Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-18
SK[RMISH FOR COAL.
Monongahela Valley Manufacturers
Forced to Hunt for Fuel.
LOSSES OF OPERATORS AND MEN.
New Tin Plate Plants to Be Fitted Out by
Pittsburg Firms.
MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIAL NEWS

Mr.. Rae's proposition to arbitrate the
miners strike does not meet with the ap.
proval of the operators. The latter insist
there is nothing to arbitrate. The prospect
ofthe operators bringing in foreigners hasput
the miners on their guard. Men have been
sent in various directions to learn how
many ii would be possible to import. Word
has come back from some to the effect that
while the native-born will refuse to come
into the district, Hungarians and Poles are
anxious to come if they are assured the
wages they have been offered. This will
create trouble.
There is also report that the men who
| Jared so badly in the coke region may take
the places of the strikers. AS result,
number of meetings were held last week
at which President Rae and President Cos
tello were present and spoke, advising the
men to stay out, giving them at the same
time pledge of support.
TROUBLED BY Low WATER
The low water has caused the river mines
much trouble, and instead of getting in a
great quantity of coal while the rival rail-
in many instances been obliged
to suspend operations altogether, as but
few coalboats were being sent up the river.
AS result many OF the mines are running
half time, keeping their men driving en-
tries, turning rooms and repairing. This
coming with the strike has made the mining
industry very slack, and had it not been for
the good summer and early fall the men
would suffer financially. Some of the miners
think it is done to "freeze them out, and
compel them to return to work. The opera
tors, however, say they are losing as much
as the men.
Since the miners in the Horner and Rob-
erts' mines at Elizabeth struck, because the
operators were filling railroad contracts,
there have been no attempts made by any
of the river mines to follow their example.
The miners claim that this is victory for
them, because otherwise they might have
been used, as one of them expressed it, "as
club to beat our own brains out" The
few railroad mines which have signed the
new scale all are receiving as many orders
as they can possibly fill, and are turning
some away.
FEELING THE LACK OF FUEL.
The manufactures in the valley who do
not use natural gas are, for the first time,
feeling the lack of fuel. They have not as
yet been obliged to shut down anywhere
above McKeesport, but they have had to
hunt around for coal, and send to the West
ern and Southern fields. The railroad COM
panies, both the Pennsylvania Railroad and
Pittsburg and Lake Erie Railroad systems
have not only lost large amount of their
freight traffic, but also have been badly
crippled for fuel for their engines Coal
has been brought from Ohio by the Erie,
and from Tyrone and the East by
the Pennsylvania Company to fill the
tenders of their engines. This has required
them to employ many additional hands and
10 fill the sidings with coal fer their own
consumption.
The storekeepers are feeling the depress-
ing effects of the strike in their fall trade.
They had, in view of the prosperous year,
made great preparations for the winter, but
this seems to have been all defeated by the
strike. Already there has been one failure
which may be attributed to this cause.