1 0
18th „ 0 10 0[29]
19th „ 1 4 0
20th „ 0 17 6[29]
21st „ 0 13 0
22d „ 0 7 0
23d „ 1 1 0
24th „ 0 10 0[29]
25th „ 0 2 6
26th „ 0 4 0
27th „ 0 1 0
28th „ 1 1 0[30]
29th „ 1 4 0
30th „ 1 3 0
31st „ 1 1 0
32d „ 1 6 0
33d „ 1 3 0
34th „ 1 1 0
35th „ 0 14 0
36th „ 1 7 0
37th „ 2 0 0
38th „ 1 5 0[31]
39th „ 1 0 6
40th „ 1 4 0
41st „ 1 10 0
42d „ 1 4 0
43d „ 1 10 0
44th „ 1 14 0
45th „ 1 5 6
46th „ 1 10 4
47th „ 0 5 0
48th „ 1 10 0
49th „ 1 10 0
50th „ 1 10 0
51st „ 1 7 0
52d „ 1 1 0
1850.
1st week £ 1 10 0
2d „ 0 10 6
3d „ 1 1 0
4th „ 0 12 6
5th „ 2 10 6[32]
6th „ 1 1 0
7th „ 1 7 0
8th „ 1 8 0
9th „ 0 19 0
10th „ 1 1 0[33]
11th „ 0 3 0[29]
12th „ 0 18 0[33]
13th „ 0 10 0[29]
14th „ 0 0 0
15th „ 1 0 0
16th „ 0 12 0
17th „ 1 1 0
18th „ 1 5 0[33]
19th „ 1 0 0
20th „ 0 0 0
[28] Outside work.
[29] Jobbing.
[30] Busy time begins.
[31] Working Sunday and nights.
[32] Contract job on river.
[33] Dock work.
This gives an average for the seventy-two weeks above cited of 18_s._
6-1/4_d._ per week.
[Illustration: LUMPERS DISCHARGING TIMBER-SHIP IN COMMERCIAL DOCKS.
[_From a Sketch._]]
“Where I get 1_l._” the man continued, after I had copied his accounts,
“many don’t get 5_s._ I know many friends on the river, and I get
a number of odd jobs which others can’t. In the last six years my
earnings have been much about the same; but others, I am sure, don’t
make half what I do--I have earned 1_l. _8_s._ when I know they have
been walking about and not earned a penny. In busy times, as many as
forty pokers are employed; sometimes for as many as five weeks in the
year. They get 3_s._ 6_d._ a-day from six to six. After they are out of
work they do as best they can. It’s impossible to tell how one-half of
them live. Half their time they are starving. The wives of the rafters
go some of them charing; some are glove-makers, and others dressmakers.
None that I know of do slopwork.”
I now come to the deal and stave-porters. First, as to those employed
at the Commercial Docks.
From a man who has an excellent character given to him by his employers
I had the following account:--
“At our dock,” he said, “timber and corn are the principal articles;
but they are distinct branches and have distinct labourers. I am in the
deal part; when a foreign timber-ship comes to the dock, the timber is
heaved out of the porthole by the crew themselves. The deal ships, too,
are sometimes unloaded by the foreigners themselves, but not often;
three or four out of a dozen may. Ours is very dangerous work: we pile
the deals sometimes ninety deals high--higher at the busiest time, and
we walk along planks, with no hold, carrying the deals in our hands,
and only our firm tread and our eye to depend upon. We work in foggy
weather, and never stop for a fog; at least, we haven’t for eight or
nine years, to my knowledge. In that sort of weather accidents are
frequent. There was last year, I believe, about thirty-five falls, but
no deaths. If it’s a bad accident, the deal-porters give 6_d._ a-piece
on Saturday night, to help the man that’s had it. There’s no fund for
sickness. We work in gangs of five usually, sometimes more. We are
paid for carrying 100 of 12-feet deals, 1_s._ 9_d._; 14 feet, 2_s._
2_d._; 20 and 21 feet, 3_s._; 22 feet, 3_s._ 8_d._; and from 24 to 27
feet, 4_s._ 3_d._ That’s at piece-work. We used to have 3_d._ per 100
more for every sort, but it was reduced three or four months back,--or
more, may be. In a general way we are paid nothing extra for having to
carry the deals beyond an average distance, except for what we call
long runs: that’s as far, or about as far, as the dock extends from the
place we start to carry the deals from. One week with another, the year
through, we make from 12_s._ to 15_s._; the 15_s._ by men who have the
preference when work is slack. We’re busiest from July to Christmas.
I’m the head of a gang or team of five, and I’m only paid as they are;
but I have the preference if work is slack, and so have the men in my
team. Five men must work at the Commercial, or none at all. We are paid
in the dock at the contractor’s office (there are three contractors),
at four o’clock every Saturday evening. Drinking is kept down in our
dock, and with my contractor drunkards are discharged. The men are
all satisfied but for the lowering of their wages. No doubt they
can get labour cheaper still, there’s so many idlers about. A dozen
years back, or so, they did pay us in a public-house. Our deal-porters
are generally sober men. The beer-men only come into the dock twice
a-day--ten in the morning, and half-past three in the afternoon--and
the men never exceed a pint at a time.”