Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-06
Gautier Steel Works En-
pIoyes to Get To-Day
A FULL MONTHS WAGES.
A Godsend to Suffering Families-Pienty
for LaBorers to Do in the Future-Taik
of Starting the Cambria Company's
MiIIs-Estimates of Damages.
ryRon A STAFF CORRESPONDENT

JoHNsTowN, June 5-The first steps looking
toward resumption of work in the Cambria
Iron Works and the Gautier steel department
were taken to-day by the officials of the latter
company. The following notices were posted
on the improvised bulletin boards throughout
the town to-day:
Gan Guntier steel department employees are re-
quested to report at the general office tomorrow
morning, the 9Th inst, at O'Clock, for work.
rSigned.1 L. L. SMITH, Company Agent.
The notice attracted considerable attention
among the former employees of the mill, who
wanted TO begin work again in order to make
some money by which they could recuperate
their losses. The majority of them lost all
their household goods and want to get on their
feet as soon as possible. Among others the
notice had much greater significance. 1t
was whispered around town that the company
wanted to pay the men off and discharge them.
After doing this they would tear down the
little of the works that are remaining, take out
what machinery was left and move to another
locality. 1t was stated that several years ago
the company had determined to move the
greater part of their mill to point in the state
within 50 miles of Johnstown.
A Godsend TO Mill Men.
The announcement of the rumor had de-
pressing effect on the citizens of the town, who
would grieve very much to see the works
moved Officers of the company stated that
there was no probability that this would be
done. The object of the meeting of the en-
ployes to-day is to count the list of survivors
and thus help determine how many of their
men the company has lost. The following is
the number of men they employed in the chief
departments of the works: In the steel mill
proper 8S4 men were working last week; in the
barb mill there were 100; 454 men were en-
plOyed in the wire mill last week, and in the
ohan there between
so and 100. The total number was about LILO
OF this number there were probably one-nan
lost. according to the estimates made by the
heads of the departments.
At the meeting tomorrow the men will be
paid what is due them by the company. The
latter owed them almost two weeks pay hen
the food came, and always kept two weeks
wages back. The company will pay them in
full The months pay will be a gQdsend to the
men, who are totally destitute. Atthe meet
ing the company will hire their old men back
again, if they wish to work as laborers. tearing
down the dismantIed mill. The men will be
paid the same wages as other laborers are get
ting in the town, S2 per day.. After all the
debris has been cleared away the company
Will Rebuild the Works.
The mill will be enlarged, and its capacity for
turning out the finished product will be in
creased. New and improved machinery will
be put into the mill, which has really been ben
Gifted by the food 1T was stated around the
offices of the Cambria Iron Company to-day
that the comp2ny would really start up at once,
and that steel would be made in 30 days. This
is an old Thmor and is without foundation. The
company will rebuild as soon as possible, but
they can't make steel by July l. The mill is in
avery crippled condition. and it will require
over a weeks work to remove the debris. The
machinery in some parts of the mill has been
rendered useless and will have to be replaced.
This will take considerable time, and the ex-
tent of the damage will not be known for sew
Heral weeks.
A great many people imagine that the Cam
bria Iron Company and the Gautier steel de-
partment are two different corporations. They
are different as far as organization and ac-
counts are concerned, but the same stock
holders own both plants The Cambria Iron
Company makes iron and steel, while the other
mills only use the steel made in the former and
work it into the finished product. The loss to
the stockholders by the damage done at both
mills will amount to, as near as can be esti-
mated, $3.50 MCSwIGAN.