Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-03-14
MINING JOURNAL
FROSTBURG MD, MARCH A. 1891.
That Deadly Gas.

upon Schonfarber's infinite credulity.
Somebody is narrowing his tender
feelings and softening his brain with
stories of gas in these mines. How he
has been affected will appear. He
says for starter:
Editor Oder, of the FRosrBrRG MINING
JOURNAL, the organ of the mine monopolists
has been knocked out two weeks by some
truths we told about the MINING JOURNAL S
part in opposition to the ventilation bill.
"The organ of the mine monop
olists " Suppose that were true-how
much more contemplate would it be
than if it were, like the Critic, the
mouthpiece of every snarling, snap
ping, hydrophobic ism that to-day
threatens the perpetuity of human
liberty? The JOURNAL does not,
therefore, repel the imputation as one
of discredit, because if its contention
in this region in the interest of its
peace and welfare benefits 1.-The mine
monopolists' it cannot help it, even if
it would. The JOURNAL has found
only this-that when there was peace
all prospered mine monopolists, dig
ging monopolists, the people gener-
ally and the JOURNAL. When the
knights of Labor had control nobody
got along except the master workmen,
walking delegates and pseudo Critics.
Hence, If the JOURNALS preference
for the golden age, comparatively
speaking. makes it "the organ of the
mine monopolists," it accepts the
designation with unaffected senslbility
of the undeserved character of the dis
tinction. Indeed, it would almost wish
the 'mine monopolists' could look
through Schonfarber's eyeglasses and
give it more of their work, instead of
distributing it around in dozen Of
fees, where not word is published in
five years in behalf of the welfare of
the region, or derogatory to its mortal
enemies-the master workmen and
walking delegates.
"Knocked out two weeks !" No
crowded out. We cannot give Schon
farber the right Of way every week,
although we like to show him the error
of his course, and although his lam
guage is sometimes not as compli-
mentary as trained controversalist,
schooled in the integrity of his cause,
is apt to employ.
Now see how he goes on:
But the JOURNALS editor, who, two weeks
ago, apologized for the thief who stole the
ventilation bill at Annapolis because there
is no dangerous gas in Maryland mines, this
week acknowledges the gas Is there and
apologies for that gas, and says it is harm
less.
The JOURNAL said there was not a
particle of erplosive gas in this region.
1t never said there was no gas of any
description here. 1t could not say so.
There is gas everywhere-in Schonfar-
ber's office, even in his head if he
will shut his mouth and keep it shut
he will die with black damp, or some
other damp generated in his own
III 1888 lllttll WV "CCho'
With perfect nonchalance it denied that
four men were rendered unconscious by bau
air on the day the big four misrepresented
the miners at Annapolis and said that one
man who was killed that day was sutfOcated
by locomotive smoke. We would like to ask
any same man if a mine that permits even
locomotive smoke to collect in and clog its
chambers is not in need of as much ventila
ton as the morals of the JOURNAL man and
his owners, the mine proprietors?
And it still says so. 1t says more
that the accident, SO far as the smoke
was concerned, was due wholly to the
fatal neglect of miner who left an
air-door open which carried the cur
rent away from the working portion
of the mine. The provision for VEN
tilation was complete, but a careless,
disobedient miner on the one hand,
probably a punctilious, loyal Knight
of Labor on the other, left door open
in his hurry to get home in time to
attend the Assembly that night. He
thus filled the mine with smoke, i'm
periled life, and now his Baltimore
buddy, Schonfarber, wants to be in
dignant over it
Nevertheless, he continues:
The Hoffman mine accident as we described
it is true, and editor Oder knows that denial
of it is falsehood. 1t can be proved today
1t IS also true that men were overcome by
bad air in the Eckhart mines, and that the
men at the Kingsley mines quit work on
account of bad air on the same day on which
the big four" were in Annapolis to tell the
legislature that there was no cause nor need
for the new ventilation bill
The JOURNAL knows on the con-
trary, that the Critic cannot prove
that the accident occurred in any
other way than as it has been stated in
these columns. If the Critic wants to
say it was black damp and not loco
motive smoke, the Critic wants to lie,
that is all If the Critic wants to con-
tend that the company had not pro-
vided fully against locomotive smoke,
or having done this, itself opened and
left open the fatal door for the express
purpose of killing one of its best and
most loyal employees, the Critic, we
repeat, wants to lie, that is all.
Nobody denies that men have fire.
quently been painfully affected by
black damp. In nine of ten cases
now, however, the trouble is and has
been preyentable by ONLY one recourse