The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-10-15
THE MINER.
SKETCHES FROM THE COAL MIN IS,
FasT PAsr.


AWAY FROM cOAlrAlE SIl.,r A>p puwN "a
ACIN.
Al, Mr.. Editor, L speaks much ur you
% find your heart warm while YOU a-e away
~ there in tie dark. cold might air, vi.t
the command OF follow me Sill ringing
in your ears. Your prospects are certainly
not over cheering But what Lo YOU think
of high life! For iustan,, look q, your
companions whose beads get heavier, AID
whose hearts get merrjcr, g. tagiI purses GET
lighter Don't YOU see BOW those little De-
mons-yisible 10 you, invisible % them
are chuckling and dancing about them, an 7
over them thes' Little devils that are moth
ing mole nor less than portcrs that open The
gates into hell--make merry too over the
victims they are drawing into their meshes
Al you sbudder and close your eyes, and
vel YOU may. TIE scene changes; YOU
leave the city behind and cross a broad, deep
river; you fly over It's banks ana away.
The good Genie flies over bin and vale, and
You follow him, Mr. Editor the tree tops
touch your feet. Borough, town, vii
lace, and hamlet appear under you, flying
in an opposite direction. The ridges OF
mountains come and you barely skirt them.
The geod Genie at last flies down a big
mountain side and lands you in the noun
tain town called Coaldale.
What Is this again that affects YOU 20 3
the sun has risen, but to you it is quite
dark, although you can see plainly every
object that presents itself, while you and
your fairy companion are iavsible-not to
each other, but to others. 1t is morning
and people pass you IN the streets. That
miner in bis hut, owing to tue late suspen
sion, l. at Biz bread and coffee breakfast /;
but it is sweoter to his palate than are the
dainties that load Mr. Coaldale's talle.
These, though the best aud sweetest. ~
sourly down Mr. Coaldale's thlukIcss
throat while that miners bread is not dyy /:
he has Jus; a minute ago asked God To
bless it, and God has responed and J,utered
Il ,cih q UessirR II such il the fare of
the poor and worthy, Mr. Elitor, the reward
compensates for all.
You are down in The street now, 0Ir Ell
itor, and walking as You are accustomed to
walk, and the Genie walks in the lead.
But what's the use Of lingering in town
after everybody else has gone olf to tie
mines. The good Genie takes an air line
and is 40 the mouth Of Coaldole shaft in a
moment You, Mr. Editor, follow the good
H.r;, al 49,, ~ H,.11,To LII. 3. ia Al -
moment. There, Mr. Editor IF the Daiy
--, you see irhat you never have seen
in your busy life before. That is a motley
group before you indeed, It is. You see
that fellew with tie bright dinner buckets
lust planting the butt end Of a coal drill
right in front Of you he With a check fan
mel shirt Oh, and pair Of canvas trousers
stuck in bis big, strong, dirty boots, pipe
in bis mouth, which sticks through a pair
Of big whiskers with leather cap, like
a race horse Jockeys cap and a lamp hung
in front Of it, upon his head be with d
roll Of strong brown paper, and two coal
miners picks in one hand, and in the other
the aforesaid drill clasped loosely. Tie
thumb and the first and middle finger Of
this hand, are bound in white rags, which
are stained with blood. That fellows the
president Of District No. -, Of TIE Work
mems Benevolent Association A rough
looking customer is he not CD if we are to
Judge him by the quality Of his cloth But
those other chaps look just as rough IS be
does and those poor fellows with the caps
Of their knees peeping through very ragce Z
holes through hair canvas, and the angular
portion Of their shirt sleeves, and the " y
pending from a very peculiar part behind
them, look much rougher. All, Mr.. Editor,
It Is an easy matter to pick out the men who
have tciUes from those VITO have none, ana
from those who are boarders in that motley
crowd You look at those who have rolls
Of blasting paper in their hands, those who
hug newly sharpened picks and drills, and
those who guard bran new shovels, and
those who swing oil cans, and those who
possess needles, scrapers, safety fuses, safe
ty lamps, rolls Of cotton wick, etc., etc.
What makes you shudder, Mr.. Editor
Oh ! | see; it's that chap sitting on a load.
ed powder keg knocking the hot ashes from
bis smoked out pipe On to It's head That
nothing You see no tremor PASS tbrouob
his muscular frame as he brushes them ,1vs,,
off the head Of the key On to the ground
IN shower Of red hot sparks
"BOOoo {! Boo 30 ! Boo oh ~
screams a steam BIZ raised a little above
the roof Of an engine house. Then one
man approaches board and pulls handle
and away down below you, YOU hear
three strokes Of gong Then the wire
ropes begin to wriggle and tug, and one b.
gins to glide up, while another slides down
the shaft. The rope rising jerks cage 10
the surface, and then yvd see men and bows
crush themselve7 into it until it IS crammsd.
Then you hear call right" and then again
ono stroke Of the gong, and you see the
cage I'll q living beings, pass below the
surface anu you stare at the strong wire
rope as 1t descends after them.
The good Genie hovers round Tho sb.A
ill all are lowered into the bowels of 80
earth, then with a swoop desoends to he
bottom. You, Mr.. Editor, perform In
same feat OF the same instant Rapid as ha,
been your fight, and dark as is the passage
you have seen everything the shaft contains
The steam , imp ram that is being pressed
into the working barrel Of the pump BY til,
high pressure steam that runs through tba
an Of steampipes, which pipes MAJ
at any moment, and let the steam
out into the shaft the fiery furnac'
we seen shooting bot gases into tn