The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-02-14
~adlfqeurea
0iice, s".. 20 aud 81 Foas tecnlh Strcci,
WAGES IN THE MINES.

WAGES ana Earnings.
Philadelphia Pras.
Goal Is rapidly assuming rs important a
relation to tho manufacturing interests Of
this country ma 1t has borne Tor some years
to those OF England. In many sections
and Industries wood and water have FUR
nished fuel and power, but, as the wood Ia
exhausted and the drawbacks 10 the usc Of
water power become more manifest, coal
Is not only taking their place, but Is com.
polling many industries to seek new loca.
lions, where coal is abundant and cheap.
1t would be most interesting, were this the
place, to narrate Tire growth and migra.
lions Of industries arising out OF the NO.
c~essltles for using coal. This is especially
noticeable in iron manufacturing, which Ia
abandoning many Of its old hsbitats, where
charcoal is no longer abundant, and seek.
ing new locations vol supplied with coal,
especially that grade adapted 10 the manu-.
iactlto Of coke. While theao migrations
Of OLD works to coal regions have taken
place, the great increase in tho iron manu-.
featuring capacity Of the country, which
CONSUMES SO large Il proportion Of the coal
mined, has also been chiefly in our local
baslns, especially along tho grea! AppaIa.
chian field.
Fortunately tho question OF the exhaus.
ton OF our coal Gelds md deep mining,
With is added expense, do not trouble u..
Inc tonnage remaining in tho Appalachian
measures OF Pennsylvania alone exceeds all
TINT lell In Great Britain, while shaft min
ing III the bituminous regions Of Western
fonnsylyanla IL comparatively unknown,
ana, when it is used, tho depths Of the
shafts never approach those Of England,
aiming is, consequently, less expensive aud
neutrality-suspicious. that are not without
an important bearing on tho question Of
relative rates OF wages and earnings.
WESTERN pESSsYLyANIA AND DURHAM CON.
TRAsrED.
In many respects Western Pennsylvania
occupies the aame position among the BIZ
luminous coal fields Of the United States
thgt the Durham district, treated of in nv
last letter, docs among those OF Great
britain. Inc force employed and the ton.
mage produced arc in excess OF those OIL
any other district. The inspectors OF mfnes
Of pennsylvania eslimate that Al, 703 per.
SOUS we're employed, above and below
yrohnd, in the minesi in Western Pennsyl.
ysnia III 1852. and 24,7l2,2S3 net tons OF
2o00 pounds produced, more than 10 per.
cent Of the Production Of bitumiuous Goa,
Of the United States. The coal OF Weeleru
fennsylTenls il alao the sourca Of Inc
greater part OF the coke used III the blast
furnaces Of the country, Connnellsyille
coke being to American blsss furnaces
What Durham coke is to Eaglish. For
these reasons the detailed comparison be.
tween Eoglish and American coal mining
Will be between the Durham, Er,laud. and
The Pittsburgh, United States districts,
AS preliminary it should be noted that
the t~h'cknessoi the leans, the ease OF min
lug and the deptha Of the mines in the two
countries arc all in favor Of Wealern Penn.
Sylvan'a, and, consequently, 20 far az these
determine the rate Of wages, they should
% less in Western Pennsylvania than in
England. The work in Pennsylvania
varies IN thickness from four aud a half
;eet to eleven feet, the former being the |
thickness in Allegheny county, aud the
latter the thickness OF much OF the cokire|
coal in the Ccnnel!syilie region. Thr ssams
worried in Durham vary from two aId A
half tset to six feet, the Bensham coal ;,c.
ing some two aud a half to i've feet thick.
the yard coal two feet ten iuchcs, but yaria.
bic, while the high Main or Wsi,send and
the Low Main, or Hutton, seam are from
i've to six feet, thess two latter being the
most important as well aa the thicktss Of
the Durham seams, Tbs depths Of The
!~oseams IN the two districts also diII.r,
beng much II favor Of the gesms OF West.
erl Pennsylvania, The High Main seam
IS IRON 1000 to 1850 faet bslow the Sur.
face, and the Low Main some 500 lee,
lower. The seams in Western pSnusyl.
yanls ara usually above the water leyal.
Inc 3DMlam coal in the same ueam and
safHa pit varies greatly as 10 It's essc OF
working, and, Us already explained, the
tonnage wages are mure than double in
some cases what they ara in others, while
the coal in Western Pennsylvania il quite
uniform and easily worked, and tho rates
per bushel usually tho GANG, at
q given time i'll all pits and collier.
les in the district. The coaI
Of the CoD1ellsyillo region is esne.
cially easily to mine. On waccrs . mar
and q boy have mined and loaded twenty.
three wagons, or 57,GS4 pounds in a day.
4n the other hand the miners of Western
penfisyiyan!a arc called upon to do work
which the miners oil Durham do not do.
pennsylvania miners prop their own rooms
and lay their own-t track, while in England
this Ia done by the deputies and rollyway-
men. This would make some difference
III Inc two %aec!ions as to the kind Of work
lone by q miner, but, as the basis OF COM
parlson will DO total daily or weekly earn
inge, and not tonnage rates, these facts will
not Affect the results OF the comparisons AZ
to earnings in the two countries.
AVERAGE WAGES IN THE PITTSBURGH DIS.
TRlCT.
The average earnings OF miners asd 9th.
er mine labor in the Pittsburgh district
has never been sstertained by an actual
inspection OF the books ut all the colleries
IS is done iii Durham. 1t will be, there
lore, necessary to arrive at the best average
possible. The following table shows the
actual average earnings Tor the month OF
October, 1883, Of 700 miners employed near
Pittsburgh at railroad mines, or those send
ing their coal to market by railroad in
stead OF river, and is regarded rs fairly rep.
resenting the average earnings OF the class.
.es Of employees mentioned at work in AL.
legheny county in the Pittsburgh vein Of
coal.
i Wages and hours Of labor at the coal
mines Of the Pittsburgh District, Pa, Octo..
Der, 1883: