Linda,

On the topic of canal worker' injuries, a good place to start is Peter
Way's book, "Common Labour."




At 11:14 AM 07/20/1999 -0500, you wrote:
>I am currently researching to write a history of the Washington County Poor
>House (1828-1900). Over the past few days I have been reviewing the
>certificates of registration which the state began requiring to be kept as
>Poor House  inmates were admitted starting in 1875. I am appalled at the
>number of entries for men who were admitted with the notation "one arm" or
>"one hand" as the reason for admission. All of these are accompanied with
>the notation that they were canal workers -- usually "drivers". I am
>beginning to think that these dates of admission (i.e. a whole bunch of them
>in the Spring of 1876) were not the dates of injury, but were the dates of
>seasonal unemployment for all canal workers. [No, wait ... this bunch was in
>April. I think the canals closed down during the ice time of the winter.
>sigh] I am trying to figure out if there was some big disaster that disabled
>several men at the same time...or if there was just a hugh rate of
>amputation as an occupational hazard among canal workers. Can someone refer
>me to good sources of information about the "nitty-grittys" of work on the
>canals? Thanks, Linda
>
Patrick McGreevy
Department of Anthropology, Geography and Earth Science
Clarion University
Clarion, PA 16214

814-226-2649
Fax 814-226-2004

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http://wwwalet.clarion.edu/mcgreevy/home.htm