The Portland daily press., 1888-01-04
ALARM ON THE scHuYLklLL.
Paralysis of Business Threatened by
the Mlners's Strike.
Only Five Out OF Forty Reading Col
IierIes In Operation.
Thousands of Iron Workers Liable to
Lose Their Occupation.

Lose Their Occupation.
| READING, Pa, Jan. 3.-Had the strike on
the Reading railroad proven successful and
traffic been entirely paralyzed there could
not have been more general alarm through
out the great Industrial regions of the
Schuylkill Valley than there is ltoday. The
propretors of large furnaces and iron works
| in this section predict that if the mines are
shut down for two weeks the majority of the
large establishments will be obliged to close,
owing to the lack of supply of coal. Many
| of them have been running for weeks short
of coal, and most ofthem have less than a
weeks supply on hand. They gave the rail-
| road company orders for coal over month
ago, but the officials have not been able to
| fill them. If the strike continues any length
| of time many smaller establishments in this
| city and vicinity will be compelled to close
| down. All the Industrial cities and towns
| in this section such as Beading, Birdsboro,
| Norristown, PottSt0wn, Hamburg and
| smaller places receive their coal over the
| Reading railroad. and with the. stoppage OF
| work at the mines trade will be entirely
parayzed. 1t is estimated that in this city
| alone from 3000tF-ss000 men are employed in
| the iron works. SlicB are in urgent need
| of coal. Not one has over a weeks
supply. 1HC tllll6 DCbWCCu ouuuOWn dno
| daylight IS usually busy time for the ship
| ment of coal over the Reading road. The
| average run of cars through this city during
| these hours is 1900 cars. Last night but
| 1000 were run down, and today only a few
| short trains went down the road. Reports
received this afternoon show that OF the 6S
| cOllieries in the Schuylkill region (40 of the
largest of which are controlled by the Read
ing Company but six. are at work: The
members of the Knights of Labor in this
city, while refusing to strike, have promised
the Schuylkill 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 this end of the
Schuylkill Valley to hold meeting in this
city, and bring such pressure to bear upon
President Corbin as to cause him to consent
to arbitration of the miners strike at least.
1t is argued that the immense industries of
this section of the State cannot afford such
fearful paralysis of business and trade The
strike will not only throw thirty thousand
miners out of employment but thirty thou
sand iron workers as well.
PoTTsvILLE, Pa, Jan. 3.-Reports receiv-
ed at the main Office of the Philadelphia and
Reading Coal and Iron Company in this city
this morning show that out of total of 40
collieries operated by the companies but five
are at work to-day.
SHAMoKIN, Pa. Jan 3.-The miners strike
went into effect this morning at all the Phil
adelphia and Reading Companies collieries
in this section, with the exception of the
North Franklin Nos. and 2. In addition to
those at the Reading Company's collieries
all the miners went out at the Pennsylvania.
owned by the Union Coal Company, the
Company, and the Garfield, owned by the
Garfield Coal Company. An arrangement
was entered into at the Nelson shaft, the
Excelsior, the Hickory Ridge, the Hickory
Swamp and the Lancaster collieries, where
by the pTopIietors agree to pay the old rate
OF wages till the strike is settled. The col
lieries now idle in Thamokin gave employ
ment to $500 men.
PITTsBURG, Jan. 3.-The railroad coal
operators, who posted notices yesterday or
dering a reduction of wages of five cents per
ton. decided today to withdraw the order for
a few days for the purpose Of giving the
Knights more time to compel the operators
not paying the Columbus scale, to advance
wages to the standard rate. A committee
of miners left for Washington today to see
Congressman w. l.. Scott, and prevail upon
him, If possible, to pay the Columbus SCALE
Ii unsuccessful, the Knights Will order
strike at all mines where the Columbus scale
is not in force.
LANCASTER, Pa, Jan. 3-The president
of the board of poor directors this morning
asked of the 40 tramps confined in the coun-
ty workhouse that all who were willing to go
to Reading to take the strikers places sign
paper. Only % complied, the rest fearing
violence. Those who consented will be sent
there.
Gathered from the Officials.
PHILADELPHIA. Pa, Jan. 3.-The great
railroad strike is still on, and it is character
lied by the same determination on both sides
to stand firm that has marked it from the be-
ginning. At the various depots and stations
in the city, there is the stereotyped statement
that the business of the road is proceeding \
as smoothly as could be wished, and this
statement is as uniformly contradicted by
the strikers, who say that the Reading COM
pany do not make public the actual number
of men on strike and that they are crippled
in all departments for lack of proper work.
men to handle the traffic Of the road. The
company say that they are overwhelmed with
applications from laborers in search Of en-
ployment, and that they have enough men in
reserve to fill any number of vacancies that
can possibly occur.
General Manager Mcleod, of Reading,
says the road Is working much better than
on Saturday, and that they are getting new
men every hour.
During the afternoon, General Manager
Mcleod received telegraphic information
from Superintendent Whiting, to the effect
that there is considerable division Of Opin-
ion among the miners, and that they are far
from being unit in their disposition to obey
the order to strike. The impression prevails
LUdb bu6It Will Ut ulOI6 IUlutS III opCIdllOu
tomorrow than today. The railroad, the
general manager says. has more men at work
on the main line and branches today than
yesterday. The work of loading the collier
Berks at Pier 16, was completed this MORN
ing. At noon the vessel took her departure
for an eastern port, with a new crew. A
number of Italians were today engaged, and
put to work at Port Richmond wharves un-
loading iron ore and wheeling coal. More
than 500 Italians are now at work in the
cOmnanV'S wards and many sent
to Port Richmond this afternoon. Superin-
tendent Keim said that it would be impossi-
BILE to give them work, as the company had
all the men it wanted. Nearly 600 employees,
including policemen, detectives, coal hand
lers, stevedores, engineers and firemen were
fed today at the expense of the Reading COM
pany, at Port Richmond. The Reading Off
cials are now beginning to realize the enor-
curtail it somewhat. In future none OF the
employees will be furnished meals by the
company except those who live so far away
that they cannot reach home.
NEW YORK, Jan. 3.-Austin Corbin, when
seen today, in reference to the strike on the
Reading system, said that everything, as far
as he knew, was going along smoothly, and
he had no fear of any further trouble.
Guarding Their Property.
READING, Jan. 3.-Ths perpetration Of
outrages in the Mahanoy division has caused
over 800 men have been forwarded from this
city to Tamaqua, Mahanoy City and other
points to guard the company's property. The
destruction of the engine house Of the En-
terprise Coal Company, near Shamokin,
where the miners were to have been ordered
out today, the colliery having thus far kept
in operation; the emptying of the Mahanoy
reservoir, and the turning of engine cabs at
Tamaqua are all acts of vandalism, which
the company say they will punish.
A number of passenger cars, fitted up with
hunks, were forwarded from here today, to
be used by the police and the new men, who
are being boycotted and are unable to find
boarding places. The cutting of coal trains
has been frequent, and number of crews
were stored between Port Clinton and Ia
maqua. The strikers attribute the former
occurrence to the inexperience of the new
men, and say that the throwing of stones
was done by irresponsible boys. They also
claim that the burning of the engine cabs in
the Tamaqua round house was Of accidental
origin.
Corbin Ready to Fight.
READING, Pa, Jan. 3.-An order was sent
out this afternoon, by the Reading Company,