This 1902 Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company document from the
General Manager of the Company to an agent
describes the preferred ethnic backgrounds of miners to be hired. Most of the
hired immigrant labor was from
southern
and eastern Europe. Concern over labor strikes is evident in the letter. For easier
reading, certain phrases have been highlighted.Read Page 2 to find out how much the miners were to be paid and how much they would pay for rent. Read Page 3 to find out why the Coal Company did not want to hire any English speaking miners.