Western appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1885-18??, 1888-01-07
THE MINERS QulT WORK.


Nearly ali the Reading Company's Coal
Shafts Arc 1dIe In Consequence Of 5
Strike Of $4,000 Miners-The Fight q
Desperate One, and Likely to Continue
for Months "A Coal Famine Feared.
READING. Pa, Jan q The miners have
challenged President Corbin Of the Reading
Railroad Company to battle, and the latter
says he is ready Every colliery owned by
the Reading Company with q daily capacity
ofs35, 600 tons of coal is idle This is re-
garded by business men throughout the en-
tire schuylki1 regions and Eastern Penn
sylvania with great alarm. There is prac-
tically no coal of any consequence any
where. and, with protracted strike, great
loss would ensue.
The Reading Company temporarily sus-
pended about so crews last evening, and
this is interpreted to mean that the officials
are making preparations for long and
bitter struggle. They say they are deter
termined to down the Knights of Labor,
and feel confident that they will succeed.
Said an officer last night: sWe have driven
the order from the railroad, and we pro-
pose to serve the miners in the same man
ner"
Orders were sent out to the miners en-
ployed at the individual collieries directing
all hands to resume work where the So. SO
basis is accepted. and quite number of such
collieries We're started up yesterday morn
ing, but only with about half the usual force
of hands tits claimed by President Lally
and other leaders of the Miners and
Laborers' Amalgamated Association and
Kin ghts of Labor that ii the Reading
Company furnishes the individual col
lieries with sufficient cars they can
keep the Reading men out indefinitely. The
Reading officials know this, and it is not
likely Ghey will consentto a bargain OF that
kind.
1t is estimated that Is, 900 miners in the
Schuylkill region are idle. At Shamokin
the strike went into effect yesterday morn
ing and all the Reading collieries except
two were without men The miners in the
individual collieries also struck, but an ar
rangemenG was entered into at the Nelson
shaft, the Excelsior, the Hickory Ridge,
the Hickory Swamp and the Lancaster col
ieries whereby the proprietors agree to pay
the old rate of wages until the strike is
settled. The collieries now idle in
Shamokin gave employment to $500 men.
Advices received from number Of
points in the coal regions show that very
the employees did not go to work yesterday
morning, and it is believed long and bit
ter struggle will be the result The Read
ing collieries at Shamokin and all between
Ashland and that place are also idle. The
railroad is working smoothly, and little
difficulty is experienced in moving freight
and coal All the engines on the
Mahanoy division are now manned and
worked. At Shenandoah all the Reading
railroad miners are out Lentz, Lilly &
Co., operating the Park collieries; J. c.
Hayden & Co., operating Glendon colliery;
Kneval Brothers, operating Primrose col
iery, all situated near Mahanoy City,
have decided to pay the present rate OF
wages and continue work pending the
final settlement by the Reading Company
Other Individual operators will do the
same ...r. r..
The strike. if prolonged, will cause great
loss and suffering from lack Of coal. None
of the iron works or furnaces have more
than weeks supply, and they depend for
their daily supply on the Reading railroad
OF the sixty eight collieries IN the Schuyl-
kill region, forty of the largest of which
are controlled by the Reading Company, but
six are at work. The members OF the
Knights of Labor in Philadelphia, while re-
fusing to strike, have promised the Schuyl-
kill miners financial support, the same
as they are giving the men in the Lehigh
region. There is a movement ON foot
among the business men of the Schuylkill
valley to hold meeting and bring such
pressure to bear upon President Cor
bin as to cause him to consent to arbitra-
ton of the miners strike at least It is ar
gued that the immense industries of the
eastern section Of tie State can not afford
such fearful paralysis of business and
trade. The strike will not only throw 80
600 miners out of employment, but 80, 900
,iron-workers as well.
1t is learned officially that six of the COM
panys best colleries are in full! operation.
These are the Suffolk at Mahanoy, the two
North Franklin colleries at Herndon, the
Brookside in the Lykens valley and the
Richardson and Glendover at Heckscher-
vile
The joint committee of the Miners Anal
gamated Association and the knights of
Labor met in Pottsville yesterday and pro-
mulgated counter-statement to that is
sued by President Corbin of the Reading
road a few days ago They declare
that the agreement for four months
from last September as signed Diff
fers materially from the one made
public. They point out that Mr.. Cor
bin said in his circular that the Reading
would never pay less than other companies
and say that already eleven companies have
conceded their demands. The manifesto
declares that the die is cast and that gen
eral strike at all the fifty five collieries of
the Reading Company and all other collier
les in this region except those conceding
the 8 per cent. advance will be inaugurated
this morning.
The effects of the strike will be felt far
beyond the confines of Reading railroad
territory. Coal will advance in price all
over the Eastern States In the COM
pany's territory are located thirty
eight pig-iron furnaces, besides hun
dreds of foundries rolling mills, etc.
Not one of these has over a weeks
supply of coal on hand These es.
Establishments are located in Reading, Har-
risburg, Allentown, Pottstown, Easton,
Norristown, PtRnixville and smaller
cities, and in towns in Penn
sylvania and through New Jersey, and every
one must shut down if the strike lasts
ten days Some have been running short
Of coal for a.month Orders were sent in
for the coal, but the officials were unable
to fill them because of the strike on
the railroad. Now all these immense
Industries must shut down, and it is
estimated that in the district named over
loo, 600 men are employed, upon whom a
vast host of people depend for support
The coal supply in all the interior towns is
running short.
General Master Workman Powderly has
advised that no strike take place He has
telegraphed here that he considered it mad
visable.
FROZEN TO DEATH.