The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-05
LIFE OF MINERS
It Is Full Of Toll and Has But Few
Enccuregements.

Some OF the dangers and Disadvantages
Which Render the Calling Any
thing But . Desira-
BILE One.
New Jersey has probably 5000
miners, and a large percentage OF
them are Americans, born and brought
up In tho neighborhood of the mines
Only iron and zinc mines exist in this
state and consequently the miners are
not confronted BY several of the ter
rors which exist,in the coal workings
Of other states. New Jersey miners
have little season TO fear fire, or over,
towering gases, and their chief danger
exists In the handling of explosives,
In occasional rockfalls. and in awk-
ward slips and ptunges down shafts.
More deaths occur from falling down
shafts than from any other causes.
In few mines in this state the shafts
are vertical and bucket HOSTS are used.
but In most of them access is made by
slopes and the ore is hauled out in
small cars. A series of crude and slip
perry ladders follows tho lines of rails
on these slopes, and the hardy miners
climb or scramble down the wet and
rocking rungs several times day.
This means something In mine with
a slope Of 1000 feet. In addition TO
the danger of slipping there is always
a risk of something tunbling down the
slope from above and knocking the
miner off the ladder
1t is said of the New Jersey miners,
says the Chicago Times, that they are
moral, industrious, and intelligent, but
they are In little hope of having their
condition in life changed. They work
eight hours day for 81 or S1.25 and
average about $3.50 q year from which
they save nothing. The law against
paying them in store orders has proved
imperative and nearly all of the iron
miners in this state are still working
under one or another form OF the
odious truck system which the act was
intended to abolish. They are COM
PEELED by necessityuto ask for credit
and the company's store is always open
TO them.
Perhaps they can get credit and low
er prices elsewhere at an independent
store nearer home, but if they are
found purchasing except from the
agent of the company they are quickly
told to seek work elsewhere.
Although no actual store orders may
be issued nowadays, the effect is just
the same and the poor miner receives
little cash on pay day. IL some cases
the miner lives rent free in one Of the
cabins erected by the mine owner and
Is still further enslaved by this fact.
Others pay SIS or Sc month rent.
Miners wages have undergone little
change in the last five years. The
books of the Glendon iron works show
that since 1858, however, there have
been many fluctuations In the first
mentioned year IS cents day was the
rate and in the following year it was
increased to 81, and a shilling day
was added In 1860. From 1850 to 1862
1t dropped to 81 again and In 1863 went
up to S1.S71. In 1864 the pay rose
steadily a quarter at a jump until April,
1865, the high rate of $3.50 a day was
being paid Then -four was nearly 50
a barrel, but when il jumped to SHOTS
q barrel, in 1867, miners wages had
been cut to sl.50 and SI65. These fig
ures stood until the summer of 1873,
when they rose to 81 again, but the
panic of that year knocked them down
to s1-75, and there was steady decline
to 90 cents day, which was reached
in April, 1877. The wages advanced
steadily until 50 was again paid in 1850,
and dropped by degrees to 81 in 1855.
Since then most of the mines have
been paying Sl.25 to men and boys
alike. One mine, the Mount Pleasant,
near Dover, works its men in three
shifts Of eight hours each and pays
them sl-25 day. Jt is spoken of as
one of the best mines to work in in the
east and has an unusually intelligent
force Of men.
The iron miner finds little Joy in
life, being poked away in a damp and
unwholesome tunnel in the bowels of
the earth, with no light but the little
oil lamp dangling from the front OF
his cap, and supplied with air through
s rubber hose, which in some cases
operates the drill- The fitful CLEAN
IF the many lamps, the chugging of
The drills, occasional dull detonations
when blasts are fired, the reeking
walls of ore and rock and the dull
throbbing of the big pumps make the
surroundings as dismal and depressing
as the imagination can conceive of, but
here hundreds OF men toll patiently for
s1.25 day, Gnd st times for 90 cents,
and perhaps some of them think that
they are getting all ont of life that
there is in it for them.
In their hours of rest from toll they
sleep, visit the store, talk to neighbors,
Dr, perhaps, till bit of garden If they
are lucky enough to have anything but
bare rock In the neighborhood OF the
homo cabin. They know from statistics
which have been furnished By the
state that the trade life of miner is
short, and that their employment
makes old men of them before their
time. Loss of energy win come upon |
him before he is fifty years old IL he |
escapes chronic rheumatism, consuup-
ton or throat troubles, which are the |
natural outcome of exposure to the !
damp and unhealthy surroundings of |
the miner during two-thirds o, his |
working life.
Not words Enough.
A few weeks ago an American pub |