The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-04-02
written for the ADVOCATE.
THE MINER.
The Anthracite Coal Regions.

The Anthracite Coal Regions
To-day, at a. M, March 16, 1870, the
snow lies deep on the mountains and in the
valleys Of the Anthracite coal field, in the
Keystone State. Everything looks bleak,
and the cold winds rattle through among
the trees away up yonder on the mountain
sides; and it finds its way along the val
leys with a furious sweep, shaking the
houses on their foundations, as it means
and whistles against jam and through
crevice. The snow drifts in the air, high
over the tops Of houses. presenting a wild
appearance in the early morning, as it OBJ
scures the moon, like as if it were huge
white veil floating before it. Sudden
blasts come that rattle the shingles on the
house tops, and shake the windows in their
easements, and cause the doors to tremble
in their stencils; while they drive the
powdered snow into the houses through the
cracks and crevicss, and between the laps
Of the shingles. While within doors, the
poor cuddle in under their scanty bed
clothes, and the rich snore comfortably
under their abundance Of cover on beds Of
down; Nature Wreaks her vengeance on
the world without. In such storm, woe
be to the door or shutter left unfastened on
stable or clubhouse these are driven from
their hinges, after they have been slammed
open and shut, screeching and banging,
adding their din to that Of the raging storm:
Woe also be to him who, from some cause, !
Is out in such a storm, and TO him who is,
out under alcoholic influence.
Out at the collieries everything looks dis1
NAL enough. These appear as if they werd
doomed to stand for ever the high tresseH
ing vibrating in the wind as if they would
tumble in ruins. The buildings look black,
against the ground of white snow, and thd
machinery is still and cold, with the jour-
mails frozen to their bearings-loOking as j
they had always been 50, and would re;
main so forever. The CRATES Of furnaces
are destitute Of fire, and the clumsy stone
chimneys have forlorn look, as they stan;
erect in she food Of snow that sweeps paA
them. Here and there at the head CT
shafts and slopes you see volumes Of stearh
shoot out of the exhaust pipes of pumping
engines; but these are carried of rapid !
with the snow, and the noise the steam
makes while burning through the pipes, .
drowned by the.roar of the storm.
When we 90 out to read from the face Of
Nature what | have now written, it gars u
seek refuge within, and reflect; and We
wonder how long such weather is to coH-
tinue, and when the engine fires Of the COZ A
breakers will again be, it,
The other night it was calm, and tbeEe
WIS no snow on the ground. An alarA
was given not long after the hour of mid
night.
On looking out, the mountains sides rs-
Elected glare that almost rivalled the light
Of day. in the valley, behind an arm If
the mountain, tongues Of flame Kissed ineo
the air, and sparks and volumes Of bladG
smoke assembled into space, like CLOUDS
studded with bright stars. A breaker b.
longing tO-never mind who-was on fire,
and the blazing timbers were crashing in,o
the embers laying on the ground, and tile
machinery tumbled red bot from its pol
ton in the upper parts of the building. No
FIRE bad been near this breaker for month";, |
and the burning Of it was evidently tie
work Of incendiarism. The breaker wis |
fully insured, if not for more than its worth, |
for more than it ever had cost to erect il 7;
and as it was breaker very inconveniently !
arranged for doing business, people make |
their surmises. A great many Of tie
breakers burnt down in this region hake |
been Of faulty construction, or the cdhl
veins belonging to them have turned opt
faulty. The insurance in such cases may |
be more acceptable than the profits acc3u-
ing from the working of the faulty Mines
But we have got away from the presd Int |
storm that is raging outside, and the tr,, in
OF thought that is Of more vital Importance |
than the burning down Of an insignificant |
GOAL breaker that, at its best, never work 4d
full month at a time. !
The machinery at those coal breakers Are
all standing cold and stiff, and the PROSPECT
is that they will stand SO for some tlmes to
come. The miners seem to persist in lAv-
ing the basis wages Of last year, and fhe
9 Coal Association Of the operators insist
on a reduction.
With the wind bowling in their ears ito
night, to some Of the poor fellows who bpve
been idle for several months, this statd of
affairs must be appalling.
Yesterday, March Is, the Coal Assoeia-
ton of the operators met, and their meeting
was largely attended. They formed RS
lutiOns the most important Of which vas,
that the wages of miners and laborers Were
to be reduced 81 per week, and that abe
price paid on contract work was to be, re-
duced thirty per cent.
Ihis news cones to-day, but the cry of
The miners is still for the basis wages of
1869.
All kinds Of reports are spreading about
the coal region. Sometimes we hear that
the Scranton men are turned out. and at
other times we hear that the men in other
places are breaking away from the USioo
and going to work. Of course, the reriorts
are generally false, and many are got u, by
the tools of the capitalists in the city anb up
in the mountains.
Capital here seems united and arrsyed |
in opposition to labor. The tone Of the |
e,-voo. 20 o,,oh 20 tho Iaikar that oalo,iakos