The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-21
DIGGING BLACK DIAMONDS.
Miners Return to work and All Ii
Quiet.

Early yesterday morning work was resumed
In the Black Diamond mines, which, with the
exception of q few days during the early part OF
the strike, has been idle gince May 16 Be-
tween two hundred and eighty and three hun
dred men are now at work indugtriously taking
out the yeritable black diamonds. To-day viii
be spent in pumping out mine No. II, in which
from 100 10 150 men will be placed at once, and
within week, which timo viii be largely used
in cleaning and preparing the slopes for q COM
plete output, the Black Diamond company will
be running at full capacity and will be shipping
from 700 to go tons per day.
The story of the settlement OF the strike Is
easily told. The men had not claimed any
special grievance against the company, but
went out through sympathy with the strikers OF
Franklin and Newcastle. Some weeks ago they
signified their willingness to return to work,
and accepted the contract while Superintendent
Morgan Morgans was in San Francisco. The COM
pany, however, was not DESTROYS of taking the
men back without complete and thorough un7a
derstanding, and unless each miner signed
years contract, nor without the perfectly ac-
knowledged right OF the company to manage its
business as 1t deemed best.
p. b. Cornwall and A. Haywood, of San Fran
cisco. came TO Seattle and on Wednesday last
went to the mines, met the men face to face,
and after discussing the situation from every
possible point of view the men in open assembly
unanimously agreed to 90 to work, and with
very few exceptions have signed the contract as
presented by the Black Diamond company.
In substance, the men agree to work faithfully
for one year under the absolute direction and
control OF the superintendent, and to accept the
following rates Of wages: Outside lsborer. s2.25
per day; inside laborer or driver, $3.50 per day;
carman and sheet-layer, 1915 per day; repairer,
So per day; assistant repairer, $3.50 per day;
miner, So per day; blacksmith, So per day;
assistant blacksmith, $50 per day; carpenter,
So per day; engineer, So per day; fireman, $3.50
per day.
Breast work. including timbsring properly:
Mine No. ii. 50 per yard, thirty foot breast; mine
No. Il, sl025 per yard, thirty foot breast;
mine No. 2, SOLO for six feet or under, thirty
foot breast; mine No 2, s1260 for over six feet,
thirty foot breast; chutcs and cross-cuts four
feet wide in mine No. H. 81 per yard; chutes
and cross-cuts four feet wide in mine No. II,
$2.55 per yard: chutes and cross-cuts four feet
wide in mine No. 2, $3.50 per yard.
When the price of Black Diamound house
coal reaches 50 per ton, the miner is to receive
an increase of Is per cent. on the above rates,
aud IL sold for more than 50 an additional COM
pensation of per cent on each additional dollar
will be allowed The company agrees to employ
only white labor, but retains the right to in
crease or decrease the force of men employed as
in its iudgmsntthe nature Of the circumstances
demands.
n. II. Martin, manager, In charge of the Seattle
general offices, spent Saturday at the mines and
returned yesterday.
"The situation at present existing at Black
Diamond" said he, sis satisfactory, not only
to the company but to the miners as
we'll A few OF our good men have
gone away, but many remain, and
with no exception they are happy that the
season of enforced idleness is over The leaders
all say now that they are sorry that they ever
had the work stop. In fact fine feeling at
present exists among the men, and we look
forward now to great era of long continued pros
perity. 1t will take some little time before we
are working as before and turning out the full
capacity of the mines, but the main thing was
to get work started and in that we have
succeeded, and l feel sure that our men
will now do their full duty"
William NJ Calhoun who spent several weeks
ct the mines with the militia, was greatly
gratihed yesterday ut the resumption OF work
In the Black Diamond mines
"There is no use to Disguise the fact" said
Mr.. Calhoun, "hut the negroes stand in great
fear of the Black Diamond miners and the
knowledge that these men at work will lift
heavy load of the negro miners mind. One
of the reasons why disarmament was q failure
was that the negroes did not feel like giving I'M
their weapons and feeling that at any moment
they might be at the mercy of the Black Dis-
,,,and