Chapter XLV: Blanket Stoving

The men who are employed in this branch of blanket making are a fine, stalwart set of fellows, broad-set, muscular, and well-coloured in complexion, the healthiest-looking workmen, apart from teamers, to be seen in the Heavy Woollen District. It is a hereditary occupation as a rule. Most of the men are connected by ties of kindred, for intermarriage is prevalent. Blanket raisers are, as a rule, long lived, the mean age at death of 28 workmen whom I attended in their last illness was 64.1 years.

In winter-time, blankets are exposed in a stoving house to brimstone fumes. This is intended to bleach the blanket. In summer-time, most of the blankets are dried outside. The fixing of these on the tenter posts involves an immense amount of stretching. There is considerable exertion involved in the raising process, and getting the pile on the fabric. In fine weather, the men are in the open a great part of the day; but in winter, the stoved blankets are taken out to the tenters, when the change from the close, sulphurous atmosphere to a cold and damp tenter field is found to be trying even to a strong constitution. At some mills, fans are inserted in the roofs of the drying houses to take away the fumes; in others, the tenters in the drying house are on wheels, and run on rails. These are ladened with blankets in the open, and then run in to the sulphurous atmosphere, and after being sufficiently dried, are again drawn out to the open, where the blankets are taken off the frames without causing the irritating cough and semi-suffocation which ensues when men have to enter the dry house to remove them. I am informed that, under this last system, it is no uncommon thing for a raiser to cough and sneeze until blood comes from his mouth or lungs.

The question of whether blanket stoving with brimstone is a dangerous trade or not was answered in the negative by the Commissioners appointed by Mr Asquith, Home Secretary, before whom I gave evidence about five years ago.

As there is a considerable number of these men living near me, and I have often conversed with them about the brimstone and the healthiness of their occupation, certain matters of interest have come to my knowledge. Among these is the fact, that the men almost never die from tuberculosis. They seldom, if ever, contract infectious disease. As a rule, they imbibe beer very freely, owing to the dryness of the mouth and throat produced in the drying house, and by the tremendous sweating which results from the enormous loads which they take on their shoulders to the tenter field.

Bronchitis and emphysema are the most common diseases among them. Of the 28 deaths which I certified among raisers, 10 were due to bronchitis; the mean age at death was 64 years. Heart disease accounted for 4 deaths, at a mean age of 69.3 years. Three succumbed to pneumonia, at a mean age of 49. Two died from phthisis, mean age 51.5 years. There were two deaths from senile decay, mean age 72 years. Influenza claimed 2, mean age 68.5. Typhoid caused one death, at 60 years; as did prostatic disease, at 68 years. Apoplexy caused death in two, mean age 75.5 years. Cerebral softening claimed one at 68 years.

The 28 deaths are as follows:--

Bronchitis 10
Heart Disease 4
Pneumonia 3
Senile Decay 2
Phthisis 2
Influenza 2
Apoplexy 2
Typhoid Fever 1
Prostatic Disease 1
Cerebral Softening 1
--
28
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Seeing that the mean age at death at all ages in England is 29 years, and that of blanket raisers is 64.1, one is scarcely justified in regarding it as a trade which is injurious to health.

Efficient ventilation and the establishment of the running tenter described above, and figured in the Blue Book issued by the Commission, are all that is necessary.

JOHN A. E. STUART.