Chapter II
In the fall of 1923, a newcomer to Chariton, Iowa chanced to be in the right place at the right time to see the mine payroll go out. It was dramatically spine-tingling to one who had never lived in payroll country. Two armed guards stood at the door of the then State Savings Bank. Two other men came out carrying a large wooden box containing from $60,000 to$80,000 in gold – the regular two-week mine payroll. The box was loaded into the car, two men in the front seat, two armed guards in the rear with sawed-off shotguns and away they went to the offices of the five mines then operating in Lucas county, of which the largest were Tipperary and Olmitz.
One wondered if it might be held up, but authorities were always on the alert and if, as sometimes happened, there was anything that looked suspicious, two Pinkerton men were called and they always followed in a car behind. The Lucas county payroll was never held up.
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The miners and their families were colorful, interesting and valuable citizens. They or their ancestors hailed from all over Europe, England, Wales, France, Italy, Armenia, Poland, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Sweden ,and many others. They all brought a rich culture, which is indelibly woven into the life of our community to become our own heritage. But there were disillusionment. They have heard of this land of milk and honey but how could they have plumbed the depths of the cold winter, the thin houses, the thickness of the ice in the kitchen water bucket each winter morning, or the frozen bread that Mom had to thaw before she could pack Daddy’s lunch bucket? How could they foresee the inhumanly long hours they would have to spend below to earn enough to feed and clothe their families?
But these good folk were made of the stern stuff of heroes and these privations were a small price to pay for the sweet freedom of America. They endured and they raised their families, many of whom have risen to high places in our democracy. They earned well, they bought well, and paid their bills. They gave their stamina to our community and it is the richer for their having been in our midst.
They were the cleanest people! They bought fine ranges with the largest reservoirs available. There must always be an abundance of hot water, for them, cleanliness and godliness dwelt together.
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But change was on the way. Other fuels came of age. The mining industry flagged, withered and all too soon the heyday vanished. Gone too, was that vivid, illustrious company whose skill, talents and labors had given it success. Yes, they are gone but their requiem echoes and re-echoes in the hearts of all of us lucky enough to have shared their friendship. The rest is silence.
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Did you know that the first electric light in the state of Iowa was turned on in Lucas? Yes, in 1880 and remember that Edison had invented it only the year before! The little plant had been exhibited at the Philadelphia Exposition and was bought by the mine officials for Whitebreast No. 1. This mine was east of Lucas, in the town of Cleveland. The same year this mine stated digging, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone – 1876 – and four years later the mine, its offices and the railroad station were connected. The output per day was about 700 tons with the labor of 360 men and boys and a stable of 40 mules. This was prior to the child labor laws. Compare this with the output of the fully mechanized ‘Big Ben’ mine east of Williamson in the year of 1967, which has an output of the same tonnage requiring only 13 men to throw the switches that run the machinery!
John L. Lewis, Lucas county’s native son, worked in the ‘Big Hill’ mine at the west edge of Lucas. He was ten when he started digging coal. He had a thirst for knowledge and became an outstanding student. He experienced the misery, the rigorous dangerous life of miners and became their staunchest champion, astonishing the world with the power of his expressive vocabulary.
About this time there came to Lucas another boy of ten years, Thomas L. Moses. At age 11, he began work in the mine, opening and closing fresh air doors. His father was killed in the mine shortly after and his brother had been killed some time before, leaving the hapless lad to be the sole support of the family. He too, climbed the ladder of success holding high offices in several large mining companies in the east. He finally was chosen president of the National Coal Operator’s Association, which position pitted him at the conference table again the dour Mr. John L. Lewis in the great labor disputes of the 1950’s. These two men from the mines of Lucas, Iowa, have concluded practically all the big mine strikes throughout the east. There were several other distinguished men who derived from Lucas, but they must wait for a future column.
In the early years, unprotected man and cruel mine were pitted against the other while the weight of centuries hung above. Men and boys were killed, maimed for life with no cushion for them or their families. Through great struggles, conditions were changed to situations befitting human dignity. These unhappy facts have been written in order that those who were not privileged to live through any part of the boisterous, exciting, often tragic days of the mines, may have some idea of the price in human life and limb that was paid for that industry in this county.
And this, reader, is precisely why you have an Historical Society and a museum to preserve as nearly as possible the heartbeats, the sorrows and triumphs of those years. Your Historical Museum is in the process of arranging a diorama depicting something of the mining industry here. The corner has been made ready, some items have been collected and what is needed now is the painting of the Mural. If you know of information or items that will be valuable for this project, please contact any member of your Historical Society.
For the historical facts concerning the mines at Lucas, this column is indebted to Mr. Gerald Baker who has been privileged throughout his life to observe first hand the entire mining industry there.
Pages 2,3 and 4
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