The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-08-15

sAioil dihpuHl VI DOWutI TO SnDOl ugMl
his coal In the Blocton district a man
uses much more powder. 1t don't take
as much skill to load six tons in Blocton
as to load twelve tons In Pocahontas. 1t
requires skill to prepare shots properly
In Bocton the timbering is more difficult
as general thing than in the Pocahontas
field.
Little Waste.
In Blocton there Is very little waste
and dirt. Some miners have some to
handle; others have none. In the Poca-
hontas field it averaged thirteen inches
of impurities in the mine wnere / worked
The miner had to clean 1t up. The Bloc
ton miner has to wedge his coal at times.
He has to do some mining. A man could
pull more coal at Pocahontas than at
Blocton. Men and mules are fed the
same at both fields. The dinner hours of
the men are the same in both fields. A
mule well taken care of will work better.
I don't know how mules are treated gem
orally in this field.
In answer to questions by Mr.. Fair
ley the witness said:
Pocahontas and Connesville make
more coke than all the rest of the coun-
try. I have known coke to be shipped to
Nashville from Pocahontas. We would
have to make a special heading to place
a standard track in Blocton mines We
would also have to do timbering. | don't
know of the posting of a notice of 10 per
cent advance in miners wages by Nor
folk and Western last fall.
Answering questions by Judge Gray
witness said:
| think man at Bloc,on ought to
work six days a week in room work. but
in narrow seam he ought not to work
more than five days per week.
Superintendent Richard.
j. w. Richard was the next witness
produced by the operators
Mr.. Percy said: Our testimony by these
witnesses is directed towards showing the
cost of mining cooking coal in the districts
which come most closely into competition
with the Birmingham district.
Mr.. Richard said: | am the superintend-
ent of the Blue Creek coal mines of the
Tennessee company. | came from the
Connellsville district about July l. 1903
have worked there twenty-three years.
first as a miner for six years. My last en-
ployer there was the H. c. Frick COM
pany for which | worked thirteen years.
They are the largest coke producers In the
world. Their seams runs ~ to 5 feet
thick The Blue Creek coal runs about
the same. produces a scale of wages pad
by Frick company, which is put In evil
dence) 1t shows in part For room work
miners receive about SO cents a ton and for
heading about 40 cents. There Is no extra
yardage on narrow work Drivers handle
so to So tons daily. against 30 tons at Blue
Creek Miners at Connellsville go into
mine at 40 to a. m. They must pick
all their coal.
conneIIsvlle and Blue Creek.
Questioned by .Lr. Farley, witness said:
The difference In height between Connells-
VILE and Blue Creek, think. is not more
than a few inches. When the coal runs
below three feet in the Connellsville dis
trice the foreman and inc miner agree on
extra pay There is no slate in Connells-
Vile, but there Is, l think, about three
inches at Blue creek. The drivers at Blue
Creek haul an average of two tons to the
car and at Connellsvile they hold forty
bushels, equal to ton and halt. In
Connellsvile they have rope and gather
the cars with the mules. Some of the
rooms are 1900 feet away, others not more
than half that distance. mule draws
four cars 1900 feet at Connellsvlle. The
drivers at Blue Creek pull two or three
and sometimes one car with mule. At
Connellsville drivers quit as soon as ovens
are charged; this is accomplished at any
time from to p. m. They are paid S2.4G
and $3.50 per day.
Store :eeper Gus Lee.
am store keeper in charge of seven
stores of the Republic Iron and Steel
company We do not purchase store
checks for the account of the company.
When we purchase checks they are held
until sold to miners or other customers.
Prices of living are about the same as
a wear ago There is no increase in fuel
or house rent. A miner can get as much
for his months wages as he could
wear ago We pay seventy-five cents for
dollar checks and sell them at the same
price. We buy from any one who has
them. We sell to any one who wants
to buy them. People come to me and
leave money with me to buy checks for
them.
The cost of living has not increased in
the last year. The cost of living has in
creased twenty-five per cent since 1897.
The timekeeper issues a check to the en-
ployee for his labor. produces two
checks, one for IS and one for 81. and
shows them to Judge Gray) We deal
In these checks to induce trade.
We sell the checks to anyone who
wants to purchase goods, although we re-
strict IL as much as possible to our en-
ployes. We make nothing directly out
of the transaction We do It only for ac-
commodation The class of people who
sell their checks are not susceptible of
being helped A good man could get cash
II he needed 1t before pay day without
discount. II would be regulated by the
necessities of the case. I always buy all
the checks that are offered We sell
-four (Roller Champion for 1928 at
Sayreton. We sell meat at II cents.
graduated sugar 16 lbs. for $780, lard
lie Arhuckle coffee PIC Roller Cham