Evening star., 1905-10-23

deaths q day in the hard coal mines. That
is easily to be conceived after q visit into
coiiiery and q study. however brief. OF the
rough conditions under which mining must
at best be conducted. The steadily increas-
ing use of electricity for lighting and pro-
pnlsion and the Improvement of mechanical
appliances are lessening the dangers. but
there will always be grave risk in even
entering coal mine, let alone working in It,
1t Is no wonder that these men. knowing
that their work is hard and life-sapping and
menacing, look for greater rewards. They
regard their risks philosophicaily, speak of
accidents complacently. and In times of
emergency act the parts OF heroes When
the call for volunteers is heard. with pros
pect of death for all who venture into the
angry nav OF the earth, there Is never lack
of offers To man those who are present
will stand forth. Be it hated superintend-
ent or a beloved comrade who is imprisoned
below, the fact is the same. human life
Is at stake. and these men will go through
fire and flood to save Ii.
A curious bit of contradiction this. after
ali-these men going daily into the presence
Of death. offering themselves up for possible
sacrifice for the gain of daily bread. and on
The first stroke Of the accident signal stand
ing ready to quadruple the risk to them-
selves for the sake maybe of an enemy. 1t
is the touch that makes all men in the
mines, whether capitalists or the humblest
terprise that keeps the fires going in mil
lions of homes.
In the Breakers.
Tho risk in the mine region is not all from
accidents. The breakers. with their pene-
trating clouds of fine coal powder. claim
their victims. In these tall. gaunt. black
structures, shaking under the ponderous
blows of coal tons and the vibration of the
crushing rolls, sit men and boys, usually
very old men and very young boys. picking
out the slate from the coal. They inhaie
| the dust and their lungs frequently yield
| under the strain. The visitor may perhaps
be mised by the appearance of old men
astride the breaker chutes.
They have not been there long. They are
the decrepit veterans of the mines, no
longer able to go down the shafts. or the
ne'er-do-wells, who prefer a sitting job to
more active work. They do not last many
seasons. The boys drift in and out. grad
uating from the breakers to other branches
OF the work. or being forced to go to school
by the hand OF the law or striking them
selves out of their jobs, and find employ
mont elsewhere, or else becoming sheer
loafers. . = ~
It should be said here. parcnthetically.
however, that there are few loafers tn the
coal districts. With SO few exceptions that
they prove the rule, the communities are
comprised OF workers. wage-earners.
To small extent the aid of machinery
Is being evoked to lessen the risk to human
life in this breaker service. A device has
been produced which with fair accuracy
separates the slate from the coal, by inter-
posing a short fall in the chute and allow
| ing the dropping materials to hit upon
metal lip. The difference in the specific
gravity of slate and coal causes the two
to fall into separate places. But whatever
the success Of this scheme. there IS no
present prospect that the services OF the
old men and the young boys will be en-
tirely dispensed with in the breakers These
workers receive from six to ten cents an
hour. according to age and skill
Concluded in tomorrows Starr