The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-10-14
ran HEATERs sTRIKE AyERTrD.
The Men Amer Many Conferences Win
the Manufacturers Finally COneInde 70
Go 10 Work at the Old Prices.

symptoms Of O difficulty between the man
ulacturen and heaters Of this city ant
vicinity, and yesterday morning at
o'clock the following notice was served OF
the former by a committee Of TIT
latter:
WHEELING, W. VA, oct. IS, 1879.
To ne Nail Manufacturers Of Hhseliag an.
TIeniy:
We, the heaters Of Wheeling and yicin
ity, will cease work this (GIonday) after
noon, after finishing the day turn, unlesi
we are paid Eve cents per ton above Pitts
burgh prices, from the 10Th Of September
1870.
BY order Of the Committee.
Accordingly as soon as the day turI
was completed the heaters ceased working
and nothing further was down in the plate
mills Of any nail factory in or around
Wheeling during the remaining portion o.
the day. In the afternoon q meeting o.
the manufacturers was held at the Office
Of the Riverside Iron Works on Mair
street, at which their was q general repre-
sentahon. What the proceedings Of thil
meeting were we were unable to ascertain
as they were Of private nature, but from
what we could gather in conversation
with some Of the manufacturers, there
was = general disposition manifested to
resist the demands made by the heaterI
for an advance over the Pittsburgh prices,
which have nearly always served as q
basis for this city.
The heaters also held q meeting in the
afternoon at Parker's Hall, below Twenty.
second street, on Market, which was also
private, but from what subsequently trans.
PRED, we infer they determined 70 60 10
work again.
At six o'clock last evening the mana.
gers Of the mills were notified BY
the heaters that they would resume
this morning. This Of course vir.
tually puts an end 10 what might have
been an embarrassing and expensive
strike, and the action Of the heaters in
taking the steps they did is TO be highly
commended. They are now receiving the
same wages that Pittsburgh heaters are,
and OF course will receive the benefit Of
any advance the latter may receive.
In order that our readers may have an
adequate idea OF the situation, we give the
following interviews had with representa-.
tive men Of both sides:
Mr.. Neil Thompson, Vice President Of
the A. A. l. S. 4 7. W., was found in
front Of PATkes's! Hall, where a meeting Of
the committee had just taken place. and
was engaged in conversation with several
heaters.
"Mr. Thompson" we asked, "what &C.
ton has been taken this afternoon by
your committee in the matter before
them? / mean the heaters movement Of
this morning"
"Now, look here, young man." was his
reply, I'VE have done nothing that l in.
tend you shall publish. Our business
was Of private nature, and don't want
you to ask me any questions, as it will be
Of no use."
"But," we persisted, there is one point
at least that you can enlighten me on
without divulging your proceedings, and
that is this: Why does your committee
demand FIVE cents more a ton for heating
than Pittsburgh heaters get?"
"Well, it has been customary here, aud
we are going 10 have II"
"Weli, then, it is more matter Of Gus.
tom than a matter Of right with your"
mo, sir, hardly that. We are sub.
Ijected here to inconvenience in this city
that the Pittsburgh heaters are not in the
matter OF coal. It is well.known fact
the coal our neighbors work with is much
superior for their purposes than Wheeling
coal. Their gates or bars are only cleaned
out once a turn, and very frequently
once in two turns, while we have 10 clean
out several times in a turn, sometimes
every heat. This is much more trouble
than they have, and We think we should
be paid for it. Besides, boilers get TWEEN.
ty-fve cents more q ton for the same rea.
son, and the heaters are also entitled to
pay for their extra work"
Twill your men go to work tomorrow
morning again?"
"NoT, Capt, would like to give you
some news, but really IL cannot. Wait
a day or two and l think something tangi.
bic will result, and then you can boom. y
We then left Mr.. Thompson and took a
street car for another part OF the city. On
the same car We found Mr.. Frank Hearne,
General Manager OF the Riverside Iron
Works, and as he was the very man we
we're looking for, We asked him what the
proceedings OF the manufacturers meeting
had been this afternoon.
Il have nothing TO say. We met, but
our proceedings were Of purely private
nature, and not for the press. / will say
that the action OF the heaters this morn.
ing, in summarily quitting US with but a
few hours notice, was hardly the square
thing"
"But they say that the scale obviates the
necessity Of notification?
THAT is not the case. A mutual agree.
ment Of long standing prescribes sixty
days as the time for a preparation for any
change from our usual way OF proceeding.
We will not recede from our position"
"Why not2"
"Well, why should WEI We have been
Tor some time paying higher wages than
in Pittsburgh. We are now paying the
same. We sell in the same market, are
governed by the same card, and how can
we afford TO pay more for our labor than
they do. These men live cheaper, get
| hASA4 LnOhNg ~ regularly IL uOt LuOIe So
than they do in Pittsburg and have more
employment in a year than their neigh.
bors. have nothing further to say.
Manager Nick Riester, OF the Belmont
Mill, gave US the following history oil the
trouble: 1.-TWO or three years ago, OF
maybe more, the Pittsburgh manuiae.
turers reduced heating to sixty-fve cents q
ton. An effort was made in the same
direction in this city, and but for the bad
faith Of one mill would have succeeded,
However, the price for heating was kept
up to seventy cents ton and has been
ever since until the recent advance In
Pittsburgh to seventy cents, when the
heaters here wanted five cents more, saw
ing it was customary, and when this was
not allowed by the manufacturers this
mornings work was the result. The man.
ufacturers wanted two weeks notice, but
the heaters said the scale obviated tho ne.
cessity for that notice."
Others Of the heaters were also ap.
preached, and all talked in o strain simi,
lar to that in which Mr.. Thompson ex'