COLLECTION NAME:
Colorado Coal Project
Record
Collection Name:
Colorado Coal Project
Title:
Interview with Jack and Shine Miller (transcript part 2 of 2)
Creator:
Margolis, Eric, 1947-
Creator:
McMahan, Ronald L.
Subject:
Coal miners--Personal narratives
Subject:
Labor disputes--Colorado
Subject:
Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--Colorado
Subject:
Coal mines and mining
Subject:
Coal mines and mining--Colorado
Subject:
Columbine Mine (Weld County, Colo.)
Subject:
Industrial Workers of the World
Subject:
Labor disputes--Colorado
Subject:
Interviews
Description:
The older brother started work in 1919, greasing cars and the younger brother started working in 1923. They display examples of their mining certificates. Early mines had little air circulation. Miners had no wash-house and had to clean up at home. They saw mice in the mines, especially when mules and their feed were present. Coal mining was seasonal, with layoffs each spring. With the continuous mining machines came the shaker conveyors, or pan lines. Earlier mines had a more diverse coal market, with use in homes and businesses, as well as utilities. Prior to unionization, the miners lost pay on every car of coal because of inaccurate weights. They were using mules and "handloading", doing all of the work except for cutting the coal. In the Clayton Mine, there was too little oxygen to keep their carbide lamps burning atop their heads. The brothers and a partner owned the Mar Mine, in 1924, near Walden, Colorado. They were mining tungsten and silver. They ate in the mines, hunted jackrabbits, and ate beans for a year. A mine foreman talked Jack into applying for "papers" to get a better job as fire boss: he would examine the mine for safety before miners entered. He earned $6 per 30 shifts, 6 days per week. During the 1927 IWW "Wobblies" strike, they were working the Clayton mine. At the Columbine Mine, 7 miners were killed and 10 wounded. Most mines shut down, though the Columbine continued operating with strikebreakers. Strike leaders included Embry and Adam Bell (an Englishman, from British Columbia). The IWW gave each member a red book, for dues. No one from the IWW could negotiate with the operators. The militia arrested striking miners and held them in a barracks, guarded by machine guns. They relate the story of a deputy sheriff, trying to head off miners heading toward a violent picket line. The lawman threw a few silver dollars into the air to distract the crowd. Unarmed strikers behind the American flag marched toward what they thought was a public road (as there was a post office there). Adam Bell tried to lead strikers thru but was badly beaten; machine guns started firing on the striking marchers. The company had hired detective agencies and other strikebreakers. The militia enforced martial law, even against 2 or more gathering in the street. The brothers recall Wobbly songs, such as "All stand together". Embry of the IWW would disguise himself as a woman, to avoid arrest by the militia. The brothers were black-listed in the mines, after the 1927 Wobblies strike. They finally got work by threatening the foreman. Both saw plenty of fights, in and out of the mine. Later, in 1932, the U.M.W.A organized the mines owned by Josephine Roach, such as the Columbine. One of them has applied -- unsuccessfully -- for black lung benefits since 1969. They list the complications of applying for black-lung benefits: short deadlines, lost paperwork, rulings by doctors never seen. They complain about the testing procedures for black lung disease. One has hired a lawyer to assist in his application. They discuss safety lamps and testing for methane, and they offer complaints about ignorant mine inspectors and the addition of rock dust (to control coal dust) -- which actually made the air even harder to breathe. Both have hearing loss from noise and explosions in the mines. They provide examples of favoritism by mine superintendents and bosses, especially before unionization. They preferred to work for a large operation, with first-class materials. One retired at age 65 with a $150/month pension. They still hold hard feelings against the Rockefellers for their role in the Ludlow massacre. The brothers see strip mining in northwestern Colorado as a major factor in future energy production.
Description Type:
summary
Publisher:
University of Colorado Boulder Archives
Contributor:
Miller, Jack 1919-1989
Contributor:
Miller, Shine
Date:
1978-06-16
Type:
Text
Format:
application/pdf
Identifier:
narv_coloradoCoal_transMiller2.pdf
Language:
English
Relation:
Title: Interview with Jack and Shine Miller (video part 1 of 3)
Relation Type:
isFormatOf
Relation:
Title: Interview with Jack and Shine Miller (video part 2 of 3)
Relation Type:
isFormatOf
Relation:
Title: Interview with Jack and Shine Miller (transcript part 1 of 2)
Relation Type:
isPartOf
Relation:
Title: Interview with Jack and Shine Miller (video part 3 of 3)
Relation Type:
isPartOf
Coverage (Spatial):
Colorado (United States, North America) (first order administrative divisions)
Coverage (Temporal):
1919/1978
Coverage (Spatial):
Erie (Boulder, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)
Rights:
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