Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-08-17
The Misery Of the Mines.


stances of the mining population to con-
vey an impression of the conviction in
the minds of these men that they are op.
pressed, ground down, disregarded, or,
il regarded at all, that they are treated
with less consideration than a careful
man would give to his horses and cattle.
One of the houses into which / entered
at noon was an example of the sort of
dwellings in which the large majority of
the people live who work in the mines
and mills. 1t had two rooms, the larger
being that in which the family lived,
while the other was the sleeping room.
The hut was a dingy one, near breaker,
and its interior was scarcely more cheer
full than its sun-burned and blackened
outside. The floor was bare, and there
were no other articles of furniture than
table and three or four chairs, all of
which were broken. The windows were
hung with tattered paper curtains. The
place was not over-clean. At the table
drawn up at one side of the room sat the
miner and his family, wife and two chill
dren, girls, with faces as black as If they
too had been at work in the mines. The
miners face was hidden beneath mask
of coal-black, out of which his eyes
stared with a wild look, giving really
innocent and pacific person an APP
pearance of ferocity which he did
not have. The woman was neater
than her surroundings. All were eating
potatoes, which, with soda crackers and
water, composed their dinner. There
was no bread on the table. The man
laid down his fork and knife, made an
Intellectual effort to hide his grimy hands
and arms, and then went on to talk. He
had worked very regularly-as often as
there was work to do-in the Mount
Pleasant shaft, which has the reputation
of making more time than any other
mine in the neighborhood. He had sell
dom made more than eighteen dollars a
month, and thought that fifteen dollars
-woald be nearer his average. His rent
was four dollars, but he had paid it
irregularly. All his supplies were drawn
from the truck store of the company,
which is a private corporation, selling its
coal at the breaker to the Delaware,
Lackawanna & Western. He was obliged
to get his supplies at this shop because
he never could get cash for his work.
Since the strike no -four had been served
out, so he could have no bread. AS with
many other families 1 met, meat was
luxury seldom enjoyed. Clothes were
bought scarcely oftener than to keep the
family decently covered. A child died
last winter, and charitable people in one
of the city churches had furnished de-
cent burial for it, the mother being una
BILE to get money or credit for the ex-
pense.
There are men among the Welsh miners
here who have lived in Hyde Park for
many years, whose circumstances have
been good, but who are now sharing with
the meanest laborer in the hardships
common to all the population. One man,
sober, frugal, industrious, in twenty-one
years had been able to accumulate lit
tie property which was now slipping
/ from his hands, and he was $500 in debt.
Yet he had practiced economy so severe
that no felon in prison but would have
felt wronged if he were compelled to live
on his fare. A leading member of the
miners organization told me that he and
his brother together were just able to keep
their house on their combined earnings.
The brother had engaged to pay fifteen
dollars a month board, but he had run
behind ninety dollars in eighteen months,
although he never lost day by sickness,
never spent cent for grog, and was
willing to do any sort of work. One
cabin that visited was occupied by a
woman (Welsh), who said that she had
never known what hard times were un-
| til she came to Scranton. Her feet
were bare, her children were fed lrregu-
larly and on poor food, her husband had
/ hoa nd xrrifh oh n.
| ing coming in, and six mouths to feed,
they were for months on the verge of
starvation, living on charity. The miners
are all SO poor that they cannot help
each other, aud many of them are very
proud even in their rags. 1t was hard
to get them to admit that they were liv-
! ing on musk alone, when that was the
case, but neighbors would tell of priva-
tions suffered. The attempts to hide abb
| ject poverty were sometimes heroic.
was shown a man who had been known
to take his dinner-pail into the shaft day
after day, Just as other men did, when
the form was an empty pretense, and his
pail did not contain so much even as o
crust. Even the mush the miners SC
| largely subsist on is now had in small
quantities, but with little bread they
manage to appease hunger with the aid
of garden-stuf from patches which are
cultivated about many of their huts
where they raise corn, tomatoes, beans
and few potatoes. My guide was q
Welshman, an engineer in the mines, and
a man of some education. He frequently
was obliged to interpret the converse
tion, which was carried on in Welsh by
| nf ha of
en-, widow, with three sons, said thu
Oldest, who is twenty-five years of age
made twenty dollars last month, and tho
younger ones twelve dollars together
Most of this had been held by the store
of the Mount Pleasant Mine for an ole
debt, and the family were out of provis
ions and without prospect of relief
An Irish miner, with ten persons looking
to him for support, said he had no
known such want as he felt at presen
since 1868. Here, again, the expense o
funerals was complained of. In an ad
joining house lived a laborer with fiv,
children. The family of seven had liveC
on his earnings of less than six dollars
week, as his daily wages were ninety.sil
cents. A German laborer in breake
said the largest amount he had made il
two years during any month was fifteel
dollars, and twas usually ten dellars o
twelve dollars. What astonished M
greatly was the uniform cheerfulness o
these people, even wheD they were re
calling and recounting their most pain
full experiences.
spent some time in conversation witt
: one of the Catholic priests of this city
| and he fu1lv corrohnratpd all the renOrt
of the destitution which had previousl
reached me, and related others whic
had come under his personal notice. II
was constantly relieving families, som
Of whom had members at work, but nc
earning enough to support them. o
the company stores he spoke as a grea
detriment to the wOrkingmen, holdin
them as they do in a sort of SLAYER
which they cannot escape. 1t was sal
that the employees were not compelled t