The New Britain Times Mine Collapse Shocks Oakland Family Published: May 26, 1874 By VIVIAN VAN DERLIST “Since the day we were born I thought that my brother and I would never be separated.” said Timothy Oakland
out of breathe as he stared back at the collapsed mine.
Timothy Oakland, a 12 year old boy was very shocked when he lost his brother in a coal mine collapse accident 2 days ago, May 24th. Timothy and Matthew Oakland were doing their daily duties down in the coal mine when one of the walls between the two boys collapsed. Matthew’s exit to his brother and the elevator was blocked. There was no escape; all around him was hard muddy walls and coal. Timothy attempted to push away the rocks and rescue his brother but the rocks were too heavy. Matthew yelled for help and could
Dull morning at the coal mine before the collapse occurred.
He had no other choice but to leave his brother behind, so he did, and stepped into the crowded metal lift and slowly surfaced back to earth.
be heard, but no one could help him and the fumes were starting to weaken him and made it hard for him to breath. “I could hear him begging for help. Yelling until his voice became hoarse” said Timothy with a worried look on his face. Timothy was desperate to get to his brother but he knew that nothing could be done. All the other workers, adults and children, started to evacuate towards the lift. Timothy had to follow the crowd of scared workers or else his fate would be the same as his brothers.
When talking to Timothy he did not seem at easeand constantly apologized for the smallest things. Now that Britain is well into the Industrial Revolution, children at such young agesare having a hard time. Children are being mishandled all over the country and come home to a quiet and dull home with barely enough food to feed the family. Timothy said in a worried voice “I walked home with my mom that evening… faces black, covered in coal. We knew that when we got home another challenge
started. My mom and I now had to live off
the coal mine becausethe minor wall
of each other and earn enough money to
collapse caused the entire colliery to
keep us going.” The reason why children
become weak. “Now that I can no longer
need to work at factories to begin with is
work at the coal mine I have to find
becausethey’re parents don’t earn enough
someplace else to work. My mom has to
money to sustain the family. The children
find someplace else as well since we both
are taken out of education so that they can
worked at the same coal mine.” said
work at factories and earn money for the
Timothy. Since cheap labor is in great
family. Since the children aren’t given an
demand it was not hard for a small boy
education they won’t be able to get a better
with little fingers like his to find a job at a
job than working in a factory. Hence, later
textile factory. However, Timothy’s
on in life they will get children and their
mother, who was starting to grey, could not
children will have to be taken out of
find a factory or any work place that would
education and work at a factory as well.
take her. So she started to beg on the roads
This cycle will continue until a child steps
and steal food from bakeries and other
up and does something that will gain
stores that would provide food. The
money; like some of our industrial
Oakland family was truly desperate to keep
inventors, who brought something to our
their little dilapidated home by earning
world that amazed our people.
enough money only through Timothy and to find enough food to survive.
Factories are meant to provide us with luxuries and improve the way in which we
Working at the textile factory takes a lot of
live. However, it comes at a high cost; there
effort. Timothy has to work 6 days a week
are in fact people who suffer. All the hard
for 14 hours each day. He worked such long
work gets put on the shoulders of the lower
hours when he worked at the coal mine as
class; they are the factory workers that
well, but since he is new to the textile
work all day with the new machinery to
factory, the days seem longer. When he
produce products for the middle and upper
worked at the coal mine he used his pick
class. Working in a factory can be very
axe all day and brought coal up to the
dangerous for a human being, especially
surface. He now has to work with little
children. Timothy could no longer work at
machines, which he did not use before
when he worked at the coal mine.
they do not grow hungry or lose their
“Working with the machines is really
house. In some casesworking children do
challenging. Every time I do something
not even have a home, so they have to sleep
wrong this scary man comes up to me and
on the streets.
yells at me. He has this rope in his right hand that he usesto hit the other workers.”
Timothy continues to work at the textile
said Timothy. Adult overseers whip
mill and earns just enough money to keep
children that fall asleep from exhaustion or
him and his mother alive. He continues to
who constantly make mistakes. However,
learn how to use the new machines and is
even though factories may seem like a
able to work quicker without being
place where children are being tortured
whipped by the overseer. “I’m happy to
there is always a plus point to everything.
work at the textile factory and be able to
The children are working for a reason; they
help my mom. I can tell that she is having a
earn money. By earning money they can
hard time and I don’t want her to worry
sustain their family and make sure that
any longer.” said Timothy as I walked away.
Bibliography McDougal Littell Modern World History Textbook - pgs. 252, 258, 259, 260, 262, 271 Primary Source – The Dark Side of Industrialization Primary Source - Life in a New England Factory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_mining http://www.victorianweb.org/history/hist8.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_mining_in_the_United_Kingdom http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/tuttle.labor.child.britain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour http://www.thefreeresource.com/industrial-revolution-timeline-facts-and-resources