Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-12-06
school. FOR MINERS,
Coal company's Plan to Educate
Anthracite Workers.
OTHER FIRMS TAKING IT UP.

Idea Obtained From Diligence of Ono
Man Who Wanted to Rise In the
World-Foreisners Wishing to Learn
English Do So by Utilizing Their
Leisure Time.
One mans diligence has led to all
| the anthracite mine workers having an
opportunity of being educated, of train
ing themselves to become officials at
the collieries and Of advancing rapidly
in the profession if they have the ann
bition and the energy to do it. There
are about 1885, 900 mine workers, and
as the great majority of them have lit
tie or no education the ability to OBJ
| cain the instruction which is to fit
them for higher positions and better
conditions appeals to thousands Of
them.
The idea of doing this was aroused
In the minds Of two of the leading min
ing officials of the region by hoist
ing engineer in a Lehigh Valley col
liery. Not long ago General Manager
s. D. Warriner and his assistant, Fred
erick M. Chase Of the Lehigh Valley
Coal company, while on a tour Of in
spection stepped into an engine house
| and to their surprise saw the engineer
| In his idle moments working on
sheet Of powdered paper, using car
penter's tool to draw mechanical
sketches. 1t was crudely done, but
there was merit in 1t, and the officials
questioned the man. He said that he
| wanted to learn to be a mechanical
craftsman, but had not the education
| to permit him to take a course at any
| of the correspondence schools which
gave instruction; that he did not have
| the educational basis upon which to
build the structure Of his ambition.
When the officials left the engine
| house they were impressed. They talk
| ed about the incident with minor Off
cials of the company at the various
collieries and learned that many of the
! young and ambitious workmen had Of
ten expressed desire to study in their
hours of leisure and regretted that
they did not have the common school
education which would permit them to
| take up other studies.
The outcome was that the Lehigh
Valley company has decided to estab-
lish schools wherever it has collieries
In which the men free of charge may
be instructed in the ordinary English
branches and fitted for taking up va
i In, INF
gineering, mining engineering or any
of the various occupations about the
mines requiring skilled men, says q
Wilkesbarre (Pa.) correspondent Of the
Chicago Tribune. This idea has SO i'm
pressed the other companies that one
by one they are also taking it up and
are now busy perfecting their plans, so
that it Is predicted it will not be long
before these company schools are es-
4 tablished In every place throughout
1 the mining region where there is a
! coal mine or a coal mining hamlet.
The companies interest in this plan
| is double one. In the first place
! they expect that the free instruction
| will be appreciated by the men and
make the bonds between the workers
and the mining officials closer, and in
the second place they realize that the
! education will result in making the
men more careful in their work, make
| them cognizant of conditions which
are dangerous and make them able to
appreciate the danger as well as giving
them the knowledge of how best to
| overcome the dangerous condition.
This will result, it is believed, in a
decided decrease in the loss of life in
| the mines yearly, for the men who are
being educated in mining methods will
not only know how to avoid danger
themselves, but their influence and
their knowledge will aid the others.
As GOT men and boys were killed and
LAG We're injured last year, any saw
ing in such a slaughter will be worth
| having.
| 1t is proposed to engage skilled pub
lie school teachers for these miners
schools, which are to be in session five
evenings a week, and they will in
struct all who care to attend in the
| primary branches of English and fit
them for the first step toward acquir-
ing greater knowledge of mining.
On some evenings mining officials will
be present to make addresses on va
rious mining topics and in this man
ner instruct the men In important fea-
lures of the scientific side of the min
Ing industry.
These lectures viii be on timbering,
ventilation, the use Of high explosives,
the work of electricity in the mines,
treatment Of mine gases and on other
practical subjects. At the same time
the men as soon as they feel them
selves fitted to do it may begin receiv-
ing instruction through a correspond
ence school course And being helped
In this theoretical work by the prac-
tical work that they can secure in the
| mines.
The education viii not be eompul-
sory. Any employee who desires can
attend, but once entered each must at
tend strictly to the work ana make
good showing.
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