, 1866-01-30
THE La SALLE COAL NINERs.

TIE La SALLE COAL MINERS.
A Letter from xho Secretary or the
Miners Union-A Ttmess CORRESPOND.
ent Reboked-The Miners, Onion De-
fended-Neeessisy and Value or this
OrganixAtion.
r., LAsA11H, ILL.,, jan u 1865,
EdI,orr Chicago Tribune:
eee an article In the Chicago Iime,. 18th
inst, concerning the coal tields and coal mines
of Lasal'e county and the Mine1s' Union.
The views presented are as wide Of the mark
as Their Views were concerning the Southern
Confederacy, In the article mentioned, tho
writer says that the coal at Peru Is equal to
any west OF Pittsburgh, or better. From this
statement I am led TO believe that he knows
nothing about the quality of coal. There are
the hanaWha Valley coal, and the Goa, River
coal in West Virginia, the Ohio Peacock coal,
while In this State there arc the Belleyil,e
coal and J. A Eddy's coal, at Kingston
] mines, all Of a finer quality. But this Is. uey-
ertheleas, good coal. he then speaks Of the
burning Of the shaft house at La Sale mine.
posely leaves the impression that there was
nothing burnt but the shaft house, while the
fact is that It has been burning for months.
ana that II found vent In the shaft, hence the
burning. Why does he not inform the read
ers Of that fact? Simply because that would
let the people know Of one Of the dangers .
miner has to encounter, and he was not here
TO write for the many, but for a privileged
few: Thank God the shaft burnt down. OF
LOOK tire at night time, when there were only
two, men In the mines, aud they
had to ride up through the dames
there would al least $50 men have pefished,
He then says work On the mines Is suspended
on account Of new patoxysm Of chronic ail-
ment Of mining enterprise; that the miners,
through their Union, have raised their prices
from & Is to $s25. This VIC emphat1clly
deny. H says the cost OF getting Il to tho
! surface Is as much as getting It from the vein,
There again he shows his Ignorance, and he
must think the readers Of the Times Yery ie-
I norant, for there Is not q school boy that can
| read the First Reader but what knows that It
I will not cost nine cents per bushel to trans
port It LOG yards under ground, without
| they have "a railroad monopoly" theIe,
Why, boy with mule is calculated to haul
eighty tons per day. The miners load the
coal NIL The company bas to do Is to keen
the road In xepair. If 1t costs nine cents per
bushel to take 1t from the miners to The sur
face, 1920 yards, under able management, I
| would like to know whnt 1t would cost in
common. We. the miners would like to have
| tue contract ut much less than hnlE think
there must be some chronic atlment with the
correspondent Of the Tines. I knew that for
the last tour years the Times' correspondents
have been troubled With chronic ailment,
but was In hopes that Dr.. General Grant had
effected q cure. If "D. C. B." would tell
James Convey, or any other practical miner,
that 1t costs nine cents per bnshel to get coal
out Of their mines, they would TAKE It as an
insult. Hc then says that flity cents per ton
Is considered a fair profit. should consider
IT 50. for that would make IN acre Of coal
wnrfh orr g; nm
wish the coal operators would be satisf1ed
with fifty cents per ton; It would be better
Tor the people and miners. D. C. 3 then
compliments Mr. Lacey very highly. Think,
however, II Is poor Recommendation, when
IN the sane article be says that It costs N{t.
Lacey nine cents per bushel to transport coal
1,000 yards. would advise Mr.. Lacey never
to 60 md try and get my position as supcrin-
tGndent Of coal mines where they read the
Chicago Times, for the company viii be sure
TO remember the "nine cents per bushcl'
milne four tons in eix hours" That statement.
also, we deny. And that the Union Of miners
only permits a miner TO mine four tons Der
day. That is fact, and I Think it Is the only
TACT In hi communication.
- VIII give the reasons for our doing 50.
miEo, and makesits way around the mine. Thus |
the man In the first room has good air; but If
he was permitted to blast as many times
as lie wanted TO, the men on the inside |
Of hun would have to breathe all the |
arst mans M powder smoke. That would pre-
mans work 20 that each man viii use on,y
onestxth Of kcg of powder. We have to |
restrict some to give ali a chance TO work. If
the other way WAS permitted, the mines
would be laid Idle hall OF tho time from
the ,hs elects Of powder smoke. under
For. that reason we made The Inv referred
to, so that oil the miners, weak-lunged or
strong, could have chance 10 make living, |
Even II We would do away with that law, ito
miners could not mine any more tllan they
Increased in the market. Again, he says Of
the excessive demand of the miners. Ia clarg-
Iug f10.30 for the turning Of 3 room, and that !
It Is attended with no additional expense.
lie again shows his ignorance, for in turning
OF room miner win use at least onB extra
keg OF powder, and consequently extra labor.
did not think there could be any one 10 lguo.-
rant, 60 nm surprised at correspnndeptlike
D. c. B. When be pays US his promised visit.
let him ask any Intelligent mi6er 10 chow him
through the mines. He Will then get both sides
of the question; for We are always willing to
give NIL the information We can to ihe represcn:
Iaures Ct the Fress, 30 thai the people will he
informed flour unhealthy and dangerous occu.
5aiion.
lie then says the union of miners ought I'd !
e iesa neoShea @td Il Il, %l;take ta % 9ot the sam.
he same Thing In regard to the union oil
State. but, thank God, he failed and L liz
mes 10 break up our union OF miners, the
anne result Will attend his trouble, for tho
oundAtlon OF our union. rests on the rick Of
usticc, though, perhaps, sometimes we have
71ed Bat when he says the people would ID
benefited By the breaking mp of our unioni f't
&c means few coal operators. What does
ae care for the people! He says "If our ::
n In rIs,a a1so1f had 4
work than at present." / don't know That :
our union stops the people from using coal;
think II he would use the mighty pen against
he railroads and such like that will not
:a1Ty coal for tho people, he would oc doing
9c better Tor our healths, morals and pockets; !
cannot sec where It would benefit our: I
lcalth any by working In mfnca, amongst q
'owdes and foul air all the time. There Is :
lot miner in Illinois TINT works here ali the ;
,ear, IN those mines. Bat I'd. C. B." Is no;
ioetor. In regard TO morals, II am not ter
ibly mistaken his plan might improve US, for.
We would be sure to be thinking Of death. II !,
&c had TO work all the time In the mines, and: 4
" hasing it constantly In our minds 1t would !
lave, perhnps, good effect. "
agalnst !" bearing false witness {
gainst thy neighbor." In regard to our pock- {
Is, believe 1t would be better for the pocket c
lining, al least, for We would never have any: !
money to put in them to wear them out. y y
! VIII state some Of our objects In form-; i
ug cur union: list. Affair day wages for our G
dangerous labor. 3D.. To prevent young I.
hlldrcn from going In the mines. 3d.. Il
With few exceptions, VIC were never b
aid our wages regularly, operators would ?
etafn our wages and put It out at large In i
crest, thereby compelling us to trade In their o
torres, and compelling us to pay twenty per b
ent higher For powder they would chafge:| t,
S from two to thfee dollars more than the p
larket price, and II we did not trate Wjtht e
hem IL powder, ETC., ne had to leave their
.orks. Also,> that we should have proper}I
In the mines, and that the mines G,
Iould have nm escapement ehntt, in casc the, G
'ain shaft should take fire as 1t did In the La Il
alle mincs. or in case the shaft caves IN. p
,cre an honorable OF sensible man who will / Il
btect to themy We will demand before this. Ia
Tar passes away that the Legislature shall "
r act compel the owners to sink an iudc- b
eudent shaft, to give us a chance for our a. q.
res. g g
Again, be says the coal here is five and ~ ~
,lf feet thick. I know he rot his infosma- Pa
On from man Who knew nothing q
'out the mines. -Four and q half "
et L nearer The thickuess. s.
y improvement about Col. Taylor's shaft 81 $,
at will make difference Of 40 tons per 4
#. I think he got his Information about 60
e mines from poor sources. Let me tell r.
m TINT bar.Eooms nre poor plnces In which. ~ ~
get good Information, Hesays James Cow, t. r.
IS mine Ia theoretically able to hoist 400. | 10
rs Per day: Lee me tell him that, practI- rc1
lly, he Is able to hoist from $50 to 500 tons y
= day, II the railroad will put In the cars. co
I Jorf r. r. |