 Conditions in the Lowell mills were severe by modern American standards . Employees worked from 5 : 00 am until 7 : 00 pm , for an average 73 hours per week . Each room usually had 80 women working at machines , with two male overseers managing the operation . The noise of the machines was described by one worker as " something frightful and infernal , " and although the rooms were hot , windows were often kept closed during the summer so that conditions for thread work remained optimal . The air , meanwhile , was filled with particles of thread and cloth . 
