many of the early irish immigrants came to work on the illinois and michigan canal; owing to the failure of the contracting company, they received their pay in land scrip instead of cash, and were thus forced to settle upon hitherto untilled farm-land. these irish farmers, with the germans, were followed by poles, slovaks, slovenians, croats, lithuanians, and italians who came to work in the coal mines. they were first organized in parishes looked after by priests of their own nationality. the first appointee to the see, fr. michael j. hurley, requested to be spared the responsibility of organizing and governing the new diocese, and died as vicar-general in 1898.