The Nurse

Employment in the quarry operations was hard and dangerous. The strenuous work caused aggressive stone dust to settle in the lungs of the pounders and tippers. Many men fell ill with silicosis. Symptoms of “quartz lung” included shortness of breath and chronic bronchitis. There were also dangers to life and limb from explosions, falls and falling rocks. Serious injuries, sometimes fatal, occurred frequently. As a result, the workers were trained in first aid on “Samaritan courses”. In response to the numerous accidents, a local branch of the Red Cross was established in Lindlar as early as 1905.

The high number of illnesses and deaths had a devastating impact on the local social fabric. Many stonecutters died before reaching retirement age, leaving their widows with many children and little savings. Lindlar gained the reputation of being the “village of widows and orphans”. It was only in 1938 that the local doctor Wilhelm Meinerzhagen succeeded in having silicosis recognised as an occupational disease for the stonecutters. As a result, the survivors received state pension payments, and the dedicated doctor was honoured with a street named after him.

From 1902, a strict alcohol ban was in place in all quarry operations. Nevertheless, many workers continued to receive two pay packets: one for their wives and one for personal use. The weekly payday received the mocking nickname of the “pay packet ball”: on these Fridays, Lindlar’s taverns in particular made good profits. Some employers issued metal tokens to the stonecutters, which could later be exchanged for cash by their wives.

The looming poverty everywhere led to the early formation of a vital solidarity community among the stonecutters: in the Liber pastoralis, the Lindlar parish register, an entry from 1706 attests to the founding of the St. Reinoldus Steinhauergilde (Stonecutters’ Guild). Its members supported families in need and established themselves as an early precursor to the Stonecutters’ Health and Burial Fund, founded in Lindlar in 1856. This later merged into the General Local Health Insurance Fund in 1891. Today, the St Reinoldus Steinhauergilde is one of the most active associations in the municipality of Lindlar. The proceeds from the annual theatre performances are used by its members for social purposes.