The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1884-01-17


one Of the most progressive IN the state
and It's Affairs are managed with sim
gulaTly freenes8 from eXtfayaEance.
The city council during the year pre-,
vided an excellent sewerage system st
an expense Of forty thousand dollars.
The GameWell fire alarm telegraph
was erected throughout the city.
A large electric light company was
formed and over one hundred and
thirty Of these brilliantly illuminated
lanterns are suspended about the city.
Tne city has been surprisingly free
from the ravagea Of fire during the
year, scarcely thirty thousand dollars
worth Of property having been des-
troyed by this element The health
Of the inhabitants has been good, and
bot for the inrOads made by the aeci-
dents In the eollieries the list would
be comparatively small This fact
will interest the many residents Ia
Salina who were originally from Lu-
zerne county. Wyoming Valley can
correctly be termed q healthy one, and
the statistics bear me out In making
the statement.
In one sense Wilkes-Barre might be
termed the city Of churches. There
are something like twenty-five
churches in the city. not counting the
institutions connected Herewith. The
PresbyteFians lead all the rest with
six separate edifices The Franklin
street Methodist society are now con-
structing q very elegant church.
Bruce Price, Of New York, Is the ar
ehiiect. His name connected with
any piece Of architectural labor Is a
synonym Of symmetry, beauty, ele-
gance, and superiority. To my mind,
the finest piece OF architectural dls-
play now completed In this city Il the
Jewish Synagogue on Washington
street. Simplicity Els persOnified
therein. A young man named Haw-
kins, known TO many In your section,
was the designer. Last night during
q fearful gale that swept through the
valley, among other disasters was the
unrOOflng Of the Ross street Metho-
dist Church. This society had just
completed repairs on the church, cost
ing over three thousand dollars.
Their pastor, Rev. s. e.. Fulton, Is
quite a popular lecturer.
During the year work has been pro-
gressing on the sinking Of ten new
shafts In this district. and this means
the opening OF ten new cOllieries IN
the near future. The coal companies
are thus constantly increasing the
facilities for mining coal, as this in
crease In the opening Of shafts has not
been warranted by the condition Of
the coal trade, although the increase
over the production OF 1882 was last
year nearly three millions Of tons.
The companies are thus fOrtifying
themselves, for by Cutting the mar
ket they can cause q restriction Of the
labor performed In the mines, and
permit the miner to earn just 30 much
and no more. There are many ways
In which the great companies have
bettered their condition within the
past ew'years, and by these moves
the day Of strikes I'm the anthracite
regions is past. These strifes between
men and employer are a prolific source
OF much harm ~ the state, society.
and both parties interested, and
hope l may never see another siege OF
them. II cannot be denied that in
some eollieries the men are treated
better and granted more privileges
and liberties than IN others. Some Of
the companies drive their men to the
company store like so many sheep,
and IL one becomes Tantankerous and
hies to another estHblishment-well,
another mine ls their next objective
point, and they are 'lOOkin' for
work" All Is made out OF the men
that can be. An enormous dividend
Is the goal Of all no matter what are
the consequences. The ID. L. & w.
coal company yesterday scored the
greatest victory yet known I'm the de-
velOpment Of the anthracite region.
A shaft for the first time is successful
ly put down through the treaeherous
fiat adjoining the Susguehanna as Il
winds through the valley. These
flats are from eighty to one hundred
feet above the rock, and several veins
OF quicksand exists In that amount Of
earth. The presence OF this unstable
soil has made the work highly exper-
imentative and dangerous. Over fifty
thousand dollars were expended in
sinking the hole SjXlO down eighty
two feet A great jubilee is 10 he held
over the event.
Wyoming Valley Is some twenty
five miles long and from three TO four
miles wide. Nearly every square foot
Of land is over from seven tO twenty
one veins Of anthracite coal. In all
this territory / do not believe that
there remains under Individual con-
troll one thousand acres Of coal and
surface land. Like the lands Of the
extreme west, they are owned OF
leased to the great caOl companies. A
few still own the coal under their sur
face, but the prospects are that anOth
er decade will see the whole part aud
parcel IN the hands Of the companies
Individual mining is carried on TO a
very small extent A good safe royal
ty Is considered better than following
the industry individually. Some coal
land owners are receiving thirty and
forty per cent. royalty. Even tie coal
under the Susquehanna river Is owned
by the milliOnaires who were shTewd
enough to secure patents from the
state In advance OF those whose land
border on the water. Several have
seized the coal under the highways
and expect 10 hold Il, but u ! mistake
not, that the men will ''get left" is a
foregone conclusion. Equity demands
that the cOal should, In the event Of
the highway becoming abandoned,
revert 70 the persons who gave the !
land to be used as q highway. Some |
men here own CD hundreds Of acres Of
coal land all laying under streets and |
and account Il as so much |
legitimate railroad or bank stock. |
Hooks and crooks are there in law |
that seem past all finding out, aud the
injustice may be perpetrated
by letting these sharks reap a great /
benefit for their shrewdness in 50 lay /
Ing claim TO highway coal land.
The mountains that loom up on all /
sides and serve as a great protection 10
Valley, are dotted all about
with cottages and palaces for thes coal
kings 10 beguile the time away la dur
ing the heat and oppression OF sum-
mer. These mountains have been
robbed Of all available material for
lumber, and are covered with scrub or
Drimeval fOrests. with here and there
! spot where the OonglOmmerate rock
shows on very cOnspieuOusly, causing
he mountain 70 assume q greyish hue
where one would look for the green
The mountains are very picturesque,
md the sight Of them inspires one.
they do not bear upon their face the
impress Of q wilderness, but evince
hat the hand and foot Of man has
Jeen known to them for many de-
AIDES. AS the descent Of the noun
ain ls gradually made the turnpike
'oadWay for several miles runs along
Deside rocky preeipitOus creek, with
he high cliffs on either side sur
by great giant trees that
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