The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-08-16
STORY OF A
COAL MINER
By One Who Has Spent His Life
Under Ground
Graphic Tale of HardShipS and Daily Strug'
gle for Existence
Grew Old Years Before Their Time Reasons for the
Present Strike

The following narrative, which ha!
considerable interest at the presen
time, owing to the strike now in pro
gress, is taken from the Detroit News
Tribune
am 30 years old, married, the faith
er of four children, and have lived il
the coal regions all my life. Twenty
three of these years have been spen
working in and around the mines. My
father was a miner. He died 10 years
ago from miners asthma"
Three of my brothers are miners
none of MS had any opportunities tC
acquire an education. We were sent
70 school (such as there were in those
days. until we were about IL years OF
age, and then we were put into the
screen room of a breaker to pick
slate. From there we went inside the
mines as driver boys. As we grew
stronger we were taken on as labor.
ers, where we served until able to
call ourselves miners. We were Civ.
en- work in the breasts and gangways.
There were FIVE of us boys, Que lies in
the cemetery-50 tons of rock drop
ped on him. He was killed three weeks
after he got his job as miner-a month
before he was to be married.
In the 10 years have worked as
a miner have earned the average rate
of wage any Of us coal beavers get.
Today | am little better off than when
started to do for myself have 800
on hand; | am not in debt; | hope TO
be able to weather the strike without
going hungry.
| am only one of the hundreds you
see on the street every day. The mus
Cles on my arms are no harder the
callous on my palms no deeper than
my neighbors whose entire life has
been spent in the coal region. BY
years | am SO. But look at the marks
on my body; look at the lines of wor.
riment on my forehead; see the gray
hairs on my head and in my nous
tache; take my general appearance,
and you'll think I'm 10 years older
You need not wonder why, Day in
and day out rom Monday morning TO
Saturday evening, between the rising
and setting Of the sun. am in the un-
derground workings of the coal mines.
From the seams water trickles into
the bitches along the gangways; II not
water, II is the gas which hurls us to
eternity and the props and timbers
10 a chaos.
Our daily life is not a pleasant one.
When we put on our oil soaked suit
In the morning we can't guess all the
dangers which threaten our lives. We
walk sometimes miles 10 the place
10 the manway or travelling way, or to
the mouth Of the shaft on top OF the
slope. And then we enter the dark
ened chambers OF the mines. On our
right and on our left we see the logs
hat keep up the top and support the
sides which may crush us into shape
ess masses, as they have done 10
many OF our comrades.
We get old quickly Powder smoke,
ifterdamp, bad alr-all combines to
bring furTows 10 our faces and asthma
10 our lungs.
! did not strike because / wanted 10;
struck because | had TO- A miner
he same as any other workman-must
earn fair living wages, or he can't
i've. And il is not how much you get
hat counts. ! have gone through II
lll, and think my case is good
sample.
| was married in 1890. when / was
% years old-quit a bit above the age
when we miner boys get into double
harness. The woman | married Is
Ike myself She was born beneath
he shadow of a dirt bank; her chanc-
IS Of school were no better than mine;
lut she did have to learn how to keep
house on a certain amount of money.
After we paid the preacher for tying
he knot we had just SlS5 in cash, good
lealth and the good wishes OF many
friends 10 start on
Our cash was exhausted in buying
urniture for housekeeping. In 1890
york was not 80 plentiful. and by the
ime our first baby came there was
OOm for much doubt as 10 how we
would pull through. Low wages, and
lOt much over half time In those years
made us hustle. In 1S90-9l from June
o May earned s36S82. That repres-
nted II months work. or an average Of
1889 per month. Our rent was $40
'er month; store not less than 500
And then J had my oil suit and gum
'oOts 70 pay for. The result was that
lfter the first year and a half OF our
married life we were In debt. Not
much, OF course. and not as much as
many of my neighbOrs. men Of larger
antilles. and some who made less
money, or In whose case there had
'een sickness or accident or death
These are all things which a miner
must provide for
Ia 1886 my wife was sick 1Il
weeks The doctor came 20 my house
.lmost every day. He charged me $50