The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-03-29
Early Life.

It was difficult to induce Mr.. Farley
to say anything about himself, but l
finally obtained from him the story OF
his early life In the mines Of Durham
| and Northumberland. England. He was
| born at Leasingthorn, November g. 1S4b.
! His father was a miner, and when he
i was a small boy he began work about
/ the mines picking slate. When he was
about years of age. his working hours
| were from O'Clock a. m. until Z p m.
! and his wages 20 cents day. lie was
/ often so exhausted when he went home
| that his mother had to wash him ana
| feed him by hand and put him to bed.
| His condition was that of thousands ia
| the mines of England at that time, ana
| every concession that has been made by
the operators in more recent times has
been obtained through the strength and
persistence of the unions.
His next work in the mines was as
driver underground. In this work the
hauling Of twentY-one cars to the slope
from the various drifts was called
score, and for a score driver received
one shilling. about twenty-four cents or
a little over one cent car. driver
might make three scores in one days
work of twelve hours, the wages beins
the same for the night as the day shift
AS a coal digger subsequently he WAS
paid one shilling a ton, the diggers work
| ing In the seam about seven hours day,
his early experience was in the Wear
mouth colliery. lie afterwards worked
in other districts, but found the condi-
tons about the same everywhere. Tit
miners union at Wearmouth had been
destroyed by a six months strike. in
which the miners had been defeated ana
| the situation was gloomy for the miners
| throughout the coal regions At 1G, young
Farley Joined tho union in Northumbor-
land, but when he drifted back to Dur
ham he found no union there. Finally
| in 1869. the PRESENT miners union was
founded in consequence of another strike
at the Wearmouth collieries. On this &C.
casion the men succeeded in obtaining
part of what they asked for and struck
again In 1870. lost the contest and again
disrupted the union. In 1872 there was Il
| considerable advance In the price OF coal
and MIR. Farley. who had been active
In union matters for several years, as
sisted In re-establishing the union, and
| was elected president of the Wearmouth
| local, He was then made check weigh
man for the coliery and retained that
] position for about eight years. during
which time he was a member of the ex-
ecutlve board of Durham union. and for
two years before coming to America he
was a member of the executive board of
the National Association of Miners of
Great Britain, then under the presidency
of Alexander Mcdonald, who was a nota-
l.
The unions obtained advances of wages
in those days amounting to 5S1z per cent
over the old rates.
Whenever possible in his boyhood and
young manhood Mr.. Farley attended
night school while working like a slave
all day. He never had any other school
ing except what he obtained in this way
and he makes no pretentions of being
an educated man. 1t is apparent how
ever, that he possesses in a remarkable
degree the qualities and qualifications OF
mind and heart and reading to fit him for
the work to which he has devoted his
| life.
His Start In America.
On coming to this country in 1880 he
located at the gold mines In Hall county.
| Ga, where he worked ordinary
miner He remained there only short
| time, and then removed to the soft
mines at Shawnee and Rendville. Ohio.
In consequence of "A strike there in 1881.
he was unable to obtain work and moved
to Hebuwood, Tenn, but left there to