In the foregoing narratives frequent mention has been made of the
Casual Labourers at the timber-docks; and I now proceed to give some
short account of the condition and earnings of this most wretched
class. On the platform surrounding the Commercial Dock basins are a
number whom I have heard described as “idlers,” “pokers,” and “casual
labourers.” These men are waiting in hopes of a job, which they rarely
obtain until all the known hands have been set to work before them. The
casual labourers confine themselves to no particular dock, but resort
to the one which they account the most likely to want hands; and some
even of the more regularly employed deal-porters change their docks
occasionally for the same reason. These changes of locality puzzle the
regular deal-porters in the estimation of the number of hands in their
calling at the respective docks. On my visits the casual labourers were
less numerous than usual, as the summer is the season when such persons
consider that they have the best chance in the country. But I saw
groups of 10 and 20 waiting about the docks; some standing alone, and
some straggling in twos and threes, as they waited, all looking dull
and listless. These men, thus wearisomely waiting, could not be called
ragged, for they wore mostly strong canvas or fustian suits--large, and
seemingly often washed jackets, predominating; and rents, and tatters
are far less common in such attire than in woollen-cloth garments. From
a man dressed in a large, coarse, canvas jacket, with worn corduroy
trousers, and very heavy and very brown laced-leather boots, I had the
following statement, in a somewhat provincial tone:--
“My father was a small farmer in Dorsetshire. I was middling educated,
and may thank the parson for it. I can read the Bible and spell most
of the names there. I was left destitute, and I had to shift for
myself--that’s nine year ago, I think. I’ve hungered, and I’ve ordered
my bottle of wine since, sir. I got the wine when railways was all the
go; and I was a navvy; but I didn’t like wine-drinking; I drank it
just for the fun of the thing, or mayhap because gentlemen drink it.
The port was like rather rough beer, but stronger, certainly. Sherry
I only had once or twice, and liked good ale better. I shifted my
quarters every now and then till within two or three years ago, and
then I tried my hand in London. At first Mr. ---- (a second cousin of
my father he was) helped me now and then, and he gave me odd jobs at
portering for himself, as he was a grocer, and he got me odd jobs from
other people besides. When I was a navvy I should at the best time have
had my 50_s._ a-week, and more if it hadn’t been for the tommy-shops;
and I’ve had my 15_s._ a-week in portering in London for my cousin;
but sometimes I came down to 10_s._, and sometimes to 5_s._ My cousin
died sudden, and I was very hard up after that. I made nothing at
portering some weeks. I had no one to help me; and in the spring of
last year--and very cold it often was--I’ve walked after 10, 11, or 12
at night, many a mile to lie down and sleep in any bye-place. I never
stole, but have been hard tempted. I’ve thought of drowning myself, and
of hanging myself, but somehow a penny or two came in to stop that.
Perhaps I didn’t seriously intend it. I begged sometimes of an evening.
I stayed at lodging-houses, for one can’t sleep out in bad weather,
till I heard from one lodger that he took his turn at the Commercial
Dock. He worked at timber, or corn, or anything; and so I went, about
the cholera time last year, and waited, and run from one dock to
another, because I was new and hadn’t a chance like the old hands. I’ve
had 14_s._ a-week sometimes; and many’s the week I’ve had three, and
more’s the week I’ve had nothing at all. They’ve said, ‘I don’t know
you.’ I’ve lived on penny loaves--one or two a-day, when there was no
work, and then I’ve begged. I don’t know what the other people waiting
at any of the docks got. I didn’t talk to them much, and they didn’t
talk much to me.”