The New York herald., 1870-12-06
STRIKE AMONG THE MINERS.
A COAL FAMINE IN PROSPECT.
Thirty Thousand Pennsylvania Coal Miners on
Strike-Life Under Ground-Perfect
Organization Of the Strikers

SCRANTON Dec. D, 1870.
The coal miners STRIKE which has been raging for
the last four days in Scranton and vicinity, ana
throughout the anthracite coal region, embracing
the counties OF Luxerne Carbon, Schuykill, Column
bia, Northumberland and Dauphin, has been
rapidly developing itself, and will probably cul-
inmate tomorrow morning. The meetings, which
were to have decided everything last Saturday. did
not result In anything positive but this afternoon the
miners and aborers or The Hyde Park, Bellevue and
Keiser districts, in Luzerne county, In which
Scranton is situated, have been holding strong
lodges to which the press are not admitted In their
general localities, and unless some compromise IL
afrected between the employers and the miners the
readers Of the HERALD win have splendid chance
TO pay fifteen dollars to eighteen dollars q ton for
their coal this winter.
In the six counties which have enumerated thers
are 80 900 miners ana labOrers at work, chiefly
Welsh and Irish, that the strike may be called
thoroughly Celtic movement. The companies who
employ this immense force Of labor are the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western Coal Company,
which also is the proprietor OF the railroad of the
same name; the Delaware and Hudson Canal Coal
Company which owns the canal OF The same
name, and the Pennsylvania Coal Company, when
owns railroad In Carbon county, on wnlon ,ne ane
1000 men, the second 5000 and the last 5000.
miners and laDorers This large number OF work
association called the Miners and Laborers' Bencvo-
lent Union. which has grand council the presi-
dent Of which Ia John Sweeny, OF Schuylkil county,
The association is divided into DISTRICTS and each
district sends delegates to the grand council. Mr..
sweeny Is an YIlshmsn The miners ss.n who 1s
ceiving one dollar and thrty-one cents
per car for each led n the mlne alter the coal
has been taken nom the firm mass. This includes
expense Of blasting powder, oil and the pay OF the
laDorer fair days work for the miner will be the
filing Of seven cars, whicn would bring MN nlne
dollars and seventeen cents Out OF this amount
the miner pays to the two laborers who assist
him to blast ana I'LL the car about two dollars
day eachi then the expense Of blasting powder
and oil for the nlling OF the seven cars Will be one
dellar, which leaves the miner about four dollars
ana seventeen cents for the filing Of the seven cars
who control this coal trac have reduced the rates
fOrty.fve cents each car, that now the miners
must eitRer satisfied with eighty -four cents car
or else they are compelled to strike and hold out
cold. Instead OF nine dollars and seventeen
cents for days work, they are now TO be reduced
to i've dollars and eighty eight cents for the same
labor, out OF which about two dollars and forty
cents must be paid the two aborers ana dollar for
blasting powder and oil, leaving the miner, who
IL buried In tho earth oil day long, about two
The great majority Of the Welsh, Irish and Ger
mans who work In the mines are possessed OF very
fair degree Of intelligence and night schools even
and philosophical ana debating societies are COM
mon among them. Tonight the greatest excitement
reigns among the miners all around Scranton. They
are In session in several places with closed doors,
and bailoting IS going on % whether they shall
adopt resolution to suspend labor altogether, or
0ner compromise to 60 to work at reduction OF
twenty-five and har cents car, which Is half the
The Hyde PARK district is, believe, Tor compro-
mise should the grand council adopt the resOlu-
tion to suspend the 10000 miners win stop WORK,
and the strike WILL perhaps, prove the greatest ever
known In the United States,