The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-09

~ GOlAAClkANA lCALeAAN1A
tin Of the Federal Emergency
Relief Administration, in which
Leon Brewer, F.E.R.A. statistician
for West Virginia, reported the
conditions among the jobless Ne
gro workers of Vanetta, has been
made the basis for the following
article.-Ed.)
As EARLY as the fall of 1880,
n thousands Of Negro workers had
died from silicosis contracted while
digging tunnel for a power project
in Vanetta, West Virginia. The tun-
mel was completed in 1882, How
many Negroes died from the neg
lect of the contracting company
to provide any safety devices
against breathing in the deadly
dust from silicate rock is not known.
Today, Vanetta is an abandoned
village. Forty-four Negro workers,
"a of whom are dying of silicosis,
live there with their wives and
children. Those who are not dy-
ing with diseased lungs are slowly
starving
Thirteen Of the Negroes walk 10
miles every day to work on road
project. Many, because of their ILL
ness, must lay off work every other
day, and are frequently too weak
to lift sledge hammer.
Leon Brewer, statistician for the
Virginia Emergency Relief Admin
istration, in confidential report
to the Federal Emergency Relief
Administration on July 10, graphic
ally tells of the starvation and
misery of these Negro workers, how
the one white worker living in the
village saved many of the Negroes
from starvation.
IN THE early months Of 1880, large
l numbers of Negro workers were
brought to Vanetta to work in the
drilling of a three-mile tunnel re-
quired by an electrical power prof.
ect. The mountain through which
the tunnel was to run was found
to be of pure silicate. Warnings
we're made even by the West Vir-
ginia Department of Mines, so high
did the death rate run, yet the
contractors took no precautions
against the breathing of the dust.
Breathing of rock dust, and espe-
cially rock which contains high
percentage Of silicate, causes sill
COSTS, a disease which destroys the
lung tissues and ultimately causes
death by suffocation.
Within few months after the
project was begun thousands of
Negroes had died of what was of
f1cially called pneumonia" but
exact figures are unavailable, since
the sick were turned away. An
indication Of the number that were
affected is shown in the figure of
the contractor which indicated a
300 per cent labor turnover on the
job.
When the Job was completed in
September, 1882, Vandetta became
an abandoned village. Now, 101
persons live there, one a white
worker, the other Negroes. They
occupy Al tumble down novels
all have been served with eviction
notices. Forty three men, A women,
and IA children make up the popu-
lation.
I EON BROWER, statistician for
l. the Virginia Emergency Relief
Administration, describes their pres
ent condition: (The material was
confidential with the F.E.R.A., and
not intended for publication.-Ed)
coupled with all these hardships
is starvation. Relief has always
been spasmodic and irregular and
more irregular than is warranted.
Every family related the lack of
food, and for days at q time during
the last winter, they had nothing
to eat. One white person living in
Vanetta kept many from starving.
Many Of the Negroes went to
Gauley and begged for food and
work. Several white people in
Gauley contributed regularly to the
support Of some families. Clothing
was always inadequate and there
we're numerous cases of slightly
frozen limbs; also several families
were evicted during the winter, and
nearly every family was served with
eviction notices.
Upon coming to the village"
Brewer remarks with probably I'M
intended irony, "the people were
accustomed to three meals day