Show WORKING IN THE COALMINES COAL-MINES ALMY WYOMING TERRITORY April lltb 1880 Editors Herald Would a few items from this forlorn region of Almy be of interest to the many readers of your valuable paper in connection with the ccal digging the way and manner in which i is received by the company from the mines form of weighing wages and the way this is i to disposed of again in toe itjve the bouses intended for human beings to live io and in behalf of the poor workingmen in general I noticed in the Evanston Age u sheet printed about three miles from this place principally owned and conducted by tbe managers of the coal mines an article stating the wages and advantages of the collier in this place I says An experienced ex-perienced miner can make from 350 to 375 per day which is absurd in the extreme There is no class of workingmen that labors harder or a subsistence under continual con-tinual disadvantages and receives leas compensation than the man who digs coal He is said to hate the small cum of 74c per ton small as this he decs not receive any more than half tha amount say 35a or 40c per ton And then what is a ton In the United States 2000 pounds avoirdupois is the recognized standard weigbt for I ton but the coal diggers have to give 2210 pounds for fine coal being carefully sieved by band and 2310 pounds for lump ccal which I makes on an average of 290 pounds I the miner has t lose on every ton I was first allowed that this much be charged for refuse such as rock and slack but this has become stale nor for i there should be that amount proven pr-oven half that they have a custom in vogue of deducting at least 600 pound which looks to be rather an extravagant idea that fer 100 or 200 pounds of refuse the miner must Jose at halt 600 and very often 1200 pounds So very prevalent is this hat no matter what quality of coal is i put up a ceitim amount for dockages dock-ages of the days work is charged Then he has his own expenses to pay from this such as powder fuse oil tcop etc For this the store owners company do not forget to charge the full amount For powder enough tc last tea or twelve days the miner is charged 575 oi per gallon 1 SO which is i consumed in about tho same number of days Thus anyone will be able to judge the wage of the coal miners which average 125 to 150 per dry less the nmonnt for expenses Not only has the miner to dig and load the coal and contend with all these obstacles he has also got 0 tako the part of a mule No doubt the compauy has objects the form of mulo Out i the men refuse to do their Flute along with the mule they are immediately notified of their discharge which I have no doubt would be a blessing to many The Rocky Mountain store in connection con-nection with the works is owned principally by N Beeman superintendent superin-tendent of the Rocky Mountain Mine The small amount of money made by the men it seems la expected to be wholly spent in this institution which is too easily done ns two prices are charged on all articles and these being inferior goods This too i one does not contribute the moat part of his wages will soon receive notice that he is not wanted here The company have what they call houses but far from being worthy of this honor One load of sabs and a < bv pounds of nnila comprises the whole structure This is what is intended in-tended for human beings to live in One can readily imagine tbe suffering from cold that women and children have experienced during tbs long and severe winter in these huts Not one ot them with the exception of the superintendents and stare men Are able to combat against a rain or snowstorm snow-storm unless by great exertion on the part of tbo tenante by giving i an outside covering with dirt or trying try-ing to stud up the cracks from the outside with rags etc Yet for hese miserable structures the miner has to pay the enormous sum of 5 per month for fuel he has to pay 2 50 for the amount he digs for Soc S |