The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-11-05
Neev Market for Maryland Coal

used in that early day, and coal came
out by the fierce welding of pick, and
skillful placing of wedge, and labori-
Gus Juggling at great Jumps until they
could be broken up by the sledge.
Much later came the use of explosives,
so that the miner could drive in long
boring, lamp in his powder and fuse,
"shoot" it and bring down two tons
at blast. Still later came the ma
chine, still infrequently met in the
field, whose swiftly rotating teeth,
working on a horizontal belt whirling
about a great snout, cuts into the
ledge of coal to a distance of eight
feet or so and often brings down the
huge mass with only light jar.
But even now there is continuing
need for the steady timbering, aided
somewhat by the new-fangled and
very effective shaping and notching
of the timer outside the mine tunnel,
so that the miner can set in place in
stead of having to hew it as we'll.
But even so, much of the old art re-
mains. The miner must still WELD
pick and shovel, understand explos-
ives, operate as carpenter, handle
horses and mules, sense trouble be-
fore it arrives, and do it all in an inky
black tunnel lit only by the flare of
the lamp fastened to his visor, with
water dripping about him and only
his helper to stand by him in the sud-
den terror of timber's collapse. Min
ing calls for form of stoicism which
arouses the respect of any man who
works in open air.
Mining seems to be welcome to
breeds of men. Surely it does in the
mountains of Maryland which beck
oned to their midst particularly
sturdy breed a century ago. They
came from the British Isles almost
wholly, English and Irish and, in still
greater number, Walsh and Scotch.
Their descendants are still there. Ex-
animation of the children registered
in the mines schools show that nine
ty-seven per cent are still of this
strain, thing almost incomprehensl-
BILE to one who has seen the faces
from the south and east of Europe
who huddle about the pitheads in
much of Pennsylvania. Here it was
almost pure native stock until the
1901 strike, when some Italians came
in, but no continued flow followed
them and to this day one encounters
few names or faces which a few gen
erations gone could have come from
any place except the British Isles.
AS one rides down Georges Creek
today he passes spot still known as
Welsh Hill, from the fact that once
Welsh colony clustered there as thick
as did the Welsh coppersmiths in Bal
timore when they were starting the
city's copper industry. The place
names are often homely reminders of
the Scotland or England that these
immigrant miners were never to see
again.
Customs were transplanted, too,
and in day when we look on the wild
owls pension as an advanced Cor may
be radically piece of legislation it is
entertaining to discover that the old
Scotch miners of Georges Creek had
one of their own before any State
legislation was dreamed of. 1t was
simple affair. If miner died, leav-
ing wife and BARNS land families of
a dozen were not at all uncommon)
his mates took care of them as in
stinctively and generously as they
knew their own would be cared for at
some time to come.
The normal procedure young fell
low named MacIndoe Che started
working at this same spot Sc years
ago. paused in his husky labors the
other day long enough to describe. A
friend of the dead miner took on an
extra "half-turn" for his mates fam
lily; that is, he did his regular turn"
and then half as much more from
which widows and orphans got the
benefit. Often two miners engaged in
like philanthropy would work together
doing three turns" altogether, of
which each got the benefit of one turn,
the third being divided between pair
of widows.
"And did that happen often here?"
"Often?" repeated MacIndoe. "Why
it happened always. Boys have to be
educated, don't they? And if their
father wasn't alive to take care of it,
| and there was no brother old enough
some one had to do it. I've done it
myself, and we all have. Why fam
lily of six girls-girls, mind you-was
sent through school by the half turns
of one of our Scots miners who wasn't
related to 'em. That was the rule
\ bora Thara IUac No law and there