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Tools Not Toys

Oil Can

Boys serviced the textile spinning machines by keeping them well oiled. They often accomplished this while the machines were in motion, increasing the risk of their clothing or limbs becoming entangled in the machines. 

Girls had the responsibility of keeping the spinning machines clean by wiping the excess oil off them and off the floor below. The machines were tightly packed together and to clean them the girls had to squeeze between or to crawl underneath them. Their clothing and long hair increased the chances of injury.