Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-09-23
ALPENA WEEKLY ARGUS.
Wednesday, Sept. rs, 1885.
The Strike.

The news that the men Of some o.
the saw mills had struck last Mon
day morning soon became known
The saw mills Of the Minor Lumber
Co. and of Bewick, Comstock u Co
were shut down as the laborers, most
~ Polanders, had quit work. A large
number of the strikers then marched
to the Mason Lumber Co. mill at
foot of Third street, and compelled
the men there to quit work. The
men at the Mason mill had nothing
to do with the strike, being forced by
men from other mills to quit work.
The strikers then proceeded to the
river mill of w. l.. & II. ID. Church
i'll, with the intention of forcing the
men there to quit work, but they did
not succeed. The strike extended no
further that forenoon. There was
then six saw mills not going and it
looked as if the strike was extensive.
One of the mills, the Churchill bay
shore mill, had been shut down about
a week for want of logs, and the bay
shore mill of Fletcher, Pack & Co.
was shut down to allow the boilers to
be cleaned. +. 0. Avery's mill had
been shut down about week for
want of logs. Three mills were shut
down by the strikers.
The men Of the Mason mill in
formed Mr.. Faulconcr, the manager,
of their willingness to go to work,
and he told them that if they did, the
mill would be started after dinner.
Trouble was now expected, and about
one o'clock large number of strikers,
citizens, drummers and about fifty
boys assembled on the street in front
of the mill Office. At one o'clock
the mill started up, there being no
opposition. Sheriff Denton, Marshal
Gibbons and a force of specials were
on duty at the mill and no man was
allowed on the premises except those
having business there.
The Polish version of the trouble
is as follows: They say they under
derstood John Nicholson, the fore
man of the Minor Lumber Co. mill, to
say that ten hours with q reduction
of wages, would be the time Of labor
at the Minor Lumber company
saw mill, commencing with Monday
last. The Polacks went to the mill
at seven o'clock in the morning and
found the old eleven hour system was
in force. They then refused to work
and started to shut down the other
mills and succeeded until they got to
the Churchill river mill. There they
met the Sheriff and Marshal, and not
meeting with sympathisers, they very
wisely RETAINED from using violence.
The Sheriff stated that he proposed
to use every possible means in his
power to protect the men who wanted
to work. He believes ten hours per
day was work enough in saw mill.
but if man wanted to work more
hours per day, he had that privilege,
and he, the sheriff, would do all he
could to protect him. Sheriff Den
ton believes in taking vigorous meas.
ures On the start and before such
disorders get good Roadway, and he
certainly had good success last Mon
day. He was ably assisted by city
marshal Gibbons.
The strike seems to have been q
spontaneous one, with no orgsniza-
ton and with no leaders, as far as we
were able to ascertain.
The Comstock mill had only about
two weeks supply of logs at the time
of the strike.
Yesterday morning the Minor mill
and the Comstock mill started up on
the eleven hour system, the men re-
turning to work.
At some mills the men were given
the choice of having the mills run or
be shut down, and they choose to have
them run.
The only mills not in operation
this morning are the Avery mill and
the Churchill bay shore mill, both
having been shut down about week
for want of logs.