Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-03-09
coKINe COAL
Extent Of tAs vsias- -DsvelspMsat sfths ~
dvstry-wkea Il WIN b exhasstst
Price q csal lands~rhs Strike
I'D ks Cause.
WHAT TINE EMO WILL PROBABLY Be.

the REeIs1ER some days since favored ths
building Of q railroad from Wheeling TO tAs
Coansllsville coke regions. II the project
ed extension Of the Hemp6eld Is ever oom.
pleted, it will accomplish this desired re-
suit.
The coking industry Of the Connellsviile
region is one OF the largest interests of
Western Pennsylvania, employing thous-
ands OF men and millions OF money. Tho
coke measure of this reeioa tssse II vsry
| great extent, being bat Q narrow strip q
| territory running north and south through
Wcstmoreland and Fayette counties, and
| reaching into Somerset county. The coal
here is very high in those qualities dcsira-
BILE for coking purposes, and OF an entirely
different nature from the gas coal found
near at hand; its equal has a. yet been no
where found.
Toward the northern end OF the belt, the
coal Is Of an inferior quality, and cannot
be eoked without first being crushed and
washed.
The DevelsRase.t
Of this region has been something remark
able, and particularly 30 during the past
three years, during which time the coiink
business has almost treblcd, and the value
of land advanced proportionally. Three
years since there were within. the limits
of the Conpellsyille tract s, 800 ovens; nov
the number is 5000 II then took $50 carr
to transport the daily product; this nov
requires almost 200.
Coal land which one year ago sold for
from 500 TO $tSO per acre, is now held NJ
500 TO 500, while in some instances ~
high price as 500 has been asked. Sev.
eral weeks ago q tract OF G,O00 acres Was
sold in Westmoreland county for Q very
high price. Only last week Col. J. n.
Schoo nmaker, OF this city, secured q rsre
bargain in tie purchase III single tract OF
40 q, !cs,
Plying s33J Per Acre
for Il. TIL, land had been tied up by .
will for great many years, aud Was only
recently ordered TO be sold by the court Of
Fayettc county. Al the present rate Of
consumption. and allowing for an increase
OF three pcr cent year, II Is estimated
that the coal nf this region will be exhaust
ed within sixty years. I" compute tho
actual time il will last Is impossi-
bic, as the increase of consumption cannot
be calculated, as have shown. during the
past three years IL has increased more than
a hundred per cent, but what the growth
of succeeding years will be Is beyond my
ken.
There have been frequent rumors OF late
troll OF the entire coke trade, but all tho
heavy operators deny thatany such scheme
is on foot. Coke is at present selling at
81. 1j per ton. Mr.. Hutchinson, Of the tirm
Of A. A. Hutchinson & Bro, one Of the
strongest firms In the coking business, In
an interview, said he considered this all IL
Was worth, and that no one Ia the business
would consider Il consistent with good
policy to advance the price.
Active ExpIesatisss
have for some time been going on, and are
now being made in the coal tracts OF Vir-
ginia. West Virginia and Ohio, In the hope
Of finding, somewhere, coal that will equal
the Connclsville product In coking quail
ties. A gentleman interested In the coal
trade is authority for the statement that
negotiations are now pending Tor the sale
Of 1000 acres Of Virginia coal lands, to cap
i,alists OF this city, they having been pleas
ell with the report from II. Some years
ago the very best land In the coal regions
Of Western Pennsylvania could have been
purchased for 500 per acre. and even les.
Our manufacturers and capitalists now ses
what mistake they made In not buying
before the farmers became alive TO the i'm
mense value Of their lands, and seem % b
determined 10 make good their loss by de-
fault, by being In time In other fields.
The strike
which has existed for some time at the
BcsseIner steel works at Homestead, . Su-
burb OF this city, threatens 10 assume seh.
Gus dimensions The origin OF the trouble
was the demand made upon the men by the
manager OF the works that they sign IN
agreement not TO quit work without giving
| three days notice. This was 10 prevent
the recurrence OF q snap into which the
company were once placed by strike. Tho
men demanded Bn increase OF wages. and
threatened to strike IL IL WAS not granted.
This was refused. The men waited until
the ingOts were all In the furnaces under
sIclI conditions ~ 20 cause serious loss II
they quit work. and then notified the man
agcr that unless lie Immediately gave the
increase they demanded they would strike.
The men refused 90 sign the agreemcut
not toSquit without giving three days notice,
a strike followed and new men were em.
ployed. This raised the wrath OF the
Amalgamated men. and they grew very
beligcrent and threatened bodily harm 70
the mcn who had taken their places. The
situation grew so threatening that the
guarded by officers In . few days after
this skirmish took place between thess
officers and some Of the men, In whici,
two officers were dangerously WOUNDED
and two of the men shot, but not seriously.
Finding that they cannot accomplish
their purpose In this way the assDciatiou
now propose 10 pursue another line of a.
tack. At q general meeting of delegates
of the association Saturday, the following
resolutions were adopted:
R,ioJsod, That all mills In this city,
whose proprietDrs hold stock in the Pitts-
burgh hcssemer Steel Company st Homo.
stead. he closed on and after the iith inst.
except they bring about some means Of sss-
Element VI the difficulties now existing o.
the Homestead works.
Re,oIred. That the committees OF said
mills In this city viz: Singer, Simick %,
Hussey, Howe * Co; VIM. Clark Co.
and Superior Rail Mil, notify said firms
through their management of the action ot
this meeting a. couchei In the iorner rep.
luton.
4 rIs.soised, That these resolutions also re-
Ter 10 the troubles now eIisting In the OIL
yer wire mill, this city, whose employee
are shut out for joining the AmsiSsmassd
n carried into execution this action viii
close eight mills, among the largest IN The
city. employing about 600 men. should
| the strike take plsce in them IL y albgeth-
or probable that Il will iiextend still further.
The Amalgamatsd Association has been DE-
feated in several instances Of late, notably
At PhpniIville, this State, and il Il evident
they intend by this move 20 make visoe-
Gus effort 10 maintain their supremacy.
The Rlssv0se 80 ~ 0stA9e.
Some time since wrote you reesfdinEs
| fight between the rivenmen and the bnith-
| field Bridge Company over Tho slsysesoo o.
the proposed new bridge. sIncs ths! a%s
| work upon the new structure has enuIy
oeased, and the company threass.Sdn ~ nssS
Il unfinished . ioag tsSy CO..
Gght the matter La ne ooen.
In this Shape The bsids. 4 nuis.nes .s':a seo'
n nov ssems probable that matters viii b
smiesbiy arranged, the riyer men agreeing
TO ssk esrs 70 withdraw thsr spyaesaos
for an ipiunctian. Il u also said hs %
ljcitor Of the RridGe Company. = sooo - -
The way is clear, Win make . nessSs g
have u. prsni..ry ioiune:sS;:: ;:.sI, si;.''1s -:
oGn',,,omi.. , s - h p,oSsbIy induced By pct
dom si"npl p,S ramsrsn!iy dsnsd By tbe n.aai.e:
surer. and Sass. m.a ,as:, q y: esy; $500 s:1
addressed 70 The Ateospsy oynsl ~ .ilassa ac -
go. .oss -. hriI0 sossEdins 70 ths original