The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-09-02
ARMY OF COAL MINERS.
BRAVE As SOLDIERS
In 1917. 3,sss Miners Gave Their Lives
Dissing Coal TO Win
the war.

Especial TO The Richmond virginiaa
| Washington. d. c.. Sept. IAN
army OF three-Quarters Of . million
nen. with no divisional or corps num-
bers, with no insignia except that o!
the man who labors. ana working far
from the fanfare. Of trumpet Is the
subterranean army Of men who toll
In the darkness of the underground
to produce the coal that supplies the
vital necessities OF the other army
now fighting the Huns.
That the coal miners constitute
an army as truly as the men who
march TO the front is being atteste1
daily by the enthusiastic reports that
reach the bureau OF mines Of the de-
partment OF the interior Of records
smashed in the production of coal.
From all parts OF the country, from
isolated villages in places where one
would imagine the war spirit was
slow in penetrating. come these re-
ports that miners have gladly given
up their holidays in order that there
should not oe any slowing up Of tn ,
great war machine that is destined to
nnally crush the Hun. These reports
from operators not only give the facts
OF greater production, but generally
add virile comment upon what their
organizations intend to do In the near
future to help win the war. The pa
rfotic spirit that petvades the opera
tors Is The same in the superinte nd
cnfs the rA - i.
selves. The lone miner in his work
ing place tearing the coal from its
resting place knows that more coal
means more guns. more ships. more
munitions. and that these i. San VIC
tory and the saving Of the lives OF
their brothers who are fghtinE across
the seas.
Just recently the bureau of mines
sent one Of it's representatives into the
mines OF Michigan, Tennessee and
Ohio to investigate the pyrite< which
may be needed in the manufacture OF
sulphuric acid. the pyrite being the
sulphur found in the coal II is no.
known as yet whether 1t will be neces-
sary to use these sulphur balls. the
bureau making the investigation as \
measure Of pre- paredness, The inves-
tisator, however, found that the opn-
ators and the miners were ready 20
rhine the pyrite Just as soon as 1t was
demanded
The message brought back to tho
bureau by the investigator was that
the outstanding feature ef his trip
was the absolute patriotism OF the
men and the general anxiety to help
the government In any way possible.
The investigator found that the Old
socialistic chalk slogans on the VIZ lis
of many mines has given way to Buy
Liberty Bonds and many other ref
erences to winning the war. One of
the most familiar Of the signs in a
number Of mines reads. ITO He'll with
the Kaiser Almost every electric
motor seen In the mines carries a
miniature American flag. bring ing
continually TO the miners that the war
is on and giving him the inspiration
to greater effort
| And the miner is risking his 'ite
a. well as the soldier hoys at the
! front In The year 1917. the last fnr
which statistics are available. 2.set
miners gave up their lives while dig
Itnx coal to win the war. Untor,u.
nately the government does not tabu-
late the casualties OF the mines as it
does OF the soldiers, II the N.Y. Der
| ofs injuries could be shown. they
would indicate that MINING pc I aps
| is as hazardous as wal Yet the
miner goes about his work with the
same enthusiasm and the same fear
lessness A. the boys 4'cver there an,a
is as surely doing his part toward
| winning the war.