The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-02-03
IN THE COKE REGION.
The Importance of the Controversy In
creases-Prepa ring Tor the Siege.

CHICAGO, Feb. IA special dispatch pub
Eshed here from the coke region near Con-
selIsville, Pa, speaking of the strike there,
says il is not in any sense local question.
Whether a couple of thousand worhingmen
shall buy their brogans and bacon at COM
pany stores at the old rate OF wages, or get 10
per cent. more and buy where they please,
seems a matter OF narrow consequence, but
when it is taken into account that this streak
of black country, forty miles by perhaps
three in extent, makes twO-thirds oil all the
coke used in the United states, the impor-
tance of the controversy increases. Take the
product of this small region last year, load
it on cars hitehed together IN a continuous
train, the train running twelve miles an
hour, 10 run uninterruptedly day and night,
stand beside the track and watch the silver
gray snake crawl by each hO1r, counting for
1900 tons of coke, and toward morning OF
the ninth day, when the forward end of the
train is iOlting down the sunset side of the
Rocky Mountains, the rear cars will be still
within the clutch of the Pennsylvania pO-
lice. Stretch the train straight across the
continent and the headlight of the
locomotive will be flashing its
rays through the Golden Gate.
while the red lamps at the other end are
choking N the New Jersey fog. Yet
Provane Mccormick, one of the men who
made the first coke burned on this continent,
is still living, poor man, but a respected
Justice of the Peace. Three men made the
experiment fOrty-five years ago. John Tay-
Tor was stone mason and owned q farm
near Connellsville on which he worked a
vein of coal. PrOYance Mccormick and
James Campbell were the house carpenters
of the little town. Taylor built three ovens
the men jointly filled them with coal. Dor
rOwed chunk from the blacksmith shop and
lit the fire that now blaZes IN 10000. The
three pioneers lost on their speculation AMI
the new industry languished for several
years. In 1850 there were four coke works in
the United States, small affairs. Twenty
years later there were only twenty-five. Now
there are 80 with 1857 ovens, OF which the
Il, 2s5 in this, ConnellsvIlle region, where the
thick vein of pure soft coal is better than any
other to make coke out of, roast 1, $50 0l3
tons year. Scarcely any skilled labor is
required in coke making, and so whenever
in the flush times of s. coke the
men rose up with a demand for a
oveYwbelmed'them with a food of Polish
and Hungarian cheap labor
Every Hungarian abiding place at both
MoorewOOd and Standard Coke Works will
to-day be a castle. The SOcialjstic assem-
blies have held a number of meetings to-day,
hut their proceedings are jealousy guarded.
Yesterday the stores were crowded with
foreigners, preparing for the seige which they
expect TO open to-day. Long lines of men
carrying bundles of provisions trudged home
ward through the snow carrying the
prOvender which is generally purchased by
the females. On the operators side there
have been numerous conclayes and private
consultations. Thirty Hungarians fresh
from Castle Garden arrived at Stoneville on
Saturday evening with bundles babies and
women. They were not welcomed by any of
the coke operators, but were soon ensconced
under the shelter of the strikers at Moore
wood, where they began studying the alpha
bet Of the American strike.