New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-09-26
THE MINERS STRIKE.
RESUMPTION IN THE WYOMING.
THE Employees OF THE LFTIiGH AND wILKEsBARRE
COAL COMPANY DECIDE TO RETURN TO WORK.

have made similar offers TO their men, and the great
companies Of the latter region refuse to consider the sub
Iect Of wages until their mines again IN operation AT
the same me the resolution of Parrshs men to-day IL be-
eyed TO have broken back OF the strike and general
resumption OF mining operations by all the coleres from
Nancoke Carbondale is expected to take place within
short time The miners at Pittston are 10 hold meet
ing tomorrow TO consider the expediency OF ending the
strike The productive capacity Of the mines now idle
is fully equal to that Of those In the Schuylk Lehigh
and Hazleton regions which shipping TO market
so that a resumption throughout the wyoming and Lack
awanna regions would probably increase the supply vi
coal row being taken out about 100 per cent.
Immediately upon the reception Of the that the
Parrish ut Wkesbarre had resolved TO work
at the ten per advance the miners of the Prnnsylva
MIA Coal Company representing some 1000 operatives
held an Informal consultation and resolved to hold Sc
cret session tomorrow TO decide upon what action to
pursue IN reference thereto.
THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA REGIONS.
EXPERIENCE DURING The "LoNG STRIKE" UNABLE
TO RESTRAIN THEM-BUsINEss WHOLLY sUs-
PENDED-PREsENT POLICY OF THE MINERS.
TFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUsE.l
WmKEsBARRE, Sept. 20.-The strike in the coal
mines of the Wyoming and Lackawanna regions,
which ordinarily produce about one-haf OF all the
anthracite coal that is sent to market, was ap-
paIenty an immediate outgrowth of the trouble be-
tween the railroad companies and the engineers and
Gremen III their employ the remotcr causes of it OF
course lie deeper and are more far-reachng. Be
fore that strike occurred, there were visible upon
the surface no unusual signs of discomfort among
the miners. The times had not been prosperous
with them since the long strike of 1879,
and especially for year past since
the break up of the combination put the
price of coal beyond the control of the oper-
ators and there had been reduction of wages
III the Spring amounting to from 10 to ID per cent,
but the eTumbline not so general as to lead 10
serious apprehensOns The experience OF the MIN
crs in the long stnke" had not been an encourag-
ing one. Then they were receiving 81 81 a car for
mining coal, and. for six months, resisted an at
tempt by the companies to reduce the price to 81 H.
After spending all that the more thrifty of them
had saved in the years of unexampled prosperity
that had preceded exhausting their credit and suf-
ferng the sharp pangs of hunger for months theyr re-
sumed work at 81 cents car, submitting to re-
duction twice as great that proposed by the com
panies when the miners first went ont.
II was popularity supposed that the memory of
1871 and 1872 from which date the miners
reckon their reverses. and of the " long STRIKE"
with their failure 10 gain anything by the
strike or even to reimburse themselves III the slight
est degree for theenOmOus losses that resulted from
six months of absolute idieness would make the
miners of the upper regions extremely cautious
ers. and this belief was strengthened by their con-
tinuIng at work for a week after the railroads were
forced to suspend operations. But the miners and
laborers were not disintercstcd spectators of the
progress of the engineers and fremens strike. The
latter am informed by those who had exception
ally good opportunities to know, had nothing to do
with the wantOn destruction OF railroad property In
tins region. They stopped trans at the stations, de
tachcd the locomotives and ran them into the round
houses and prevented the movement OF freight and
passengers but they did not tear up tracks and de-
stroy cars that done almost exclusively by men
from the mines, whose object seemed to be to incte
the miners to JOIN III a z neral strlke. When tho
miners made war against the railroads in this re-
cionlt should also be remembered they made IA war
against Their own employers, for the great mining
operators here are the railroad companies.
The rapid spread of the railroad strikes, their
temporary success in causing suspension Of
almost all traffic, the signs of discomfort among
the workingmcn employed in other industries
Throughout the State, and in other parts of
the United States, and the idea persistenty
put forward by a few leading miners that
general demonstration of labor against capt.
tal was about to be made which would be more for
midabe than any that ever preceded il, and would,
in fact be irresistible finally had their desired effect
and the leaders were able to carry their misguided
followers against the better Judgment OF majority
of them, have no doubt, into demand for an adj
vance of % per cent upon the wages they were then
receiving The companies Of course refused to
cede to any such demand; they asserted that the
price at which coal was then selling would not
rant any advance in wages and the men in the
Wyoming Lackawanna, Lehgh and IIazelton re-
gions, between 10000 and $4,000. went out just
about the time .he bottom fell out Of the strike on
the railroads.
The suspension hero has been complete. l went
down the North Branch Of the Susquehanna River
YESTERDAY as far as Nauticoke which is the lower
boundary of the Wyoming region. Everywhere
there is a Sabbath stiffness. Plymouth. ordinarily
one of the busiest little towns of this section is as
dead as though It's entire industry had been bodily
removed. The breakers are silent, except for the
pumping to keep the mines free from water, and
there are men so short-sghed that they would even
drive the engineers away and allow the mines to
fill with water-thus making it impossible for work
to be resumed when the present dispute Is settled
were it not for the guard of state regular troops
stationed in and about each breaker Long lines of
coal ears stand empty and de-7O000 Of them.
am told in this county no trains except passenger
and ordinary freight are moving, and the
men stand about the streets in knots with
their hands in their pockets and with
sober but determined faces. The same scenes
may be witnessed at Kingston, Ayondae and Maui
ticobe about the coleries on the outskirts OF this
city. and indeed, throughout the whole region. The
sight is really dsbeartenlng one. from io.OoOt 10
ISL 900 able-bodied men in this county, with 10000
to 80. 900 others dependent upon them for support,
are wasting their time and starving their families
because a few hundreds among them are unwilling
TO work for the wages offered them. i say nothing
now about the adequacy Of their pay, but shall leave
that for future inquiry out the iact remains ial
,ngior;tv of the miners would willingly 90 to work
for the old pay, for that now offered, If few OF