The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1920-01-31
RESUMPTION OF MINES MAKES THE
DIFFICULTY ACUTE
BIG OUT PUT EXPECTED 1920
Crystal Falls District Mines Are
Able to Ship 1000, 900 Tons
of Iron Ore

The resumption OF operations at the
Crystal Falls mines has raised, In the
minds OF the operators, the question
of output and labor supply to produce
maximum output The labor ques-
tion is going to be the nub of the sit
uation as upon II depends the ability
OF the mines 10 work TO a miximum.
Should the Tobin mine resume oper-
ations and the other working proper
ties add TO their forces the number OF
men that they need to work their
properties TO the maximum 1t will re-
quire the addition Of from 500 to l.
600 men. Where are they to come
from? That is the question that is
already bothering tie local officials
Many VIII Come Back
It is certain that many of the men
who left here to go to the Gogehic
range will return when our mines
commence to add to their forces in
real earnest. The working conditions
are so much better here than they are
on the Gogebic that most of the men
who have gone from this district TO
the Gogebic range express themselves
as desirous OF getting back to Iron
county. The reasons they give are
these:
The Gogebic mines are worked main
" on the top slicing plan and the
shovel Is the principal weapon of
offense. Every miner working in those
mines must shovel and once miner
gets taste of letting the ore run a
way from bis machine into chutes,.
from which IL is loaded into cars with
little or no hand labor, he doesn't
take TO shoveling very kindly. The
Crystal Falls mines are worked upon
the back stoping and caving plan In
which there IS very little shoveling
work required.
Several miners who have been en-
ployed on the Gogebic range arrived
here lately. They were all making
good money up there. One OF them
told us that he was making as high as
S7.G0 per day lie says that he was
farther ahead working in Crystal
Falls at $5.S5 than he was on the Co
gebic at an average OF $500 per day
Again, the Gogebic mines are deep
mines. The miners referred 20 were
working on the 27th level OF the mine
and they found the air condition much
inferior there TO what it is In the
Crystal Falls mines where the depth
Is comparatively slight. Such mines
as the Bristol, Balkan and Tobin are
we'll ventilated mines and men like to
work in good air. A miners life is
shortened very much by the kind OF
air he works in and most miuers are
coming to pay attention 10 that item
While the wages are somewhat better
on the Gogebic the work Is harder ana
the air poorer so that a man takes
more than the difference in wages out
OF his body daily
Then there are such mines az the
odgers. Carpenter and Judson where
the depth is slight even though the
ventilation isn't quite SO good This
difference in depth aids the air supply
very much and makes the mines de-
sirable ones to work In
So this district has an advantage IN
working conditions that will draw
many men back. especially those men ]
who have homes or relatives here.
Young Men Gone For Good
The young men who went to the fac
tories will not come back. They are
gone FOR good. The white lights are
holding them. They find the sur
so much more congeniai
han they do here Many Of these
soung men say that SO long as tile big
wages are ruling in the factories they
are going 10 stay and reap the har-
vest. when the slump comes they WIN
come back nut by that time conditions
may be as bad here as whore they are
81 that most OF them may be counted
out OF the reckoning.
Then. there Is the large number OF
men that are working In the woods !
Contlued on page T.