The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-08-07
DEATH TOLL OF
MINERS CROWS
By B. K. GEBERT

BY b. Il. GEBERI
The coal mining industry of this
country is the slaughter house of the
miners and mine workers. This is
shown by the government statistics
of the Bureau of Mines showing that
during the first six months of 1928
accidents at coal mines caused the
loss of 1,128 lives. The production
of coal during this period was 271,-
$4,000 tons, showing death rate
of 4.16 per million tons as against
1856 for the same six months of
1927, based on 1925 fatalities and
317 $4,000 tons of coal. The rec
ord for bituminous coal alone from
from January to June, 1928, was 901
deaths and 234 ,289,00 tons, with a
fatality rate of 3.85; while that for
anthracite showed 227 deaths, ST.
100000 tons and a death rate of
6.12. The same period for 1927
showed 947 deaths in bituminous
mines, 276,629,000 tons and death
rate of 3.42; for anthracite the rec
ord was 287 fatalities, 40,897 900
tons and fatality rate of $50. The
industry as a whole had 1925
deaths, with a production of 317,-
$4,000 tons and death rate of 1856
during the first half of 1927.
Killings Increasing.
During the month of June, 1928,
1875 miners were killed in the mines.
Thirty-two of this number were
killed in the anthracite mines of
Pennsylvania. The remaining 1903
deaths occurred in bituminous mines
in various states. The death rate
per million tons of coal mined dur
ing the month was 1927, based on a
production of 41,264,00O tons of
coal, as compared with death rate
of 1892 for June, 1927, based on 172
deaths and 1884 900 tons of coal
produced. The fatality rate for
bituminous mines alone for June,
/ 1928, was 2.86, with a production of
35,963,000 tons, and that for an
! thracite mines was 6.04 with ton
mage of 5,301 900, as compared with
rates of 3.22 and 7.44, respectively,
for June of last year, based on an
output of 36627.00o tons and 11S
deaths, and 7.257,000 tons and "a
deaths.
: Six Killed In Explosion.
One major disaster occurred dur
ing the month of June, 1928. This
was an explosion at the open-shor
mine at National, w. Va, on June
20, which caused the death of six
men.
One hundred and thirty five min
ers killed in June! One thousand
one hundred and twenty eight killed
during the first six months of 1928
This is the price the miners are
paying for the privilege" of work
ing in mines that are nothing else
than death traps. Everyone knows
that accidents in the mines can be
reduced to a minimum, but this costs
{ money, and the miners are free or
hand. The bosses are more con.
cerned about the mule for which
they<must pay at least 500. Min.
ers by the hundreds around the
mines are forced by starvation to
work under these hazardous con.
ditions.
Allies of Death.
The speed-up system, cutting
down forces in great numbers, cut
ting down price on piece work, are
the things that are helping to in
crease the number of deaths. The
. families of the dead miners are left
in misery and starvation. On pa!
day in front of every mine one car
see a line of widows with grea'
numbers of children begging fol
pennies from the miners, and along
side of them are miners that have
lost their legs, arms, eyes, hearing
etc.
Yes, this is the condition that il
offered by the bloody coal operator:
who are responsible for this whole
sale massacre of miners and suffer
ing to those left behind.
The union bureaucrats will never
put up fight for safety measures
In the mines, for such working con
ditions that will reduce accidents tt
minimum. The government MINE
inspectors and the company fire
bosses who are supposed to lool
after the safety measures in the
mines are simply a joke. No one il
concerned about the lives of the
. miners. Their lives are the cheap
est. The miners themselves in every
mine and local union must fight fol
their right to look after the safety
measures in the mines, and force thu
companies to install safety devices
for their protection in the mines.