American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1863-12-23
Fsom the New York Tribune.
The Coal.FieIds of Penn'a.
HAzLEToN, Luzerne Co., Pa, l
November 2S. 1868.


Yesterday morning at ii o'clock, we
took the cars of the Beaver Meadow Road
at AIauch Chunck bound for this place.
The road is one of the most romantic and
wild, SO far as scenery is concerned, OF
any that | have seen yet We wind in
and out around the base of the mountains,
following the course of the Lehigh all the
way. From Weatherly on to Hazleton
Creek Bridge, distance of two miles,
our course is steadily upward. Our good
old steam horse ahead snorts and pulls
most furiously. Weare ascending grade
all the way of IA feet to the mie--prob-
ably the heaviest grade upon any road in
the country. At the Bridge we change,
and take the Hazeton road going on to
Eckley, where passengers going to White
Haven or Wilkesbarre are again transfer
red. From Eckley we are backed down
to the bridge again, and then run up to
Hazleton. We pass all along the road
large locomotives running down to the
Chunk, drawing behind them cars hold
ing from 5000 to 10000 pounds of coal.
The passenger car of Our train is full
The passengers are nearly all miners or
their families, or the parties leasing the
mines. The entire population, not only
here, but all the way from Easton, speak
Pennsylvania Dutch, lingo a New York
Dutchman would never understand. ] do
not wish to be understood as saying that
no English is spoken, because nearly all
speak more or less Of it, but simply that
it would be almost fruitless in any town
through here for storekeeper, or one ex-
pecting to do business, to settle unless he
could talk Pennsylvania Dutch
At Hazleton we find the mines of A.
Pardee & Co., the oldest, and probably the
wealthiest firm in this section of the State
They have under their control, and are
working at this time, some six mines. At
Jcddo some two or three miles beyond
Hazleton, are the Mines of G. b. Markle
& Co. These mines, with those at this
point | shall consider and speak of in most
instances as one, they being so to all prac-
tical purposes, the firm at Jeddo being to
some extent branch of A. Pardee & Co.
These two firms will this year forward 460, :
600 tuns from their mines large in
crease over last year. During the past
Summer they have shipped about | !, 900
tuns per week, and in no instance have
they satisfied the orders of single man.
The same causes have operated here as at
Mauch Chunk to hinder the fail working
Of the mines The difficulties have at
these points, however, been much greater
than a. any other portion OF the State.
Strikes have been frequent, and in conse-
queuce thereof the productions have di-
minishea about $4,000 tuns from what
they otherwise might have been. Trans
portation has also been lacking. Wages
have been increased enormously. At the
lIazeton mines the miners formerly re-
ccived from 35 to 50 cents per car for
mining. Each miners car holds about Il
tun. These men are now receiving from
IS cents to 81 per car. Laborers inside
the mines are now receiving about double
from last years prices. At the Jeddo
mines 90 cents per car was tormerly paid
the miners, whereas they are now recciv-
ing 81 rs for the same quantity. Their
wages have been raised some SIX or eight
different times Some of the men are
making from IS to SO per day Com
mon laborers are averaging SIS week
for simply loading the cars. Such are
some of the obstacles against which the
owners have been obliged to contend, and
yet these are but slight compared to those
| shall now consider The miners are
composed of Welsh, German and English,
and Protestant and Catholic Irish-the
latter class have been at the bottom of all
the troubles, set on and abetted by the va
rious outside small fry Democratic Copper
head politicians of the State. The men
commenced by forming themselves into an
organization styled "The Buckshots,"
having for its ayowed aim and purpose re-
sistence to the draft, 4rn,s acere furnish
cd them from Phdadelphia, by Copper
head politician cf tke State, at 81 80 a
piece, they giving security for the safe re-
turn of the pieces. Thank God that this
man has lately been arrested by the mill
tary stationed here, and sent on to Read
ing, there to await the action of the au-
thorities. wonder if some of our poll
ticians, and journals as well, won't soon be
calling it an arbitrary arrest" Per-
haps they have already done so. From a
resistance to the draft they soon assumed
the position that none but men of their own
nationality and religious faith should be al
lowed to work in the mines at all, and at
the same time demanded an increase of wa
ges. Seeing the state ofaffairs, the owners at
once commenced discharging one by one,
these men. As each man was discharged,
all the Buckshots would quit work.
and not a thing was touched until the man
was returned to his position. Not only
this, but they drove by force all others
from their work, thus completely paralyz-
ing all operations The consequence was
that the men discharged had to be again
reinstated, or all operations were at an end
Men belonging to the "Buckshots were
ofteutimes sent for to proceed to other
mines, sometimes eight or ten miles dis
tant, and help there to carry out the same
programme. Strikes then became the
order of the day, and came frequently
Their demands were obliged to be acceded
to, or no. work could be done. Threats
Were made against the lives of the owners.
Some of them were shot, some killed, 9TH