Page 58 of Dark Tidings on the Thames
“Yes, of course. I know Mr. Brown and Mr. Long would be thrilled to hear of your interest in investing.”
“And it wouldn’t do you any harm if I chose the mill due to your care for your workers, would it?” asked Stayme knowingly. He turned to face Kara and Gyda and raised both brows. “Why don’t you allow us to talk a bit of business, my dears? You may have a stroll outside for a bit.”
“I must ask that you do not enter the workroom,” Mr. Lowell said over Stayme’s shoulder. “It’s not safe for visitors to wander in there. I have already had to enforce the rule forbidding outsiders once today.”
Keeping her shoulders hunched and her form small, Kara nodded. She and Gyda waited until Stayme entered the office with Lowell before they turned to go.
Laughing, Gyda pulled Kara along by the hand. “Does he really believe thattwo passionate advocates for workerswould stay out of his workroom?”
Kara lifted a shoulder. “Well, he can rightly say that he warned us.”
They headed for the longest, tallest section of the building, which stretched out with two doors below and a long gallery of windows up high. Even from outside they could hear the racket. When Gyda pulled open the door, it was all Kara could do not to cover her ears.
They stepped inside. It was all one long room, with whitewashed walls and bright light coming from the windows. The floor was covered in a thick layer of wood chips and wide shavings. To the left, a long table ran along one wall, its surface covered with scattered metal tools and great, wide, shallow baskets filled with square-sided, long wooden bars. Overhead, a shaft drive stretched out across most of the room. It circled ceaselessly, powering belted drives that angled downward in several spots to run lathes and horizontal drills. More wide baskets sat around the machines, holding bobbins in variousstates of manufacture.
Men worked at the machines, sending sawdust and noise into the air. They all wore curious hats with wide brims. In the front, fine mesh was attached, descending to curve out and then down under the wearer’s chin.
Gyda gave Kara a nudge. “Look!” she said loudly in her ear, gesturing to a gathering of women at a back corner.
Kara saw that several men were working at the machines, but noted that one driller was empty, as well as a few other stations that appeared to be meant for hand tools. “All of the women are back there. What do you think they are doing?”
“I don’t know, but we need to find out.” Gyda started down the right side of the room, where there were fewer buzzing machines at work.
Kara followed. As they drew near, the entire group of women all turned to look at them.
One of them gripped one of the hats with the mesh veil at her side. She glanced back at the woman near the back of the group, next to the door. “They came with you?”
The woman at the back shook her head. Her expression was… serious. In fact, Kara realized they all watched them with wary, solemn faces.
“Good day to you,” she said with a nod. “We’ve come to view your mill with an eye to workers’ conditions and safety.” She gestured toward the woman’s hat with its mesh veil. “It seems you have made some strides in that area.”
The woman holding the hat snorted. “Well, there’s safe, and then there’ssafe, isn’t there?”
“Come now, Louisa!” another woman chided. “Give poor Lowell his due. Our supervisor does look out for us, miss,” she said to Kara. “Why, we lost two good men to shards of wood in the eye last year. Mr. Lowell were that mad! It were him who came up with the wearin’of the veils to block the shards.” She tilted her head to take both Kara and Gyda in. “Are the two of ye writing an article? A report? Ye should include it, if ye are. We are ever so grateful not to have to worry about losin’ an eye.”
“And Lowell hired an extra lad to come around with fresh water from the well, to keep us cool, and keep us from faintin’ from the heat,” another woman said.
“He hired young Paul to fetch and deliver our full baskets,” the woman called Louisa corrected her.
“Aye, but he bade the boy to bring fresh water in exchange, didn’t he?”
“Is that what ye’re doin’, then?” Louisa asked Kara. “Writing an article?”
“Not exactly,” Kara hedged. “It’s more that we are making observations on behalf of some manufactory owners.” It wasn’t a lie. Not truly. She did own a half a dozen or so such places—and she was always looking for ways to keep her employees both safe and contented.
“We got it better than some,” Louisa grudgingly admitted. “Lowell does look out for us. The floors is usually swept clearer than this, but Fiona, the girl who sweeps, had to go up to the timber works today to help out with some staining.”
“And recall the time Lowell horsewhipped that delivery driver for lighting his pipe too near?” the other woman said. “The man fair lives in fear of a fire in here.”
“It’s only sensible,” Gyda agreed. “This place would go up in a flash.”
“Fire’s a quick, honest death, at the least,” the woman by the door said darkly. “Better than what some women get from the mill owners and their ilk.”
“Now, Mary,” Louisa said.
“Don’tNow, Maryme,” the woman spat. “I came down here insearch of my sister, and I’m doin’ you all the favor of givin’ you fair warning about the wolf in your midst. So do you think I’d pass up the chance to tell my fears for Maggie to someone who might spread the word out to places I cannot reach?”
“Let her say her piece,” someone called out. “If those two want to know about the dangers workers face, they should hear all of it.”
