The bee., 1901-01-31
DOWN IN THE MINES.

q lot oil coal IN SOuln UreeniAnu Oe-
fore proceeding to Peary's hesdquar-
ters.
In the European Arctic, on the
other hand, attempts are now max
ing to turn the coal found there TO
commercial account. The first eX-
pertinent has not been encouraging,
but the scene of activity has merely
been transferred to another field.
About half way between Norway
and Spitzbergen is an island on
which some polar bears were seen
when it was discovered, and the lit
tie speck of land was accordingly
named Bear island. 1t has been
noted chiefly for the heaps of drift
wood from Siberia that have lodged
not only on the eastern coast, but
have also been carried inland by big
waves that sometimes overwhelm
the lowest part of tho island. Over
two years ago the Scandinavian ex-
plorer Amtrup made O careful sur
vey and study Of this island, and
among the interesting things he
found were beds Of coal. - ~
Theodore Lerner and the German
sea fisheries union conceived the
idea that 1t would be prot table to
exploit these mines, and a company
was organized for this purpose. Not
q great deal of money was put into
the enterprise, however, and the re-
suit of its preliminary work last
year, in view of the inferior quality
of the coal, the short working season
and ioDg-distance transportation,
gave so little promise for the future
that the effort was not renewed dur
ing the past season.
The Norwegians, how ever, have
not been at all disheartened by the
gloomy prospects of the German en-
teiprise on Bear island. There are
far larger and more promising coal
fields on the southwest cost of Spitz-
bergen, and Norwegian vessels dur
ing their fishing cruises hHvo been
1 giving them particular attention as
a possible source of profit.
There is now much confidence in
Norway that money may be made
iil Spitzbergen coal mining, and the
result is that during the past season
several companies have been formed
at various ports to carry on mining
operations in these new tiefds.-N. {.
Y. Sun.
p, A funny story is told on Gen. Alger
to the effect that he or his agents
were induced to buy coal lands in
Tennessee by being shown rocks
painted black which were represent
ed as being coal.
The Virginia Iron, Coal and Coke
Company has completed 100 coke
ovens at Looney creek near Big
Stone Gap. They were TO have been
put in blast this week.
A young coal miner of Scranton,
Pa, was lost in the mine a week and
when found was a chattering mad
man on pile of "gob." He could
give no account of how he became
lost in the mine.
We wish to call the attention of
THE BEE readers to a portion of the
report read at tho annual meeting of
the u. NJ. Workers held at Indianap-
oils last week. A doleful sound it
must have been indeed to them.
The very fact that the resources Of
the order had been taxed to its ut
most capacity to secure success, and
then be compelled to admit defeat
and cry aloud for advice and help,
must have been almost a heartbreak-
er for them. After two years the
admission must be made that more
miners were at work and the pro-
duction of coal greater than before
the strike was ordered. With hun
dreds of miners and their families
on their hands as objects of charity,
they were, indeed, confronted with
serious problem as to what was best
to do. OF course, they will publish
10 the world that the strike in the
Southwest will continue and that
the miners will still continue to re-
ceive their weekly allowances of
forty-two cents; but the admission
made that the strike is virtually a
failure, will cause the donations to
cease to acertain extent. Here read
the report:
''The Southwest strike, which was
inaugurated March 1, 1899, is still in
progress in Arkansas and Indian
Territory, although in Kansas and
Missouri an agreement was reached
with the companies which advanced
the rate OF mining, reduced the hours
II labor, and authorized heemploy-
ment of check-weighmen and the
collection of dues wherever the en-
ployes so desired. But, notwith-
standing the fact that we exerted
@~~~ Th~~~A