150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (6th - 12th DECEMBER 1871)
This week's stories include the epidemics raging in St Helens, the fatal Pocket Nook railway crash, the curious controversy over school boards, the curling match at Rainhill, the cosy pay rises for a Newton workforce, more on the Whiston water well problem and a case of dire poverty in Liverpool.
We begin on the 6th when St Helens Town Council heard a lengthy explanation from Alderman McNicholl – the Health Committee chairman – of actions taken to deal with the raging epidemics of smallpox and measles. Deaths from the latter during an outbreak were rarely low. I've no figures for the 1870s – but in 1917 it was revealed that during the previous ten years there had been over 1,000 deaths from measles in St Helens.
Some areas of Parr were also afflicted by typhoid fever and the council gave directions to their Surveyor to supply those parts with pure water. That might seem an odd statement – implying that impure water could be delivered to unaffected areas! But water was being rationed to St Helens townsfolk as the Corporation's existing waterworks on Eccleston Hill regularly ran dry. Their new well at Whiston – which became operational in the summer – had long been touted as the solution to the scarcity.
However, two months ago the St Helens Water Committee had to admit that they had a problem with their Whiston well. A geologist had assured the committee that a borehole could be driven down to a depth of 100 yards below the bottom of the well. However, the engineer in charge had only bored down 37 yards when the rock formation drastically changed and operations needed to be suspended. So the embarrassed expert recommended sinking a new borehole on the eastern boundary of Whiston by the railway and connecting it to the present well by a tunnel.
As a result this advert was published this week in the Wigan Observer: "To Sinkers and Others – The Corporation of St. Helens are prepared to receive tenders for driving a tunnel 240 yards in length, at the Whiston Pumping Station. Specification may be obtained on application to Mr. Thos. S. Stooke, C. E. Whiston, Prescot. Tenders to be sent in addressed Clerk not later than 12 o'clock on Wednesday, the 13th instant. The Corporation do not pledge themselves to accept the lowest or any tender. By Order, Harold Pilkington, Town Clerk, Hardshaw-st., St. Helens, 5th Dec., 1871."
The tunnel tenders had to be sent in pretty sharpish but then some embarrassment needed covering up pretty quickly! It's surprising how young some of the officials running St Helens then were. Harold Pilkington the Town Clerk was only 27 and Thomas Stooke, the engineer in charge, was only 31.
It's amazing the fuss that used to be made over school boards. These became council schools in 1902 but when the Elementary Education Act of 1870 called for the setting up of school boards, it became a hugely controversial issue. That was because the church thought providing education was their job and so fought tooth and nail against the creation of schools managed by elected board members and part-funded by the State.
The problem was that 2 million children in England had no access to education and so board schools were needed to bridge the gap – although it was up to local authorities to establish these schools and it was not mandatory. So when St Helens Town Council considered the matter at their meeting, there was considerable push back. Councillor Allen stoked the flames by moving the appointment of a committee to consider the educational needs of the borough and report back on whether school boards should be set up.
That seemed a reasonable first step; do your research first and then generate proposals for discussion. But Alderman Webster thought otherwise. He claimed that it was not advisable to adopt the Act and set up such schools because of the "ill-feeling, angry discussion, and difficulty created". Alderman Gamble supported the motion saying that if they found they had a "large amount of ignorance to deplore" (i.e. many children not attending school) then the longer a remedy was withheld the more difficult the task would become. However, Councillor Bishop was another opponent, saying that where such boards had been formed, "very painful excitement and ill-feeling" had been created in nearly every instance.
The proposer of the motion, Councillor Allen, shared some revealing stats that he had obtained from the medical inspector of factories. These showed that of the children employed within St Helens' works, 21% could not read, write or cipher (do sums) at all. Only 6% were considered to have satisfactory abilities in what later would be known as the "three Rs". One might have thought that schooling was more important than principles but when the motion was put to the vote, it was rejected by twelve votes to eight. Even 25 years later when the future four-time mayor Henry Bates stood for election to the council, "no school board" was a central plank of his election campaign.
On the 8th, a 3-hour curling match took place on a frozen pond at Rainhill. More than 30 members of the Liverpool branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club participated in the game. The St Helens Newspaper remarked that the ice had been in "excellent condition, and admirably adapted to test the skill of those engaged in the contest."
The Warrington Examiner on the 9th reported on the cosy relationship that existed between George McCorquodale – the owner of a large printing works in Newton-le-Willows – and his workforce. It sounded like an awful lot of cap doffing went on when a pay rise was awarded! The paper wrote:
"A week ago Mr. McCorquodale requested the presence of a deputation of his workmen from the various departments, the same being promptly complied with. Mr. McCorquodale, on the meeting of the deputation, stated that the firm had not been unobservant of the changes which were taking place throughout the country between employer and employed; and, considering the prosperous state of the country, good trade, &c., he thought it was only reasonable and fair to give the working-man some benefit from this satisfactory state of things.
"He had therefore great pleasure in announcing to them that the firm had decided to give all the journeymen in the establishment 2s. per week of an advance, the advance to begin on the 1st of January, 1872. Mr. McCorquodale dwelt at some length on the various interviews which had taken place on other occasions, all which were of a gratifying nature, and he was proud to think that such a good feeling existed. Mr. Ball, on behalf of the deputation, and those whom they represented, begged to return hearty and sincere thanks for the boon, and also for the kind, courteous, and considerate manner in which the deputation had been received."
Getting a brass band to parade the streets before a meeting is one way to boost attendance. It certainly worked for the entertainment committee of the Viaduct Works in Earlestown – as described by the Warrington Examiner: "The third entertainment of the season took place in the Reading-room, on Saturday evening last, Mr. P. Jones in the chair. Prior to the opening of the proceedings, the band paraded the principal streets, which, acting as a reminder, caused the room to be well filled."
On the 11th there was another railway accident in St Helens when a train to Wigan struck wagons at Pocket Nook. The morning was foggy and so the engine driver did not spot the obstruction on the line until it was too late. It was a common practice for drivers and stokers to jump off trains in such circumstances, fearing an impact would lead to their engine toppling off the track. That was, of course, a dangerous act which took the life of James Garthling. The stoker from Sutton rebounded off a pile of cinders back towards the rails and one of the train's carriages struck and killed him. The St Helens Newspaper wrote:
"A moment afterwards the train dashed into the waggons, hurtling them along the line, demolishing buffers, smashing the foremost carriage, and shaking all the others most violently. Shouts, shrieks, and confused cries arose from the thirty passengers confined within the colliding carriages, and numbers of railway officials and others hastened to the spot to render aid."
According to the 1871 census, John Christian employed five men and seven boys at his carriage works at 25 Ormskirk Street. He had made his own bicycle for a while – but seemingly did not have sufficient buyers of the "curious vehicles", as the St Helens Newspaper had called the new-fangled, expensive cycling machines. In the Newspaper on the 12th, Christian was advertising the "St. Helens Cart", weighing from 3½ cwt. and made to carry four persons. The vehicles were made on his premises and had been exhibited at agricultural shows in the district.
And finally, this letter was published in the Liverpool Mercury this week concerning a case of dire poverty in the city: "A PITIABLE CASE. – Gentlemen, I have just visited a case of great destitution. I was asked for alms by a lad about eleven years of age, the other day, whose rags were barely sufficient to cover that part of his person which decency forbids to be exposed, although the wind was bitterly cold. He trembled much, and when I relieved him [gave him money] I told him to come to our house for a loaf last evening. He did not make his appearance, and, happening to know where he lives, I have been to see the reason why.
"I found him in a room of a house, in a court out of Brick-street, the window of which contained only one or two broken panes of glass, the other portion being covered with matting to keep out the wind and rain. There was one stool in the room and a small form. No fire in the grate; no kitchen utensils beyond an old tin and a pot or two, and no food of any description. I thought the room was unoccupied. But I had been told the lad was there. I turned round, and saw an old mattress with a bundle of rags upon it, and a kitten sitting upon the bundle. I called, and the lad put his head and shoulders from under the rags, where he had crouched to keep off the cold.
"He was perfectly naked, the piece of old sacking serving him for bed-clothes. He told me he was taken ill the day he saw me, and had not been up since. He had not tasted food the day before, nor broken his fast that day. His mother had gone to the parish to see if special relief could be given in their present distress, and had not returned. Here was a case of as fine a lad as ever I saw (taking the lines of his features), on the verge of fatal starvation. Had I not given him relief, my conviction is that the vital power would have become so faint that death would have ensued." J. H.
Three days day this letter from the local Relieving Officer was published in the paper. He made small payments (usually in the form of food) to those in desperate need within the community – which was cheaper than placing the poor in the workhouse. Note how confidentiality and what we would call data protection were non-existent concepts in the 1870s:
"With reference to the letter in Monday's Daily Mercury headed “A Pitiable Case,” I ascertained the name and address of the parties, and found it to be the case of Ann Clarke, 73, Brick-street, who has been in receipt of outdoor relief since the death of her husband about two years ago. Ann Clarke is a widow 49 years of age. She chars, but either cannot or will not state the amount of her earnings. She has three children – viz. Ralph, 13, on board the training ship Indefatigable; Mary Ann, 14, sells sand and chips; and John, 11, who should attend school, but is sent out by his mother to beg.
"I visited Mrs. Clarke twice on Monday, the 4th instant – the first time a little after three p.m. in the afternoon, and the next time at half-past eleven o’clock at night. On the latter occasion Mrs. Clarke was very much under the influence of drink. When I accused her of it she denied it, but her daughter said she had been with Mrs. Gomer, when a friend had given them a few glasses of ale. Mrs. Clarke and her two children appeared to be in good health."
Next week's stories will include more criticism of the drinking culture in Rainford, the smallpox epidemic at Haydock, the indecent assault in Bold and the terrible trauma that was endured by elephants while being transported at sea.
We begin on the 6th when St Helens Town Council heard a lengthy explanation from Alderman McNicholl – the Health Committee chairman – of actions taken to deal with the raging epidemics of smallpox and measles. Deaths from the latter during an outbreak were rarely low. I've no figures for the 1870s – but in 1917 it was revealed that during the previous ten years there had been over 1,000 deaths from measles in St Helens.
Some areas of Parr were also afflicted by typhoid fever and the council gave directions to their Surveyor to supply those parts with pure water. That might seem an odd statement – implying that impure water could be delivered to unaffected areas! But water was being rationed to St Helens townsfolk as the Corporation's existing waterworks on Eccleston Hill regularly ran dry. Their new well at Whiston – which became operational in the summer – had long been touted as the solution to the scarcity.
However, two months ago the St Helens Water Committee had to admit that they had a problem with their Whiston well. A geologist had assured the committee that a borehole could be driven down to a depth of 100 yards below the bottom of the well. However, the engineer in charge had only bored down 37 yards when the rock formation drastically changed and operations needed to be suspended. So the embarrassed expert recommended sinking a new borehole on the eastern boundary of Whiston by the railway and connecting it to the present well by a tunnel.
As a result this advert was published this week in the Wigan Observer: "To Sinkers and Others – The Corporation of St. Helens are prepared to receive tenders for driving a tunnel 240 yards in length, at the Whiston Pumping Station. Specification may be obtained on application to Mr. Thos. S. Stooke, C. E. Whiston, Prescot. Tenders to be sent in addressed Clerk not later than 12 o'clock on Wednesday, the 13th instant. The Corporation do not pledge themselves to accept the lowest or any tender. By Order, Harold Pilkington, Town Clerk, Hardshaw-st., St. Helens, 5th Dec., 1871."
It's amazing the fuss that used to be made over school boards. These became council schools in 1902 but when the Elementary Education Act of 1870 called for the setting up of school boards, it became a hugely controversial issue. That was because the church thought providing education was their job and so fought tooth and nail against the creation of schools managed by elected board members and part-funded by the State.
The problem was that 2 million children in England had no access to education and so board schools were needed to bridge the gap – although it was up to local authorities to establish these schools and it was not mandatory. So when St Helens Town Council considered the matter at their meeting, there was considerable push back. Councillor Allen stoked the flames by moving the appointment of a committee to consider the educational needs of the borough and report back on whether school boards should be set up.
That seemed a reasonable first step; do your research first and then generate proposals for discussion. But Alderman Webster thought otherwise. He claimed that it was not advisable to adopt the Act and set up such schools because of the "ill-feeling, angry discussion, and difficulty created". Alderman Gamble supported the motion saying that if they found they had a "large amount of ignorance to deplore" (i.e. many children not attending school) then the longer a remedy was withheld the more difficult the task would become. However, Councillor Bishop was another opponent, saying that where such boards had been formed, "very painful excitement and ill-feeling" had been created in nearly every instance.
The proposer of the motion, Councillor Allen, shared some revealing stats that he had obtained from the medical inspector of factories. These showed that of the children employed within St Helens' works, 21% could not read, write or cipher (do sums) at all. Only 6% were considered to have satisfactory abilities in what later would be known as the "three Rs". One might have thought that schooling was more important than principles but when the motion was put to the vote, it was rejected by twelve votes to eight. Even 25 years later when the future four-time mayor Henry Bates stood for election to the council, "no school board" was a central plank of his election campaign.
On the 8th, a 3-hour curling match took place on a frozen pond at Rainhill. More than 30 members of the Liverpool branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club participated in the game. The St Helens Newspaper remarked that the ice had been in "excellent condition, and admirably adapted to test the skill of those engaged in the contest."
The Warrington Examiner on the 9th reported on the cosy relationship that existed between George McCorquodale – the owner of a large printing works in Newton-le-Willows – and his workforce. It sounded like an awful lot of cap doffing went on when a pay rise was awarded! The paper wrote:
"A week ago Mr. McCorquodale requested the presence of a deputation of his workmen from the various departments, the same being promptly complied with. Mr. McCorquodale, on the meeting of the deputation, stated that the firm had not been unobservant of the changes which were taking place throughout the country between employer and employed; and, considering the prosperous state of the country, good trade, &c., he thought it was only reasonable and fair to give the working-man some benefit from this satisfactory state of things.
"He had therefore great pleasure in announcing to them that the firm had decided to give all the journeymen in the establishment 2s. per week of an advance, the advance to begin on the 1st of January, 1872. Mr. McCorquodale dwelt at some length on the various interviews which had taken place on other occasions, all which were of a gratifying nature, and he was proud to think that such a good feeling existed. Mr. Ball, on behalf of the deputation, and those whom they represented, begged to return hearty and sincere thanks for the boon, and also for the kind, courteous, and considerate manner in which the deputation had been received."
Getting a brass band to parade the streets before a meeting is one way to boost attendance. It certainly worked for the entertainment committee of the Viaduct Works in Earlestown – as described by the Warrington Examiner: "The third entertainment of the season took place in the Reading-room, on Saturday evening last, Mr. P. Jones in the chair. Prior to the opening of the proceedings, the band paraded the principal streets, which, acting as a reminder, caused the room to be well filled."
On the 11th there was another railway accident in St Helens when a train to Wigan struck wagons at Pocket Nook. The morning was foggy and so the engine driver did not spot the obstruction on the line until it was too late. It was a common practice for drivers and stokers to jump off trains in such circumstances, fearing an impact would lead to their engine toppling off the track. That was, of course, a dangerous act which took the life of James Garthling. The stoker from Sutton rebounded off a pile of cinders back towards the rails and one of the train's carriages struck and killed him. The St Helens Newspaper wrote:
"A moment afterwards the train dashed into the waggons, hurtling them along the line, demolishing buffers, smashing the foremost carriage, and shaking all the others most violently. Shouts, shrieks, and confused cries arose from the thirty passengers confined within the colliding carriages, and numbers of railway officials and others hastened to the spot to render aid."
According to the 1871 census, John Christian employed five men and seven boys at his carriage works at 25 Ormskirk Street. He had made his own bicycle for a while – but seemingly did not have sufficient buyers of the "curious vehicles", as the St Helens Newspaper had called the new-fangled, expensive cycling machines. In the Newspaper on the 12th, Christian was advertising the "St. Helens Cart", weighing from 3½ cwt. and made to carry four persons. The vehicles were made on his premises and had been exhibited at agricultural shows in the district.
And finally, this letter was published in the Liverpool Mercury this week concerning a case of dire poverty in the city: "A PITIABLE CASE. – Gentlemen, I have just visited a case of great destitution. I was asked for alms by a lad about eleven years of age, the other day, whose rags were barely sufficient to cover that part of his person which decency forbids to be exposed, although the wind was bitterly cold. He trembled much, and when I relieved him [gave him money] I told him to come to our house for a loaf last evening. He did not make his appearance, and, happening to know where he lives, I have been to see the reason why.
"I found him in a room of a house, in a court out of Brick-street, the window of which contained only one or two broken panes of glass, the other portion being covered with matting to keep out the wind and rain. There was one stool in the room and a small form. No fire in the grate; no kitchen utensils beyond an old tin and a pot or two, and no food of any description. I thought the room was unoccupied. But I had been told the lad was there. I turned round, and saw an old mattress with a bundle of rags upon it, and a kitten sitting upon the bundle. I called, and the lad put his head and shoulders from under the rags, where he had crouched to keep off the cold.
"He was perfectly naked, the piece of old sacking serving him for bed-clothes. He told me he was taken ill the day he saw me, and had not been up since. He had not tasted food the day before, nor broken his fast that day. His mother had gone to the parish to see if special relief could be given in their present distress, and had not returned. Here was a case of as fine a lad as ever I saw (taking the lines of his features), on the verge of fatal starvation. Had I not given him relief, my conviction is that the vital power would have become so faint that death would have ensued." J. H.
Three days day this letter from the local Relieving Officer was published in the paper. He made small payments (usually in the form of food) to those in desperate need within the community – which was cheaper than placing the poor in the workhouse. Note how confidentiality and what we would call data protection were non-existent concepts in the 1870s:
"With reference to the letter in Monday's Daily Mercury headed “A Pitiable Case,” I ascertained the name and address of the parties, and found it to be the case of Ann Clarke, 73, Brick-street, who has been in receipt of outdoor relief since the death of her husband about two years ago. Ann Clarke is a widow 49 years of age. She chars, but either cannot or will not state the amount of her earnings. She has three children – viz. Ralph, 13, on board the training ship Indefatigable; Mary Ann, 14, sells sand and chips; and John, 11, who should attend school, but is sent out by his mother to beg.
"I visited Mrs. Clarke twice on Monday, the 4th instant – the first time a little after three p.m. in the afternoon, and the next time at half-past eleven o’clock at night. On the latter occasion Mrs. Clarke was very much under the influence of drink. When I accused her of it she denied it, but her daughter said she had been with Mrs. Gomer, when a friend had given them a few glasses of ale. Mrs. Clarke and her two children appeared to be in good health."
Next week's stories will include more criticism of the drinking culture in Rainford, the smallpox epidemic at Haydock, the indecent assault in Bold and the terrible trauma that was endured by elephants while being transported at sea.
This week's stories include the epidemics raging in St Helens, the fatal Pocket Nook railway crash, the curious controversy over school boards, the curling match at Rainhill, the cosy pay rises for a Newton workforce, more on the Whiston water well problem and a case of dire poverty in Liverpool.
We begin on the 6th when St Helens Town Council heard a lengthy explanation from Alderman McNicholl – the Health Committee chairman – of actions taken to deal with the raging epidemics of smallpox and measles.
Deaths from the latter during an outbreak were rarely low. I've no figures for the 1870s – but in 1917 it was revealed that during the previous ten years there had been over 1,000 deaths from measles in St Helens.
Some areas of Parr were also afflicted by typhoid fever and the council gave directions to their Surveyor to supply those parts with pure water.
That might seem an odd statement – implying that impure water could be delivered to unaffected areas!
But water was being rationed to St Helens townsfolk as the Corporation's existing waterworks on Eccleston Hill regularly ran dry.
Their new well at Whiston – which became operational in the summer – had long been touted as the solution to the scarcity.
However, two months ago the St Helens Water Committee had to admit that they had a problem with their Whiston well.
A geologist had assured the committee that a borehole could be driven down to a depth of 100 yards below the bottom of the well.
However, the engineer in charge had only bored down 37 yards when the rock formation drastically changed and operations needed to be suspended.
So the embarrassed expert recommended sinking a new borehole on the eastern boundary of Whiston by the railway and connecting it to the present well by a tunnel.
As a result this advert was published this week in the Wigan Observer:
"To Sinkers and Others – The Corporation of St. Helens are prepared to receive tenders for driving a tunnel 240 yards in length, at the Whiston Pumping Station.
"Specification may be obtained on application to Mr. Thos. S. Stooke, C. E. Whiston, Prescot. Tenders to be sent in addressed Clerk not later than 12 o'clock on Wednesday, the 13th instant.
"The Corporation do not pledge themselves to accept the lowest or any tender. By Order, Harold Pilkington, Town Clerk, Hardshaw-st., St. Helens, 5th Dec., 1871."
The tunnel tenders had to be sent in pretty sharpish but then some embarrassment needed covering up pretty quickly!
It's surprising how young some of the officials running St Helens then were. Harold Pilkington the Town Clerk was only 27 and Thomas Stooke, the engineer in charge, was only 31.
It's amazing the fuss that used to be made over school boards. These became council schools in 1902 but when the Elementary Education Act of 1870 called for the setting up of school boards, it became a hugely controversial issue.
That was because the church thought providing education was their job and so fought tooth and nail against the creation of schools managed by elected board members and part-funded by the State.
The problem was that 2 million children in England had no access to education and so board schools were needed to bridge the gap – although it was up to local authorities to establish these schools and it was not mandatory.
So when St Helens Town Council considered the matter at their meeting, there was considerable push back.
Councillor Allen stoked the flames by moving the appointment of a committee to consider the educational needs of the borough and report back on whether school boards should be set up.
That seemed a reasonable first step; do your research first and then generate proposals for discussion. But Alderman Webster thought otherwise.
He claimed that it was not advisable to adopt the Act and set up such schools because of the "ill-feeling, angry discussion, and difficulty created".
Alderman Gamble supported the motion saying that if they found they had a "large amount of ignorance to deplore" (i.e. many children not attending school) then the longer a remedy was withheld the more difficult the task would become.
However, Councillor Bishop was another opponent, saying that where such boards had been formed, "very painful excitement and ill-feeling" had been created in nearly every instance.
The proposer of the motion, Councillor Allen, shared some revealing stats that he had obtained from the medical inspector of factories.
These showed that of the children employed within St Helens' works, 21% could not read, write or cipher (do sums) at all.
Only 6% were considered to have satisfactory abilities in what later would be known as the "three Rs".
One might have thought that schooling was more important than principles but when the motion was put to the vote, it was rejected by twelve votes to eight.
Even 25 years later when the future four-time mayor Henry Bates stood for election to the council, "no school board" was a central plank of his election campaign.
On the 8th, a 3-hour curling match took place on a frozen pond at Rainhill. More than 30 members of the Liverpool branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club participated in the game.
The St Helens Newspaper remarked that the ice had been in "excellent condition, and admirably adapted to test the skill of those engaged in the contest."
The Warrington Examiner on the 9th reported on the cosy relationship that existed between George McCorquodale – the owner of a large printing works in Newton-le-Willows – and his workforce.
It sounded like an awful lot of cap doffing went on when a pay rise was awarded! The paper wrote:
"A week ago Mr. McCorquodale requested the presence of a deputation of his workmen from the various departments, the same being promptly complied with.
"Mr. McCorquodale, on the meeting of the deputation, stated that the firm had not been unobservant of the changes which were taking place throughout the country between employer and employed; and, considering the prosperous state of the country, good trade, &c., he thought it was only reasonable and fair to give the working-man some benefit from this satisfactory state of things.
"He had therefore great pleasure in announcing to them that the firm had decided to give all the journeymen in the establishment 2s. per week of an advance, the advance to begin on the 1st of January, 1872.
"Mr. McCorquodale dwelt at some length on the various interviews which had taken place on other occasions, all which were of a gratifying nature, and he was proud to think that such a good feeling existed.
"Mr. Ball, on behalf of the deputation, and those whom they represented, begged to return hearty and sincere thanks for the boon, and also for the kind, courteous, and considerate manner in which the deputation had been received."
Getting a brass band to parade the streets before a meeting is one way to boost attendance.
It certainly worked for the entertainment committee of the Viaduct Works in Earlestown – as described by the Warrington Examiner:
"The third entertainment of the season took place in the Reading-room, on Saturday evening last, Mr. P. Jones in the chair.
"Prior to the opening of the proceedings, the band paraded the principal streets, which, acting as a reminder, caused the room to be well filled."
On the 11th there was another railway accident in St Helens when a train to Wigan struck wagons at Pocket Nook.
The morning was foggy and so the engine driver did not spot the obstruction on the line until it was too late.
It was a common practice for drivers and stokers to jump off trains in such circumstances, fearing an impact would lead to their engine toppling off the track.
That was, of course, a dangerous act which took the life of James Garthling.
The stoker from Sutton rebounded off a pile of cinders back towards the rails and one of the train's carriages struck and killed him. The St Helens Newspaper wrote:
"A moment afterwards the train dashed into the waggons, hurtling them along the line, demolishing buffers, smashing the foremost carriage, and shaking all the others most violently.
"Shouts, shrieks, and confused cries arose from the thirty passengers confined within the colliding carriages, and numbers of railway officials and others hastened to the spot to render aid."
According to the 1871 census, John Christian employed five men and seven boys at his carriage works at 25 Ormskirk Street.
He had made his own bicycle for a while – but seemingly did not have sufficient buyers of the "curious vehicles", as the St Helens Newspaper had called the new-fangled, expensive cycling machines.
In the Newspaper on the 12th, Christian was advertising the "St. Helens Cart", weighing from 3½ cwt. and made to carry four persons. The vehicles were made on his premises and had been exhibited at agricultural shows in the district.
And finally, this letter was published in the Liverpool Mercury this week concerning a case of dire poverty in the city:
"A PITIABLE CASE. – Gentlemen, I have just visited a case of great destitution. I was asked for alms by a lad about eleven years of age, the other day, whose rags were barely sufficient to cover that part of his person which decency forbids to be exposed, although the wind was bitterly cold.
"He trembled much, and when I relieved him [gave him money] I told him to come to our house for a loaf last evening.
"He did not make his appearance, and, happening to know where he lives, I have been to see the reason why.
"I found him in a room of a house, in a court out of Brick-street, the window of which contained only one or two broken panes of glass, the other portion being covered with matting to keep out the wind and rain.
"There was one stool in the room and a small form. No fire in the grate; no kitchen utensils beyond an old tin and a pot or two, and no food of any description.
"I thought the room was unoccupied. But I had been told the lad was there.
"I turned round, and saw an old mattress with a bundle of rags upon it, and a kitten sitting upon the bundle.
"I called, and the lad put his head and shoulders from under the rags, where he had crouched to keep off the cold.
"He was perfectly naked, the piece of old sacking serving him for bed-clothes. He told me he was taken ill the day he saw me, and had not been up since.
"He had not tasted food the day before, nor broken his fast that day.
"His mother had gone to the parish to see if special relief could be given in their present distress, and had not returned.
"Here was a case of as fine a lad as ever I saw (taking the lines of his features), on the verge of fatal starvation.
"Had I not given him relief, my conviction is that the vital power would have become so faint that death would have ensued." J. H.
Three days day this letter from the local Relieving Officer was published in the paper. He made small payments (usually in the form of food) to those in desperate need within the community – which was cheaper than placing the poor in the workhouse.
Note how confidentiality and what we would call data protection were non-existent concepts in the 1870s:
"With reference to the letter in Monday's Daily Mercury headed “A Pitiable Case,” I ascertained the name and address of the parties, and found it to be the case of Ann Clarke, 73, Brick-street, who has been in receipt of outdoor relief since the death of her husband about two years ago.
"Ann Clarke is a widow 49 years of age. She chars, but either cannot or will not state the amount of her earnings.
"She has three children – viz. Ralph, 13, on board the training ship Indefatigable; Mary Ann, 14, sells sand and chips; and John, 11, who should attend school, but is sent out by his mother to beg.
"I visited Mrs. Clarke twice on Monday, the 4th instant – the first time a little after three p.m. in the afternoon, and the next time at half-past eleven o’clock at night.
"On the latter occasion Mrs. Clarke was very much under the influence of drink.
"When I accused her of it she denied it, but her daughter said she had been with Mrs. Gomer, when a friend had given them a few glasses of ale. Mrs. Clarke and her two children appeared to be in good health."
Next week's stories will include more criticism of the drinking culture in Rainford, the smallpox epidemic at Haydock, the indecent assault in Bold and the terrible trauma that was endured by elephants while being transported at sea.
We begin on the 6th when St Helens Town Council heard a lengthy explanation from Alderman McNicholl – the Health Committee chairman – of actions taken to deal with the raging epidemics of smallpox and measles.
Deaths from the latter during an outbreak were rarely low. I've no figures for the 1870s – but in 1917 it was revealed that during the previous ten years there had been over 1,000 deaths from measles in St Helens.
Some areas of Parr were also afflicted by typhoid fever and the council gave directions to their Surveyor to supply those parts with pure water.
That might seem an odd statement – implying that impure water could be delivered to unaffected areas!
But water was being rationed to St Helens townsfolk as the Corporation's existing waterworks on Eccleston Hill regularly ran dry.
Their new well at Whiston – which became operational in the summer – had long been touted as the solution to the scarcity.
However, two months ago the St Helens Water Committee had to admit that they had a problem with their Whiston well.
A geologist had assured the committee that a borehole could be driven down to a depth of 100 yards below the bottom of the well.
However, the engineer in charge had only bored down 37 yards when the rock formation drastically changed and operations needed to be suspended.
So the embarrassed expert recommended sinking a new borehole on the eastern boundary of Whiston by the railway and connecting it to the present well by a tunnel.
As a result this advert was published this week in the Wigan Observer:
"To Sinkers and Others – The Corporation of St. Helens are prepared to receive tenders for driving a tunnel 240 yards in length, at the Whiston Pumping Station.
"Specification may be obtained on application to Mr. Thos. S. Stooke, C. E. Whiston, Prescot. Tenders to be sent in addressed Clerk not later than 12 o'clock on Wednesday, the 13th instant.
"The Corporation do not pledge themselves to accept the lowest or any tender. By Order, Harold Pilkington, Town Clerk, Hardshaw-st., St. Helens, 5th Dec., 1871."
The tunnel tenders had to be sent in pretty sharpish but then some embarrassment needed covering up pretty quickly!
It's amazing the fuss that used to be made over school boards. These became council schools in 1902 but when the Elementary Education Act of 1870 called for the setting up of school boards, it became a hugely controversial issue.
That was because the church thought providing education was their job and so fought tooth and nail against the creation of schools managed by elected board members and part-funded by the State.
The problem was that 2 million children in England had no access to education and so board schools were needed to bridge the gap – although it was up to local authorities to establish these schools and it was not mandatory.
So when St Helens Town Council considered the matter at their meeting, there was considerable push back.
Councillor Allen stoked the flames by moving the appointment of a committee to consider the educational needs of the borough and report back on whether school boards should be set up.
That seemed a reasonable first step; do your research first and then generate proposals for discussion. But Alderman Webster thought otherwise.
He claimed that it was not advisable to adopt the Act and set up such schools because of the "ill-feeling, angry discussion, and difficulty created".
Alderman Gamble supported the motion saying that if they found they had a "large amount of ignorance to deplore" (i.e. many children not attending school) then the longer a remedy was withheld the more difficult the task would become.
However, Councillor Bishop was another opponent, saying that where such boards had been formed, "very painful excitement and ill-feeling" had been created in nearly every instance.
The proposer of the motion, Councillor Allen, shared some revealing stats that he had obtained from the medical inspector of factories.
These showed that of the children employed within St Helens' works, 21% could not read, write or cipher (do sums) at all.
Only 6% were considered to have satisfactory abilities in what later would be known as the "three Rs".
One might have thought that schooling was more important than principles but when the motion was put to the vote, it was rejected by twelve votes to eight.
Even 25 years later when the future four-time mayor Henry Bates stood for election to the council, "no school board" was a central plank of his election campaign.
On the 8th, a 3-hour curling match took place on a frozen pond at Rainhill. More than 30 members of the Liverpool branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club participated in the game.
The St Helens Newspaper remarked that the ice had been in "excellent condition, and admirably adapted to test the skill of those engaged in the contest."
The Warrington Examiner on the 9th reported on the cosy relationship that existed between George McCorquodale – the owner of a large printing works in Newton-le-Willows – and his workforce.
It sounded like an awful lot of cap doffing went on when a pay rise was awarded! The paper wrote:
"A week ago Mr. McCorquodale requested the presence of a deputation of his workmen from the various departments, the same being promptly complied with.
"Mr. McCorquodale, on the meeting of the deputation, stated that the firm had not been unobservant of the changes which were taking place throughout the country between employer and employed; and, considering the prosperous state of the country, good trade, &c., he thought it was only reasonable and fair to give the working-man some benefit from this satisfactory state of things.
"He had therefore great pleasure in announcing to them that the firm had decided to give all the journeymen in the establishment 2s. per week of an advance, the advance to begin on the 1st of January, 1872.
"Mr. McCorquodale dwelt at some length on the various interviews which had taken place on other occasions, all which were of a gratifying nature, and he was proud to think that such a good feeling existed.
"Mr. Ball, on behalf of the deputation, and those whom they represented, begged to return hearty and sincere thanks for the boon, and also for the kind, courteous, and considerate manner in which the deputation had been received."
Getting a brass band to parade the streets before a meeting is one way to boost attendance.
It certainly worked for the entertainment committee of the Viaduct Works in Earlestown – as described by the Warrington Examiner:
"The third entertainment of the season took place in the Reading-room, on Saturday evening last, Mr. P. Jones in the chair.
"Prior to the opening of the proceedings, the band paraded the principal streets, which, acting as a reminder, caused the room to be well filled."
On the 11th there was another railway accident in St Helens when a train to Wigan struck wagons at Pocket Nook.
The morning was foggy and so the engine driver did not spot the obstruction on the line until it was too late.
It was a common practice for drivers and stokers to jump off trains in such circumstances, fearing an impact would lead to their engine toppling off the track.
That was, of course, a dangerous act which took the life of James Garthling.
The stoker from Sutton rebounded off a pile of cinders back towards the rails and one of the train's carriages struck and killed him. The St Helens Newspaper wrote:
"A moment afterwards the train dashed into the waggons, hurtling them along the line, demolishing buffers, smashing the foremost carriage, and shaking all the others most violently.
"Shouts, shrieks, and confused cries arose from the thirty passengers confined within the colliding carriages, and numbers of railway officials and others hastened to the spot to render aid."
According to the 1871 census, John Christian employed five men and seven boys at his carriage works at 25 Ormskirk Street.
He had made his own bicycle for a while – but seemingly did not have sufficient buyers of the "curious vehicles", as the St Helens Newspaper had called the new-fangled, expensive cycling machines.
In the Newspaper on the 12th, Christian was advertising the "St. Helens Cart", weighing from 3½ cwt. and made to carry four persons. The vehicles were made on his premises and had been exhibited at agricultural shows in the district.
And finally, this letter was published in the Liverpool Mercury this week concerning a case of dire poverty in the city:
"A PITIABLE CASE. – Gentlemen, I have just visited a case of great destitution. I was asked for alms by a lad about eleven years of age, the other day, whose rags were barely sufficient to cover that part of his person which decency forbids to be exposed, although the wind was bitterly cold.
"He trembled much, and when I relieved him [gave him money] I told him to come to our house for a loaf last evening.
"He did not make his appearance, and, happening to know where he lives, I have been to see the reason why.
"I found him in a room of a house, in a court out of Brick-street, the window of which contained only one or two broken panes of glass, the other portion being covered with matting to keep out the wind and rain.
"There was one stool in the room and a small form. No fire in the grate; no kitchen utensils beyond an old tin and a pot or two, and no food of any description.
"I thought the room was unoccupied. But I had been told the lad was there.
"I turned round, and saw an old mattress with a bundle of rags upon it, and a kitten sitting upon the bundle.
"I called, and the lad put his head and shoulders from under the rags, where he had crouched to keep off the cold.
"He was perfectly naked, the piece of old sacking serving him for bed-clothes. He told me he was taken ill the day he saw me, and had not been up since.
"He had not tasted food the day before, nor broken his fast that day.
"His mother had gone to the parish to see if special relief could be given in their present distress, and had not returned.
"Here was a case of as fine a lad as ever I saw (taking the lines of his features), on the verge of fatal starvation.
"Had I not given him relief, my conviction is that the vital power would have become so faint that death would have ensued." J. H.
Three days day this letter from the local Relieving Officer was published in the paper. He made small payments (usually in the form of food) to those in desperate need within the community – which was cheaper than placing the poor in the workhouse.
Note how confidentiality and what we would call data protection were non-existent concepts in the 1870s:
"With reference to the letter in Monday's Daily Mercury headed “A Pitiable Case,” I ascertained the name and address of the parties, and found it to be the case of Ann Clarke, 73, Brick-street, who has been in receipt of outdoor relief since the death of her husband about two years ago.
"Ann Clarke is a widow 49 years of age. She chars, but either cannot or will not state the amount of her earnings.
"She has three children – viz. Ralph, 13, on board the training ship Indefatigable; Mary Ann, 14, sells sand and chips; and John, 11, who should attend school, but is sent out by his mother to beg.
"I visited Mrs. Clarke twice on Monday, the 4th instant – the first time a little after three p.m. in the afternoon, and the next time at half-past eleven o’clock at night.
"On the latter occasion Mrs. Clarke was very much under the influence of drink.
"When I accused her of it she denied it, but her daughter said she had been with Mrs. Gomer, when a friend had given them a few glasses of ale. Mrs. Clarke and her two children appeared to be in good health."
Next week's stories will include more criticism of the drinking culture in Rainford, the smallpox epidemic at Haydock, the indecent assault in Bold and the terrible trauma that was endured by elephants while being transported at sea.