The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-08-31
ILLINOIS.


To the Editor n the woEsxoHAS's ADVOCATE.
In your issue Of week before last, an
article appeared in relation and very detri-
mental 10 the interest of the Mclean County
Coal Co, Of this city. The statement
was as you will see by the enclosed certifi-
cate, from the officer ~ho brought out the
tools and the county surveyor, entirely
false We discharged all the old miners
and are now filling up with ne'r ones, hav-
ing already obtained seventy-hve. think
their object in making the false report
they did. was to keep other miners away
and to make miners abroad think their
cause Just one, so that they would the
better be enabled to raise money tO sup
port them in their idleness &c
The miners never complained of the
rope or machinery until after they had
been discharged Thinking it is due the
Mclean County Coal Co, and hoping you
will give their article and the two certih-
Gates place in your paper, | remain.
Yours truly, j b. STEVENSON,
Sec. Mclean County Coal Co.
Some days since / noticed a statement
which appears in one Of our daily papers,
which places the Mclean County Coal Co.
OF this place, in rather an unjust light in
the eyes of our citizens The article re-
ferred to states the officer who was EN-
ployed to remove the tools from the shafts,
said he would not again descend the
shafts on the rope used by the company
for fifty $50 dollars. This ] wish to
deny, as | certainly never made any such
statement. and | would further say.
experienced no alarm whatever in desceI,d-
ing As far as / am able to Judge, their
rope is perfectly safe and their shafts in
good condition. b. NJ HUsToN, Consi
BLOOMINGTON, Aug. -, 1872
EDITOR LEADER-,Sr: A few days az |
noticed statement in the Pdntagdph
that they had recelS ed a communication
from the discharged miners, in which,
among other things, the County Surveyor
was charged with declining OF refusing 10
comply with the requirements Of the
miners law. made no reply to that
charge, because | did not wish to become
involved in the controversy between the
mining company and the discharged miners
Ny attention this evening was called TO
an article in Saturdays LEADER, copied
from the WOrkiRgmdn's Adrocdte, in which
the same charge Is repeated and perhaps
a statement Of the facts in the case, 50
far as am concerned. would not be i'm
proper.
Two or three weeks ago | was called
upon by committee, representing them
selves as coming from the Miners As
sociation, who presented a written
communication, which stated that certain
things were needed at the South Shaft u
make it safe The committee informed
me that the company we're engaged in
making repairs in the shaft, and | told
them it was not a proper time u make an
inspection while the company were making
repairs. On FRIDAY. August 9Th, the
same committee called ON nie again. rep
resenting the shaft to be in a very danger
Gus condition. The company, they said.
were running but one engine, and one rope
and cage that the rope was unsnund, and
the motion Of the engine in consequence
of but one being in use was very irregular.
and therefore very dangerous that the
company purposed using in the future but
one rope that they had brought on set
Of inexperienced miners, who were not
aware Of the danger they incurred by
going down into the shaft They there
fore demanded an inspection Of the mine
| informed the committee that would 90
to the shaft on the following day and
make an examination, and if found the
facts as they had represented, | would
make a formal inspection as soon as
could make one in compliance with the
law
/ went to the shaft on the following
day, according to promise. found the
company running both engines, instead Of
one. No irregularity in the motion Of
the engines was perceptible. The rope in
use was q comparatively new one-a steel
rope Of 20 tons capacity was being
worked to only One-tenth Of its strength
in raising the coal and ne-fifteenth in
raising the operatives. A single rope was
being used temporarily, as the company
me, until a new one arrived
which they were daily looking for. and
which has since arrived, and is now in use.
They have also received a reserve rope
for any emergency that may arise. de-
scended the shaft, and found the cage 10
work smoothly from top to bottom without
cha6ng, jolting, or binding. I, to-day,
visited the mine at Minonk, which 10
about the same depth of the South Shaft,
and which the m liners there represent TO
me as being in good working condition,
and hnd their appliances for raising and
lowering in no way superior to thosdhere,
while they use but one engine at time,
whereas the South Shaft always uses two.
I could not perceive that their ventilation
was any better than here, though | made
but a casual investigation at either place
with regard to ventilation. have no
knowledge Of the true cause of the trouble
It the South Shaft, but am satisfied it is
not owing to the working candition Of the
mine. So far as the miners law is con
,erned, intend to faithfully and Impair
tally discharge the duties enjoined upon
ne A. inspector Of mines, and will not
Use the position either to favor or unneu-
sssarily embarrass the Company.
W. P. ANDERSON,