“Dagos are cheaper than props.”
-Mother Jone quoting a Mine Manager
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Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday September 19, 1917
Pennsylvania Leads Nation for Coal Mine Fatalities in 1916
From the Appeal to Reason of September 15, 1917:
Coal Mine Fatalities, 1916
Waiting for word.
The number of persons killed in and about coal mines during the calendar year 1916 was 2,225, as compared with 2,269 in 1915, 2,454 in 1914 and 2,785 in 1913. Pennsylvania led with 988, of which 433 were in bituminous mines. Fatalities in West Virginia numbered 372, in Illinois 128, and in Alabama 119, Alaska, California, Idaho, Nevada and South Dakota had no fatalities.
Those killed underground from falls of rock, coal, etc., numbered 961; from mine cars and locomotives 390; from exploding or burning gas, 170, and from explosives, 148. Those killed on the surface numbered 150, and in shafts 49.
The number killed per 1,000 employed was 3.22 in 1914 and 3.09 in 1915. The 1916 figures were not available when this report was published.
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[Photograph added.]
U. S. Mine Disasters for 1916
From The Patriot of Indiana, Pennsylvania of February 19, 1916
Coal Mine Disasters for 1916
(Where “Mine Disaster” is defined as mine accidents claiming five or more lives.)
-Feb. 8-Lance Mine at Plymouth, Pennsylvania: Explosion killed 7. -Feb. 11-Ernest No. 2 Mine at Ernest, Pennsylvania: Explosion killed 27. -Feb. 29-Davis No. 42 Mine at Kempton, Maryland: Explosion killed 16. -March 9-Hollenback Mine at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: Explosion killed 6. -March 28-King Mine at Kimball, West Virginia: Explosion killed 10. -March 30-Robindale Mine at Seward, Pennsylvania: Explosion killed 8. -Aug. 8-Woodward No. 3 Mine at Edwardsville, Pennsylvania: Explosion killed 6. -Oct. 10-Jamison No. 7 Mine at Barrackville, West Virginia: Explosion and Fire killed 10. -Oct. 22-Marvel No. 2 Mine at Marvel, Alabama: Explosion killed 18. -Nov. 4-Bessie Mine at Palos, Alabama: Explosion killed 30. -Nov. 18-Ocean Mine at Greensburg, Pennsylvania: Roof Fall killed 8. -Dec. 13-Fidelity No. 9 Mine at Stone City, Kansas: Explosion killed 20.
Metal Mine Disaster -Feb. 14-Pennsylvania Copper Miner at Butte, Montana: Fire killed 21.
The great and tragic death toll paid by the Working Class to enrich the Ruling Class notwithstanding, it seems that some believe the workers are exhibiting an appalling lack of gratitude for the crumbs thrown their way. The following is from the same issue and same page of the Appeal to Reason as the article above:
Labor’s “Ingratitude”
“Cool impudence; assurance; cheek.”
Thus does Webster’s Dictionary define the slang word, “gall”. The capitalists have it in amazing and audacious abundance. One of the best examples of triple-extracted and double distilled “gall” is the following editorial on “Gratitude”, which appeared recently in the Wall Street Journal:
One of the leading financial concerns recently started a profit-sharing scheme for employes. They were to get a certain percentage of all receipts, which ran into thousands of dollars each week. Approximately 300 men were included. and the voluntary bonus naturally caused big profit sacrifice to the corporation. Out of the 300 employes but one returned to give thanks, and his letter to the President was as welcome as it was unique. Of the other 299, some regarded the company’s splendid action as a matter of course, others looked upon it with suspicion, and still others thought they did the company a favor by accepting the bonus!
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors’ arms or the odor that lingers in the neighborhood of a packing house! These slaves were not thankful for the kingly favors so royally bestowed upon them by their kind masters. And the Wall Street Journal is puzzled and pained at this evidence that gratitude has become a decadent virtue.
Only one grateful slave out of three hundred! What a commentary on the crass degeneracy of the human heart! “Some regarded the company’s splendid action as a matter of course”-in other words, figured that their masters were merely giving them a little more of what they had earned and therefore shouldn’t be patted on the back for their hypocritical “generosity”.
“Others looked upon it as a matter of suspicion”-that is, figured that their masters were giving them a little extra for the purpose of speeding them up.
“Still others thought they did the company a favor by accepting the bonus!” – notice the exclamation point! Perhaps they did. They might have asked for higher wages, and demanded considerably more than the paltry bonus of the company amounted to. Who knows but what that was the motive behind the bonus, after all?
But the Wall Street Journal, curiously obsessed by the opinion that the company really did the men a favor, is doubtless more than ever convinced of the unworthiness of labor because the men failed to appreciate it-all but one pure and unspoiled slave, who probably wanted to make his job more solid.
