Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-04-17
In A SORRY PLIGHT.
. SYLvANIA MINERS.
SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE FINDING
TERRIBLE WANT.
Men Work but Few Days Each
Week and Then for n Mere Pit
tance-Live in Filthy,
Frightfully Crowd
ed Hovels.

Pittsburg, Pa, April 16.-The Dispatch to.
morrow will say: The legislative commit
tee that is investigating the condition of
the miners of the Pittsburg district COM
pleted its second day of personal inspection
among the mines to-day, and a story of the
scenes of misery, destitution and want
that the Investigators 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 some
thing must be done, and at once, to allevi-
ate the condition of the unfortunate thou
sands who are distressed.
The territory that was inspected to-day
was in and about Banning, on the Pitts
burg & Lake Erie railroad, about forty
miles above Pittsburg.
The mines are located at Banning sta
ton, and are worked by about 100 miners.
One-half of that number could easily do
the work. for the men do not get moro
than two or three days work 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 81 a day, at
the outside, and very much more frequent
ly their pay for the day is from % to 50
cents. The greater part of these employees
are foreigners, there being but ten Amer
ican-born families in the entire number.
Alongside the depot is a row of sheds,
ona story high and built of unplaned
boards. The building is about 100 feet long
by twelve feet deep. 1t is divided into
three departments, for each of which the
inhabitants pay So per month to the COM
pany. The shed stands up on posts, and a
small lake of foul smelling water covers
the ground under IL. In this building 100
persons live. crowded together like ants in
a heap. In the winter time. 1t is said, four
of them will lie down in the bed, place a
covering over themselves, and then as many
tie eSR S When I 'hs is
warm enough their bed is on the floor.
Bread and water form the greater part
cheese occasionally, as luxuries.
A little further up the stream are num-
ber of frame buildings, which answer the
drainage, and in each house pool of stag
nant water stands the year around. All
the. refuse is dumped into the little stream.
place for the miners and their families to
secure water. All of it has to be boiled,
and then the odor that 1t emits is sufficient
TO turn the stomach of the average man.
There has been much sickness and a num-
ber of deaths lately, all OF which are
blamed on the surroundings.
After leaving the settlement in and about
Banning. the committee went to Jacobs
creek. about three miles below Banning.
where the Darr mines of Osborne &c
Saeger are located. The condition of the
miners here Is worse. II ANYTHING, than at
the mines at Banning. The men work
from three to four days a week. but the
wages they receive are so small that they
can carcely manage to exist. The greater
part of the miners are foreigners. with
good sprinkling of Americans and some
negroes.
The company owns the miserable novels
which shelter the inhabitants. One of the
most wretched is shed about lSx.D feet.
For this hovel the company received 81
a month, and 1t would cost about SIS to
build it, The occupants of this house are
Peter Jones, his wife and child, and eight
"boarders." Where these eleven persons
manage to find room enough to stretch out
at night Is a mystery. Inside there was q
varied assortment of furniture. for the
cooking, eating and sleeping are all done
in one room.
I'VE Just manage to live" said Mrs.
Jones, "but if it was not for the boarders
that we kesp Peter could not make
enough in the mines to keep us from
StaryatiOp.h