The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1879-11-20
THE MINERS SIDE.
A Communication in Regard 10 the
Coal..Iners' Strike-The Writer
Wants Certain Matters Reformed.

" 3hs>
Yesterday morning TIE TINES published
a statement from one of the stockholders OF
the Leayenworth Coal SHAFT in regard TO the
strike. We publish the following from one
Of the miners, without entering into the mer.
its of either side of the controversy:
IEAyEswoRTH, KAN, Nov. y, 1873.
EDITOR TIMEs:-Ihinking, no.. lhat
strike Ii pending al the Goa! s,tat 80, a. ~, =,
self, ius IN management and the s'IIs. may not
be inappropriate, / have NentuIeu W auufess
Won In may not be uuintetesans 10 the leo
- of Ieayen Sorth TO know that this
nI.ce which is one Of the institutions OF
Leay.awortn. is nothing more or less than
man trap;" place IN whlch the hsru-
u,nrkInv rniuer undergoes more risk for less
money than any where else IN the country.
pranume II NJ. Carr, the company superin-
iencent were asked: "How III ncn per day co
YOUR men make" he would answer From
Two and halt To four ooliaIs a pay" Now,
to an outsider, who didn't Know that TINS
statement WAS somewhat exaggerated mas
would seem To be very good y ages; Out Will
the facts in the case bear out Mr.. Carr state.
ment? Let us see: The company pay he!r
men Tor digging coal four cents per ousnei-
bushei contains, i believe, elshty -Hse
pounds. The company deduct from each
bu-nel five pounds for dirty coal. Now We
VIII suppose that the average di-Rer can send
ont three caIs per dav, averaging iDur cen
bushels per ear. From each car VIII
be deducted seventy pounds, maxi ing fr"n
each mans Work, a. three cars per day, Two
hundred and ten pounds, or tNSo bushtL shu
forty poupds-ln money, somewhere near ten
cents. Now, we viii suppose that thsre are
two nundreg men, from zach of whom ten
cents Is deducted escn day IN the Week ihts
would make twenty dollars per day, or one
hundred and twenty dollars per week, or
four hundred aud eight dollars per month.
-uppOslng that they Work nye fol- IN n us
of The twelve In "A year; the company makes
two tnou nd four hundred DOT ais from the
men-enough 10 pay the sal ny Of usffu
-up.rinta ndrnt. The five pounds deducted
from each bushel are pat into the msrEst
and sold II from seven 10 fourteen cents per
bushel, and -'dOcEing -bOS-" Is T1np!Oy'd
who docks, or deducts from the men :
weight for dirty coal, ia addition u the reg
u alton flve pounds And yet iBe coal tbat
j. too dirty to pay the men Tor Is not 100
dirty to put int Ins market, nor can the
company afford to pay a cent more on the
bushei. On each month the company Will
II 4 along the roads below, and in the Sump,
fJriy cars of coal, averaging fourteen Eusuels
prr ear, 1T folr c-nts per bush.l, making IN
money twenty-five dol ars ana iOrty cents
Der month, or IN a year OF nVe months one
hundred ard twelve dollars. Wrong again
ior the men have dug and loaded the coal,
and get nothing for H.
There are other ways IN which money i
deducted from the mems wages, vHiea viii
TIE noticed In the future that IL enough ON
that topic Tor the present Now, H. L. the
shaft itself. some lime ago, II VII Tennein-
hered, portion of the main shait VaS re-
ported closed up, ami that tae men had got
out through The escape or Sir ENs'ft Nov.
his statement, although given to tn- puD,1c
IN good faItu by the city papers AZ u" tim-,
was not true, tor II was tAcD, and Il now, al
teriy Impossible for any human being I"
nave started from the bottom of that coai
mine ami made MS escape by way oI th"t
air shalt and G4r Carr knows thi7, III IN
company d0t.'I. II IL should happen fsnd
4 Is not unlike y tnat IL may 50 happen AT
any time) that tie main SHAFT should b.
closed up, there Is no hope Of escape Tor those
,sho may chance TO ne in the mine AZ the
time. II "A mIriEg law were in ext ten q
beI., as in some states, the nnt usPector
VINO went down the shaft Won q condemn III
until "a great many much needed improve
mrnts were +de. We GO up and down "A snhit
over seven hundred feeI derp with the know
ledge that II the rope breaks ~ Is slmo-t Ger
taln desth to those who happen to be in The
cas.; and no CTuv.r ever packed his hogs IN
"a car a. close we are packed 10 go no ana
down that III at. In another connunlca-
lion will point out "A remedy for those de-
-cis or evils, hoping To hear nom the
management of the mine through the paper.
some reason tor the existence of those evils
something IKE a year ago, man named
Dickson was severely injured at the top oi
| he shalt. The papers a. the time said that
1 no blame could be attached TO the company
ruis is "A mistake, H. under the statute law
| OF Kan as The % n"rs or operators o; n mine
4 are liable for sny or ALI acc dents That occur.
l when they occur through negligence on the
l % IT OF the company Ia properly protect theii
| men Nov, II on thst occasion a Top man
| had been on duty, with Instructions TO lei
| ne cage rest ON the "cttches until Tue
Il
| could never have happened. The papers al
| that time got the IompaDy's version OF the
| flair, and nobody cared contradict them
| as IL would cost the party who did So Ia,
place IN the mine. Now il there be any thin
| uui tl>I or untrue IN this statement Mr.. CIR
| OF any BODY for him, may answer II and
will furnish yrocf IN support of any and
| every sta ement that We may give 10 III"
| public. some DAYS sgo similar accident
| 10 the one quoted above happened, AT the
| bottom al tne shaft, the victim of which,
Il. colored rnsn, named Spalding,D has since
| ulec. Nobody, 50 faT, has been blamed oi
l censured, and vet any miner Of even OrGi
| nary intellIgenca, VIII tell you That with
| proper rules To govern tine hOiS' ing and low
4 -ring of the men, the accident would BhN'
been Jmposs. bic am not disposed To PR
| Ter any more charges against The com any
| AT present, heIus content to await denial q
| those contained In this article
| | will not abuse your courtesy further Il
| complain OF them now. Al some othe
| urne W. Will discuss some other points u
4 connection WI n This subject, that may poss'
1 bly, interest the Puniic.
| with reference TO the strike. am edyise'
| UnofIicia!Iy, however, that The men col
| template at their next meeting maxim
| further demand on the Company OF one ceal
| more making IN all six cents yer tuShel
| and believe, as the men believe, that In
| market price Will justify sucn n demand
| do not know when or where thrir mex
| meeting will he held, but am informed tina
| 1t will probably be next Thursday, The lsl
| inst.