Evening star., 1896-03-07
AN UNDERGROUND BAR.
Seven Hundred Feet UnderrrounI
Was This Mans Liquor Businesx.

Seven Hundred Feet UNDERGROUND
Was This Mans Liquor Business.
From the Minneapolis Tribune
A newspaper man of this city, who has
been up in the iron mining country for some
time, reports the capture of "blind p:g'' by
deputy sheriff of st. Louis county in the
Chantler mine, $50 feet beneath the surface
of the earth. The Chantler is one of the
numerous mines in the Vermillion range.
or hard ore belt, in the northern part of the
country and ninety miles from Duluth. The
miners that work on the range and in the
different mines are mostly Hungarians or
Finlanders. They are very fond of alcohol.
and when under it's influence are quarrel
some. They all carry knives with blades
about four inches in length and wooden
handles, which they make themselves These
knives, worn in belt are drawn on the
slightest provocation.
Several of the miners were arrested for
fighting in the mines and sent down to Du-
luth for trial, and every one of them, when
taken from the mines was drunk. The men
VI no went down the shaft to work in the
morning perfectly sober would come up at
the end Of their Shift gloriousIy drunk The
managers of the mine and the authorities
were a a loss to account for it until one of
the miners who was Seriously cut in one of
the fights told about a miner who sold liquor
to the other men while they were supposed to
De at work. Notice was sent to the sheriff
of st. Louis county and deputy was order
ed to investigate 1t.
On arriving at Ely the official was taken to
the very lowest shaft. where the informer
had told him he would find the blind pig
This was over 100 feet under ground The
man who was said to sell the liquor was call
ed by the foreman and asked about it. He
could not speak English. and another miner
was called to act as interpreter. When Mos
jeckja, for that was his name. was made to
Understand what was wanted. and that one
of the mer present was an officer sent to ar
rest him, he w:lte1 at once and took the par
for some time, and2NRowed them his bar
which consisted of ahAard. one end resting
on a pile of ore and the other on an empty
pewder pc kes His s;cffk Il <, on hand at the time
ofsrnzssolcohol, three quart bottles of very
bad N4kand tree, powder cans full of
beer. kSsry mich alarmed at the
psr~r-c' $500 jail. and claimed that
/ kEas against the law
. lkace, however. and he
Ana1s.tH aud bound over to the
and Ne was taken from the mine he
adm1164d That he had been selling liquor to
The men for nearly two months, and said
that he made on an. average of about $50 a
day from the sale of alcohol alone.
There are numerous galleries or shafts in
the mine, and they are worked by different
gangs under separate fqremen. When man
wished to get a drink he would slip away
from his gang, WHICH was an easy thing to
do as the only light furnished comes from
the lamps In the mems caps. MosjeckJa
worked by himself around the bottom of the
main shaft. and so was able to avoid inter
ference on the part OF the foremen.
At the hearing in Duluth his bonds were
fixed at $3.50 h!It a he was unable to furnish
them he was sent to the jail to await trial.