The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-07-08

resting easier today and 1t is Thought
will get better. Elijah A. Covert is one
of the injured who will die. While
standing in the barge he was shot with
a rife ball. He had his hand resting on
his hip. The lead passed through his
wrist and lodged in the pelvis cavity.
The ball cannot be removed and where
1t entered, the wound created is fearful
to look at. He does not suffer much
and is ready to die.
No deaths occurred in any hospital.
In the West Penn A. e. Robert, of
Philadelphia, who is shot through the
groin, is feared to be mortally wounded.
His death is hourly, expected. Five
Others in the West Penn, who ran the
gauntlet" of 5000 men and women and
were clubbed have broken ribs and frac-
tured skulls and contusions which are
likely to cause death. The remainder
OF the men are in good condition.
Calling for Deputies.
Sheriff McCleary was very much wor-
ried. what are you going to do?'
"What can you dor" and various other
questions were propounded to the sher-
iii. In the meantime clerks were busy
sending out notices to citizens, several
hundred in number, calling upon them
to act as posse attending the sheriff in
hcopiuB buo pcdCt db I1OultbLtdu. Op
to 6;30 O'Clock last evening the responses
numbered thirty-six. The sheriff SAID
to a reporter, 81 will 20 up to Home.
stead tomorrow with a posse. What
time the train will leave, cannot now
say, but l will go in the morning some
time and do not anticipate any further
trouble at Homestead.
The exact damage to property at
Homestead has not been calculated The
barges burned were considered worth
from 5000 to $1,000 each. The two
barges with their contents, outside Of
the Winchester rifles and ammunition,
were worth at least $4,000 and possibly
more The Winchesters were the prop.
erty Of the Pinkerton Detective agency.
In all there were 300 men and each man
was provided with a uniform which he
was to have donned upon entering the
works. There were 500 rifles on the
barges, indicating that it was the inten-
ton to have that many men at the
works. The damage to the steel works
will be less than 500.
Chairman Erick's Statement.
In an interview yesterday afternoon
III. q. Frick, chairman of the Carnegie
Steel company, limited, said:
1.-The question at issue is very grave
one. 1t is whether the Carnegie COM
pany or the Amalgamated Association
should have absolute control of our
plant and business at Homestead. We
have decided, after numerous fruitless
conferences with the Amalgamated Of
tcials in the attempt to amicably ad-
just the existing difficulties, to operate
the plant ourselves. l can say with the
greatest emphasis that under no cir
cumstances will we have any further
dealings with the Amalgamated Asso-
citation us an organization. This is
final. The Edgar Thompson works and
our establishment at Duquesne are both
operated by workmen who are not men,
bers of the Amalgamated Association,
with the greatest satisfaction to our
selves and TO the unquestionable ad-
vantage of our employees. At both of
these plants the work in every depart
ment goes on uninterrupted the men
are not harrassed by the interference of
trades union officials, and the best evil
dence that their wages are satisfactory
is shown in the fact that we have never
had a strike there since they began
working under our system of manage
meat.
"What was the basis of differences
existing at present between the Carnegie
men and their men, Mr.. Frickr'
There were three points upon which
we differed. The skilled workmen in
the Amalgamated work under what is
known us n sliding scale. AS the price
of steel advances the earnings of the
men advances, as the prices Of all their
earnings decrease in proportion. While
there is no limit to an advance of earn
ings on the scale, there is a point at
which the decline stops. 1t is known as
the minimum, and the figure heretofore
has been $25 per ton for 4x4 Bessemer
billets. We believe that if earnings
based on the selling price Of steel can
advance without limit the workinen
should be willing to follow the selling
price down to a reasonable minimum,
and so the figure was finally fixed by the
Carnegie company at the rate of $23 in
stead of geo.
Why tho Change Was Asked For.
"The reason for asking this upon our
part, was that the Carnegie company
has spent large sums of money in the
Introduction of new machinery in its
Homestead plant, by means of which
the workmen were enabled TO increase
the daily output, thereby increasing the
amount of their own earnings. We had
originally asked u reduction to seq, bnt
subsequently agreed to compromise at
e23. The AmalgRmated Association was
unwilling to consider reduction below
S24 on steel billets, Notwithstanding the
fact that the improved machinery would
enable their members, even at $23, to
earn more than is paid in other Anal
gamated mills. This was the first point
at issue.
.'Under the present Amalgamated
system the date of the expiration of
sliding scale Is June 80 annually. We
asked that this date be changed to De-
cenber 81 (the same as at the Edgar
Thomson works. for the reason that the
change would permit US to take our esti-
mate upon the wages that we must pay
during the year beginning on January /,
80 that we would be enabled to make
contracts for the year accordingly. This
point the Amalgamated Association re-
fused to eccede and demanded the old
date
1.-THE third proposition was the reduc-
tion in tonnage rates in those DEPART |
ments in the mills where the improve
ments have spoken Of have been made |
and enable the workingmen to increase
tho output and consequently their earn
1ngs. Where no such improvements had |
been made there was no request upon |
our part for a reduosaon in tonnage |
rates. In other words, w asked no re-
duction in any department at which the
output had not been greatly increased |
bp reason of our expensive improve
ments since the scale of 1889 went into
effect.
g Finding that ii was impossible to
arrive at any agreement with the Anal
gamated officials, we decided to close
our works at Homestead Immediately
the town was taken possession Of by the
workmen. This condition of affairs
lasted until Tuesday, when l appealed
tO the sheriff of A Al1aoyl,a,,x-
ing the facts as have outlined them.
The sheriff visited Homestead and talked
with the advisory committee. Its mem
bers asked that they be permitted TO ap-
point men from their own number to act
as deputy shertffs. The sheriff declined