Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-09-28
SCENE OF COAL STRIKE.
Some Features Of the Anthra
cite Region.
MOST STRIKING ARBTHE BREAKERS

These and the StrippingR Make More
Forbiddiur the Aspect of the Bar
rem Land-Cnvc Ius and "Robbing."
Excellence of Rouds In thc Coal
Regions.
An ancient and popular tradition cur
rent among the mining folk Of the
Pennsylvania aatlrlcite region records
that this important district was ere
ntCd by joint handlwork and that an
evil power made the hills, says the
Philadelphia Public Ledger. The ira
ltion bears witness further that when
the evil power completed his rock
bound hills aud stopped to survey the
smiling fertile valleys that had grown
up around him under other hands he
was filed with anger at the sight of
the good things THIS laid up for man
and under cover Of the night walked
ablNad and surrepti:ously scratched
with his fiery forehnger throughout
the length of each alternate valley
and that this soaring process had the
immediate effect of turning the blight
may think of such theory as this,
ii certainly fits in admirably with the
general aspect of the country as the
stranger views 1t from any lofty
vantage ground Standing ON any one
of the many high and commanding
mountains that are interspersed
throughout the coal lands and looking
around in n circle with q radius of
perhaps 10 or 10 miles, there will be
presented TO the view a remarkable
succession of dark, sparsely wooded,
uninviting hills. covered for the most
part with brush and abounding In
rocky crests and outings, while the
valleys as far as they can be made out
will appear curious alienation OF
the most fertile farm land and as far
as the surface goes of barren looking
coal lands. The farms which the val
ltSS uIc ltIlllt anu DlOS-
percus despite the absence of sutfi-
cient abundance of running water, a
fea,arc natural enough when the bar
ren nature of the low surrounding hills
and the very considerable elevation Of
the whole district are considered.
But. leaving farmers and farm lands.
let us take closer view of some of
the domains of King Coal Standing on
one of the devils hills" overlook ing
a coal valley, the home Of the great in
dustry. as far as II allows itself to be
seen "aboveboard." stretches before
us. and number Of striking features
at once catch our eye. In the first
tent of the four or six or eight miles
over which the eye can range the val
ley appears on first view to be much
the same as the barren hillsides which
inclose 1t. a second glance. however.
will reveal hundred changes wrought
by the hand of man. Most striking Of
all are the "hreakcrs" that raise their
huge black forms every mile or two
throughout the valley. With the clus
ter of miners houses that invariably is
found at their base. often hidden from
view 10y some undulation of the valley,
these grra; buildings frequently seem
as though they were standing solitary
in a wilderness and with their peculiar
hood shaped tops and Inclined coal
lifts in front of them they look like the
head and shoulders of some gigantic
monk, his cowl drawn close around his
head and his arms stretched out in
front of him, his palms resting on the
surface Of the earth. 1t may be said,
for the benefit of the uninitiated. that
the "breakers" are large and very high
shell buildings. in which the coal as ii
comes from the mine is broken and
sorted ready to he shipped The great
height Is required in order that the
coal, once elevated. will aid Il {, ,ari-
Gus processes by its own gravity. rhe
buildings If old. are of wood; If naw.
are OF steel. In order to be fireproof,
experience having shown that a wood
en- breaker offers the easiest kind of
mark for vengeance of n mob OH n
strike. A single brand and 1t is in
flames; once on fire, it can never be ex.
tinguished.
But, even If the miners houses can
not be seen. the breaker does not stand
out entirely alone, for within 100 yards
OF every breaker in Pennsylvania
stands the dump" a slote pile, valy-
ing in size according to it's age. some
times no larger than house when the
breaker Is brand new" at other times
veritable mountain. 100 feet high or
more and quarter of n mile in length.
1t Is composed Of the refuse slate
which it Is Impossible to separate from
the coal In mining and which must
therefore be separated in the "break-
Pr" and, as the proportion of slate is
very large and as there Is no use to
which it can profitably be put, II is
piled by II system of chain buckets
that can reach any distance and any