The Labor enquirer., 1884-02-02
THE NINE HORROR.

THE m1NG k1Ok&kxO1Ss
In all the sickening calendar of acci-
dent and crime in Colorado, there is,
nothing that begins to equal the terrible
affair at Crested Butte, and the records
of other states and countries present few
calamities of such horrible magnitude.
Three score of stiffened corpses tell the
tale in language that chllls the blood
and palsies the tongue.
After life of irksome and ill-requited
toll after years of weary struggling for q
little bread and few rags, the brave
and patient toiler dropped his heavy
burden in a. black hole in the ground,
three thousand feet from the supsheue
of heaven. Without moments warn
ing ffty-nine devoted laboTers, were
stricken down by the unerring bolts Of
DEATH. So
What story is here, dear reader. In
this slaughter pen there were men who
had toiled year in and year out down in
the damp, dark chambers of the earth,
that they and their dependents might
have shelter and crust, and that we
might have warm fires to sit by. They
toiled on and hoped on /; but the, reward
never came on earth. There were young
and sprightly chaps, who had yet the
vigor of goodly nature in their hearts
and frames, who had but shortly entered
their bondage; but their young lives
were snapped, and who will say it was
not probably as well to 60 then as later !?
There were those with beloved wife and
children; there were others whose bright
stars were mothers, sisters, sweethearts
none were wholly alone in the world.
And there are aching hearts to-day that
will not be comforted. Tears have
drenched the faces aud furrowed the
cheeks of wretched widows and heart
broken orphans, but they could not
wash out the black of the smoke and
bruises that marked where the iron
hand of death had clutched the forms of
their loved and lost. My God1 how
great must be the sum of grief caused by
that sweep of the black angels wing!
Ioften wonder if the wife and, chill
dren of the master" who fatten off the
toll of his wageslaves ever think of
the misery and woe upon which their
pleasures rest. Can it be, and they be,
human, and not cry cut for very shame? ?
Do you, my fair lady of Capitol hill,
realize that your fine laces and diamonds
were paid for at Crested Butte with three
score of good mems lives, and as many
wretched homes? Do you realize this,
and yet can laugh and gossip? Yet it is
so. You may not be to blame; but, if
there be justice in Heaven, you may be
vital enough to feel a suffering you could
not see in others. g.
And what of the wild, avaricious crea-
lures who, in their greed for gold, sent
men into the death-trap? Let us hope a
day of reckoning here below will come
for them, to make it sure.
1t is now settled beyond all doubt that
the mine was known to be unsafe. The
high officers of the company may make
statement upon statement that this and
that precaution we're taken against accl-
dent; they stand convicted of the knowl-
edge that the mine was dangerous
hole, upon their own testimony, and if
there was just law in the land they and
the state inspector would be severely
punished.
But what is the use of talking? Fifty
nine lives have been sacrificed to the
greed of half dozen capitalists, and the
whole state government and militia
stand ready to preserve them for an
other death feast. There is no apology
that any honest man will or can accept
in this case. That the mine was not
perfectly safe is admitted by the mana
gers and the inspector, and no matter
what precautions were taken against ac-
cident, the appalling result has shown a
criminal disregard for the value of life
when placed against the desire for profit.
This example was not needed. The
CHASTITY pages of mining history were
open to these ventursome spectators
and they knew what was possible.
Bitter things surge to the point of my
pencil, but need not write them, they
are easily imagined. The remedies for
these awful days are known to you and
are within your reach. How many more
dead men do you want piled up in your
path before you will stretch out your
hands and take hold on those remedies /?
LAID OVER.
Owing to the press of original eontri-
buttons in this issue the continuation of