The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-01
A FIGHT FOR A SILVER NINE
NOW THE POWERFUL MINERS UNrOND
PREVENIED 4 BLOODY AIERdY
Marching In solid PhaInnx. Crimly hut
Quietly. to Demand that Hired Fighters and
m Arsenal be Removed from the Drin.

m hrtcnni ne Removed from the Drift.
VIRGINIA CITY, New. Aug. 13.-The sequel
TO tho salo Of portion Of tho Justice mine TO tho
Alta company Is Interesting. NJ showing n
phase Of Ito on the Coms'ock which is lit
tie understood in tho East. OF course. every
body who knows anything about Nevada knows
that we havo In this State an organization
known NJ tho Miners Union" but very few
realize the immense power welded by that
organization. liz objects arc twofold. First. to
kccu w the rate Of wages to the figure fixed
81 per day 81 cielit hours; and. second. 10
protect it's members so far ms possible
from danger in their peculiarly dangerous
occupation. In its first object it Is worry similar
tothc trad"s unions ol the East. only II is much
stronger. In pursuance Of the second object. IL
tSHp idithyi than any union ol winch
nave ever heard in any part ot tho world. II
az um's 10 iuuihgc mines IN tho interest ~ lis
n"muors. II the SUPERINTENDENT IL cumpusant
the union makes him It's object. II hr b. OBJ
siiuate mil ATTEMPTS 20 Hsscrt the right to
manage ms own bus mess IN his own way the
miners simply do tho business themselves. and
tho superintendent has no redress. Tho union
mover mingl.s N politics, with one noteworthy
th" place o. Sheriff Of the county. Both unrtics
nominate Icn acceptable 10 M, union for this
imroriaut fii"o. aud whichever political party
wins 'h' Sh"rin 4 sure e. D., n utiiln mI u.
AS mentioned in one Of ms former l'it re-,
tnr Baldwin crowd -irp,d 100. nni capt sam
turtis-no OF tho widow CouIcr iuno- Nr.umo
sup llllfNfluI OF INC fllN's if IlIl IFS n
man x rcmn kahlo nnryo amt ruui g". Tho
condition. OF affairs at the miue. Non b" q4-
snmed tn" command was this: 7 ." NtH i".k4.
claiming mat their do.lur decd Co thD Justice
ground WIS valid instrum, NJ. w.r1 working
In that part q the mine win j had boon l'"d "a
10 them. Tho Justice folks were drifting
steadily onward To- meet the drt made ~
,hhee Ala, Cart. Curtis notil,d pers Ia,
courts tid ordered him to stop work in The
yustlc. ground. Superintendent Derby replied
ny aJHsing Curtisto seek rciug, ia "a roglon.
thai of any day which wa have experienced iu
this remarkably warm summer and continued
With his drifting. The moss move % Curtis Wits
10 secure the services oi Nv" profess. mai lrht-
crs. aud transfer 60 tno lower l'vel- NJ Justice
small arsenal of riies and ammunition. The
answer y Derby WAS To stock and man the AHA
drit in the same manner and the curious
spectacle was presented Of two armies half
milo below the surface ot the earth, separated
only by - low feet u rock. and waiting puIy fer
that TO De battered down to bc-ina conflict in
which one party or the other must have been
10 ny Eastern readers. unused to tn ways
81 mining amp this recital Of such .cQ!d-
hlool'd programme Of carnage Will doubtless
~'rm inor9dihie. To us On TIE Comstock 1t ~
nothing wonderful. We awaited the result as
tNiinly as YOU would await the result of battle
IN q war which You knew must bee fought. The
professional fighter Ia as much an insutu-
u..h ol mining amp rs the miner himself
although not So numerous. II used 90 De %
common method OF scttling disputed titles Ia
fight 1t out on the ground. but happily. it is not
paid a. high rs $50 q day. theS live
and sleep in tho mine. never leaving
for action comes. they arc expected to
their employers Gy slaughtering the attacking
party. When Curtis and Derby gnrr -once
these mines with these professionals. ih"rr-
lore We were on the qui rire for the coming
everybody in Gold lIhl ana Vireinia il was
known that Il the Alta men persisted in push
INK forward their drlN. connection must De
made IN few hours at least the parties would
come together and u number 81 lives would he
lost; and yet there WAS not a law crl',r On the
CumAtork who took on" step 10 Interior. in this
opnn and paluahlc violation 81 law.
Meantime there had been muttcrings 81 lis
content among ~, men working III the Two
was almost q cert9. n,S That some inno'on' nan
il-hiors were not worth thinking about. They
deliberately risked them; they wcrc Tao rouEn-
- the country. and the community could well
anord To lose them. But the miners w're
Ienceable citizens. working hard and
amid ,unnsnI natural dangers 10 pro
Nldc food Tor themselves and their 'awi-
lies. individuals VISITED Gusts and DDrty
and presented the case Ia them, argued
Tho only answer was You can s,on'w6fk. II
yiGn liS' thfrs are P.ny ~ men f. iako your
Justice: n f''r hours f.nt. rnl -trl... Z
the Dix could D" arl 'roufh the ilu +. %
Yi 70 < which g. truih. iH. .n h't p.
DAY WIS Cltr 90. ila-. nnd us tln n.'u $780,. CD
their shift ih.y i.t urt Nh- .n 'N Do '. ..n.t
whether tlry .r't ih' mine a.lN. ~ NrIr luluo
g. tine surlUc' on str { l"re.
Attii- -uprenln u.ll.utth. {" 11f Minors
Unon ~ pprd DOB ilefr.it. IartliID AaIrlf.., .
J. .iS it'r. \ 'tll We issued 4Dru o. iiu- %
3gr.o'k n ,he afternoon. one 'gl-p day a-t
Ike bees. short con-i.tation WIS lrld. tul
o. nH long. soli i le mor ned ont and took ts
Mdy down Tie canon tu the Justice. /
r.allzstion Of rower with when II in
pressed me- The American nns hend-
rear wis borne tho Hue and sdi banner Of The
union. There We're fully 900 mon ia o." limo
strong. sober men, with discrimination writ
ten On every face. There WIS no howling no
uu-n"my demonsTni.9n. on ne roif thny
and waving handkerchicfs 10y the ladies.
Everybody approved the mission upon which
my W"r% o'n' nHt every An "; itn." ~
that the fighters would either leave the Justice
nnd Alta mines, or tho works OF those mines
would l",.' opped by the supreme orders ~ ;ne
Can't Curtis was notified = their coming in
advance, and he, ordered the American ias
h. -ted over the Justice. TINS demons, r1iion
WIS rightly taken to moan that he h1d tak"u
counsel NJ prudence. and conclude 1T not to Mt
vast body halted ia front ol the Justice. aud guyc
three rou-ing cheers for tho romifny Then
qurstod Icrmiss on from the Suporinienit ut to
md arms Had he refused. an order would
hnve boon given 10 tho engineer 10 lower them
and they would have gone without perm issipn.
Curtis knew that, and So he made a virtue OF
permit. Tho committed went Down the mine
cleared it out OF the fighters and the arms. and
then appointed hlec miners out Of work to
watch day and ght. and report II any attempt
was made To introduce wnrl kc clements a..nln
These men the owners OF III" mln". were
forced 10 pny III" regular a a day. and they
hayc been there ever since.
The same programme was carried out NJ tho
Alta. and, having done their work tho miners
marched back tothe hall and quietly dishunded
This was an instance, certainly. in which no
one could blame the union for using its I,owcr
: % I. ffH
Cured during my three years residence in the
Comstork, and ! am told that II Is only in Just
such extreme cases that the union over ssunrs
10 govern the actions Of sup"rint 'ndents. In
thus quietly rejecting the fighters Of the Alta
and Justice, the union certainly saved human
life and made an exhibition Of their power ms
an organization which was most oppressive on
al Observers.
Crocodile Tears.
Fam ne Tt7iiu.ee Ttaiiita.
tl.ri.L. nnnnnlr r,nn, n,lnr lI,inc.