The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-08
READINGS STRIKING MINERS
Continued Decrease in Amount of Coal
Handled by the Railway Company.
The Business Men in the Coal Region Decide
to Make an Appeal to President Corbin,
with View to Securing a Settlement.

PHILADELPHIA, JAM The published State
ment that the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad
Company would refuse to furnish cars to the
colliery at New Lincoln, Pa. in the event of
the operators Of that collierv continuing the pay
ment to its miners of the 8 per cent advance
above the 50. so basis, is positively denied here
to-day The statement was made in a special
dispatch to the Reading Eagle, which dispatch
was extensively published in the journals of
other cities, that Mr.. Levi Miller. Of the firm of
Miller & Co.. who operate the colliery at New
Lincoln, had informed committee of miners
that he could not continue the per cent ad-
vance, because the Reading Company had noti-
fed him that if he did so the company would
fuse to furnish him with cars Mr.. Miller to-
day telegraphed to this city that these state
ments were mischievous misrepresentation of
the truth; that he had never made such state
ments to any one, and that the cars ordered for
the colliery since the inauguration Of the strike
had been promptly and cheerfull7 furnished by
the Reading company.
There was change in the situation at Port
Richmond to-day The interest in the strike
was undated, but the disaffection among the
miners appeared to overbalance everything else
The company still has large supply of coal at
are steadily increasing. At Port Richmond
junction large quantity of coal was received
yesterday and to-day.
The coal shipments over the Reading railroad
since the opening of the week have decreased
steadily day by day, and this morning the COM
pany's tally-sheet at the Office in Reading
showed that hardly 600 cars had come down the
road from sundown last evening until to-day.
This is regarded by all conservative parties
an indication that the strikers are tightening
their hold OF these 600 nearly l25 contained
soft coal from the bituminous regions.
Nearly all the anthracite now shipped
comes from the individual colieries, the COM
panv reserving the small supply mined at its
own collieres for it's own All the indivi-
dual colieries now in operation, however, are
not on the line of the Reading railroad. Some
are the line of the Pennsylvania and others
ON the Lehieh Valley. and the products of these
shipped those roads. The railroad
hands who took the places of the strikers are be-
ing boycotted everywhere. Hotelkeepers refuse
to keep them except at exorbltant rates. and
many of them and the Pinkerton detectives are
being quartered in old passenger cars specially
fitted up in the shops IN Reading. with hunks,
stoves, ETC. The scarcity of coal and the In
creased cost of that commodity has not yet re-
suited in the shutting down of any of the fur
naces or manufactures in Reading or vicinity.
and the proprietors generally express a hope
that speedy settlement OF the strike will
avert such a course on their part.
The Pottsville Republican published the fol-
lowing this afternoon on the situation of the
great striker 1.-The railroad coal depot at Palo
Alto presents a solemn aspect to any one who
has seen it bustli ng with activity. About fifty
hands. thirty of them new, at work in the
car-shops while the machineshop and round
house are running with two-thirds force.
Three hundred loaded and over two thousand
empty coal cars are lying on the sdlngs. The
number of empty cars stored away can
of the mainline tracks, as far as Bridgeport.
distance of five miles, is filled with them.
sides this, nearly all the sidings at Sc Clair and
Frackville are crowded. During yesterday and
last night nine engines were sent to Philadel-
pha. conveying about 300 loaded cars, most of .
which came over Mahanoy plane from Wilhain
Penn and other collieries beyond Broad mount
ain. Most of the engines were used to bring
along the line. The falling off in the coaf traffic
can be estimated from the fact that over 1000
loaded cars were shipped daily on average
from Palo Alto alone, ], 500 from Cresson, and
300 from Tamaqua. Not striker can be
seen around the depot, as the men pass most of
their time in the assembly-room at Pottsville,
entertainments participated in by talented MEM
bers. The idle men here number 2l5, two-thirds
of whom, about 145. reside at this end of the
line. from Auburn up. Sixty car-shop and
twenty machine-shop and round-house employees
walk the streets. while probably 100 short road
engineers. Nfiremen,g coashute men, ST.
Clair cAr-runners and others are among
merchants cannot be properly realized at
present These people lived ana dressed WE'LL
and many of them have little homes of their
own, and large families who were well fed and
clothed All the money went into the Golfers of
the merchants, and helped to increase their
profits. The new men come mostly from Read
ing. Schuylkill Haven, Cresson. McKeansburg,
Drehersvllle Auburn, and the surrounding
At Shenandoah a largely attended meeting of
leading business men was held to-day. A COM
mite appointed to wait on President Cor
bin, of the Reading railroad, to point out to him
the peril to business from long-continued
strike, and to urge upon him the advisabity OF
submitting the difficulties between the company
and its employees to arbitration. kilograms
were sent to all other towns in the coal field
urging similar action and suggesting that the
various committees call upon President Corbin
in body on Tuesday
The executive board of the Wilkesbarre
knights of Labor issued an appeal this after
ing and Lackawanna valleys. They claim that
if the strike can be prolonged four weeks the
Reading Company must yield. To Go this the
workingmen IN this region must take upon
themselves the entire support of the Lehigh
strikers. They are app called to most energetica-
ly to do this and for the next four five weeks
to give most literally.
The Shamokin Board OF Trade have appointed
q committee to call on President Corbin and ask
that adjustment of the present difficulties be
made. Mr.. Shantz, one of the leading merchants
has decided to refuse credit to strikers, and
Philadelphia houses have notified local mer-
chants that their credit would not be extended.
Business is almost entirely suspended. The
great majority of miners have ample supplies
Tor several months. No coal shipped to-
lay. The miners have been ordered to vacate
he companys houses at Big Mountain.
The Steel-Worker's Scale
PrTTsBURG Jan. 1.-The Linden Steel Company.
this city, signed the scale of the Amalga
yarnated Association this afternoon and work viii; be
esumed at their mill at once This is the first firm
o sign the scale. The Amalgamated officials |