The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1886-07-29

within their mems. Under exist
ing circumstances the strictost econ
omy is essential, since excess or
cxtrava gan OF any kind
means bitter penalty in tho direc
ton Of subsequent want aud suffer-
ing. In work that is 30 irregular,
30 full of peril aud 80 poorly paid,
it would not be surprising to find
wide spread destitution, and it
speaks volumes for tho careful,
economic Il life led by tho miners
that such il not the case
II seems strange that, with the
increased output of coal, wages
should be SO small, and yet it is not
80 strange aftor oil. A few years
ago tue mining regions of Pennsyl-
vania were n OF ovorcroSdcd with la
Dor, as they now are. Those who
worked in tho mines had more
steady employment than they have
at present and were able to dictate
not only their own compensation,
but in a measure tho product Of coal
also. The combined companies,
seeing this, encouraged immigration,
opened more mines and enlarged
their facilities until now. even with
nearly three times tho tonnage, they
are able to niue all the coal the
market needs in less than one-third
the time. Hungarian aud Italian
labor, which was not known in these
valleys ten years ago, has become
an important elemont in road.mtk-
ing, erecting bindings, street're-
pairing and loading conl. Although
there are miuo laborers of these ma
tioualties thay have not progressed
sufficiently as yot to become expert
miners, but the evolution is quite
natural and may assert itself in
time.
The miners outfit requires in tho
first place coarse snit Of clothing.
II tue working place is wet nn oiled
~ ....s,t.t .Nnrn pnIlnrs
r.J essential, Win u OrO td sou wester
hat and heavy hob nailed boots
The hat is generally provided with Il
place for holding the lamp in front
while the miner is at work Th,
miner also must have u drill--gen,
orally 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 dowr
the anthracite, and patent augur
does duty in many places at present
for the cumbersome drill and is
much handler. The outfit Of til,
miner also includes nn oil,can, Il
mining-lamp, wick for the latter a
dinner pail aud IA pail for c1ll1o OF
water. The blasting materials con-
sist of powder served in twenty five
pound kegs or in prepared cartridg
es. When the former is used th,
miner makes up his own charges
and uses waterproof paper for tn
purpose. The ready made cartridge
are supplied in iire-proof cases.
In preparing for blast stee
needle about five or six feet long i
inserted in tho charge, which i
tamped close, after which the needl
is withdrawn and q straw or squ
; inserted in the hole thus made 70
the purpose Of igniting tho ex
plosiye. In gaseous mines touch
squibs are employed to fro the bias
as flame would be specially dan
gerous,
All those fine points must be un
derstood by the miner to carry o
his work successfully but, carefr
as he is, great accidents that startl
the country and fiji whole comma
mites with woe sometimes occur. T.
this class of mining horrors belonI
the disasters at Avondale, Yves
Pittston and Nanticoke, all of com
paratively recent occurrence, an
the Carbondale mine "cave in" O
; nearly thirty years ago, which is sti
} remembered wildly by some of th
older miners OF the Lackawana Va
: ley. A disaster that takes twent
7 or forty precious lives at sing
D swoop is naturally remembered wit
: terror, but the miscellaneous death
: that are caused by fall of roof an
explosions of fire-damp in sing
8 year are not less appalling. Th
= death list in the coal regions
y terribly augmented every year b
Q the fatalities in the mines, and IL
, long array of widows and orphan