The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-07-17
AS SC0YEL SEES lT.ail
The Correspondent Tells Of Condition. in
nhe Wheeling Greek District OF the East
ern ohio Coal iilning Hegion.


ern ohio Coal Mlning Itcglon.
sylvester scovel, the well known
New York World correspondent, who
has been investigating conditions In the
eastern Ohio coal fields. has the follow
ing under date of Wheeling Creek:
This bowl In the hills holds row upon
row OF empty company" shantIes.
Months ngo every man who could
moved out AS an intelligent Irish
miner told me: sure, there could be
no worse place"
A fourth part Of the men left and
thereby bettered the bad enough condl-
tlon az the rest Of the 900 miners OF all
natlunalltles. The mine not being
crowded. the men have been enabled 10
make the most OF their flfty-elght days
Of work out OF the $50 Of the six months
ending July ].
Before each intermittent running day
the miners went Into the bank" and
dug coal until It's bulk stopped them.
Then when the mine ran a fourth more
cars we're available than when the mine
was fully manned. Each miner
stretched his every slnew to load al
much coal as possible that precious day.
and each has made excellent wages for
each Of his ffty-efght days OF work as
against Sl.15 average q working day at
crowded mines In eastern Ohio.
The Wheeling Creek men have made
81, The ENTRY men" at work that lin
It's life to forty years. have averaged
S2.25, and the ordinary room men" and
foreigners generally have mined the
great bulk OF the coal at $l.75 a working
day. All have worked At 81 cents a
ton ana under more favorable condl-
lions than others.
Yet much suffering exists. The non
English speaking miners are still able
20 feed after their fashion, but the Eng
llsh, Scotch ana American men are on
the verge n great hunger. Some have
already felt II.
uno Way 10 Get Food.
A nearby farm was robbed last night
OF several bushels OF potatoes.
A miner said: "well, the poor thief
couldn't go under the ground TO dig his
honest coal. 30 he dug under II for an
others spuds."
There IL little humor about tho hum
ger, though | saw the family, tasted
the food and examined the pay envcl-
ones of the bcst paid miner here. He
III a serious. sober Scotchman, of whose
Industry tho company officials speak
highly. In driving entry" he has av-
eraged $40 a day ppFlHg the last six
months he has made $3.50, or n cents a
day.
ilc has a wife and seven chlllron.
Their clothes were clean and their faces
Ahone from soap. No visit had bcon
expected with the possible exception
Of nm iron bcdstend, bought In more
prosperous times. there was not nm ar
tlclo In the house that showed tho
ptnyerblnl cKtrnyngnnCc OF the coal
miner. The food was bread, coffee aud
a very little soup meat
The thrcc-ruoined house had M gnr-
den patch, che ground was 600 poor,
aud the Vegetables were too expensive
In proportion to their sustaining power
Tho p0ireme NJ economy seemed Ia
have been ronchod In tho use VI every.
thlng but SOAP ana water.
Even Scotch thnft, however couldn't
feed ana ollllc uino persons upon n
cents day ana the best paid minor In
Wheeling crock Acknowledged that to.
day hc owes his grocer 500
lie has had neither sickness nor death
In hts family during the tine mon.
toned The tw0 gnuntpst wolves hadn't
attacked him aud he wasn't In dent nix
months aHu,
Al The WACO had gone Tor food and
q Vorg little clothlnn, asked him what