The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-07

The Great Coal Strike i'm
Pennsylvania.
Amount Of Coal In tho Companies' Hands
Chance for Speculation Over Thirty
Taau'and Men Out Of Employment
War to the Bitter End-No Corn
promise by Either Party.

and hid themselves In the little mounds az
ashes beneath cosey ONCE well but not
superAuousy lifted up. This was the prln.
cipal oflce Of the Delaware, Lacgawonpa
and Western Coal Company, on Lackawanna ave.
nue., in the city OF Scranton which, having but To- 900
inhabitants IN 1890 takes pride In 80 COO clt,.
zens, ana has manufactures coal mines and blast
Ing furnaces, machine shops and stores immune
rabe TO supply TO hordes Of miners and their wives
who weekly throng the city TO supply their dwell.
inss with groceries, clothing and raw whlskcy-the
latter being q staple here. In the streets outside
were crowds OF excited men from tie foot OF snow
den and the slopes Of Nelvelyn; from Cardiff and
Beacon and from the numerous valleys Of South
Wales Men were angrily utterlng sentences fun or
vowels, which stamped them as the discordants OF
the long, yellow haired and fierce savages who
louGht Win pare breasts against the legion VI Sew.
erGs and Agrco,a. The families OF Jones Thomas
Owens, Lewis, Vaughan, Roberts and other Welsl,
seps were wei represented in these excited crowds
Lackawanna avenue, Pennsylvania avenue and
Franklin avenue Were filed with Cabling strikers
from the mines They tongued, they smoked
they drank benzine TO their hearts, con-
tent, and al the while they talked
OF The strike which was then In progress. II wa,
fun for the coal CAPITALISTS bat death 10 The work.
ingmen. The day itself was dark and omirous
one, such as December WIN bring TO town In
valley surrounded by high mountains. The streets
sloppy with soft, dshy mud under the tnousanl
feet covered with heavy. thick nailed iaiGicg
bro2ans and untanned cowhlde Shoes The chief
clerk OF the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
Coal Company sat by his pleasant fire. his hand,
comfortably folded In his lap, waiting 10 be inter-
viewed hy the HERALD reporter. me chaotic shouts
and hurry Duriy OF The 200 5000 strikers did not
disturb his serenity. II believe they have struck ~
SAID the CHIEF clerk, eyes, sir. they have struck
TINS morning. suppose 1900 OF them. Tney never
gave W a chance to conier with them, although
understand that committee, or ''comlpittay' az
some OF the irish miners would call it, are to can
here tins evening to demand their terms but the
company VIII never give IN, sirnever will give In
sr We have raid them higher wages tnan tn.
skilled mechanic can get and that 10 the very worst
times last April though then we were getting four
dollars aud eighty cents ton and now have been
selling coal at three dollars and ninety nlne cents
ton at our own sales lii New York. We paid them
only etghty-six cents o car. Mind this is the dia-
nionu cal, when holds one ton and mar OF coal
so called because the coal Is from peculiar VEN
and are not the cars which you see railroads
strung along behind locomotive; they houd SIX
tons. Wen, We are now only reducing the rates
from one dollar thiry-one cents, which were
1859, to eighty-slx cents car, which fair and
"Do you think mat this WI be long strike ~
asked the wrtcr OF the CHIEF clerk Of the Delaware
and LaCkawanna Company
THAT cannot tell. l am sure when the Welch
take IL In hand they are as geL>ra tang more OBJ
sinate tnan the Irisn, who are probably Running
THIS strike great many Of tae WEIGH miners are
You know how it is with the irish. Iney are
qaicSer TO act, but don'l know as they WIN stick
"Have you much coal IN stock now, sir ~ said.
81 don't know, sir, sad he.
"Can you estimate how much you have ready for
| the marketf"
81 cannot. SIR" he again replied.
"Have you one hundred thousand tons on hand ~
| again asked, returning to The attack.
| II think we have. sig'
| "Have you two hundred thousand tons2' asked
Il don't think we have as mucl as that he re-
piled rather uneasily. 1--WE may have less than one
hundred thousand TONS or more. We have some
coal In transit on our road and / believe we nave
eoai at Hoboken syracuse osweeo, Port Washing
ton, New Jersey Hampton Junction and Gr3as BEND
Pennsylvania We have some here. also, at Scran-
ton, think.
walked to the window ana looked Ont on the ex-
pause beneath, which was glrdied by high hils
The tracks ana sid'ngs We're covered with acres OF
those rough looking railroad boxes wheels full OF
black humps OF coal ready foe the New YORK or any
Other market which might offer when the spec ulators
SHOULD hear Of great strike ana the consequent
rise In coal. IL lid not look like coal famine but
who knows but the strike may prove a very good
and tangible excuse whereby the coal compan,es
double the present prices OF coal and
come 10 terms with their men when he present
supply becomes exhausted. and wben n cn,nle NJ
million dollars has been realized by what, on It's
surface, appears to be great trades movement
Yet this thought does not preclude the honesty OF
the motives OF the strikers, VINO are without a
shadow OF doubt, deadly In earnest in their re-
sstance against the reduction their labor. Just
under the once. Tho chez clerk Thought
tbat 1t was the committee OF strikers VINO took this
the window, ana saw number Of men passing 10
Inc railroad track, wearing those iiscoored coats
that brakeman always WI! INSIST upon having on
them AT all times anu IN all places
~ on see,' said the chief CLERK, those men are all
necessarily thrown oat OF employment, although
they nave nothing TO do with the strike, for when
the mines stop work we cannot load the coal cars.
suppose that In this section OF the state there viii
be thirty or lorty thousand men, In one
way another connected with mining ana
running cars, who VIII be thrown out OF
work. IL viii be great blow to Scranton--as bad
some private companies who VIII still work their
mues-llke the Lackaganna iron and Coal Com.
pany-whic h 200 900 tons OF coal yearly taken
from their own mines; but this Is used IN melting
ore, and those men wiz not strike, as they do not
interfere with the companies miners who ship coal
for the market. Companies differ in the quantities
shipped. TIE week be ore last the Lehish trans
Ions OF coal, the schuylkil people over
1920 tons. and the Delaware ami Hud
been falling on, as corresponding with the same
week last year. OF over AZ 900 Ions IN the shipments
give in 10 the strikers, even II coal shood 20 up. 1t
Is not our fault
THIS mSnns we ,ss, to rd hs hyde parS
had congrcgated and were holding meetings TO de-
eide upon the strike. hyde Park Is short distance
from scranton, and Is almost wholly Inhabited by
miners and laborers who assist them. and the,r
families. They live IN frame houses, some Of
them two stores high others OF larger
dimensions. In some OF these two story
houses there axe AZ mlny as ont and IN some cases
winch but one family reside, These people pay
large rents to the owners OF the irail puements.
Many of tao buildings are bullt by spectators who
sell the house. little money be ne advanced ~ the
miners, aud then they Afterwards seized by the
spectators who hold liens on the novels almost IN
yariably.
saw a numuer OF pedcrs' wagons la the dirty.
narrow streets, in which uaYboesome looking men
were sitting, with cleaveys In Their dirty hands,
chopping up unwholesome looking sheep and swine,
which they were selling TO unkempt ana do dy
Miners wives and daughters
"By the living sttngor' said one pedler, pointing
to the sorawny carcass Of lean sheep, which looked
as II IL might have during life browseC for pasture
on The rocky face OF Missionary Ridge, II hate to
cut up that ere anple--he looks 80 pretty.r
Three or four miners were ing by, singing q
Welsh drinking song, VINO seemed to be vesy Joy
GUS and happy "a larks. "God help US al If thus
strike lasts iongn said a poorly dressed women.
There VIII be good many hungry children in ,hc
wyoming Valley ;for it is In that beautiful valley.
tmmortazed In Campbelrs gertrude OF Wyo.
1 ming that the strike Is now generally IN progress