Sally Yoon 8-7

Gareth Evans’s DiaryIndustrial Revolution

Coal, was the culprit that killed my grandfather and my father. And it will kill me soon, too. Those coal miners filled with avarice, only thinking about themselves. My grandfather had an ultimate goal, to keep his family alive. And there was only one choice available for him at that time, the life as a coal miner. Coal miner, two simple words, but with a heavy and nasty meaning.

The life as a coal miner is like slavery, I remember the old days where I went out with my father to work inside the dark, filthy area. As a young boy, I was scared, not knowing what to do. I would stay close to my father so I would not get lost. Every breath I took was hard, you can imagine the horrible, colorless and invisible gas you are inhaling.

It was not possible for me to stay away from coal. It's presence was ubiquitous in Rhondda. Thinking in retrospect, I would sit on my grandfather's lap and listen to his stories about the coal mine. He always made the stories sound so live that I could imagine the actual scene, especially those stories when he spotted some industrial accidents. What he said, I have seen later as I came across.

One day in 1871, my grandfather came back home from work, more excited than usual. The steam engine was released. Right now its a tool that all coal miners use, to pump out the water, transport supplies from one place to another, so we would be able to earn more coal. This amazing tool, my grandfather said, was invented by James Watt, and it was a very reliable tool since wind, water or man are all unstable sources.

Stop.Killing.

US.Monday, March 23rd, 1890

Deeper and deeper inside. Darker and darker inside.

Yes, in fact the steam engine did increase a profusion amount of production, but who did it benefit the most? The coal owners. My grandfather was amused by the fact that this steam engine could take out the water and allowed the miners to be in reach with more amount of coal deeper inside. My grandfather told me he spotted the best coal he has ever seen, as he calls it the coal with high calorific value. He told me small amounts of coal with high calorific value could burn as much as a huge amount of bad quality coal. As a young boy I remember I would blink my eyes, not being able to take my eyes off the sparkling coal that my grandfather gave me as a souvenir.

Without steam engine my grandfather said, there would be no coal mine today. He said the moment they found out that this steam engine could produce continuous rotative motion, it was taken in to action right away. Using water depended on the seasons, animals eventually got weak and would have to take a rest, but the steam engine? It was nice and ready any moment. The locomotive was there to bring a heavy load of supplies on the railway to wherever the coal miners wanted. More pay, good for the miners.

The amount of coal mines that tortures us.

After the melted iron is processed through all the diligence of the workers and is cooled, blocks of iron are made. They looked nice, but their work was like the coal miners. They were paid for how many of those blocks they made.

Iron, iron, and more iron! Iron sounded great to me when my father told me about it, it was a great building material except the fact that it became rusty after time. I could never forget that day when my father grabbed my hands and took me to the Blaenavon ironworks in the year of 1805 to show how it looked like. It was hot and closed, people were sweating like rain. I didn't know which one was worse, the life as a coal miner, or working in the ironworks. Both conditions were horrible, only sweatshop laborers.

Iron, iron, and

"Gareth, listen to me closely. People in this town are all very poor, and the only work they can do is mining coal or making iron. The food you eat everyday, is bought after thousand hours of hard work."

MORE IRONWednesday, March 25th, 1890

People had to make as many blocks they could, to save their family. That desperateness, no matter how harsh the condition was, people needed to work. To feed their family, especially children and their wives.

It’s burning hot. Not a place for people to work.

My father told me the Blaenavon iron works focused on the quantity, not much of the quality. He said the iron produced in the factory were all made of cheap, low quality high sulfer iron ores. When I was around 10 years old the districts were crowded, and I thought it was normal, until my dad told me the streets used to be empty just with a few people walking on the streets. It was unbelievable.

Every time I heard about an accident as a child, I shivered. I even had thoughts of rebellion, why can't we all go against the coal owners? Of course it was an unrealistic thought, but in my childhood, the coal mines and the iron work factories look extremely redoubtable.

The stories about industrial accidents were formidable, and I did not want to go to the coal mine. One of the common industrial accidents I abhorred was people getting covered with hot iron, burning all their skin, slowly leading them to death. To smelt the iron an extremely high temperature was needed, and to achieve that high temperature, more coal was needed mixed to be mixed with some limestone.

People need coal, to do all kinds of work. Without coal, people would not be able to experience lives as efficient and easy today, except for those who work in the mines and factories. My father would always emphasize the importance of coal, but I would always think, if it is so important, why do the coal owners give us so less money?

All those stories my father had told me, I was actually able to see most of them. Life is tiring, I am glad this is ending soon…

Fascinating.. Raking all the hot iron in to each of these casts.

Time passed as a young boy, and in the year of 1842, it was time for me to enter the coal mine. Help my father, enter that dark endless tunnel not knowing what will happen. All of my friends were preparing to help their father at the same time. We never realized the seriousness until it was actually getting near.

I cried in my bed, I was downcast and extremely scared of working in the coal mine. But I had to. It was something I had to face at that age. All of the kids at my age had to, during that period.

"Gareth, it's going to be delayed."

I was happy. I remember myself cheering inside my heart. Who would want to go to the coal mines at the age of seven?

It was the Mines and Collieries Act. Someone has finally made a move to improve a coal miner's life. Or more like the woman or children's life I should say. The dreadful moment was delayed, and I was just happy about that. But after three years, I will have no other choices.

This was a request from Lord Ashley, a famous former reformer. I did not know who it was, but I thanked him inside my mind. He saved the poor young little children who were forced to work with their dad to earn little bits of money.

Mine owners complained. Of course they did complain, they lost employment benefits. My father and some of his friends smiled to see their owners wining. They lost production, and less coal means less money for them.

Make a CHANGEThursday, March 26th, 1890

The only picture of me I found in my album.

Some parents were relieved that child labor was reduced. I was relieved for myself. However some women were annoyed that they could no longer earn the much needed money. I did not understand them, but my father did.

"You will know when you grow up Gareth, that desperateness to keep your family alive is heavier than anything."

It was true. I have experienced it myself. Family, children, wife, love. Once you escape, no more money.

This diary contains all the coal miner's miserable life and complaints, all the tears and work that is required for a black, dusty, hard material. Nobody cares about us. We stand there, in the darkness, waiting for someone to rescue us. But no one comes… No one...

Miners always go last when washing.

Even moreFriday, March 27th, 1890

COAL?That name. Alfred Tylor. That man full of avarice, who is spending a relaxing time in London while we work till our arms and legs drop dead. But who gets the most money? Alfred Tylor. In fact all of the money the miners get together is a tiny bit of what he earns.

His whole family was affluent and had life full of gusto. Starting from Joseph Tylor and maybe even before. They only care about themselves, only if I had the chance to let them try our jobs.

1876. That day when they announced the New Pendyrus Mine. We moaned. Everybody in Rhondda moaned. More coal? Are you serious?

Ten. That was the age when I first entered the coal mine. Shock. Fear. Terror. My mind was filled with these three things. From then, I have almost never missed a single day going in to the coal mine.

I could imagine Alfred Tylor smiling, and I still do, sitting at the back of his chair and sipping a cup of coffee. Impossible for us. Isn’t that enough for them? Do they know how horrible it is for a miner to work in the mine?

Tylortown, the name sounds horrible. All the miners detest every name with the name ‘Tylor’ in it. Our lives were restricted in this town, they do not even give us proper money for all the assiduous work we have achieved. They give us tokens. Tokens we can only use in their towns. They would sell all the supplies so they would be getting a high profit. A profit that has already crossed the line.

We trust each other. We rely on each other. That’s how we live.

When the Davy Lamp showed up, the miners cheered. But who were more happy? The mine owners. It was a safe light source for us to explore the mine and allowed us to find more coal. But majority of the coal went in to the hands of the owners. We get paid very low, and our shoulders are heavy everyday.

But we cannot say the Davy Lamp was not helpful. It was a very efficient tool. The methane gas were dangerous, and this lamp would warn us if the gas level was too high.

I thank my parents for what they have done. And I have tried my best to do the same with Rhys. I am so sorry for leaving him so early… But I have tried my best. Once I am finished, this diary will go in to the hands of my loving son.

Black lunches. Barely anything, but its still food

It’s gone.

Tuesday January 29th, 2013Boom.

It was gone. Everything. Ka-boom, and there it went. A huge coal mine. Lives of innocent people, all gone. We need safety. I remember I promised myself that from January 28th 1896, I am not going to work any more unless safety is ensured. But of course it was broken.. There were no other choices.

It happened all in front of my eyes. I was walking to my usual working place, the No. 8 pit. It’s depth was 606 yards, one of the major productions of coal.

Father... The life as a coal miner is getting worse every day... At least you are in peaceful heaven, I will keep that promise to continue this journal, show the world our miserable lives.

I am Rhys, Gareth’s oldest son. Before he left me, he told me that he has been writing this diary to show the miserable life of a coal miner. I wish to finish this diary until the day I die, and whoever opens this diary again will understand how we felt as a tiring and terrible coal miner.

The amount of work hours does not equal to what we get.

Coal pits numbered from 1 to 8, just in Rhondda. How many coal mines will they obliterate in the future? How many lives will they ruin by making them choose the path as an appalling coal miner?

57 poor miners. Most of them were children. They were innocent cute children, with parents trying their best to look after them with care. God, why do you have to be so cruel to us? Why can’t the world be equal?

The Barker family. The Hayes family. The Herring family and more. We don’t even have money to host a funeral... Fred used to be a cute little boy walking in the streets, but he also died in the mine with his dad... The explosion has scared all the miners. It’s hazardous. It can take us away from our family members. It can kill us, definitely not in a nice way.

Each da! as we "se, Lord we know all to well,We face only one $ing - a pit filled wi$ hell.To scratch %t a living & best $at we can,But deep in & hea(, lies & s%l of a man. Wi$ black covered faces, and hard call%sed hands,We work & dark tunnels, unable to )and.To lab%r and toil as we harvest & coals,We silently pray "Lord please harvest %r s%ls".

We are all praying for this to end, and to whoever opens this diary:

Father, I am worried. Father, I am scared. Please protect me, save me from this hell. Please watch my path, I miss you.

Works CitedSteam Engine:

Dill, Mike. "Steam Engine." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 May 2013.

Dingley, Andy. "Watt Steam Engine." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 May 2013.

Trueman, Chris. "Coal Mines in the Industrial Revolution." Coal Mines in the Industrial Revolution. History Learning Site, n.d.

Web. 13 May 2013.

Blaenavon Ironworks:

Morrice, John. "Blaenavon Ironworks." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 May 2013.

"Blaenavon Ironworks, South Wales." Welsh Industrial Sites - Blaenavon Ironworks. The Heritage Trail, n.d. Web. 13 May 2013.

Mines and Collieries Act:

"Mines and Collieries Act 1842." Wikipedia. Ed. Jeremy Bowell. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 May 2013.

Bourdenet, Nathalie. "The Mines Act, 1842." UFR LCE. N.p., 11 Oct. 2003. Web. 13 May 2013.

Bloy, Marjorie, Dr. "The Peel Web." The 1842 Mines Act. N.p., 6 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 May 2013.

New Pendyrus Coal Mine:

Battenbo, Jamie. "Tylorstown." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Jan. 2006. Web. 13 May 2013.

Brief History of the Miner's Flame Safety Lamp at minerslamps.net. Accesses 13 May 2013

Explosion at No. 8:

"Tylorstown Colliery." Tylorstown Colliery. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2013.

Battle, David. "Mining Accident." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 May 2013.

Image Source

Heritage, Rhondda P. “Welcome to Rhondda Heritage Park.” Home. The Rhondda Heritage Park, 1 Jan. 2013. Web 14 May 2013