The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-09-07
THE COAL MINER.
PHtIvATIONsANDP PLEASURES OF
ANTHRACITE WORKERS.
The Houses They Live INA Miners
Outft-What they Earn-Pre-
pairing for q Blast-Mi-
ners' Amusements.

Dotted along the hillsides and the val
ieys of the anthracite area of Pennsylva-
MIA, says n Scranton letter to the Phila-
delphia Times, are thousands of modest
little homes, around whose porches tho
roses are blooming and in whose ada
cent gardens the traces of industry and
good taste are visible in these golden
days. Some of these dwellings are only
n single story, but the majority of them
are two stories high. They are cosy
frame buildings, erected for accommoda-
ton 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 prattlc
is fatal to anarchism and all other isms
that aim at the destruction of love and
homo and hope and religion. AS a 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 a moderate share of such
substantial fare as pork and cabbage,
potatoes and beefsteak, with an occa-
slonal pie. The majority Of them now
find it q difficult matter to feed them
selves and their families. It requires no
small degree of tact, ct 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 a miners working day,
while the laborcrs work ten hours or
more per day. On full time a miner
earns from 81 SO to So. rs a day, and he
is fortunate just nowif his earnings aver
age $1.25 to.$1.5 SO. Under favorable cir:
cumstances, and with plenty of work, a
laborer earns $1.75 day generally, but
he does not earn much more than IS cents
a day at present. The men employed on
what is called ''the day shift" generally
go to work at 7 o'clock in the morning,
and those employed in the mines at night,
or on the might SHIFT" begin their tasks
at 8 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 oncc
aday. Much of this meat is bacon or
''shoulder," which is bought because it
is cheaper than ''butchers' meat" This is
the staple article of diet and it is SUD-
plcmented by bread, potatoes, cabbage,
when in season, and q good deal of salt
fish and cheese. These constitute tho
main articles of food on a 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 are the exceptions to the
general rule, arc 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 tn, first
place a coarse suit of clothing. If the
working place is wet an oiled suit SINH
lar to that worn by sailors is essential.
with a broad sou'wester hat and heavy
hob-nailed boots. The hat is generally
provided with a place for holding the
lamp in front while the miner is at
work. The miner also must have a 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 o patent augur does duty in
many places at present for the cumber-
some drill aud is much handler. The
outfit Of the miner includes an ~oil-can, a
mining-lamp wicks for the latter. a din
ner pail and IL pail for coffee or water.
The blasting materials consist of powder
served in twenty-fve-pound kegs or in
prepared cartridges. When the former
1s used the miner makes up his own
charges and uses waterproof paper for
the purpose. The ready-msdc cartridges
are supplied in 6re-proof cases.
! In preparing for a blast q steel needle
.4bout five or six feet long is inserted in
fhe charge, which is tamped close,
after which the needle is withdrawn and
q STRAW or squib inserted in the hole
thus made for the purpose of igniting
the explosive. In gaseous mines touch
squibs are employed to fire the blast, as a
fame would be specially dangerous.
All these fine points must be under