The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-08-19
The Spanish Miner.

A reviewer, speaking of Hugh James
Black Country" says Decidedly the
most characteristic part OF Mr. Rose s
book is his account of "the black
country" or mining districts, of which
he had considerable experience. The
Spanish miner is as rough and reckless
as those of his calling generally, but he
has many of the most sterling qualities
of his country people, with more than
ordinary Spanish light ht-heartedness. He
works exceedingly hard, but he lives
tolerably well, although but poorly paid,
according to English ideas. Mr.. Rose
gives vivid account of his days occu-
patton, from the start at early morning,
when he breaks his fast on cakes, cof-
fee, and aguardiente bought at the stalls
set out along his road, to the more solid
supper with his family of an evening,
when he relaxes after his labor with
music and merriment. He is fond of
song, and improvises freely as he goes
along to his work, choosing the subject
of his monotonous refrain from any
casual incident that may strike him. Like
all Spaniards he insists ON religiously
celebrating any number of festas, al
though his manner of making holiday
is apt to degenerate into debarlch. For
the morality of the mining districts is
as low as may be, and the certainty that
their lives will be short seems to induce
the miners to make the most of them in
their own way. Their work is often dan
gerous, for the native mine owners pay
little attention to the internal economy
of the mines, and the strongest consti-
tutions succumb to tho unwholesome at
mostphere the miners inhale. The
quicksilver mines Of Armada are, of
course, the most deadly. In these the
salvation is excessive, and it is said to
be almost as bad among the copper veins
of Rio Tinto. In the lead mines, strange
to say, the action of the mineral is more
gradual but pulmonary consumption,
fever, and lead collie are the most
fatal complaints. The miner seldom
lives to greater age than thirty-four,
and it is q common saying with the girls
in the neighb6rhood "It is hard to
marry q miner, for he must leave us SO
soon." That proper sanitary precau-
tions might do much to prevent this
mortality, is proved by the experience
of foreign companies. But i'll Spain, as
everywhere else, the workmen object to
restraint and regimen, although death
and painful diseases are the penalties of
neglccting them; and the native mine
proprietors, with the national indiffer-
ence, leave their people to do as they
please. Although the miner takes his
copa of strong liquor after his coffee, or
corrects with occasional stimulants the
foulness of the atmosphere he breathes,
as rule he is not addicted to drunken
ness. He is content with poor with
poor wages. qnd is cheerful on coarse
fare and II he must be called slpersti
tious rather than religious, at least he
makes life endurable by cultivating a
cheerful fatalism. These men of tile
"black country are naturally among
the roughest and least educated classes
of the population, yet Mr.. Rose pro-
nounces them to be "nature's gentle
men," He says, talking of the miner :
"He could not say or do rude thing.
To walk with the stranger ; to relieve
him of any load he may be carrying un-
der a burning sun; to offer you-and the
offer is meant--a share of his simple
meal, if you chance to come upon him
when dining, is simply his habit"