The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-08-09
TWO HUNDRED MEN !
ARE THROWN OUT OF EMPLOYMENT
BY The Managers the La Belle hill-Thc Bollsfl
aad Their As's'aa.s Discharged Wiibaat
Warnins, on Account Of the Adoption Of ~
Steel Nails BY the Factory.

The boilers OF The La Belle mill were yes.
terdsy officially notified by printed notices
signed by the officers OF the company, that
their services would no longer be re.
quired Il. the mill, and advising them to sc.
euro sisuationa elsewhere as they could. Tho
notices. though very conaidera,sly worded,
were virtual discharges, and could not DO
misunderstood. Naturally q great deal OF
excitement was created among the men, who
have been lido for t0ms time, but COD iident.
ly expected that tho mill would resume op.
stations about September /, aud that their
services would be wanted as heretofore.
They were all badly discouraged and dis.
hehrtened. Such notice, without warning,
came With the force OF blow,
and their discharge In many cases rsslly
amounts 10 \ calamity. There were forty.
four boilers employed, and all OF these 70.
ceivsd their discharge. This OF cou,se dis.
ponses with the services also Of the forty.iour
helpers and forty.iour thiId.hands, making
l32 men directly affected. The movement
necessarily affects the muck rollers and other
workers In tho furnace department OF the
mill, and some OF the outside lhborets, etpe.
cially coal miners, whose numbers will DO
greatly reduced by the change. In all nearly
ECO mon are reached by the notice.
WHAT IT M'ASs.
The Significance Of this move on the part
OF the mill company was matter OF much
COD soture after ths intelligence OF the r..
ceipt oithe notices by the mon was circu.
lated. The laBells was expected 10 be the
last mill 10 dispense with i;s boilers. Not
having steel PLAN, and MOI having, 20 far
Is the public was informed, taken any ateps
TO erect one, 1t WAS taken for granted that
whatever course other mills might take with
reference TO thbir puddlers, II would continue
to manufacture iron nails for an indefinite
period and the boilers who worked there
were regarded with envy by those at mills
which have erected or are erecting steel
works. Their tenure OF employment wa,
regarded % the beet in the city or vicinity.
When, therefore, tho fact that the LsBelle
boilera had been discha,Sed became known
a feeling OF uneasiness took possession OF all
mill men. 1t was regarded as break which
would DO followed by all the other mills ir
due time. VI course It could have but one
meaning, that the use Of iron for making
nail, wns TO be abandoned and steel 10 BIZ
Substituted. This was regarded as foregons
concluaion at once and by everybody, though
the details we're not even copjscturable.
| IhE ufFlSAALa hhllSbNEs
Officers OF the mill company refused Il
talk much. They admitted that the dls
charge OF the boilers WAS made necessary BY
the fact that ntee nails would be mauufac
tured hereafter exclusively at this mill, bu
further than this no pumping could Undue,
them TO civulge. MIR. W. N. Linch said h,
Secretary, Mr.. Robinson, declined to Say
what provisions had bseu made OF were con
templated Tor supplying the works with steel
1t was sa.d by gentlemen connected with
the mills that q new process was 10 be EN-
ploysd. What the new process was, or whR
part OF the manufacture It would cover, wa
not stated. The more probable explanation
was also made that the company would pur
chase steel nail plate ready for the shear
from mandatory having steel plant
This, OF course, would dispense with the FER
vices OF alt tho hands about the mill except
those working in the nail factory proper.
No explanation could be procured Of the
suddeuness Of the step. Whether 1t was de-
cided upon on the spur Of the moment, OF
has been contemplated for come length o.
time is a matter for cor jscturo. OF course
the LaBelle, In common with all other mai
mills here, hiss been debating the steel mai
problem for long time. ever since the unior
IsteeA plhHt pIoJeCl Wn5 ouueI CuudlueIhIlOu
away in the dim past.
i HOW THE MEN TOOK IT.
:. Most OF the discharged men were 60 dlt
heartened by the sudden and serious turn o
affairs that they could not talk sbou. 1t. sev
eral Of them were disposed 10 be angry q
30 unceremonious dismissal. Many Of th
helpers aud few OF the boilers we're lily pre-
pared for such an occurrences. They hav
lost good deal Of time this summer ant
many Of them hnd themselves In debt ant
out Of work for an indefinite time. EN-
ployment is very scarce just now, owing t
the number OF other men who have recently
been thrown out OF work under similar cir
cunlstances in other mills. There is no de
mand for the class OF laborers 10 which they
belong, the tendency in the mills generally
being 10 cut down the forces in the forge de-
psrtmenis, owing 10 the introduction Of steel
nails.
Boilers, as a general thing, have autici.
pated, or rather feared, the loss OF their DO.
sitions owing to the change from iroa to
steel. But 1t may bs said that none OF those
st the LaBelle mill were looking for this
stop on ths part OF the company. The feel
ing that prevailed has bsen growing for
months, and was that 1t was only question
Of time when the boiler would be an obsolete
part OF the force employed in nail mills.
The unexpected popularity Of the new nail
ssems to be hastenirg this state OF affairs.
The change ia sad one for those Workmen
whom 1t displaces but what csn be done to
better their prospects Is not readily seen.
| ANVpC uIGfph a. a ATnuu