Arizona weekly citizen., 1893-10-28
PERILS OF THE MINER.


Most people in the United States have
heard of Leadviile, and have heard of
the utter barrenness of the place-not a
green tree or shrub any where in or near
the town. No difference, SO far as
vegetation is concerned, between July
and January. Very few among the
people Of Leadville, writes cores
pendent of Harpers Weekly, ever con-
templated making this their home; the
sole Idea has been to make some money,
then go somewhere else to live. / have
heard tourists passing through here on
their way to California and thousands
OF others say they would not ''live in
Leadvllle a year for all the gold and
silver in her mines" High freight
rates, high rents, and high rates of in
terest have made il necessary for mer
chants to ask high prices for goods, and
the laboring man to obtain high wages,
or else it would cost him all he earned
to live, and | have frequently heard
miners ssy, "If one has got to work
hard TO just barely live, 1t would be
better 10 go back to Gods country,
where there is at least something worth
living for" Ii then, it is an undesirable
place OF residence for people who work
above ground, how much more so must
it be for those who work below! In
country where rheumatism and pneu-
moDia are the most common diseases
among all ella ses, it follows naturally
that it IS more prevalent among those
who work away down underground in
some wet shaft or drift.
But sickness is the least Of miners
fears There is the ever-present dread
of an accident; a mlsstep, and fall of
hundrsds Of feet; a careless move of
some one on top, and let timber or a
bucket of ore fall on those beneath; a
cavern in the mine, burying all below
under piles of earth and rock, or, worse
fate yet, imprlsoning them in some slope
or drift to slowly die of suffocation or
starvation. This latter accident hap
pened not many years ago, and when it
was found that it would take weeks and
even months to dig the men out, they
were of necessity left to their fate, and
now rest in a grave three hundred feet
deep.
Accidents by the premature discharge
of giant-powder are most common, and
many a man mourns the loss of leg or
arm, or his eyes, or both eyes and arms,
IN the mines of Leadville, while many
more have lost their lives, being in some
cases utterly destroyed, not finger, not
shred of their clothing ever found.
The deadly snowside annually claims
its victims. l knew a man here who
was caught in slide, and carried on
on-thousands of feet to the bottom of
deep rsvlne or gulch, with thousands
upon thousands of tons of snow and
rocks and earth AMI trees covering him.
AS early as possible in the spring his
two brothers commenced searching for
his remains; they worked long and faith
fully, and away into August found him.
and brought his body into town, encased
still in the snow that had been his
shroud, and looking as natural and life
like as the moment he took the fearful
plunge Old residents here speak today
of the "Homestake disaster"
Is it possible to pay men too much
wages who daily and hourly face the
probability Of a sudden and violent
death? Is it pnssibls for one to make
money too fast in a country where
graves, mems sizes, are kept dug in
stock, just as a furnishing-goods store
carries mems gloves in stock, with the
certainty that if there is no call for
them today trade will be good to-
morrow?
The men working in smelters are
even worse off than miners, for, IN ad-
dItion to dang ers peculiar to their call
ing, it is the most unhealthy business
in the world, lead poisoning being an
everyday occurrence and dread source
of danger.