Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-04-02
THE NINE RAT.
1T PLAYS 4 PROMINENT PART
IN THE COAL REGIONS.
a Big Strike Settled by tic Rodents
A Fierce and Hungry Horde
some Miners Never
kiil Them
IlYT HE mine rat, said former
resident of Luzerne, Penn,
J. TO New York sun man,


regions, and there IS nothing the miner
respect more when everything is running
right. As long as work is going on in
q mine on any Kind of decent time the
rats have no quarrel With any one and
everything is lovely. They insist upon
certain rights which the miners recog-
nize and submit to without murmur
1t is only when mine becomes idle aud
remains so for any length of time that
the rats and the outside world antagon-
ize one another. Even then the miners
respect for the mine rat will permit him
to take measures against it on so far
as it is necessary to preserve himself, his
family and his property.
..Aliners' strikes have been brought ia
a settlement more ian once through the
persistent efforts Of mine rats. Iremem.
Der one strike in particular tha. the rats
forced to an end. This strike was
particularly stubborn one. Both miners
and operators refused to bulge one
particle from the stand each had taken.
The bosses declared that grass should
grow about the entrance to the mine be-
| fore they would consent to the demands
Of the men, and the men swore they
would cut and eat that grass, if they had
nothing else to eat, rather than yield
single point 10 the bosses
1.-The strike lasted so long that the
mules were taken. from the mine and
turned out to pasture, and when that is
done during a coal mine strike it is a Ger.
tain indication that there is to be long
cessation of operations in that niue.
That was the sigma! for the rats to take
hand in the difficulty. Miners and their
families may starvc for princip pie if they
choose, but the mine rat proposes to
live, just the same, and, if the miners
abondon him and cut of his supplies Of
mule feed, his chances Of purloining O,
sharing in the miners lunches or eating
q mule itself now and then, he will have
to come to the surface and look about
him. That is what the rats in thi. par
ticular mine did when they got tired Of
waiting for operations to resume. The
mine was 4 big one, and its rat popula-
tion immense. The rats left the mine
and LITERALLY took possession of its con.
tiguous village. They chartered them.
selves in and about the miners shanties
drove away the cats and dogs, and often
made it unsafe for the goats. They lived
on the none TOO plentiful supplies tn,
miners possessed and became ssarmina
terror.
1.-THE strike continued and the SUP
plies Of the strikers gradually became ex.
hausted. Miners Of neighboring collier
les, who were no, affected By the strike,
came to the relief of their impoverished
brethren. They sent two horse wagol
load Of provisions to then. A commit
tee took the supplies in charge an
stored them in building from which
they were to be distributed according to
the necessities Of the strikers.
"The very first nigh. Of their arrival
the storehousc was raidei hy nine rat
and everything dcvourel or carrie away
Another wagon load was forxar,led by
! sympathiziug fellow miners, ani a guard
set upon the goods. Hundreds Of the big
fierce, hungry mine rats char sei the guar
at aiyht, drove him away. and the sec
ond supply OF provisions disappeared
before them -Four times were the strik
ing miners revictualled in this way, an
, four times the niue rats captured tn
stores This conbiaatioa or the min'
rats with the Operators was more thar
the strikers could hold og: against, aad
they finally went 10 work on the bes
terms they could obtain, absolute!
beaten By the determined horde Of min
rats
1T is curioss fact sha. If. mine
abandoped by the workmen either o
strike or because of lack Of work, th
rats will follow them . their homes in
variabIy If the mine lies idle for a.
far.I ~ ,;-a i.,, a mine baS IN =,
abandoned because OF accidents, such a
fall Of roof. gas e1p!osious, or fire. th
tie rats will sseek other mines in II
neighboEhood where WORK is goin Oh
Then there IS trouble aai plenty Of i.
: "Tie rats s.!ieaiy inhabi,Iug tbs
mine object TO the horde of newcomers
and regular pitched battles easue. Thes