Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-10
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Spangler Mine Disaster Draws Atten.
tion to Another, Long Drawn Out,
In the Uniontown Coal Fields
Where Disease Is Rampant
ny SARAH d. LOWRlE
IT IS curious how ones attention

nothing for It but to stop, Look and Listen
The day Of the mine disaster this week,
before any inklins Of It got as far as TIL this
had seen a play In London this summer, By
Bairnsfeather that was as pathetic and hu.
morous and above all as natural as bis plays
ana n,rsr pictures always are Il had TO 40 wta
brought him there was very terrible mine
disaster In which he came off hero without
any of the 'side" one connects with. stage
h,srois.i,n-.ju,t natural, quick. witted yet
heroism that we realize more afterwsrd than
ut the time. The mine disaster and all the
surroundings. Of a mine had downed upon
my friend for ths first time ! apparently ana
coal was involved In mines and strikes and
disasters and unions.
Her interest in lunching with me. I really
think, lay In the fact that l hna A., Lived . ~
conditions, chiefly above ground to be sure.
but enough Of the underground to have at
least an imaginative interest IN miners and
their lives and their unions and their strikes
and the reaction Of the community to their
unrest.
1NllE questions that she asked me and
isay ns hSFr9os cs h nt answ a'0ns "a 'G Se
aftermath of broken families as well as
broken bodies stayed with me all afternoon,
30 that when l opened the paper and saw
what had happened at Spangler during the
gay 4 fslt M IN a way as though had known
Today there came to see me clergyman
named Iluntington--a grandson. ] think, OF
bishop Huntngton-who greeted me with
Are you perhaps interested in coal min:
ers anu the conditions III mining town?
Do you know what such place is like.
where there is not even union to give the
foreign population chance for Americani.
Zntionv
House for social service work, and among
otners my name had been given him on the
CHARGE that ! might rouse interest In his
NOT Know me, nor ala she guess that
! was In the least interested In mining towns
or their inhabitants, 1t was Just chance;
you might say. And yet was 1t n chance?
. because later on in the day. over at the
Emergency Aid: l ran into story OF mines
ana miners. One OF the state Department
OF diealth nurses was there ana was telling
ahs s"e c acGut aronSe in in b nns toTm hx anu
state state through Or: Edward Martin and the
THE town is Cniontown in our own Fay.
coal mines owned by Berwind, White & Co.,
and the trouble has grown out of the strike.
during which-snce they were no longer
employees OF the company-ovcr 1000 miners
were RV1Ctp6 from
their families, making n population Of over
5000 men, women and chiidrcn-all foreign.
born and most not speaking English-that
took to the hillsides nnnr md about Union.
town, where. under the supervision OF their
union ofhcils. they constructed shncks.
lean .tos ani barracks in which they have
lived for several months rs best they can,
They have had food right along, but MS
the weather turned cold their clothes did
Sunni nenortment ~ tbn rmernencv ~ AMi
But naturally such q horde Of ignorant
folk, living under conditions such as these,
were menace to themselves as well as TO
tne community, Inc union omcrrs cnuIG
put roofs over, their heads and provide food
or prevent babies coming into the world,
or even guard tn" water supply.
:, The water soon became contemplated: and
three cpidemics broke out--typhoid. diph.
liberia and scarlet fevcr--and babies were
born anywher" and nnvhow.
IT was at TINS point tnat the Health DO
nartment stepped in and co operated with
the union officials. Three nurses are now
on hand all the time. as well as II staff
Of doctors and engineers. Hospitals as
Tar as Pittsburgh have been reQuisitioned.
and mothers and babies are taken care Of
safely away from. the turmoil Of the camp.
The epidemics have been held up and the
plies and emergency material have been
brought from distance-the nearby neigh
bors however well meaning. are helpless. ns
feeling runs very high over H." strike and
there are two sides to- the affair. which has
apparently put II Quietus on local charity
of an organized sort. At this distance one
sons they withheld help. and naturally the
State nurse who was here To collect Finer
gency Aid supplies was reserved about con.