The Coconino weekly sun., 1892-08-04
HOMESTEAD INvEsTIGA ALTON.


 A week before the mills closed an ugly disposition manifested itself among the workmep.
 About June 25th or 18th effigies of Chairman Prick and General Superin- tendent Potter were found hanging in the mill yard.
 June 2sth the disaffected workmen stopped and turned back several fore men who had gone to the works to at- tend to their duties.
 Sheriff McCleary was notified a week before the men went out, of the state of affairs at the Homestead mills, and that there would likely be trouble. but it appears that he made no preparation at that time to protect the works.
 June 25th Chairman Prick wrote to Robert II. Pinkerton, at New York, to engage 300 guards for service at the Homestead mills ''as measure of pre- caution against interference with our plant to start the operation of the works July 6, 1892" It was not asked that these men be armed unless the occasion demanded it.
 July 4th the sheriff was notified by the Carnegie company that he must protect their property.
 On July 5th he sent twelve deputies to the works, and they were driven away by the strikers and their friends.
 On the morning of July 9th, before daylight. 300 Pinkcrtons, under the command of Deputy Sheriff Gray, ar rived at Homestead and attempted to land on the company's property. In response to alarm signals by the strik- CTS. several thousand people assembled on the river bank, armed with guns, revolvers, olubs, etc,
 The mob broke through the fence into the property of the company. Their actions and language were vio- lent.
 Who fired the first shot is disputed.
 After the surrender of the Pinker' tons and during the march to Home stead the prisoners were shamefully abused and many of them seriously in- jured by the mob.
 1 From the time the Piukertons sur rendered. July 9th, until the occupa- ton by the troops, July 18th, Home stead and the property of the Carnegie company was in complete possession oi the strikers, and mob law ruled.
 The reductions proposed by the com pany affected the earnings of S25 to 100 men, of a total oi $500, The hours of labor were reduced by the new scale in two of the three mills from F to hour shifts.
 One of the chief points of difference was as to the time of the year when the contract should expire, tue com pany wishing to change it from the Isl of July, as heretofore. to January lst.
 The earnings of the workmen arc governed by the market price of billets. Ths Hinimum price in the scale does not affect the pay of tko men except when the price of billets reaches and goes below that figure,
 The company has between S5, 900, ,00l and s6. 900. 900 invested at Homestead. The plant Is the finest of ifs kind in the world, and makes the largest output to the crew.
 The employees of the Carnegie Steel Company are better paid than men il similar positions anywhere in the world.
 In the 26-iuch mill roller earned s2s5.05 in twenty-four days. In the 1l9-inch plate mill when the price ol billets was $2J, Che minimum under the old scale), rollers, slS.25 per day screw men, sl0,S5; sbearmen, sl2.2t and $S. 02; tablemen. $9.iS; and so OH down to sweepers, who received S5.l9 per day.
 The men average 2f0 work days in a year.
 The prosperous condition of tue workmcn at Homestead is shown by the testimony that they have oil de, posit with the Carnegie company $lio,' 900 drawing 6 per cent interest, saved ! from their earnings.
 The company has also loaned money in sums of $500 or less to those work. men who wanted to build homes. The company holds mortgages. for money thus loaned, of Si2, 1000. Ikc Mckinley tariff has had no effect whatever on wagsG ip the steel mills. The Mckinley bill reduced the tariff on billets.
 M. McLuckie, one of the leaders oi the Amalgamated Association, declared that the Mckinley bill, by reducing the tatiff on billets, had injuriously af. fccted wages. lie charged that the reduction on billots was gigantic con- spiracy between the company and members of Congress to injure the | .vnrl inpmnn