Evening star., 1938-03-27
The Rise of Bootleg Coal
as a New Industry
BY FREDERIC J. HASKTN,

OF the Great Lakes. The City Of Chicago
was accused of this crime. For purposes
OF drainage and sewer disposal scheme
Chicago carried out the remarkable engi-
neering feat Of turning the CHICAGO River
around and making it flow out OF Lake
Michigan and into the Mississippi River.
Naturally 1t had emptied in the lake.
When this work had been carried out it
was noticed that the level Of all the lakes
was leveled. The high water mark fell
so low that harbors in some places be-
came too shallow for the keels that had
navigated them. The level Of the 500
Canal was lowered and 1t looked ss
though all those great bodies of water
would be drained dry. The people who
dWelt on the lakes took alarm and en-
tered suit against the City OF Chicago in
an effort to make 1t stop stealing the
Great Lakes. The case was carried to
the Supreme Court of the United States,
but the whole thing ended amicably be-
cause, during the long -drawn-out nti-
cation the level Of the Great Lakes began
to rise again and it was shown that Chi
cago had not been stealing the lakes, but
that long series of arid years had re-
suited in less drainage into the lakes and
more intense evaporation from their sur
face.
But there is no question about the great
anthracite theft. Much has been written
about it but only now are official figures
In hand. The Governor of Pennsylva-
MIA appointed a commission to investi-
gate the phenomenon and the report,
just in, gives the first real figures. Dur
ing 1886 and 1887 coal bootleggers pro-
duced and sold anthracite at the rate OF
2,400 900 tons year. Consumers in each
Of those years paid approximately sle,-
900 900 for the product
The industry was born of the depres-
sion. With factories closed the country
over, and with many former coal con-
sumers using oil or electricity, the de-
mand for anthracite dropped low. This
meant that many companies closed down
their mines and that, in turn, meant
more unemployment. Then came the in
spiration on the part Of unemployed
miners to mine on their own account.
So they returned to the mines, brought
out coal and peddled it. At first it was
local to Pennsylvania, but in short
time spread Today motor trucks are
hauling bootleg coal as far from the fields
as Chicago. AS the bootleggers pay moth
ing for the coal, and seek only to get
money for their own labor in mining 1t,
they can undersell the product OF the
commercial coal companies. Half-broken
down trucks are used for the most part
in making deliveries and miner and
hauler share the proceeds.
~ y
There are many difficulties connected
with the strange industry. No respon-
sible companies being engaged, there is
serious lack of safety effort. When
company is working mine State inspec-
tors look to the safety of the drifts, but
when mine Is closed there is no inspec-
ton The bootleggers work surreptitious-
ly. They have no legal right whatever TO
be in the mines, and so no protective
inspection and aid is given them.
The companies, the owners OF the
mines, have tried consistently to put an
end to the practice, but 1t has not been
stopped; indeed, it probably Is growing.
Bootleggers Of coal who have been
caught in the very act OF stealing coal
have been haled into court, but juries
and even judges have been very slow to
convict. Either the bootleggers are ac-
quilted outright or are given suspended
sentences.
1t is case in which the dictum Of Ed
mund Burke might apply. He said you
cannot indict nation" To be sure the
coal bootleggers are something short of
constituting a nation, but there are
plenty of them. The new report shows
that there are 1000 of them working in
the mines, 1000 engaged in picking over
old culm dumps, 1900 of them at work
in the breakers, and 2,700 manning the
motor trucks to make deliveries. With
their families, the report says, there are
$4,000 persons now dependent upon the
anthracite bootleg industry for their
livelihood
The bootleg anthracite industry is
concentrated in Schuylkill and Northum-
berland Counties in Southern Pennsyl-
vania and now, having been in existence
between four and five years has taken on
the Semblance of organization. At hrst
lone hands worked. fearing detection, but
it was not long before two, three or more
began working together, and, therefore,
to better advantage. There are some in
stances in which small co-operatives have
employed miners at weekly wages, but fol
the most part it is matter of sharing
the proceeds OF sales.
The Governors report shows that the
average OF the earnings Of the l3, 900 men
in the industry is 1910 a week, but there
are wide variations. Sometimes miners
are unfortunate IN finding poor workings
while others find rich ones. The high
take reported was $79 week. Such 2
sum is a->ade only when rich vein. nea:
the surface is tapped. For the whole ir
dustry the average output is l3 tons ps
man per day.
Chiefly the bootleg miners use break
ers which belong to the companies owE
ing the mines. They have boldly seize
them and put them to use for the breal.
ing and sorting OF the stolen coal. but, J.
few cases groups of bootleggers hay'
built breakers Of their own. Includir'
both the seized ones and their own, ther
are now 342 breakers in use for bootle
coal OF course, it must be understoc
that even those built by the bootleggc
are on land which does not belong
them.
At first the bootleggers depended {
selling their coal themselves, but as T.
industry wtdened a marketing systc
came mysteriously into being. Indivit
uals who owned motor trucks or hors
and wagons came to the miners to b.
their product. Then they undertook Il
sales end Of the business and now the
Is an undesignated number OF perso:
engaged in that enterprise.
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