Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-17
3. Williams of Keb Talks of the
Anthracite Strike Situation.
EXPLOITS JUSTICE OF MINERS CAUSE
Gives Description Of the Variations
in the Mines of Different Localities
-Refutes Several Claims of the OPP
orators Concerning Increased Wages

II. Williams, of keb, one of the old-i
est and most experienced coal miners
in this part of the state, is known to
have quite definite views on the sub
ject Of coal mining and in connection
with the details of running mine. mi
speaking of the strike now on between
the anthracite miners of the east and
the operators from his fund of infor-
nation gained through long years of
experience he makes the following OBJ
servations with regard to the situation
and the justice of the demands of the
cause for which the miners are con.
tending, namely IAN increase inl
wages"
An Important Question.
On this subject Mr.. Williams writes
as follows:
THE strike now pending between
the eastern operators and miners is
one that is commanding the careful
consideration Of the American people
and prominent among them is the
President of this commonwealth, who
has instructed Attorney General Knox
to investigate this matter. The coal
barons of the east seem to take as
their reasons for not wanting an annr-
al agreement that the variations which
exist in their mines will not admit it,
and that while it would be justice to-
one it would be an injustice to the
other This is a very plausible theory
until the search light is thrown on.
The writer of this letter was working
in the Black Heath mines near Rich
mon, Virginia. in 1868, when Jeff Da-
Wis mad his capitol there. / saw the
gentleman number of times while 60
ing to and from the state house. Since
this time have worked in the coal
Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois and Iowa,
and find these variations referred to
exist more or less in these states,
especially SO in Illinois and Iowa,
which are the worst of all of these
commemorative having found faults to-
exist in the mines known in mining
parlance as coal slips and horse
backs
Many Variations.
"In Iowa there is only one vein in
the state that is anything like regular
and that is the low coral at Mystic.
This vein runs through to Randolph
county, Missouri, and also has few
variations. One that should be noted
in particular is noted in Liberty town.
ship, Marion county. Here the coal is
to be found about two feet and ten
inches in thickness, while five miles
distant at Cedar creek it measures
four feet in depth. In Knoxville town
ship of the same county the coal runs
from six to nine feet in thickness. AT
Flagler during the days of the coal
palace there was vein worked, thir-
teen feet in height, and in Monroe
county, near Foster, have seen a
variation Of from one foot to eighteen
inches, in one run about twenty-five
feet in width. a
in Keb the vein varies from five
inches to six feet. And still this state
| is governed by an annual wage scale
and agreement. So there can be no
successful contradiction in saying that
| the variation would not justify these
eastern coal barons to have a wage
scale and agreement for the govern
ment of their business.
Would Raise Price of Coal.
'The second argument, which they
UTlu5 lOFWdTu against the acceptance
of the propositions of the miners is
that they cannot give the advance in
wages that is asked without increas.
ling the price of coal in the market,
which would work a hardship on the
consumer. The solicitude of these
good Samaritans toward the consumer
! is clearly shown when the latter are
made to know through the daily press
that coal has already advanced in
price about 81 per ton since the strike
in the east began and it is now only
in its eighth week. Now to substan.
tate the miners claim for an advance
in wages with regard to the PROPOSE
ton that it could be given, / quote
from the last edition of the Miners
Journal from an address delivered by
! President Mitchell, with reward TO the
jselling value of the anthracite coal for
the past eleven years. The following
Quotations are made beginning with
the year 1890 and closing with the
year 1900 as compared with the year
1901, and the prices given are the
value of the coal when it is loaded on
the cars for shipment. 1.-THE average
value of all coal mined and sold dur
ing this period of years was $1.4S per
-, IT, L.. u ,