Boys take in this way from 50 cents to $1 out of their two weeks’ pay. In a local strike in 1900, some fathers complained that the boys did not get the regular rate of wages. When shown that they were paid the standard wage the parents were mortified to learn that they were victims of the ” knock-down ” habit.
How did breaker boys die?
Use of breaker boys For 10 hours a day, six days a week, breaker boys would sit on wooden seats, perched over the chutes and conveyor belts, picking slate and other impurities out of the coal. Others were caught in the rush of coal, and crushed to death or smothered.
What was the job of the breaker boys?
Breaker boys worked in the coal mines. Their main job was to separate chunks of coal by hand. As coal came down the conveyor belt, they would break up the coal into common sized pieces and also separate out any things like rocks, clay and soil.
How many hours a day do the boys usually work John Spargo?
They often worked 14 to 16 hours a day.
What was the breaker boys boss called?
The job would have been bad enough if the youngsters had been able to work at their own pace. But the company feared if left alone they would not pick slate fast enough. So placed over them was the so-called picker boss, whip or stick in hand.
Where did breaker boys come from?
Coal mines employed children to work in the coal breaker, an area outside of the mine where coal was sorted and graded. Known as “breaker boys,” these children would work for ten to twelve hours a day separating slate from coal.
Why was being a breaker boy dangerous?
Being a breaker boy was a tough and dangerous job. The sharp stones in the coal would cut up their fingers. The buildings they worked in were filled with coal dust. Many of them developed asthma or lung cancer.
How did the breaker boys get their name?
Some of these jobs were dangerous causing children to be injured or even killed while working. Three typical jobs worked by children included breaking coal, making matches, and selling newspapers. Children working these jobs earned the nicknames “breaker boys”, “matchgirls”, and “newsies.”
How many days a week did a breaker boy work?
A typical work week for a breaker boy was 6 days a week and 10 hours a day. Being a breaker boy was a tough and dangerous job. The sharp stones in the coal would cut up their fingers.
How much did the boys get paid in the Breakers?
How old was a breaker boy in the Industrial Revolution?
Most breaker boys were between the age of 8 and 12 years old. They would sit on wooden seats separating coal with their bare hands for hours at a time. A typical work week for a breaker boy was 6 days a week and 10 hours a day. Being a breaker boy was a tough and dangerous job. The sharp stones in the coal would cut up their fingers.
How old do you have to be to be a breaker boy?
The removal of impurities was done by hand, usually by breaker boys between the ages of eight and 12 years old. The use of breaker boys began around 1866. For 10 hours a day, six days a week, breaker boys would sit on wooden seats, perched over the chutes and conveyor belts, picking slate and other impurities out of the coal.
