The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-07-22
DEATH LIST OF
MINERS is DUE
TO PROFIT HOGS
1000 Killed Yearly by
Companies Greed
BY ALEX REID.
fsecy. Progressive Miners
commlttee.)

the country, ana duOtueI luCiGd5N ofNA {
May Of last year in fatal accidents ii
recorded I'm the latest government re
ports. One hundred and eighty-one
miners gave up their lives to the cap
italist system for the month Of May
Approximately 1000 miners are killed
yearly in the mining industry, from
various causes, and most of those
causes are preventable by the expen-
diture of a few dollars by the coal
companies.
II is a well known fact that rs per
cent of the mine accidents are direct
result of negligence of The coal COM
panies. or rather the refusal OF the
coal barons to make any effort to pro-
| tect the lives Of the miners, because
It means a slight reduction in their
profits Profits first is their motto and
the miners' safety is a minor and sec
ondary consideration.
Death Consuming Surplus"
There is no need to worry aboue
the loss Of human labor power, as rep
resented in the appalling slaughter Of
the miners. as a surplus amount OF
coal diggers are today Cutting the la
Dor market to the extent of 100000
men.
No figures can prepresent the awful
suffering of the widows and families
as a result OF the accidents, and no
mention is made of the 10000 major
and minor injuries occurring each
/ Al aff Ior NJ
suffering arising therefrom.
Take Your Choice, Coal 0Isgers!
The miners meet death in many
ways in the mines, such as falls from
roofs, and coal, from the rib sides,
crushed by coal trips on the main
haulage ways, suffocated and pois-
oned by foul gases, electrocuted by
imperfect insulation on trolley wires
and machines, blown to pieces by ex-
plosions and burned by resulting fires.
The following facts are taken from
reports made by the various state
mine inspectors to the U. S. bureau
of commerce for the month OF May,
1925:
The death rate for the month was
l415 per million tons Of coal produced,
compared with 1888 for May, 1924
he increased fatality rate was due
mainly to an explosion at Sanford,
Y. c., on May n, in which SO lives
were lost. and to an explosion at Pr
per, Ala, on May 81, which killed six
men. Without these two disasters the
death rate for the month would have
been $50 per million tons Of coal
mined. en...
"5Iood on the Coal" 49,
For bituminous mines alone the re-
ports showed 143 fatalities, including
the two explosions mentioned. AS the
production of bituminous coal in May
was 35,474,OOO tons, the fatality rate
was 4.O3. as compared with 2.9S for
May, 1924, and 800 for the month OF
May during the ten years 1915-1924.
For anthracite mines alone the death
rate from accidents in May was 4.67
per million tons, based on a produc-
ton of $4,000 tons, as compared
with death rate Of AIS for May last
year and a ten-year average rate Of
5.55.
Records compiled by the bureau for
the first five months of 1925 show
! that $50 men lost their lives in acct
dents at the mines. The total produc-
ton of coal during the period was
234 97S000 tons, making the fatality
rate 1886 per million tons. For the
corresponding months last year the
rate was 4.S2. The fye-month rate
or bituminous mines alone was
l.59 in 1925 and Alb in 1924, while for
! anthracite mines alone It was $50, as
, compared with 529 in 1924 Produc-
ton records show an output Of 81 ,259.-
, 600 tons of anthracite and 1878, 600
! tons of bituminous coal during the
I, first five months OF the present year
Major Disasters.
, Six major disasters with a total loss
: of 154 lives occurred during the first
! five months y the present year. as
! compared with five disasters and a
: loss OF SS4 lives for the correspond
: ing months of 1924. A major dis
aster is defined as an accident causing
FIVE or more deaths. The fatality rate
per million tons based exclusively on
major disasters was 0.66 for the
;, months of January to May. 1925, and
1853 for the same period last year.
An examination Of the causes OF ac-
cidents that have occurred thus far in
1925 shows a substantial reduction in
! the death rate per million tons caused
u by explosions OF gas or coal dust A
e slight increase in haulage accidents.
and no material change for accidents
due to explosives. electricity and falls
!, Of roof and coal.
I Naturalization With Workers.
Z Control.
Added to this already keen suffer-
! ing, is the present attempt all over
= America to cut the miners starva-
ton wages. reduce their working con-