| The Lock-keeper | |||
| Skipper/Engineman/Engineer | |||
The Lock
-keeper
The lock-keeper had the job of seeing boats through the lock under
his control. The position of lock-keeper stayed in the same family for generations.
He was given a free house and a small garden beside the lock. The work was hard,
the hours were long and the wages were small. Today the lock-keeper is in charge
of many locks. He has to travel from lock to lock when a boat wants to pass
through t
he locks.
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page.
Click here for an Interactive Canal Locks Demonstration
Click here for demonstration of how canal locks operate
Boatmen
The boatmen, like the lockkeepers, came from the same families. They started
work at a young age. They began work as "grazers", the greaser greased
the engine and did odd jobs around the boat. The next step was to become a deckhand
and from there he progressed to engine man and possibly skipper. The boatmen
worked very hard. They were expected to travel night and day. Many of them lived
along the canal and came from Kildare or Kilkenny.
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The Greaser
The greaser was often the son or nephew of the skipper. He greased
the engine. He helped prepare the meals and keep the quarters tidy. He was learning
the boatman's trade from members of his family.
The Deckhand
The deckhand was a helper and he did all kinds of work on the boat
including loading and unloading cargo. He also did the cooking, the cleaning
of the kitchens and the tidying of the cabins.
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page.
The Skipper
The skipper is also called the master or the captain of the boat. He had overall
responsibility for the crew, the boat and the cargo or passengers on the boat.
The Engineman
The engineman, as his name suggests, looked after the engine on the
boats.
Engineers
The engineers were responsible for keeping all the equipment, engines,
lock gates and canal banks in good working condition.
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page.
The Groom
The Groom looked after the horses. These horses that worked by the canals had
to be trained, well fed and shod so that they could do their jobs well. Horses
pulled the boats along on a rope called a tow. A path for the horses was made
by the side of the canal. This was called a tow path.
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page.
Bulkers
The Bulkers were the same as railway porters. They loaded and
unloaded the boats. They worked in the goods' stores.
Bye-traders
and their Agents
Bye-traders were people or companies who used to trade on the
canal system using their own boats. They paid for passage through
locks and on the goods they carried.
Dredgers
and Dredger Drivers
The dredger was a boat used to clean the canal. It travelled with
another boat. This boat would carry away the rubbish hauled up out of the canal
by the dredger.
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The Shipwright
The job of the shipwright was to ensure that the boats were in good
working order. He carried out repairs on boats.
Area Managers
The area manager kept records of all the boats passing through his
station and records of all the boatmen that stopped as well as the lengths of
the stops. This information was sent by telephone or telegram to James' Street
Harbour every day. This helped headquarters to keep an eye on the movement of
boats.
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page.
To find the resources to go with this page click
here.
To find a Wordsearch to go with this page click
here.
