Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-04-20
WORK OF COAL MINERS
Duties of Various Gangs In the
Anthracite Region.
VAST INDUSTRY WORTH MILLIONS
Capital of $7OO,OOO,OOO Invested In
and 100000 People Dependent on
an Area of 1,7OO Square Miles In
Northeastern Pennsylvania-Near
$4,000, 900 Paid In Wages.

Within an area in northeastern Penn-
sylvania of LOO square miles having
an actual coal area of only 4S5 square
miles is confined practically the entire
anthracite industry of the United
States, which at present is at a stand
still on account of the disagreement be-
tween the miners and the coal mine
operators.
This great industry, says the Out
look. represents a capital investment of
S700000,O00, with natural annual prof
its of from $S5,00O,000 to $100,O00,000,
and produces each year about 10000
600 short tons of hard coal valued at
S14OOOO,O0O. 1t furnishes a freight
traffic worth S4O.000o00 year to
about eight important railway systems
and pays annually approximately $IO,-
100000 in wages to about 10000 mine
employees.
A population of nearly 100000 peo-
pie within the anthracite region alone
is dependent directly and indirectly
upon this industry for their means of
livelihood. The two largest cities are
Scranton, with a population of 102, 900,
and Wilkesbarre, with $1,000 inhabi
tants, both in the northern, or Wyom
ing, field. Other important cities, with
population of less than $4,000 each.
are HaZelton. in the Lehigh field, and
Pottsville, Shenandoah. Tamaquu and
Shamokin in the Schuylkil field"
Surrounding these larger cities are
numerous small towns and villages; or
patches" as the mining hamlets or
groups of buildings in near proximity
ing for many miles throughout the val
leys and connected by electric rail-
ways.
About 100000 of the workers are en-
gagged on underground Jobs.
The inside foreman, or mine boss.
with his assistants. has direction of the
entire underground workings, looking
after the ventilating apparatus and ex-
aiming all Slopes, shafts, main roads,
travelling ways, signaling apparatus,
pulleys and timbering. He also has
supervision of the miners, directing
them in their work and inspecting their
working places to see that these are
safe for the men.
The fire boss, under the direction of
the mine foreman, takes care that the
used portions of the underground plant
are free from explosive gas, and TO
guard against this danger the law di-
reefs him to make inspection of all
used parts of the mine both before the
miners begin work and after they leave
their places.
The door boys, including the fan
boys, guard the heavy wooden doors
dividing the gangway, opening and
closing them as the cars and men pass
in and out. These doors are for the
purpose of directing the air currents
through the proper openings to the
breast where the miners and laborers
are at work. In some mines self acting
doors have been provided.
The drivers employed underground
have charge Of from one to three or
four mules hauling empty and loaded
cars from and to the miners working
places. The stablemen care for the
mules in the underground stables.
Where mules are not necessary, as in
the case of gravity roads in the mine,
those in charge of the cars are called
runners. OF all the 155, 900 outside and
inside workers only about $4,000 are
miners gagged directly in the mining
of coal
The working place of the miner may
be 500 to 1000 or in cases as many as
= 900 feet below the surface and as far
as two or three miles from the main
entrance to the mine. While some
work with n gang of other miners and
laborers in charge of a foreman, as In
stripping or in opening a gangway in
Il thick and wide seam or through solid
rock, others are employed mining coal
in the chambers, or rooms opening
from the gangway.
These chambers vary in size, depend
ing upon the thickness and width of the
seam the miner is working, the seams
ranging from two feet to more than
100 feet thick and extending frequently
over large areas. These rooms, called
breasts. usually range from twenty to
thirty feet wide, generally twenty-four
feet, and may have q depth of 300 feet
In the Schuylkill field two miners as
partners, or 'butties.'' usually work 4
chamber together. In this field, and
also in the Lehigh field as a general
thing, the seams pitch at such an angle
as to prevent cars from being run to
the working face, and in such case the
coal is worked directly up the pitch.
BY means of strong timbers across the
opening at the bottom the dislodged
coal is held in place and gives the min
ers support while they mine the solid
coal above them.
When the particular deposit has been
dislodged the gatelike arrangement at
the bottom is opened and the coal is
then run down a chute into the cars,
laborers being employed by the COM
pany to remove what the miner has
mined. In all such cases the two
miners, or 'butties," work without Ia
borers and are paid so much a yard
for the coal they have mined.
In the Wyoming field the coal seams
are so fat, with few exceptions, that
roads can be laid and the. mine cars
taken to the face of each chamber
This permits the coal to be loaded as