Forum Title: LIZZIE BORDEN SOCIETY
Topic Area: Fall River and Its Environs
Topic Name: The Fall River System

1. "The Fall River System"
Posted by Susan on Jan-1st-03 at 5:17 PM

While searching for something else on the internet, I came across this site; Labor And Business In Early American History.  In it there is a reference to a type of labor system which is attributed to Fall River.

     The impact of industrialization and its concurrent social evils were most evident in early factories where factory workers were employed for unreasonably long hours and their lives greatly controlled by the factory owners. Out of the factory system emerged two systems of labor, the Fall River system and the Lowell system. The Fall River system, employed in southern New England and in the middle Atlantic states, was based on the philosophy of entire family employment-men, women, and children. Child labor was particularly characteristic of this system. In Rhode Island in 1853 there were 1857 children working in the factory, fifty-nine of them under the age of nine. The Massachusetts Act of 1842 that forbade the employment of children under the age of twelve for more than ten hours a day was considered a progressive law. One worker recalled his early years: "I worked fifteen hours a day. I used to go in at quarter past four in the morning and work till past eight at night, having thirty minutes for breakfast and the same for dinner..."

      The Lowell system was used in northern New England. This system employed young, unmarried, energetic girls from the countryside. They moved to Waltham, Massachusetts, and lived in boarding houses under strict supervision. Here the girls were required to sleep and eat, and they had to be in their quarters by 10 p.m. They were subject to dismissal for unseemly conduct. This system at Waltham proved so successful that it was extended to other mills in northern New England. During the 1820s and 1830s most of the factory girls accepted their lot well. They did not make much money and their hours were long, but after a year or two they usually left to get married. By the 1840s discontent had increased. Competition had stiffened and so did the controls. Moreover, wages were reduced and the hours lengthened. For a work week of seventy-five hours, the girls earned an average of $1.50. One factory manager ordered his workers to come to work without breakfast because that way he "got 3000 more yards of cloth a week made." Conditions in the company dorms were more crowded. Long after the ten-hour day became common everywhere else, factory workers were still working from eleven to thirteen hours a day, but girls were quitting the mills and families were becoming dissatisfied. By the 1850s factory managers turned to a new class of workers-the immigrants-who had little choice in hours and wages. The result was a steady deterioration of factory conditions.

Here is a link to the site, interesting reading.

http://www.nsspress.com/examples/Labor_Business.htm


(Message last edited Jan-1st-03  5:21 PM.)


2. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by kimberly on Jan-1st-03 at 7:13 PM
In response to Message #1.

Very interesting link Susan, thanks for sharing! I'm
trying to picture some of the "under 9" crowd I know
being put to work.


3. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Kat on Jan-2nd-03 at 3:52 AM
In response to Message #1.

I have to say that I didn't read the whole thing.
But I wonder if workers had it better here than in, say, London, or Bombay, in the early 1800's.


4. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Susan on Jan-2nd-03 at 11:43 AM
In response to Message #3.

Well, by the time that Andrew got onto the mill boards the immigrants were working there.  Probably for less wages and possibly longer hours, not his doing, but, can you see where he started getting a bad name?  Awful working conditions! 


5. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by bobcook848 on Jan-11th-03 at 8:30 PM
In response to Message #4.

These "systems" of labor were quite frankly nothing less then slave labor camps except that the slaves were not African-American and they went home every night.  Conditions were deplorable and dangerous to say the least many children died from injuries suffered while operating machinery. 

Female "slave" labor would continue well into the 20th Century but the Triangle Waistshirt fire of 1911 would slow hazardous conditions down a bit.  Thank heavens for OSHA.

That's my contrib and I'm sticking to it....

BC


6. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Edisto on Jan-13th-03 at 10:28 AM
In response to Message #5.

I was skimming through one of the "Victorian Vistas" volumes the other night, and there was a horrifying story about a young woman whose hair became entangled in the machinery at a Fall River factory.  She was literally scalped.  Physicians called for volunteers to donate some of their skin, so that it could be sewn together to cover her scalp.  Of course, there were no tissue-matching techniques in those days, and most of the grafts failed.  I didn't find out her eventual fate.  Most people with such severe injuries died of infection in those days.  There are also many stories about children who lost fingers (and worse) in the machinery.


7. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by harry on Jan-13th-03 at 11:00 AM
In response to Message #6.

Funny you should mention that incident of the girl getting her hair caught in the machinery.  I was watching the Book Channel (CSPAN2) this morning and there was an author talking about his book "The Belles of New England".  It concerned the textile industry and the working conditions in the mills. An incident of that type with the scalping was mentioned. He also mentioned the cotton fibers floating in the air infecting the lungs.

He did not mention Fall River, but mainly Lowell and Lawrence, Mass. mills. Obviously the conditions in FR were the same.

(Message last edited Jan-13th-03  11:03 AM.)


8. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Kat on Jan-13th-03 at 7:23 PM
In response to Message #7.



(Message last edited Jan-13th-03  7:26 PM.)


9. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Kat on Jan-13th-03 at 7:25 PM
In response to Message #7.

I always envisioned the cotton dust in the air...breathing that stuff that was probably constantly around...creating it's own atmosphere. They sure cleaned up the place when they took the pictures for their post cards!


10. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by harry on Jan-13th-03 at 7:41 PM
In response to Message #9.

Here's the cover of that book "The Belles of New England". 

The author was saying the mills started somewhere about 1822 and at the beginning they drew the work force from Yankee girls/women on the farms. The Lowell's who started the first mill were very benevolent and although paid low wages did treat them fairly well even going so far as to have music concerts after working hours for them. They were also only expected to work 3 years and leave as they felt the working conditions were too hard for longer stays. 

In the late 30's a new breed of mill owners had taken hold and the working conditions became steadily worse.  The immigrants came in waves, first the Irish then the French-Canadiens. I don't know whether the Portuguese were as concentrated in other towns as they were in FR.

It was quite an interesting talk the author gave and the only drawback as I said was that Fall River was not mentioned.


11. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Susan on Jan-13th-03 at 8:40 PM
In response to Message #10.

Kat, you and Stef in a past life?  I guess you were chasing the Bordens even then, I noticed Abby's dusting hankie under the machine to the right. 



Thanks, Harry.  Sounds like an interesting book, I'm going to check if my local library carries it or not next time I go.  If I was going to work in the mills, I think I'd prefer the Lowell system myself.


12. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by rays on Jan-15th-03 at 1:32 PM
In response to Message #3.

I browsed a book by Thomas Paine written in the late 18th century (reprint of course). He said the Native Americans lived better than the average peasant in Europe. (But needed ten acres for their mobile lifestyle as against the one acre needed by settled civilized Americans.)

Yes, it was probably better. Because they could easily move to a better life. An 18th century serf couldn't do that! If you read a book on epidemics you'll note that the canals and railroads also brought disease to the villages of America in the 1840s.


13. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by rays on Jan-15th-03 at 1:36 PM
In response to Message #6.

I have no personal experience, but scalping itself was not fatal. People then knew that "spirits of wine" could help (if available).

I once read that the real reason females earn less than males is because they're not unionized; and don't care to be. Once in my 20s I met an older man who showed me the scars on his head from organizing a factory in the 1930s. (Having a few drinks shows in vino veritas?)


14. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by rays on Jan-15th-03 at 1:39 PM
In response to Message #5.

That is NOT true!!! Not slave labor, but certainly not the same as union labor. Aren't females more compliant, especially when young girls and not older married women? Isn't that one reason for hiring them? Decades ago I heard how it was in the 1930s. Since women worked for less than men, the men (30 cents hour) were all fired in one factory and only women (20 cents hour) kept on.


15. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by rays on Jan-15th-03 at 1:42 PM
In response to Message #10.

As I remember reading about it, the workers would pay someone to read for them (no MUZAK then). This ended in the late 19th century when the owners censored the material. Or because of noisy shops?


16. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Carol on Jan-18th-03 at 2:46 PM
In response to Message #10.

THANKS for the information on the book Harry. I have reserved it at the library. Sewing is a long hard job, I used to make all my own clothes and had a home creative fabric sewing business and still do it some. I bet the same conditions exist today in Mexico and the Orient here ladies and young people are engaged in sweat shops to make our clothes, etc. and we don't realize it..except for some news stories on the back pages. The fabric stores have declined in the last l0 years or turned in to craft stores with tiny fabric sections and we are relying on others to produce for us and seldom stop to think of the conditions they work in.


17. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Susan on Feb-1st-03 at 3:47 PM
In response to Message #16.

Found an old postcard of Mill workers in Fall River, not a very clear pic, but, thought it a cool inclusion nontheless.


18. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Kat on Feb-2nd-03 at 12:21 AM
In response to Message #17.

Why do these pics always look so clean?
Did they ever shut DOWN a factory, like on Sunday?

If so, these CLEAN pics must have been taken then, when all the deretrus that was in the air and on the floor and in their sweating hair was gone temporarily.

I even wonder if they are somewhat in their Sunday clothes!

Oh, cool postcard, thanks Susan.


19. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by rays on Feb-2nd-03 at 4:25 PM
In response to Message #18.

Of course they're all posed! Have you ever worked in a place when they brought in photographers for an article. Its not candid shots.


20. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Kat on Feb-3rd-03 at 12:01 AM
In response to Message #19.

Well, yea they're posed.
But do you know if they shut mills on Sunday?
This pic was so clean I even thought maybe it was taken as a promo on the first day of opening a new mill!


21. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Lola on Apr-8th-03 at 3:12 PM
In response to Message #10.

Ahem, how could he have NOT included Fall River in a talk about New England textile mills?   Is Fall River in his book?

Thanks!


22. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by Lola on Apr-8th-03 at 3:22 PM
In response to Message #21.

Me again, I can't seem to shut up today.

Anyway, it's sad but true that these horrible conditions still exist, but not in American factories. The reason many corporations have sent labor to other countries is because they can work their laborers long hours, for little pay, in horrible conditions. Don't mean to be a goody goody, but people are still suffering in the mills.

Also, I read that the mills loved to use children because they had little fingers and feet and could untangle threads easier and climb the threaders to get at difficult places. (Shiver) They actually had the children go barefoot to make climbing the machines easier!

Okay, I'll shut up now. 


23. "Re: The Fall River System"
Posted by harry on Apr-13th-03 at 12:51 PM
In response to Message #21.

It may be in the book but it was not mentioned in his talk.  I have not read the book myself, just heard the talk on TV.



 

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