The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1893-12-14
MINERS LACK FOOD
Thousands in Michigan Require I'M
mediate Aid.
THE SITUATION PICTURED
Women and Children Near Iron
Mountain In Need.

Iron MOUNTAIN, Dec. 11.-Micbigan's
visiting relief committee discovered
nearly 5000 men, women and children
in this county that will have to he sup
piled during the winter. Dickinson
county, with population of 16, 900 per-
sons and 5000 men who are able TO
work, has exhausted all Its poor fund
and expended half the poor taxes to be
collected next year. The county au-
thorlties issued $4,000 worth of bonds,
but on account of legal hitch were
unable to sell them. The county is now
without dollar of money. individuals
have helped to the limit and there are
1000 mouths to be fed by charity. This
number, by a most conservative esti-
mate, will be increased to 5000.
Here, as elsewhere, the trouble Is
caused by closing down of the mines.
In Iron Mountain the Chaplin mine,
which is controlled by the unfortunate
Scblesinger syndicate, formerly en-
ployed about 1000 men and now there
are only four employed. The last crews
were discharged in August, and there is
no hope that the mine will resume soon.
The Ludiugton mine employed 500
people and now employs none. The
Hamilton is idle, where formerly 400
were employed, and the Mlllie, with 100
miners on its payroll, closed In August.
Tho Dax hf<- q tho oniu NINA that ie
doing anything. 1t formerly employed
700 men Now there are $50 mea at
work Only married men are given
work and even these work at greatly re-
duced wages.
THOSE AT WORK GET LITTLE.
Men that were getting S2.50 and SO
are now getting l50, and the train
men who were getting S1.50 are now
getting rs cents and 81. The operators
of the mine claim that even at these
greatly reduced wages they are not
making cent of profit. They are stock
piling the reduced output and fear that
if there is not slight improvement in
the market they will soon have to shut
down. There are a number of towns
clusively on mining, and they are In
dire distress. The City of Norway,
with its 5000 inhabitants, depends al
most entirely for livelihood on the
Aragon mine, which formerly employed
1 1,0G0 men. and now employees less than
200 only part of the time at greatly re-
! duced wages. They have been idle the
( greater past of the summer and are
| scantily clad as we'll as without any
+ thing to eat.
In hundreds of cases the pantries are
S empty and the people are only living
E from basketfuls that are sent around
daily by the Women's Aid Society.
c Two miles from Norway Is the llttlt
r town of Vulcan, which has nearly l, ,O0'
e persons all depending upon a number o
n mines owned by the Penn Mining Com
n pany. In the Vulcan alone 500 men arr
h still employed. They are mostly Italian
c and their wages have been so great,
e IcuuCCu ludl tHSy OulJ hdNC chohbn u
e subsist upon and clothing will have t
be sent them. There are a number o
villages in this section that are prosper
r. Gus, as they depend upon logging, an
numbering is active, although the wage
- are much lower than formerly. Fror
many of these villages come demand
- for men to 60 to the woods and work.
- MINERS USELESS IN THE WOODS.
. But the men who have lived unde
the ground in the mines are onl
in the way in woods. The loggin
~ foremen say that plenty of miner
are Offering to work for $4 or SIS
" month, but they are not worth eve
that.
OF this vast number that was throw
= out of employ ment by the closing dow
- of the mines fully 40 per cent left II
city. Iron Mountain, before the du
y ness of business set 10, had popnlatit
10 of II 900. The estimate now is tn
y there are only between 5000 and 10
- here