Agricola, Georgius
,
De re metallica
,
1912/1950
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<
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>I will now leave the manager, and discuss him who controls the workmen
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of the mine, who is therefore called the foreman, although some call him
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the watchman. </
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<
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>It is he who distributes the work among the labourers, and
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sees diligently that each faithfully and usefully performs his duties. </
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<
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>He
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also discharges workmen on account of incompetence, or negligence, and
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supplies others in their places if the two Jurors and manager give their
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consent. </
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<
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>He must be skilful in working wood, that he may timber shafts,
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place posts, and make underground structures capable of supporting an underĀ
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mined mountain, lest the rocks from the hangingwall of the veins, not being
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supported, become detached from the mass of the mountain and overĀ
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whelm the workmen with destruction. </
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<
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>He must be able to make and lay
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out the drains in the tunnels, into which the water from the veins, stringers,
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and seams in the rocks may collect, that it may be properly guided and
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can flow away. </
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<
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>Further, he must be able to recognize veins and stringers,
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so as to sink shafts to the best advantage, and must be able to discern one
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kind of material which is mined from another, or to train his subordinates
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that they may separate the materials correctly. </
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<
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>He must also be well
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acquainted with all methods of washing, so as to teach the washers how
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the metalliferous earth or sand is washed. </
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<
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>He supplies the miners with iron
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tools when they are about to start to work in the mines, and apportions a
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certain weight of oil for their lamps, and trains them to dig to the best
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advantage, and sees that they work faithfully. </
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<
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>When their shift is finished,
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he takes back the oil which has been left. </
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<
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>On account of his numerous and
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important duties and labours, only one mine is entrusted to one foreman,
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nay, rather sometimes two or three foremen are set over one mine.</
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<
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>Since I have mentioned the shifts, I will briefly explain how these are
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carried on. </
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<
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>The twenty-four hours of a day and night are divided into three
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shifts, and each shift consists of seven hours. </
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<
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>The three remaining hours are
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intermediate between the shifts, and form an interval during which the
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workmen enter and leave the mines. </
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<
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>The first shift begins at the fourth hour
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in the morning and lasts till the eleventh hour; the second begins at the
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twelfth and is finished at the seventh; these two are day shifts in the
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morning and afternoon. </
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<
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>The third is the night shift, and commences at the
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eighth hour in the evening and finishes at the third in the morning. </
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<
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>The
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Bergmeister
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does not allow this third shift to be imposed upon the workmen
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unless necessity demands it. </
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<
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>In that case, whether they draw water from
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the shafts or mine the ore, they keep their vigil by the night lamps, and to
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prevent themselves falling asleep from the late hours or from fatigue, they
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lighten their long and arduous labours by singing, which is neither wholly
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untrained nor unpleasing. </
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<
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>In some places one miner is not allowed to
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undertake two shifts in succession, because it often happens that he either
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falls asleep in the mine, overcome by exhaustion from too much labour, or
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arrives too late for his shift, or leaves sooner than he ought. </
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<
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>Elsewhere he
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is allowed to do so, because he cannot subsist on the pay of one shift,
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especially if provisions grow dearer. </
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<
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>The
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Bergmeister
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does not, however,
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forbid an extraordinary shift when he concedes only one ordinary shift. </
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