The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-02-11
THE MINER.

t,oh has ~ abundance or wood, but, no
doubt, the coal will be acceptable.
The coal mined 10 the vicinity Of Pists-
buFgh, during 1870, as appears from the
published statistics of the trade, aggregated
over 100000, 900 bushels An acre of
coal contains an average of about IT'S 900
bushels, but IN consequence of the waste
and other things incident 10 mining 1D0,-i
600 bushels Of mcTchanable cca to- the |
acre is fair yield and it often falls a. low
as 10000 bushels As coal is now mined, |
the product Of last year represented the |
yield Of about ] 200 acres. At this ratio !
per amum, therefore, the coal acreage Is |
being lessencd Those Of the presens gen.
grafton need not concern themselves about !
this matter, nor enter into any calculation I
az to the time whom our immense coal
fields shall become exhausted
A CoAL Pr ON FIRE FOR HUNDEED
YEABs. One of Inc most cHriOus shenO-
mena ia connection with coal milling is OK |
hibited at the Bank CoIIiery, near I;other-
ham, the property Of Earl Fitzwiliam
This pit caught fire 100 years ago, and
all the efforts of the workmen al the !
time, and subsequently, have been quite |
Intellectual to eXtinguiSh il. A short |
tune ago it was aseertAined that the ,lames !
were approaching The bottom Of the shaft,
aud it was then resolved, If possible, TO |
stay their progress, 50 that they migbt
not extend to other parts Of the workings I
AT length the Superintendent Of tl.., col /
lieries, Mr.. L. Cooper, conceived thu idea |
Of building wall 70 shut in The fra, ana
IN order "a ascei tain The best site Es TIL, |
wall, several of the officials crept on their |
hsBds aud knees, through the den.e I'll
fling smoke, as Tar as possible int The |
workings. Their efforts were successful,
and a wall is now completed nearly i 900 !
yards IN length, and varying from 9 ill.,
ches to ; feet Ia thickness. Az ais. |
tances varying from 30 to 80 yards metal
pipes have btru inserted in this wall. I
which are securely plugged AZ the ead, -
that at any time by removing the plugs
the state Of the air on thu side Of tIic fire \
and even the position Of the fire its.lk !
can be ascerta'ned. So Intense il tie he,a |
arising from this fire that people POSSESS
ing gardens above tine colliery de- ltre that
the growth Of plants il materially nc |
fected, and that they IRE enaEJIcd 10 Oh |
tam two and three crops every year
London NeWs.
~ lHE last issue Of the Antlracie Moni |
Tor contains the following, from Us able
correspondent, VIRdicator, in reference to
the merits Of the strike :-
Who wll triumph? TIE issue il now
fairly made up, and we will see. 1Rhat we
shall see Coal has advanced IN New
York 81 a ton. Shall it DO sad that
this goes to the advantage Of labor
There are some who viii say SO nndOubt-
cdly.
But who is benefited by this advance ?
l. It any one Of the forty thousand Jour
neymen tlilors and shoemakers, who live
from hand to mouth in the great metro
polls Are the dependent families of two
thirds Of this great number OF men, slowed
away in garrets sbivering from the keen
and piercing blasts of winter benefited ?
Does this 81 advance upon the ten make
the piece of stale bread Of any one Of
these children larger? Does il mend the
worn out shoe to prevent the little foot
from coming in contact with he frozen
ground Does it afford patch to mend
rhe rent of tide tattercd garment
Does the advance of 80 on the ton in
ure to the benefit Of solitary miner, of
that great army of thirty thousand men,
who are now idle in the Counties, of Lu-
zcrne, Scluylkill, Carton and Eorthum Der
land Is there one solitary Iaan Of this
vast multitude who is the gainar!of far
thing by this advance of 50 On the ton ?
No, net One.-
They are met with the ucase of "to,ty
per cent. off," And who, pray, gets the
forty per cent. on? When the decree
went forth, how many tons were piled up
on the wharvcs, at New York, anil else
where? VIII it be too much to say two
million tons Rather more, than less.
Two dollars ton advance; four millions
of dollars -
For whose benefit il this There is no
person who buys no person whose hands
brought it out Of the damp cagcrns of the
earth, that is aided Ivy the advance. No,
not one M, not one. Senictody has got
four millions to divide. 1t wiz not do for
me TO say that capital is the lncky party.
Capital, says Vindcator, is a troublesome
and turbulent fellow, and that &c must '.be
looked tO;" alb well then "lot.k to him. =
for he says, in distinct terms, that YOU have
the fo,H millions rt<a
Who will conquer? That i the oucs-
ton. w hen the niuer LAYS d9Sn the eic,,
production stops. When tue engineer lets
Oh tho steam, the machinery s4ops. When
no coal comes out Of the SHAFT. the long
line Of CARS stops. The veal of the day
labcrer must he more pregal bis child en-
must stay within doors; but little suffer
ing must be borne, and capital INST in the
end, como down upon IFS knces before him.
Capital, what is capital without labor +?
Its an engine without steam; ship with
ont rudder; it is Niagara without one hum
Ired aud fifty perpendicular feet of Gods
masonry, Tor the waters Of lhe st. Law
renee to tumble over. yr
There are thirty thousal,l men out Of
employment Have the coilcentratcd wis
dom and intellect Of these thirty thousand
men working to do with tte price of their
own wages Docs capital pretend that it
may name price that shall put in motion
the sixty thousand strong hard hands, of
these thirty thousand tailoring men
Whence came its authority Who in
vested It with this power? Is it from God
or man ! by what outhosity does capital
pretend that it can take off forty per cent.
from wages, and put o. fcrty Der cent for
its own benefit Has it tin coerciye mower
to say TO thirty thousand men, 90 to work
at such prices as | am willing to pay you {?
The thirty thousand men ray we viii not
~ u Iuork " rc,,r r,rino., W. 49,