New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-08-19
WEOM Our OwS CORRESPONDENT


fEEoM OUR owS CORRESPONDENT
SCRANTON, PKNN., Aug 2, 1903.
II IL marvel 10 me why rich producing town
i;,e Pottsyille and the great Schuylkil region Of
which # il the center should Ice practically without
direct railway access 10 any place except Reading
and Philadelphia. A number of little roundabout
roads start out from the city, aud wind among the
surrounding hills, stopping Unexpectedly at small
mining towns; and by certain combinations OF THESE
roads, il you have patience, perseverance, ingenuity
aud pocket full of money. it is possible after long
toll and pain to get into of the other coal re-
pions. such a. the Wyoming and the Scranton
There is no communication with the Lehlgh REGION
except by staging: and what Is worse, there Is
no intercourse with New-York except by the
circuitous route of Reading and Allentown. By q
straight line New.York is distant from POttsyille
only 40 miles if am not mistaken; but by railroad
io distance is 1855 miles. The tolls moreover Oh the
Philadelphia and Reading Road. which is the only
means of connection between POttsville and Read
ing are so exOrbant that the Schuylk coal is well
nigh shut out Of our market The golfers have been
camoIing for years for road and if they could
only Get il their trade would sOon be doubled. The
difficulties in the way Of transportation are the nam
ause why Pottsyille has suffered from the depression
)f business more than many other regions. 10 pun
their coal upon the market ut as low price as rl'al
producers the Schuylkll operators have had 10 cut
down their margin of profit, and hence Whhe
we find them welcoming strike when en-
sbles them TO suspend production. in other
rarions the mines are working as usual with sup
rose average advantage TO their owners The Lehlgh
region was Frustrated by the Pottsvile strike, but
the men have given in and gone to Work again.
Neither in this part of the country. nor IN any other
were there such scenes of violence as certain mag
native persons reported to The Aeo- lork Herald
The PHILADELPHIA Press, and few other papers The
high miners are of rather more orderly class ulah
those of Schuylkill County and their going to work
again shows thar they are also more sensible The
chigh and Shamokn districts like that of Potts
Vie in the character OF their mines and the manner
OF working, and these three form what are known
a. the first OF Southern and the second. OF Middle,
great anthracite coal fields The third, or Northern,
sometimes called the Wyoming field. lies between
Wyoming and Shawnee Mountains, In the valley
through which flow the Lackawanna and Susque-
hanna Rivers Wilksbarre, Pittston, Scranton, and
CarbOndale-plaCes whose names are more famlilA
I'm the New York markets than those OF the towns
further sOuth-are all in this valley, aud give title
to districts" into which, in mining parlance the
field is divided Travelling up this way from the
country about Mauch Chunk, came through
region of surprising lOveneSs where the ROAD Wouhd
around the sides Of magnificent hills, and crossed
deep rayines on trestle-bridges of an awful hight
The beauties of the route all beauties OF nature
for art certainly has done nothing TO make the jour
ney pleasant The railroads make point OF not con-
meeting with one another. / suppose, they are so
shabby, they are ashamed TO look each
other in the face; and they think
nothing of leaving you in the mid
die of the woods to wait two hours for another
frOn Ia
with great parade some time ago, and tried every
mcans short of actual violence to bring the Wyoming
miners into the movement. Had they succeeded, the
operators would probably have been obliged to yield
all through the anthracite country. They marched
from mine to mine, shouting and eXhortng. They
held meetings in the town balls and in the open air
they camped out at night and by day they some
times rode from place to place the and would
neither pay fare be put out In the lower end of
the valley where the mines are generally worked
by individuals or small companies, there was
general suspension of work at their approach.
The operators themselves in many instances,
gave orders for the suspension, by way
of preventing disturbance; but the wy
oming men yielded only half-hearted
adhesion to the strike, and contented themselves
with swelling the procession and the shouts. For
two or three days in fact the miners made Jolly
sort of picnic along the Susquehanna and much
pleasanter dare say, they found it than devng in
the blackness Of the earth. But as soon as the
speeches were finished, and the lights put ont, and
nothing was left of the three days pleasurng but the
headaches and the WEAKNESS, the Pottsvile people
went away, and work was resumed at the old hours.
and the old prices. But what about the vlOlenceT
Well everybody to whom put this question burst
out laughing There may have been little haznR
and scufilng now and them one or two persons were
roughly handled and certainly there were some big
sounding threats; but the scenes about WilkesbaTe
and Scranton as they were described in some OF the
New-York and Philadelphia papers. were not recog-
nized in the places where they said to have oc
CURED and excited ali along there great deal OF mer
Timent reporter who goes among the strikers and
listens to their high speeches will be pretty egregr
Ously deceived unless he is man of cool Judgment
who cares more about telling the truth than making
sensational letter. Business In fine IN the lower
Wyoming region was not interrupted for more than
three or four days At the upper end OF the valley
the strike made still slghter impression. Some of
the coieries about Scranton stopped work for day
while the professions were marching back and forth,
but that was the most. The movement did not reach
to Carbondae at all So far therefore, as the upper
Wyoming region is concerned the strike has been
complete failure, and its failure here think. must
involve it's failure everywhere else.
There are several reasons for this difference be
tween the Northern and the Southern fields. The
Pottsvile miners, as remarked in former letter,
are, as a body, remarkably turbulent and uneasy,
and they have an understanding with one another.
which the operators have not. In the neighborhood
of Scranton nearly all the mines are in the hands of
these great companies, who can act together much
more easily than hundred small operators can, and
VINO. without any explicit agreement with one an
other generally cOntriye to Danish all restless and
violent men from their neighborhoOd. A year two
ago the Scranton miners struck for higher wages and
stood out two or three months The companies,
however. would not yield, and the men finally went