, 1897-04-17
grim MISERY and Want
STALK AMONG THE COAL MINE
OPERATIVES OF PENNSYL-
VANIA.
Terrible Scenes Witnessed in the Pitts
burg Districts-One-Half the Num-
Der Of Employees Could Easily Do
the Understanding Must Be
Done to Alleviate the Suffering.

patch tomorrow will say: The legisla.
tive committee that is investigating the
condition of the miners of the Pittsbure
district completed its second day of per-
sonal inspection among the miners to-
day, and the story of Genes OF misery,
restitution and want hat the investi-
gators witnessed would fill many large
volumes. When the work was finished
the members of the committee made the
statement that no such suffering was
ever known by them to exist before, and
they are well convinced that something
must be done, and at once. to alleviate
the condition of the unfortunate thou
sands who are distressed.
The territory that was inspected to-
day was in and about Banning, and the
P. and l.. f. railroad. about 40 miles
above Pittsburg.
The m ines are located at Banning sta
ton, and are worked by about 100 min
ers. One half of that number could
easily do the work, for the men do not
get more than two or three days a week.
When they do work, the cars are SO
scarce that, no. matter how hard they
try they are unable to make more than a
dollar a day, at the outside. and very
much more frequently their pay for the
day is only from rs to so cents. The
greater part Of these employees are
foreigners. there being but 10 American.
born families in the entire number.
Alongside the depot is a row of sheds
one story high and built Of unplaned
boards. The building is about 100 fee.
long and IL feet deep. 1t is divided into
three departments, for each OF which
the inhabitants pay IS a month to the
company. The shed stands upon posts
and a small lake OF foul-smelling water
covers the ground under it. In this
building 100 persons live. crowded to
gether like ants in a heap. Bread anc
water forms the greater part of theil
food, with canned sardines and chess
occasionally as luxuries.
A little farther up the stream are
number of frame buildings. which an
swer the purpose OF houses. There il
absolutely no drainage, and in eacf
house a pool Of stagnant water stand:
the year round. All the refuse is dump
ed into the little stream and a spring or
one side of it is the only place for The
miners and their families to secure wa,
ter. All of it has to be boiled, and theI
the odor that 1t emits is sufficient to turf
the stomach OF the average man. Their
has been much sickness and a number
of deaths lately. all OF which are blamed
on the surroundings.
After leaving the settlement in ant
about Banning, the committee went 4
Jacobs creek, about three miles below
Banning, where the Darr mines Of Os
borne and Saeger are located. The con
dition Of the miners here is worse, i
anything, than at the mines at Banning
The men work from three to four day
a week, but the wages they receive ar
so small that they can scarcely manag'
to exist. The greater part Of the miner
are foreigners. with a good sprinklinl
OF Americans and some negroes.
The company owns the miserable hov
els, which shelter the Inhabitants. On
Of the most wretched is a shed abou
18x2O feet. For this howell the compan.
received 81 per month, and it woult
cost $25 to build it The occupants O
this house are Peter Jones, his wife AM
child and eight "boarders." Where thes
IL persons manage to find room enough
to stretch out at night is a mystery. In
side there was a varied assortment o
furniture, for the cooking, eating ant
sleeping is all done in one room.
we just manage to live" said Mrs
Jones. But If 1t was not for the board
ers that we keep, Peter could not max
enough in the mines to keep us from
starvation"