The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-12-23

In the blood from the veins Of sueh
men as these and surely the sacrifice
they have made TO gain freedom for
the world deserves to be rewarded
with freedom at home.
we have asked nothing Of the mine
owners Of the Big Sandy The Fed!
! eraI laws gives Us the right to Or
ganize ana we proclaim to the world
that We are going to assist the min
that right IL the miners want to,
which is the sentiment at present
We VIII organize come what may and
every time they jail MS win only GRE
ate sentiment IN our favor and make
Us the more determined"
Mutual Magazine.
Copies Of The Consolidation Coal
Company Mutual Monthly Magazine
were distributed today to employees.
It is the ChriStnas-New Year num-
Der and covers the months Of Deem
Der and January. As frondspfece q
holly wreath is displayed in keeping
with the Christmas season. The
issue Is an excellent one and contains
the usual large number Of neat cuts
from the various mining towns where
the company has operations. Prob
ably the most interesting article in
the Issue is that entitled Lens the
Coal Field Of France an article
written by Frank Haas consulting
engineer, who personally visited
them. The illustrations of the French
mines are from photographs and
drawings made at the mines describ-
ed and their accuracy Is vouched for
by Mr.. Haas as pfeturinS conditions
as they actually exist
The Mutual notes the fact that the
go ls+a
eight Of which are gold, signifytng
that these have laid down their lives
on the sacrtdciaI altar Of our country.
Many Bonds Bought.
Employees of the Consolidation Coal
company have subscribed to $685.
$50 In the Fourth Liberty loan, ac-
cording to the C. c. G. Monthly. The
various divisions have subscribed as
follows: Maryland, $50, 500; West
Virginia, S284,000; Pennsylvania,
$140, 900; Elkhorn, $151.200; Mil
lers Creek, SIS, $50; Baltimore gen
eral Office, $25,800.
The officials OF the company rang
ed in their subscriptions up to $105.-
900 for a single subscription, bring
ing the total subscriptions Of en-
ployes and officials up to an aggre-
gate of more than million dollars.
dUO4I1OA SAC SOAARG4GS SOSA q
lion dollars worth OF bonds. which
made a total OF more than two mill
lions for employees and officials
The subscription Of the employees
show an increase Of S49S,950 over
their subscriptions to the First loans
$455,950 over their subscriptions to
the Second loan; $780, 100 over their
subscriptions to the Third loan In
all, the employees have subscribed
S1.761,7OO to the four loans, going
better than the previous loan, al
though their ranks were thinned
twelve per cent by men entering the
military service.
Lens Coal Field.
In the Mutual Magazine Of The
Consolidation Coal comany, Frank
l1aass consulting engineer, in writing
of Lens, the Coal Field Of Fance."
SAYS in part. The average output
per man per year underground is
about $50 tons, while with us it is
nearly a thousand. The average
, earnings Of French miner at that
| time Cone year ago. was ninety cents
/ a day. To describe the mining meth
| DDS would be a story in itself, but
| briefly. Iongwan' is worked in every
conceivable manner, depneding on
the local conditions. The seams are
| badly broken, tilted at all angles and
| frequently broken by faults which cut
out the coal entirely. Under such con
ditions it can be readily Imagined
| that each section Of the mine has q
! system Of its own.
H'Couriers mines are within sight OF
Levein. A group Of miners, about 8
in number, operated under concesr
sion from the French government.
rhey cover an area Of about ID, 0O0
acres. which are underlaid more or
less by forty seams of coal OF various
thickness and various kinds from
semi-anthracite to bituminous. The
mining Of these seams was conducted
to a depth OF 1900 feet The shafts
are all connected underground, most
of them being hosting shafts. Their
total output was about two and one
half million tons annually. The mines
were opened in. 1850 and the COM
pany had very successful career up
to the time OF the disaster. Fierdamp
was not particularly troublesome and
open lights were used almost ,e0c4u-
sfvely. France has a normal coal
output Of about forty million tons
and a consumption Of about sixty mil
lion tons a year. Seventy per cent, or
rs million tons. was produced IN the
northern>part Of France and was cap
tured by the Germans
part OF this productive area we
know has been destroyed II A1Sace
and Lorraine so back to France she
Will acquire a large active coal terri
tory which is probably undisturoeo
and a large undeveloped new terri
tory In Lorraine which has been PROV