Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-03-03
THE WELSH LOCKOUT.

One Hundred and Twenty Thousand Men
Out of Worx--A Derisery HeIp-The Blast
Furnaces -Mertbyr, Vale, and Black Dow
Iais
The Fall River strike is, fortunately
for America, a very small affair when
compared with the South Wales lock-
ont. There on Monday morning, Feb
ruary /, the suspension Of work com
menced, and not less than 100000 heads
of families were involyedin the disaster
that is, directly involved, in addition
to The effect which will be indirectly
produced upon almost every branch and
industry. These 100000 heads of fam
mies represent about half million of
men, women and children. The col
liers and pit.laborers alone number
about 10000, the iron-workers 10000,
and the men whose employment is con
tingent upon these are certainly 10000;
so that there are at least 12O,-
900 men, who, after the strike
declared by portion of them,
have all been clicked out" by
the Employers Association. This state
of things has lasted already for more
than two weeks, and it entails misery
and losses both upon employers and
laborers. The latter may prove stub
born, and cheerful, but many of them
are not satisfied, because they receive
derisory help from their comrades still
at work. Thus the Pergam golfers,
who. with others, were at first to strike,
and who have been earning nothing for
a month, met to divide sum which had
been sent down from Aberdare by the
Executive of particular Union. In
that particular district, distress is suf-
rered, and it is we'll known that the
people needed assistance. To their
amazement the golfers, in meet
ing assembled, discovered that
the contribution sent by their
more fortunate brethren, when
equally apportioned, amounted to
the sum of fourpence-h alf-penny per
man! Enchanting against the half
heartedness and meanness of their
Aberdare friends. the golfers promptly
rejected the proffered coppers, and
broke up in. disgust. A knowing old
pitman said that he and his friends had
no right to expect help from other coal
fields. They talk" he said, "about
the amalgamated miners not helping us.
Well, the South Staffurdshire men
helped us manfully once; and the time
came when they, in their turn, wanted
a lit; but just at that time we were
going on swimmingly, and little dreamt
we should SO soon be on our beam-ends.
So most of our people refused to join in
a levy, and whistled off the Union No,
sir, he concluded sorrowfully, shaking
his head, r''we've made our bed, and
deed we'll have to lie on it. y ASH r
The blast furnaces, ii they are ever
cooled down, will entail a heavy loss
upon the employers; the same viii be
true as tothe coal mines, from which an
average. 100000 tons was weekly eS
tracted. Therefore, the utmost effort
will be made to keep the blast furnaces
going by means Of the coal already
stored, and the disaster of blowing out
will be STAYED off by many works for
two or three weeks. At many places
the rising columns of white smoke are
lessening perceptibly, and the impor-
lance of this statement will COM
mend itself to every one, when it is re-
membered that, once extinguisheS
it viii cost something like 81, 900 to re-
kindle each blast furnace. It is abso-
lutely essential to keep the engine
pumps going, and there are special con-
tracts under which the enginemen are
able to remain at their posts during the
strike and lockout. OF course flood
ed colliery means ruin; and, as rule,
the men are as willing as the owners to
see the engine pumps working, because
No hi 70,
the moment peaceful solution of the
difficulty is arrived at, instead CT toiling
for weeks as laborers, on laborers pay,
at clearing the works. The engine
houses are thus the key Of the fortress,
and specially appointed policemen will
guard them from harm
Merthyr, Vale, and Black Dowlais,
presented queer spectacle on the Sat
urday evening when work was stopped.
The men who returned from the closed
works, with their picks and shovels over
their shoulders were quite cheerful and
| apparently indifferent-as men natur-
ally would be who had just come from
the pay table, and who had been re-
ceiving wages during a period when
another branch of their calling had
| been idle. Children and women were
busy on those terraces f desolation
technically termed "tips," cleaning
coal and cinders from the re-
fuse heaps, an occupation forbid
den except in times of dis
tress. The housewife, as I could see
through the open door-and the door
of a Golfers house is always open-was
carefully sanding her floors, and mark
ing out ornamental lines in the white
hearthstone; and the chest of drawers,
which is the great object Of ambition to
a WEIGH collier, just as ponderous
eight-day clock is the otaffordshire
mans household god, was receiving It's
usual extra Saturday nights polish.
Many Of these cottages OF the South
Wales coal district are not overbur-
dened with comforts, but there was
bright fire in the CRATE, and a sugges-
ton OF plenty in the cupboard. How