The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-08-11
THE COAL MINER.
PRlVATIONSAND OF
ANTHRACITE WORKERS.
The Houses They Live Ina Miners
Outfit-What they Earn-Pre-
pairing for a Blast-Mi-
pers' Amusementa


good taste are visible in these golden
days. Some of these dwellings are only
a single story, but the majority Of them
are two stories high. They are cosy
frame buildings, erected for accommoda-
tion rather than comfort, yet combining
both, and around the doors of many of
them and under the friendly shade of
the fruit trees that throw their cool
shadows across the walks are heard the
voices of children, whose merry prattle
is fatal to anarchism and all other isms
that aim at the destruction of love and
home and hope and religion. AS q gen
eral thing, the miners have large fami-
lies, and while their tables do not
boast of many of life's luxuries, they
manage to get q moderate share of such
substantial fare as pork and cabbage,
potatoes and beefsteak, with an occa-
siopal pie. The ma. ..ority of them now
find it a difficult matter to feed them
selves and their families. 1t requires no
small degree of tact, at the present rate
of earning, to pay the monthly store
bills, to say nothing of clothing and the
other necessities of life. And yet the
output of coal is large.
When business is brisk seven or eight
hours constitute miners working day,
while the laborers work ten hours or
more per day. On full time miner
earns from $3.50 to s2.75 day, and he
is fortunate just nowif his earnings aver
age $1.25 to $3.50. Under favorable cir
cumstances, and with plenty of work, o
laborcr earns SITS day generally, but
he does not earn much more than rs cents
day at present. The men employed on
what is called "the day shift" generally
go to work at o'clock in the morning,
and those employed in the mines at night,
or on the "nig ght shift, :" begin their tasks
at o'clock in the afternoon. The food
of the miner and his family generally
consists of plain. substantial fare, meat
of some kind being used invariably once
day. Much of this meat is bacon or
sshoulder," which is bought because IT
is cheaper than "butchers' meat" This is
the staple article of diet and it is sup
plcmented by bread, potatoes, cabbage,
when in season, and good deal of salt
fish and cheese. These constitute the
main articles of food on miners table,
but when work is steadier and pay better
the love of luxury extends to an occa-
sional cake or PIE. Some of the miners,
although they ore the exceptions to the
general rule, are so fortunately situated
as to be able to raise their own pork, and
at their tables meat is not as scarce as it
is with those who depend for the neces-
saries and comforts of life on their slender
earnings.
The miners outfit requires in the first
place q coarse snit of clothing. If the
working place is wet an oiled suit simi-
lar to that worn by sailors is essential,
with broad sou'wester hat and heavy
hob-nailed boots. The hat is generally
provided with place for holding the
lamp in front while TIE miner is at
work. The miner also must have drill
generally six or seven feet long and
tipped with about six inches of steel
Recent inventions have improved on this
primitive method of making room for
the blast that brings down the anthra-
cite, and patent augur does duty in
man places at present for the cumber-
some drill aud is much handler. The
outfit of the miner includes an oil-can.
mining lamp, wicks for the latter. din
ner pail and pail for coffee or water.
The blasting materials consist of powder
served in twenty -fve-pound kegs or in
prepared cartridges. When the former
is used the miner makes up his own
charges and uses waterproof paper for
the purpose. The ready made cartrid yes
are supplied in 6re-proof cases.
In preparing for blast steel needle
about five or six feet long is inserted in
the charge, which is tamped close,
after which the needle is withdrawn and
straw or squib inserted in the hole
thus made for the purpose of igniting
the explosive. In gaseous mines touch
souibs are employed to fire the blast,a o
flame would be specially dangerous.
All these fine points must be under
stood by the miner to carry on his work
successfully; but, careful as he is, great
accidents that startle the country and fill
whole communities with woe sometimes
occur. To this class of mining horrors
belong the disasters at Avondale, West
Pittston and Nanticoke, all of compare
lively recent occ urrcnc,, and the Carbon
dale mine "cave-in" of nearly thirty
years ago, which is still remembered
vividly by some of the older miners of
the Lackawana Valley. A disaster that
takes twenty or forty precious lives at a
single swoop is naturally remembered
with terror, but the miscellaneous deaths
that are caused by fall of roof and ex-
plosions of fire damp in single year are
not less appalling. The death list in the
coal regions is terribly augmented every
wear by the fatalities in the mines, and
the long array of widows and orphans who
are thus suddenly deprived of the means
of support is something pitiful to con-
template.
The pleasures in the life OF the miner
are of primitive sort. Occasionally
during the dramatic season he may wit
ness one of the many plays that travel or
hear comic opera. He likes good
lecture or speech and has good deal OF
respect for the man who can talk common
sense backed by conviction. AS a general
thing the hard working class of men
like frankness. They don't appreciate
duplicity or the political diplomacy that
keeps the word of promise to the ear and
breaks it to the hope. IN the picnic
season the miner, if he has the time, en-
ioys himself most. He believes in simple
pleasures and will take glass of beer
occasionally unless he is strict temper.
ance man. There IS not great deal of
drinking among the miners these times
and good many of them are members
of various temperance organizations.