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Thomas Gale: Box Tunnel Foreman
Kevin Lane May 2020 Thomas Gale was the foreman for George Burge who excavated much of the Box Tunnel in 1841. He was also my two times great grandfather. Thomas wrote his recollections of the building works in 1884 after his retirement, which is one of our main sources of information about the engineering project. They were published by his friend RE Peach to help raise funds for him in his later years. Peach described Thomas as Native of Box, Late Office Porter at the G.W.R. Station, Bath. I have transcribed the piece in full. Some of the wording in the article seems rather constrained but it is worth mentioning that Thomas’ wife Prudence Gale certified their children's birth certificate with a cross as she was illiterate. So we are fortunate to have this amazing record of the tunnel at all. |
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Preface
The following unpretending account of the construction of the Box Tunnel, is by Thomas Gale, formerly in the employment of the Great Western Railway Company as porter at the Bath Station.
Owing to failing health, aggravated at times. by a grievous asthma, Gale was compelled in 1880 to give up his employment and to fall back upon the sick fund, from which he receives an allowance of 10s. per week, a sum manifestly inadequate to his wants. During his thirty years’ service at the Bath Station, Gale’s conduct was most exemplary. His attention to his duties generally, and his readiness to promote the comfort of local passengers; by receiving and taking care of parcels and in other respects attending to their various wants; ensured him the esteem and good-wishes of a large number of persons.
An appeal was made by myself and Mr. Cater to Gale’s friends when he was no longer capable of performing his duties, and the result was that so long as the money raised lasted we were enabled to eke out his weekly allowance, and for the time being, to add to his comforts. The funds raised have long since been exhausted; and it is now to be observed, that increasing years bring increasing infirmities, and there are times when these infirmities render it impossible even for the poor man to leave his room, and his condition is helpless in the extreme.
Those who remember - and they are many - the activity, the energy, and the never failing desire to oblige and serve the public, will sympathise with Gale in his old age, to which is added the suffering of asthmatic affliction; and it is hoped they will still be disposed to help him by taking a few copies of his unpretending work.
If I were as ingenious in begging as I am the reverse, I am gratified in being able to assure those to whom this preface is addressed, that an appeal for charity would be repugnant to Gale’s feelings. It is some two years ago since Gale informed me that he was employed in the construction of the Box Tunnel, and had preserved notes of his experience.
I therefore suggested that if he would write out those notes, I would put them into shape and introduce his little work to the public by a preface - a preface, which I trust may not prejudice, even if it does not help the poor man in whose interests it is written.
Bath; May, 1884 R.E. PEACH
The following unpretending account of the construction of the Box Tunnel, is by Thomas Gale, formerly in the employment of the Great Western Railway Company as porter at the Bath Station.
Owing to failing health, aggravated at times. by a grievous asthma, Gale was compelled in 1880 to give up his employment and to fall back upon the sick fund, from which he receives an allowance of 10s. per week, a sum manifestly inadequate to his wants. During his thirty years’ service at the Bath Station, Gale’s conduct was most exemplary. His attention to his duties generally, and his readiness to promote the comfort of local passengers; by receiving and taking care of parcels and in other respects attending to their various wants; ensured him the esteem and good-wishes of a large number of persons.
An appeal was made by myself and Mr. Cater to Gale’s friends when he was no longer capable of performing his duties, and the result was that so long as the money raised lasted we were enabled to eke out his weekly allowance, and for the time being, to add to his comforts. The funds raised have long since been exhausted; and it is now to be observed, that increasing years bring increasing infirmities, and there are times when these infirmities render it impossible even for the poor man to leave his room, and his condition is helpless in the extreme.
Those who remember - and they are many - the activity, the energy, and the never failing desire to oblige and serve the public, will sympathise with Gale in his old age, to which is added the suffering of asthmatic affliction; and it is hoped they will still be disposed to help him by taking a few copies of his unpretending work.
If I were as ingenious in begging as I am the reverse, I am gratified in being able to assure those to whom this preface is addressed, that an appeal for charity would be repugnant to Gale’s feelings. It is some two years ago since Gale informed me that he was employed in the construction of the Box Tunnel, and had preserved notes of his experience.
I therefore suggested that if he would write out those notes, I would put them into shape and introduce his little work to the public by a preface - a preface, which I trust may not prejudice, even if it does not help the poor man in whose interests it is written.
Bath; May, 1884 R.E. PEACH
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THE GREAT BOX TUNNEL T. GALE was employed all the time from the beginning till the great tunnel was finished. Sinking the trial shaft took nearly one year before the contractor commenced sinking the shafts, holes for ventilation, and light for the Great Tunnel. The shafts were sunk three hundred feet deep. The Corsham end of the tunnel is not so deep as the Box end, being somewhere about one hundred feet, and being cut through the celebrated Bath stone which is about that depth from the surface. When those great shafts were finished and beautifully bricked up as they are to the top, it took nearly two years to finish the whole. The Contractor’s name was Horton, but he failed before the shafts were finished, and the work was completed by the Company. Then commenced the Great Tunnel, the chief new Contractor for which being Mr. George Burge, of Herne Bay, a very rich and able man of business, who had on hand at the same time the St. Catherine Docks London, and a large job in Germany. He had three parts of the tunnel, and all his work had to be bricked, so that it was one of the greatest undertakings in this country that was known up to that time. |
When the great depth of the tunnel is taken into consideration, and the fact that it had to be worked by manual and horse power so far as Mr. Burge's contract reached, and with the exception of one steam engine of sixty-horse power which was used to pump the water out of one of the shafts. In a very short time after the steam engine was put up to bore the headings through, the water drained away itself. The subcontractors for the London end was Mr. Stothert and Mr. Lewis of Bath, in partnership; but being continually drowned out by the water they got behind with their work and were obliged to give up their contract; which was carried on afterwards by other contractors and the Company, chiefly by steam power as well as manual labour.
I will describe, as nearly as possible the great quantities of different articles for the use of the bricklayers and miners for the work of the tunnel; first, we had the great contractor, Mr. George Burge, with his hundred and odd horses working night and day drawing the earth up out of the tunnel to the surface, and otherwise engaged at the different works of the tunnel, and as many at least as forty boys to drive the horses and as many as eleven or twelve hundred men continually working night and day while the tunnel was in progress.
The tunnel commenced in June, 1838, and Mr. George Burge was bound to complete it in three years, which he did, and opened it on the last day of June, 1841; the line on that day being opened from London to Bristol, which had been opened the year before from Bath to Bristol in 1840.
The bricks used in the construction of the tunnel were made on this side of Chippenham in the meadows by Mr. Hunt, who had a hundred horses and carts at work bringing bricks to the tunnel for three years, and hauliers he engaged besides. For the use of the bricklayers and miners we had a great quantity of timber from Bath; and from Tanner’s Lime Kiln we had three wagon loads of ashes three or four times a week, and five or six cart loads of lime daily when the weather would permit. During the time the tunnel was making, a very large quantity of sand was dug out of the earth about two miles from the works, and mixed with other things, and used as mortar.
There was a lime kiln on the tunnel continually; burning lime from the stones that were dug out of the deepest parts of the tunnel, which made very good lime, we had also a large house for keeping our cement in, of which we always had several hundred casks on hand; what was the number used I cannot exactly tell. Now all those different articles were delivered to me, or my men, and put down at the different parts where they were wanted for the use of the bricklayers and miners. The number of horses engaged at the different works and the tunnel could not be less than three hundred until the tunnel was finished. I, being foreman for the great contractor, Mr. G. Burge, and sub-contractor over all the day work on the top, and to see to the repairing of the gin rings where the horses travel round for bringing up the stuff out of the tunnel. I was continually over Mr. G. Burge’s works daily. From the bridge and tunnel mouth I had a good opportunity of seeing how the works were carried on, which I will try to explain as well as I possibly can.
Box Tunnel is 9,680 feet long; it contains five shaft holes for ventilation and light; there were twelve or thirteen, but the rest were arched over and filled up when the work was finished. The depth of the deepest shaft-hole would be about 306 feet, the others were not quite so deep.
There was supposed to be about 414,000 cubic yards of earth and rock taken from the tunnel, and over thirty millions of bricks were used to brick up the tunnel. It took nearly one year to sink the trial shaft, and nearly two years to make the shafts, which are now open for light and ventilation, so that it took nearly six years to complete that great undertaking; and every week one ton of gunpowder, and one ton of candles were consumed during the time the tunnel was making.
From commencement to finish just one hundred men were killed in different parts of the works and in different ways, and quite as many were injured, some, for life, but most them being strangers to this neighbourhood they went to their respective homes - Cornwall, Wales and other parts of England, and no doubt great many of them died.
Drunkenness and fighting were carried on to an alarming extent; no teetotalism was known in those days with that class of men. We had twenty-six Inspectors on the works, and a portion of them were sent to different villages to keep the peace on Sundays, as well as they could, there being no County police in those days.
Two days in the year the sun could be seen shining through the tunnel, providing it was clear from smoke.
The work now being finished, the opening day was the last day of June,1841; the engine ran through from London to Bristol. The event was celebrated by a day's rejoicing in Box, and upwards of a hundred flags decorated the tunnel mouth, banks and bridge. Close by was a band of music playing, and three hogsheads of beer were given away by me on behalf of the Contractors. On the same day several thousands of people came from all parts to witness the scene. In the evening we had an entertainment at the Queen's Head for the principal men of the ground quarries; a great portion of the property belongs to Colonel Northey, who is also Lord of the Manor, Mr. Pictor, Mr. Yockney, and others.
The last six. months before the tunnel was opened there could not be less than 4,600 men working to hurry on the completion so as to get it finished by the opening day. Now the question might be asked, where did all those men live and sleep? In the neighbouring villages of Box and Corsham, and being on day or night duty, as soon as one lot turned out another lot turned in, so that their beds were never empty, as in those days, it was considered a wonderful undertaking was the Great Box Tunnel.
I stopped with the engineers at the tunnel and other places until June, 1844, then I joined the Company’s service as porter, and opened the first line into Oxford from Didcot in that month;[1] shortly after I opened the first line of the G.W.R. Kemble Junction into Gloucester, came back to Oxford and stopped till April, 1852, during the time I was there I was a great deal on night duty. I received a very severe accident while I was there, having three ribs fractured and otherwise injured; I came to Bath April, 1852, as office porter, and there remained till 1880, when I was obliged to leave the Company's service owing to ill-health.[2]
T. GALE.
14 Philip St., Bath
Any of Gale's friends wishing to obtain copies from him direct will kindly address him as above.
I will describe, as nearly as possible the great quantities of different articles for the use of the bricklayers and miners for the work of the tunnel; first, we had the great contractor, Mr. George Burge, with his hundred and odd horses working night and day drawing the earth up out of the tunnel to the surface, and otherwise engaged at the different works of the tunnel, and as many at least as forty boys to drive the horses and as many as eleven or twelve hundred men continually working night and day while the tunnel was in progress.
The tunnel commenced in June, 1838, and Mr. George Burge was bound to complete it in three years, which he did, and opened it on the last day of June, 1841; the line on that day being opened from London to Bristol, which had been opened the year before from Bath to Bristol in 1840.
The bricks used in the construction of the tunnel were made on this side of Chippenham in the meadows by Mr. Hunt, who had a hundred horses and carts at work bringing bricks to the tunnel for three years, and hauliers he engaged besides. For the use of the bricklayers and miners we had a great quantity of timber from Bath; and from Tanner’s Lime Kiln we had three wagon loads of ashes three or four times a week, and five or six cart loads of lime daily when the weather would permit. During the time the tunnel was making, a very large quantity of sand was dug out of the earth about two miles from the works, and mixed with other things, and used as mortar.
There was a lime kiln on the tunnel continually; burning lime from the stones that were dug out of the deepest parts of the tunnel, which made very good lime, we had also a large house for keeping our cement in, of which we always had several hundred casks on hand; what was the number used I cannot exactly tell. Now all those different articles were delivered to me, or my men, and put down at the different parts where they were wanted for the use of the bricklayers and miners. The number of horses engaged at the different works and the tunnel could not be less than three hundred until the tunnel was finished. I, being foreman for the great contractor, Mr. G. Burge, and sub-contractor over all the day work on the top, and to see to the repairing of the gin rings where the horses travel round for bringing up the stuff out of the tunnel. I was continually over Mr. G. Burge’s works daily. From the bridge and tunnel mouth I had a good opportunity of seeing how the works were carried on, which I will try to explain as well as I possibly can.
Box Tunnel is 9,680 feet long; it contains five shaft holes for ventilation and light; there were twelve or thirteen, but the rest were arched over and filled up when the work was finished. The depth of the deepest shaft-hole would be about 306 feet, the others were not quite so deep.
There was supposed to be about 414,000 cubic yards of earth and rock taken from the tunnel, and over thirty millions of bricks were used to brick up the tunnel. It took nearly one year to sink the trial shaft, and nearly two years to make the shafts, which are now open for light and ventilation, so that it took nearly six years to complete that great undertaking; and every week one ton of gunpowder, and one ton of candles were consumed during the time the tunnel was making.
From commencement to finish just one hundred men were killed in different parts of the works and in different ways, and quite as many were injured, some, for life, but most them being strangers to this neighbourhood they went to their respective homes - Cornwall, Wales and other parts of England, and no doubt great many of them died.
Drunkenness and fighting were carried on to an alarming extent; no teetotalism was known in those days with that class of men. We had twenty-six Inspectors on the works, and a portion of them were sent to different villages to keep the peace on Sundays, as well as they could, there being no County police in those days.
Two days in the year the sun could be seen shining through the tunnel, providing it was clear from smoke.
The work now being finished, the opening day was the last day of June,1841; the engine ran through from London to Bristol. The event was celebrated by a day's rejoicing in Box, and upwards of a hundred flags decorated the tunnel mouth, banks and bridge. Close by was a band of music playing, and three hogsheads of beer were given away by me on behalf of the Contractors. On the same day several thousands of people came from all parts to witness the scene. In the evening we had an entertainment at the Queen's Head for the principal men of the ground quarries; a great portion of the property belongs to Colonel Northey, who is also Lord of the Manor, Mr. Pictor, Mr. Yockney, and others.
The last six. months before the tunnel was opened there could not be less than 4,600 men working to hurry on the completion so as to get it finished by the opening day. Now the question might be asked, where did all those men live and sleep? In the neighbouring villages of Box and Corsham, and being on day or night duty, as soon as one lot turned out another lot turned in, so that their beds were never empty, as in those days, it was considered a wonderful undertaking was the Great Box Tunnel.
I stopped with the engineers at the tunnel and other places until June, 1844, then I joined the Company’s service as porter, and opened the first line into Oxford from Didcot in that month;[1] shortly after I opened the first line of the G.W.R. Kemble Junction into Gloucester, came back to Oxford and stopped till April, 1852, during the time I was there I was a great deal on night duty. I received a very severe accident while I was there, having three ribs fractured and otherwise injured; I came to Bath April, 1852, as office porter, and there remained till 1880, when I was obliged to leave the Company's service owing to ill-health.[2]
T. GALE.
14 Philip St., Bath
Any of Gale's friends wishing to obtain copies from him direct will kindly address him as above.
Gale Family Details
Thomas Gale (born 1813 in Box - died 1886) married Prudence Fletcher (sometimes called Elizabeth Prudence) (born 1813 in Box - died 1908 at the age of 95 in Bath) on 22 September 1833 with witnesses Isaac Batt and Henry Wilkins. Thomas started as a labourer in the quarries until appointed foreman of the Tunnel works. In 1844 he became a porter and later a bellows blower at Kemble Junction, Gloucester and Oxford. From 1852 to 1880 he was an Office Porter at Bath. He retired in 1880 and wrote the pamphlet in 1884.
Their children included:
Elijah (b 1834 in Box); Harriett (b 1838 in Box); William (b 1840 in Box); Edward (b 1842 in Box); Elizabeth (b 1847 Oxford); Margaret (b 1850 Oxford); Agnes (b 1855 Bath); William (b 1860 Bath); and Lillie (b 1860 Somerset).
Thomas and Prudence lived at:
1841 Townsend, Box
1851 Friar Street, St Ebbe, Oxford
1858 3 Old Orchard, Holloway, Bath
1860 2 Oak Street, Lower Bristol Road, Bath
1861 4 Albert Terrace, Lyncombe and Widcombe, Bath
1862-74 11 Westmoreland Buildings, Lyncombe and Widcombe, Bath
1876 5 Phillip Street
1880-86 14 Phillip Street
Thomas Gale (born 1813 in Box - died 1886) married Prudence Fletcher (sometimes called Elizabeth Prudence) (born 1813 in Box - died 1908 at the age of 95 in Bath) on 22 September 1833 with witnesses Isaac Batt and Henry Wilkins. Thomas started as a labourer in the quarries until appointed foreman of the Tunnel works. In 1844 he became a porter and later a bellows blower at Kemble Junction, Gloucester and Oxford. From 1852 to 1880 he was an Office Porter at Bath. He retired in 1880 and wrote the pamphlet in 1884.
Their children included:
Elijah (b 1834 in Box); Harriett (b 1838 in Box); William (b 1840 in Box); Edward (b 1842 in Box); Elizabeth (b 1847 Oxford); Margaret (b 1850 Oxford); Agnes (b 1855 Bath); William (b 1860 Bath); and Lillie (b 1860 Somerset).
Thomas and Prudence lived at:
1841 Townsend, Box
1851 Friar Street, St Ebbe, Oxford
1858 3 Old Orchard, Holloway, Bath
1860 2 Oak Street, Lower Bristol Road, Bath
1861 4 Albert Terrace, Lyncombe and Widcombe, Bath
1862-74 11 Westmoreland Buildings, Lyncombe and Widcombe, Bath
1876 5 Phillip Street
1880-86 14 Phillip Street
References
[1] RE Peach added a footnote: I suppose Gale does not mean that he opened the lines himself, but that he was present and helped in his humble capacity. He was one of the bellows blowers.
[2] My father left a note: He was injured in a shunting accident and caught between two buffers. It is believed that, owing to his injuries, Thomas Gale received the first ever employee’s pension from GWR which was presented by Brunel. In the 1881 census he proudly described himself as Superanuated Railway Porter.
[1] RE Peach added a footnote: I suppose Gale does not mean that he opened the lines himself, but that he was present and helped in his humble capacity. He was one of the bellows blowers.
[2] My father left a note: He was injured in a shunting accident and caught between two buffers. It is believed that, owing to his injuries, Thomas Gale received the first ever employee’s pension from GWR which was presented by Brunel. In the 1881 census he proudly described himself as Superanuated Railway Porter.