The New York herald., 1871-02-24
Meeting Of Coal Operators at
Philadelphia.
THE WAGES OFFERED THE MINERS.

The most unexpected events sometimes occur,
bringing disastrous consequences that had never
been dreaAt Of. But of all the srrange things tnat
might arise TO starue this community sensation
from tue want of coal may fairly be considered as at
least OF universal interest For several days past
the rumor has been gong the rounds that Q coal
famine was imminent, and this coming home
10 SO many thousands Of 1res.des with real
meaning, occasionei no little degree of fear
and CONSERVATION, especially among the poorer
classes, who Dny their coal from day to day. Sezed
Of course, with characteristic desire to make the
most our OF the passing emergency, the corner gro
cerics were lnbilant at The chance OF
PILING ON THE AGONY
on dwellers IN tenement houses and, therefore, they
not only diminished the pile Of coal In the buckets
nat added nearly double 20 the little pile OF stamps
demanded OF consumers in exchange for the scarce
and valuable commodity. Gradually the price OF
coal went upward In the groceries, day
after day, till from twelve or fifteen
cents bucket the price yesterday
advanced TO twenty-eight CENTS which evidently
Is something enormous. That cry Of famine should
be raised among the working classes under these
circumstances IS NOT much to be wondered at; for 50
iar as poor people could see there was more than
reason TO believe that panic mad set in, and TO
spread the bad news Tar and that the Of the
winter was Tor them to be cherries, bnghtlng ana
fun of the keerest suffering, bringing perhaps to the
children and old people the end OF their mortal
career.
The question does really recur as to whether the
anticipatlons concerning the existence OF coal
panic were well founded or otherwise, and 1t must
be said, after full investigation, there has never
been anything said more truthfully than that there
Is at present III this city famine OF coal.
ar day 100 sol in cit vat
81 and 81 so a ton Day after day since then the
price has been gradually gong up. Yesterday the
wholesale dealers sold stove coal at fourteen
dollars ton, and OF this there were only three
cargoes In the market; chestnut sold at twelve dol
lars q ton, and of this there was only one cargo.
Stove and chestnut are the principal Goals used by
consumers. Thus it may be seen that within week
the
PRICE or COAL HAS DOUBLED;
and this fact with the knowledge Of now the mar
ket stands In regard to supplies for the coming
month might well be taken as data from which to
conclude that q famine is imminent IL must also
be remembered that dealers add from 81 so to So
ton In doing retail business, and or course the
the dealers prices are largely augmented when the
coal is sold in bucketfuls at The corner groceries,
Hence II the price of coal advances steadily it has
been going up for the last few days, those who are
compelled TO purchase the fuel IN small quantities
without fires altogether. EEsf Ur r
1t Is a question requiring more prescience than
falls to the lot poor humanity to tell how soon the
Impending panic may be averted. or TO say whether
1t shall be ayerted at all before this metropolis has
experienced all the
PIERCING PAINS AND PENALTIES
which must necessarily ensue from a coal famine.
That efforts should be spared, tr0uDle avoided
no responsibility shtrKed whereby this great
calamity TO the poor might be shaken from them. Il
brief reflection upon lie IN tenement house,
upon the su1erlngs OF frozen hearts and limbs among
the families OF the needy, must easily demonstrate
This threatened coal amine has a history u be-
ginning, crisis, which is now at hand. and an
ending which belongs to the future. The Deglnuing
goes back over twelve months ago. or probably to
long before that time and has its origin IN one OF
the old and familiar tusses that so often nowadays
crop up IN every country between capital ana
labOr. @lTG& 1
In October, 1859 after spirited strike in the csal
mines or fennsylvanla, there was an adjustment
of the difficulties between TIE companies and the
"A GENERAL ADVANCE or WAGES
given all the consuming region. TWO diff
ierent methods were used to meet the demands
OF the men-one OF them being the establishment
were TO be awarded; the other, that OF advance OF
wages without a basis. The three large coal helds
OF Pennsyyalla are located III schnylSil Oar.
ben and La1erne countles and IN the last
named county are the four great companies
known the scranton, the Delaware,
the Hudson and the Wjlkesbarre. When the
settlement was effected the miners at Port Carbon,
At the head OF the Schuylkiil Canal, were to work
on basis or 81 30 toi--ttat Is, they Wee to re.
ceive q certain percentage for every ton OF coal
turned out, each ton counting as Il sold for s. 80.
All over the wyoming valley the men went TO work
basis Of five dollars ton for coal delivered at
New York, with Siding scale insul1ng Tor them q
percentage OH any sum five dollars. Three
large Compalles-the PlEtston Delaware and
the Scranton-adiused their affairs by paying
the men larger wages than they had
been receiving out refused To pay according
TO basis as they said that would he making the
men partners in The ownership OF the mines. things
worked along quietly Till the tn OF November last,
when the Scranton Company had publc sale of
coal IN this city, at which the prices ranged lower
chan they had done at any time lor eignt years pre-
vious. Lump cea was then sold for ~ IS; steen-
er So 61t4; Crate So ~ egg, $50 stove, $4551G;
Company noticed Their men that there should be
reduction Of thirty per cent on The wages OF oil
hands On Decemher ! there was aQeneral strike,
THE MEN REFUSING TO WORK,
Soon after the men employed all over the entire
State Joined nelr ororneis OF the Scranton Company
and there was Total suspension OF york in every
mine. The men AZ Port Carbon demanded q basis
OF three dollars; those OF the Scranton Company
demanded the old wages, or basis OF tive dollars.
with q percentage on any sum obtained FOR coal
over Ave dollars and with no reduct on OF the
fixed basis OF five dollars. Previous 10 tnis gene
raj strike the men belonging TO the Pfiston,
Delaware. and Scranton mines did not belong to the
workngmen's Union OF the place, but after the
strike they struck hands With the Others and oil are
now members of the association. On the I0tn inst.
the Grand Council OF the Onion issued notification
to the efect that such choose after the 18TH
inst, might go to WORK Win any employer VINO
would pay the wages demanded and ON the ldth
Instant S
THE RAILROAD OWNERS AND OTHERS
interested In the transportation Of coal from the
luihlg TeglOnS neu injecting III tnls Guy, ana SO
advanced the rates for transportation thar to work
the mines woua be virtually pronrless. The object
OF Tins move was TO help the large companies for
tile smaller companies would have been willing to
pay any amount TO The men and tnen make the
large PROFITS that were certain Ill consequence OF
the scarcity OF coal. The high taif put on oy The
railroads rendered impracticable any effort to work
mine even on the smallest SCALE
Inc result OF all this Is that there Is perfect quiet
~ the once busy mining regions and while the men
are determined to held Ou; to the last the employers
are equally resolved to
ana scatter, they can, all the debris to the winds
or wneresoever they can never collect again to plot
NJ hAf ne n ooIlr Aios