The bee., 1902-02-13
DOWN IN THE MINES.

threats are realizing one of their
greatest desires.
Celebrating Discovery Of Coal
Down i'm Wilkesbarre, Pa, next
Tuesday will be celebrated the CEN
tennial of a discovery which had a
decisive influence on American his
tory. Jesse Fell, who had just made
the experiment for himself, gather
ed many of the prominent people of
Wilkesbarre at his house on Febru-
airy IL, 1902, to show them that the
"black rocks" which were rather
plentiful on and near the surface of
the ground i'm that locality, and
which were deemed to be detri-
ment to the land wherever found,
would make an excellent fuel. His
visitors were skeptical, but they
were not the first persons who, COM
ing to scoff, remained to pray. The
"black rocks" piled in Jesse Fell's
CRATE did burn.
The United States has had many
centennials since the one held at
Concord and Lexington in 1875, but
scarcely any of them deserved OBJ
servance more than does the one
which is to be concentrated In
modest way in the little city of
Wilkesbarre next Tuesday. I'M
known to the world, there was in
that section of Pennsylvania vast
deposits of a mineral which was
destined to bring greater wealth to
the United States than MeXico's and
Peru's mines of gold and silver
brought to the Spain of Charles V.
and Philip II. Some bituminous
coal had been mined at several
points in the United States long be-
fore that date. Anthracite coal, too,
had been found years earlier than
that, and tradition of a later day,
coupled with something which was
deemed more reliable than tradition,
had it that some anthracite was
burned beft re that time, but at that
little place on the Susquehanna and
on that winter day of 1902, anthTa-
cites merits may be said to have
been first formally made known.
Coal production in the United
States has grown from point close
to zero 100 years ago to $500, 900 tons
in 1850 and to 80, 0O0. 900 tons in 1901,
q larger total than marks the output
of any other country in the world.
Many years ago the United States
passed England in the amount of its
manufactures In the aggregate, as it
did in 1900 in the total Of it's coal
output. A.vast portion of Americas
development In the hundred years
has been due to the coal deposits
which are scattered so munificently
throughout the country. The steam
boats on ocean, lake and river and
the locomotives could not be run,
nor the manufactures of all sorts be
operated to anything like the pres
ent extent il there were no coal to
supply the power. The CRATE which
was employed on that epOoh-making
day of February, 1902, is to be exit
bited on its centennial of 1902, but
some sort of memorial ought to be
put up to the man who used it on
that occasion. Pennsylvania ought
to erect monument to Jesse Fell,
just as California should do to Jas.
w. Marshall, the man who discoy-
cred gold in the raceway of Suffers
Mill in 1913, and as Colorado ought
to do to Pixies friend, James Purs-
ley, who, finding gold in the Rocky
mountains in 1906, refused the brides
of the MeXicans of Santa Fe, with
whom he passed the remainder of
his days, to lead them to the place,
and left it to be redisc0vered half a
century later by Russell, Gregory
and their companions, and to enrich
his own country.-Globe-D
The Ohio Supreme Court has de-
cided again that an employer can
employ whom he likes and chooses.
The question has been in the courts
before, always with the same COM
nonsense result.
Ohio County Accidents.
Beaver Dam, KY, Feb. S.-Will-
lam Broughton, a miner at the Tay-
Tor mines, was run over by some
empty coal cars and his leg broken
twice. 1t is thought he will die.
He was attempting to cross the
cars when they were struck by an
engine, throwing him under them.
In a collision between an electric
motor and some empty coal cars at
the Render mines, Il. X. Pearce SUI
stained a broken leg and other iniu-
ries, from which he may die. He Is
very highly respected citizen.