Читать книгу Old Convict Times to Gold Digging Days - William Derricourt - Страница 19

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Without delay Captain Foster, the Comptroller-General, decided on an exchange of prisoners at the coal mines. All the old hands were withdrawn, and replaced by probationers. The old hands were sent back to Port Arthur, a settlement that differed from the others in the important respect that the rations were sufficient.

On my arrival at the coal mines I had my irons split, that is the centre ring was removed, so that I could fasten the loose chain of links to either leg, thus having a great deal more freedom to move. The five or six hundred workers at the mines were told off in shifts for the different workings. They were divided into wards ranged round the yard. The cookhouse was in one corner of this yard, next to the men's huts, and the police barracks were within shot, and so situated as to command a view of everything going on in our enclosure. Near the office of the Courthouse a sentry was posted on an embankment overlooking the sea, while the semaphore, a short distance off, communicated with Port Arthur and Hobart Town.

The day after my reaching the mines I was placed in one of the shifts and set to work with the rest. In hauling up the coal to the top eight men were employed at the roller and flywheel. The trucks or boxes containing the coal were each placed on a frame on four wheels and run along a tramline to the screen, where the coal was loaded into larger trucks holding a ton each, and with a trapdoor in the bottom for emptying purposes when they had been run over the hatchways of the colliers.

On the top of the colliery shaft there was a large crank, called the "Walmsley," which was worked by twelve men on each side, continually pumping water from the workings—Sundays as well as week days.

On my first morning I was lowered down the shaft sitting face to face with another man, and our whole shift thus came down in couples, sitting astride on an iron bar, with a hook at each end and the rope from the roller passing through a hole in the middle. At the bottom we landed on the "sump"—a large hole boarded over, in which were fixed the pumps. We then passed along the drift—a double roadway, with two sets of rails.

At the bottom of the shaft, on this double road, we met three men, or "Dervon donkeys," as we used to call them, hauling a truck of water in a fashion which I soon had to learn. They were, because of the lowness of the drive, almost on all fours, holding on and dragging with their hands on the rails. Some of them had boots, and some of them, who were not yet due for "slops," had none. They were puffing and blowing, and reeking and steaming from their exertions. The poor donkeys were forced to make every effort to get their work over by a certain time. The sooner this was done the sooner they were allowed on top; while, on the other hand, if any should lag, he and his companions would have to wait down without food while the next two shifts were being hauled up.

In my turn I was fitted with my harness. A collar was passed over my shoulders and I had breeching and trace chains, which last were passed between my legs and fastened by a hook to the drag chain, which ran from the leading donkey to the coal truck. Three men were hooked on in front one after the other, and the fourth, or putter, was stationed behind to prevent tipping up. This man, to protect his head, wore a great padded arrangement something like that on which Italian image-sellers balance their wares.

The drives were lighted, though dimly enough, by lamps filled with oil or fat. These added greatly to the stifling heat of the mine. The haulers were able to wear nothing but their trousers.

Being yoked up in the way described, the word was given to start and off we went, up and down for about a mile to the face of the workings. It was known by a system of tally marks by which hewer each truck had been filled, and if the hewer put in too much slack his truck was returned to him. The quantity of coal to be sent up was forty trucks or boxes each shift, and these had to be drawn out and returned by stages like a line of coaches. I, a new hand, had for my portion the sharpest and hardest part of the road, near the shaft. This was the usual plan, as later the new-comer could be promoted to a more level way further in.

By this time, owing to the form of my punishment at the settlement, where I had had to drag the log as described, I had nearly recovered my strength. I looked back with regret to the settlement. I had, it is true, been considered an incorrigible—"a government pebble and no sandstone," but, through the pity shown me, I had often dropped in for extras—a fig of tobacco, or some other trifle placed in my way by passers-by. Now, a fig of tobacco six inches long would supply me with many little luxuries. Tobacco cut into inch lengths was our money. An inch of tobacco would buy two cubes of bread—one man's ration. Strong as I was now I often relieved my brother donkeys by dragging single-handed, with merely the help of the putter to keep the load from tipping. Together with my strength, my early training among bulls, dogs, and fighting men, stood me in good stead, and I was soon in a position to bully down any who were inclined to interfere with our turn in getting our truck loaded or molest us in any other way. As I was 5 feet 11 inches, my chain was too short for a middle donkey, and so I was promoted to be leader and spokesman of our team. I used my position to threaten the hewer and filler with my vengeance should our truck be sent back for bad or short coal.

When the last of the shift finished we were hauled up, waited till all hands were mustered, and then were marched off to the yard, all being carefully searched by the gatekeeper. Dinner was next brought from the cook-house. The messes were of six each, provided with wooden kids for soup and meat. When the meat pot was put on the table the contents were divided into six shares. The soup was served out in tins, with two or three potatoes dry, but any other vegetables were swimming in it. When all was ready one man stood up with his back to the table, and another tapping each successive lot of victuals with his knife, asked "who shall have this?" If there was a particularly bony portion, the auctioneer would strike the bone smartly with the knife, and then he always got from his assistant the answer, "new chum." Because of my well-known skill with my fists I, however, soon escaped from being put upon in this way. There was a Scotchman in our mess who, when the shares seemed unequal, used to say "Tak a wee bit frae the mickle ane and pit it to the wee ane." At night the huts were well guarded, a sentry being placed outside; and, before we turned in, the corporal, sergeant, or superintendent would read the roll, when each prisoner had to answer to his name or number.

The principal officers at the mine were the superintendent, parson, doctor, and "coxswain," the last a one-armed man. The mining manager was a ticket-of-leave man, who could neither read nor write, but who was taught to do both by his servant while I was at the mines. Every other office was held by a selected prisoner. All cases of misconduct were heard by Captain Bartley, commanding the troops.

After our first week's work I and my mates were tired, dirty, and as black as any devils through crawling in slush and mud, made up of wet coal dust. Unfortunately, my first Sunday was passed at the "Walmsley," or pumps. Next week I was put on nightwork, consequently, I had no spell between shifts. The one advantage was being in the yard during the day. When the commissary boats came from the Sounds with rations, the word was passed for volunteers to carry stores. I, anxious to see about the place, and being put up to how to act by the old hands, always volunteered. In carrying meat I, being strong as a horse, would reach the resting-place on the embankment long before the others staggered up from the jetty. Should there be a bit to be screwed off, off it came, and the same with flour when I could manage to get any by sticking my fingers into the bottoms of the bags. Raw potatoes, too, were heartily devoured. The only way to get anything without detection was to bolt it immediately.

The Governor, Sir John Franklin, attended by the Commandant, Comptroller General, and the Commissary-General—I think at that time Captain Moriarty—was in the habit of visiting the mines every two months or so, and after all hands mustered he would, for about twenty minutes, lecture them earnestly on their position, their duties, and the necessity for obedience and good conduct in general. I shall never forget him as he used to stand during his speeches, with his face turned up and his eyes closed. He would now and then pause and take a huge dose of snuff with a golden spoon from a golden snuffbox which he carried in his deep waistcoat pocket.

During the first part of my time in the mines I was fairly lucky in keeping out of all scrapes. My troubles later had much to do with the state of my boots. By continual working in the drives these had become utterly useless. I could not even tie them on my feet. It wanted two months to the time when boots would be served out, and for one entire month I worked quite barefooted in the mine, and had to walk from it to the yards in the same state. My feet at last became so burned and blistered that the pain was almost unbearable.