John W. Harker letter to R.M. Haseltine requesting relief for miners   Save
Miners' Relief Correspondence
Description: John W. Harker, secretary of the Dillonvale branch of the United Mine Workers, wrote this letter to R.M. Haseltine, chief inspector of mines, on September 4, 1897. Harker appeals to Haseltine for aid for the striking mine workers, who have not received any outside assistance, except for a shipment from the Mingo Junction Steel Workers. The shipment was "only a flea bite," according to Harker. He explains that the situation is even worse in Dillonvale because the farmers in the area are poor themselves and have little food to give. The 1897 strike was one of a number of labor disputes between coal miners and mine owners in the Hocking Valley region between 1880 and 1940. The letter is two pages and measures 5" x 8" (12.7 x 20.32 cm). View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1538_1645208_005
Subjects: Coal miners; Strikes and lockouts; Coal mining
Places: Dillonvale (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)