The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-10
Something About Coal-Diggcrs Of
West Virginia and, Their
Work.
GAMBLING is VERY RARE /:
Influence Of CHURCHES Every
where Marked Young Men
Advancing.

glnin Is Il coal mining State as mucf,
as 1t is a mountain State. by which lat
teriname It IS more generally known.
The resources in coal, gas, oil nnd
lumber are beyond all calculation In guam
THY and wealth As for the con-mnlng
interests, hardly q commencement has
been made in developments compared to
tho thousands of acres of vast coal
fields vet untouched except by the pros
pcctor's stick and by bolings and these
beds of coal cannot bc made markets
able until railroads reach them. Yet
the little development already made
is without n parallel in the history Of
coal-minng in the United States.
VastfResources.
Thirty years ago the output In West
Virginia was only little over half a
million tons a year. but now 1t Is about
twenty-scven million tons and increasing
every year. Long trains loaded with
coal are continually going down the
mountains and out from valleys and
eastward BY main lines carrying the
product to, government naval vessels
to steamship companies and to iron and
steel manufacturing industries. Like
trains are going westward us far as
Chicago and Milwaukee. where the West
Virginia coal successfully completes with
coal mined much nearer.
The region along the New and Kcna-
wha rivers is one compact and vast
coal field whore the coal is shipped by
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, and
also largely by harges IN the Kcnawhn
river. In Fayette county, through which
the railroad passes. coal-mlnlHs is the
main industry. although there is con-
siderable farming and numbering. From
This county alone upwards of six mil
lion tons OF semi bituminous coal Is being
shipped this year-and as elsewhere in
the State, the quantity Grows greater.
than It WAS each proceeding year. Tho
mind cannot grasp the vast quantity of
coal and It's wealth in these coal seams
from three 10 five and six feet thick
which are found between the strata OF
rocks, and often seen along the sides
OF mountain roads. In the back part OF
the county. away from the railroad, on
the farms and in virgin forests, seams
of coal crop out. and many n farmer
can get it easier than to get wood
from his forest near at hand.
About the Miners.
But what is especially Interesting for
general information. Is an account of the
ni!ntrs,--what Kind of people they are and
how they live. of whom there are over
iQ,.rJo here in Fayette county alone.
rho coal miners here are nearly gall
Americans and blacks There are but
few foreigners. The whites, which far
outnunrbcT the blacks, are nearly all ma
tivcs of West Virginia, or from Viz
GINA, and the Carolinas; only q few come
from Ohio and knetucky Many farmers
work in the mines during the winter
months. In fact. coal mining is an occu-
patton that not only pays well, but,
as an industry. ranks about the SAME as
farming.
With no foreign element to speak Of,
such force Of laborcrs make q COM
munlty Of peaceablc and orderly ways.
In some OF the largest camps, as at
Lookout. on Nuttalburg Mountain, colored
men are not found. Let US stop a
little and see this place. The various
iraternities OF Masons, Odd Fellows, Red
men ana other societies are represented,
and the lodges are in "A prosperous condi-
tion. The bonds of brotherhood are
strong, and nearly all the miners are
connected with one or more of these
orders. "
Gambling -tlnd drunkenness are often
said to be the chara ctcristics Of miners,
but here at least and III five or six
mining ccnters, where I have labored as
n home missionary for Il year and hnye
Become well acquainted with the people
and their manner of living, I have seen
Ibut little Of these things. There is ca
Ftousing. OF course. TO an extent, but 1t Is
q very weak clement
Influence of Churches.
The religious denominations are repre-
tsented and they exert the usual influ-
fence Of churches everywhere Sunday
schools do n great dcSl of good, but In
many mining towns in West Virginia,
there is not n trace Of mission or Sun
day school work This ought not to be,
for the miners welcome what good In
flucnces exist about them, as much as
any class OF people. have ever met. At
IS a constant surprise TO me to find how
many bright and intelligent mon here
among the miners, who como out OF the
mines, black with coal dust; especially
is this true of tIose from twenty-five tC
thirty five years Of age. They are In
their best days oil srenth and manhood
and earn good wages, for 1t does not
take much of coal digger to earn two
dollars and a half d day; a great many
earn regularly three dollars n day, and
not few earn -four dollars. Many are
economical and saving, in their habits
and In a few years, have a good capital
40 80 into business or to buy a farm IN
the West. Many OF the great coal men
who now own extensive coal fields, work
ed Mt digging coal for many years In
early life.
I know one young man In the mining
town where ] live who has laid up over
$4,000 and he leaves this fall to engage
IN raising sheep in Now Mexico.
Some are inclined to improve themselves
by taking COURSES in the correspondence
schools. OF which there are many In on,
country. know one coal digger, about
lhirty-hye years old, who commenced
nearly three years ago with the elements
Of arithmetic and other studies. He has
completed the higher arithmetic, WORKED
every example, w says and IS now II
LONG division IN algebra and IN the first
book In plane geometry, lie asked m.
H 1xa
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