WORK PLACE KILLER.......

BACK WHEN THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION WAS STARTING AND FACTORIES WERE STARTING TO SPRING UP WORLD WIDE ONE OF THE INNOVATIONS OF THAT WAS THAT STEAM POWER WAS THE CHOICE OF POWER USED TO BOTH HEAT BUILDINGS AND RUN MACHINERY. THIS IS A PULLEY WHEEL AFIXED TO LONG SHAFT, WHICH ON THAT SHAFT COULD HAVE BEEN SEVERAL PULLEY WHEELS TO RUN SEVERAL MACHINES. THE WAY IT WORKED WAS THAT THE SHAFT WOULD BE CONNECTED TO A MAIN STEAM POWERED PLANT ENGINE OF SOME TYPE. THE STEAM WOULD BE FED TO THE ENGINE WHICH IN TURN WOULD TURN MAKE THE SHAFT TURN AND ALL THE PULLEYS WOULD TURN MAKING ALL THE MACHINES THEY WERE ATTACHED TO RUN. ONE PULLEY COULD RUN A CARDING MACHINE, ANOTHER WOULD HAVE RUN A SPINNING MACHINE, ANOTHER STILL TO HAVE RUN A SEPERATING MACHINE. THESE MACHINES BACK IN THAT TIME WERE ALL IN A ROW HOUSED IN HUGE PLANTS OF MANUFACTORING CONCERNS. ONE OF THE DRAW BACKS TO THIS FORM OF MANUFACTORING WAS THAT THERE WERE NO GUARDS ON THE MACHINES. THE OTHGER THING WAS THAT IN WORK PLACES THEN THERE WAS NO HEALTH & SAFETY IN WORK PLACES AND ACCIDENTS WOULD ABOUND, HANDS CRUSHED, FINGERS CUT OFF, A SERIES OF INJURIES THAT IN THOSE DAYS ONCE YOU WERE INJURED YOU WOULD BE REPLACEDAND NOT RETURN TO WORK. FOR WOMEN WORKING IN THESE PLACES IT WAS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AS MOST WOMEN THEN WORE LONG HAIR WHICH THEY WOULD TIE UP IN SOME FASHION, BE IT WITH PINS OR SOME FORM OF SCARFE. BUT IN THE HEAT OF THE PLANT WORKING LONG HOURS, SOMETIMES AS MANY AS 10 A DAY, HOT, SWEATING NO AIR CONDITIONING, PINS WOULD COME LOOSE, SCARFES WOULD UNDO AND IN A VERY CARELESS MOMENT, A WRONG MOVE, THE PULLEY THAT WAS WORKING AWAY TO MAKE THE CLATTERING MACHINE WOULD IN A HEART BEAT, GRAB THE WOMANS HAIR AND YANK HER OFF HER FEET UP INTO THE RAFTERS WERE THE PULLEYS AND SHAFTS WERE AND RIP HER HAIR FROM HER HEAD SHE FALLING PERHAPS BACK INTO THE CLATTERING MACHINE......SUCH WAS THE WORK PLACE IN THE 1850'S.
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