Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-01-02
LABOR AND CAPITAL
Still at War in the Great Coal Fields.
Probabilities of Great Strike in the
Near Future.

louisville, Penn. Dec. 81.
The New Years greeting of the great an
thracite coal regions of Pennsylvania to the
world tonight is not of the most hopeful
character. Even the most conservative mer
who have closely watched the progress of
the leaders in their efforts to get up a strike
on the Reading railroad system, admit there
is now danger of the entire coal region going
out on strike.
The enormity of such strike can best be
cOmprehended when it is stated that the col.
lieries affected extend over Schuylkill
Northumberland, Luzerne, Lackawana and
Carbon counties, a district covering over 4O0
square miles, and which sends out annually
81 ,000, 900 tons of coal, divided into three
great regions, known as the Schuylkill, Le-
high and Wyoming coal fields. In this great
territory nearly 100000 men are employed.
OF these, 10000 employed in the Lehigh dis
trict are already on strike.
| The convention of Reading railroad EN-
ployes held on Thursday night in Reading
was absolutely in the centrol of the delegates
from the coal regions They ordered that
the railroad hands strike. This has only
been partially successful, as the men at Al
lentown, Williamsport, Reading, Pottstown
and other leading places, besides many at
Philadelphia refuse to strike. The miners
delegates to the Reading convention have it
| in their own hands as to whether strike
shall take place. They can order it any
| time.
John II. Lee, chairman of the Reading
convention said this afternoon that the
Knights had been insulted and were ready
for war to the hilt. He actually believed
that if worse came to worse every miner in
the three great regions would be called out
a. Il
ly foreshadows that the men will no longer
get the per cent. advance granted in Sep
tember. Mr.. Lee says: 1.-The men have
been ground down into the dust long enough.
Mr.. Powderly and the general executive
board will be appealed to, to levy an assess
ment on all the knights in the country to
support such strike"
The new year opens gloomily enough for
the miners, The men are despondent and
belligerent. Mr.. Lee and other leaders are
all in for strike of the miners if every
thing else fails. Nearly all the delegates
who took leading part in the Reading con-
vention have been discharged, and this has
exasperated the men still more. The situa-
ton tonight is to the effect that a strike of
the coal miners will take place unless they
get the advance.
AS to the situation on the railroad the fol-
lowing reports have been received:
Ashland reports Goal and freight trains
are running. The employees on the Gordon
planes struck yesterday, but the railroad
men refused to continue the strike today.
From Tamaqua The Reading Company
is swearing in some of their train hands and
giving them police power. A train hand on
the main line says his train was cut three
times south of Port Clinton early this morn
ing by strangers. This is the first reported
attempt at interference with the new men.
Shenandoah reports: 1.-TWO hundred and
thirty-f men were discharged on the Sham
okin division and but few of their places were
filled. They obeyed the strike orders. On
the Mahoney division only one crew reported
for duty, and that went off later. No freight
was received here. At Shamokin, Captain
Linden of the Pinkerton Agency has charge
of squad of men to guard the company's
property"
Coal trains are not running so rapidly as
they did few days ago. A blizzard is rag
ing tonight throughout the coal regions.
Eight thousand cars of coal, each containing
five tons are now blockaded in and about
Butter Creek and Mahoney valley and the
company cannot get crews to bring them
down.
The officials are hiring non-union men for
positions all along the line but many are in
competent. Heavily armed policemen paid
by the company confront the visitors tie
ROading railroad property on every hand.