The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-07-30

THE MINER.
SKETCHES FROM THE COAL MINES
RUGGED. soIsrRoUs BUT INTRODUCTORY.

y on find yourself on a road and you are
travelling North. The road is more like a
terrace built by the side Of an intensely tur
bulent river, which rushes pell nell down
It's rocky bed at a furious rate. You see
the stream dash in one place against huge
rock, and split itself up into parts, and rag
past il CO each side in sheets of foam, and
there too It dashes upwards and rebounds,
and the water divides and subdivides itself,
until it mounts into the air in clouds of thin
spray, which, when reached by the direct
rays Of the sunlight, appear in all the
colors of the prismstic spectrum. Then you
see cascades that throw the stream of water
into lower lc7ris With a roar that almosr
deafens you. One thing you accept with
gratitude, and that Is the pure mountain
ar that fans your cheek and which you
drink into your system you become almost
intoxicated BY its freshness it is different
from that you find q, the sea shoe, and 10
the city, and in the lowland country where
you have been accustomed to reside.
You are now in a deep gorge or pass,
and On your right hand rises abruptly an
immense mountain. You bend back your
neck to look up its steep side which is
covered with foliage, through which rocks
protrude in various places and these look
as if they were sustained in their positions
by mere pivots. On the opposite side of
the river, the mountain rises from the edge
Of the stream and climbs away up into the
clouds. This you see more clearly as you
are some fifty yards East of is base You
see too at almost inaccessible heights the
sure footed goat skipping from ledge of
rocks to ledge Of rocks, lighting at times on
a mere peak, with his feet close together as
if they were tied there it almost makes you
giddy to look at him away up in bis precip-
ltous heights. A huge tree in one place
appears as if it grew out of the rock, for you
see no soil in its vicinity whose proximity
you would deem sufficiently close to furnish
the requisite amount of nutrition to admins
ter to its wants. On the opposite side Of
the river tne, you see an artificial ledge OF
roadway near the base Of the mountain
On that ledge the railway is built, and ovel
that railway you may see, on week days
when the mixers are at work, many thous.
ands Of tons Of coal rolling away from the
mines and down to the great coal markets
Of New York and Pennsylvania, and to
other places as well, where coal may be in
Tepute as an article Of commerce or Of con.
sumption. How wildly the shrill whistle Of
the locomotive sounds when it is let off in
this deep gorge, and bow frightful the trains
Of cars look as they wind along the side Of
the river on what appears a very temporary
and insecure road. What? if any Of those
cars or engine jump the rail, or if any Of
those ponderous rocks were to start from
Their precarious positions away up the
mountain. The river bed Nould receive the
train, or a portion of it with its living
freight!
You pass on through the gorge and you
Ind To s to widen as you get to the first
house. Further on and the gorge terminates
in valley that crosses it at right angles and
runs East and West. To this valley tht
gorge acts as an outlet and purges it 0.
ITS waters and conveys off its produce vte
railway and it feeds the valley with neces
sarits; for you will find on examination
that IT, valley consumes as well as It prs
dnces, as near the mouth of the gorge yot
find busy mountain town, which we vii
call
CoALDALE.
osldale is situated between two mOu!l
tains, the one you have passed through is ei
the South Of it, while one similar to it laS
70 The North. These mountains run E,,s
and West, AID their ridges are parallel i
each other Their bases approach ese
other dot nearer than one hundred yards, an,
- bis space the main street is located, /
Is wstered by the river and lucky it ths
1t is so, or it would be a filthy little place
Little place did | say Well it has ovt
twelve thousand inhabitants. At a frs
glance you would not think il bad SO man
hundreds; but if you climb up to a
elevated position then you can see bow ysr
compact place it is, with the buildings
contains, occupying nearly all avail,bl
space within its defined limits. Of build
ings it has all classes. You see the bU1ld
lngs Of the wealthy inhabitants occupTiu
the most prominent part Of the town, AM
the bowels Of the poor miners and working
men conglomerated together in another
lou count the spires of dozen churches
could You but count the dens where ba
rum is vended, you could count twant
times as many Of these Then promiheu
amongst the most stately of buildings il th
Town Hall, with which no architect can fin
much fault its design is appropriate an
the workmanship cannot be beat outside I
large city. Beyond the town proper 70
see Shutdown, which is batch of shan lie,
built 50 much out of square, and so ruc
larger above than below, and covered s
heavily with roofs Of clumsy slabs, thai 20
imagine the first sharp storm will levf th
whole to the ground
Down 10 the street you find the building
very irregular; two story frame clotbin
store stands against a superb rcd brick resi-
dence, the latter boasting an elaborstel
worked front and lastly designed rolf il
slate and according to the newest Ffenc
styles. You find the basement of the, tenn
Perance ball rented for a gambling dem bu
lts sign declares it to be simply restaRran
where you are informed you may have cuI
q bot coffee, or yard Of German sausage
q a. ytbng else in the way of lunch editing
The sign says nothing bout the back room
entertainments that are nightly held in thi
den of inqulty But az far as the bu, LIipg
Of the town are concerned, they a,e siinii9
to the buildings Of other towns YOU I'm,
among the coal nopntains. You NAV nos
slbly find something more to interes' i
Whdr you regard
TUE I.HABIT NNTS.
In o4ldalr, VIII very few exc, rions
you fihi bus one Glars Of. ruman .;ngs
M ese do not belong to what We Vail il
England and 10 the civilized portioDsYo l hi
country an educated or refined class Coal