Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-20
LOOKING FOR BLOODSHED.
STRIKING OREMEN IN MINNESOTA
DEFY THE MILITIA.


They Overawe a sherif1,s Posse of 45 Men,
ard Troops Are Called Out-Both Sides
Will Shoot to KiiI-Five Millions In
Danger.
TOWER, MINI, June 19.-The opinion
was general here to-day that it will require
strong measures, and perhaps bloodshed, to
restrain strikers from interfering with men
who will be put to work tomorrow at the
Minnesota Company mines.
They are determined set, the main dis
turbing element being Austrians, many of
whom have served in the army before COM
ing to this country, and who do not fear
anything, from firearms to dynamite. Their
success in compelling the Deputy Sheriffs
to leave the mines yesterday on peril of
their lives has added to their recklessness,
until some of them. if threats count for
anything seem to think they own the earth.
There were about 600 men in the strike
yesterday, according to Deputy Sheriffs,
and by a clever flank movement they COM
pleteiy surrounded the deputies, many OF
whom had never smelled powder. The
Sheriff saw that his men were weakening,
and came to the conclusion that discretion
was the better part of valor.
To-day rumors are current that the
strikers will force the whole mining contin-
gent. TO the extent of l, 500 men, to go out.
These rumors were so alarming that Shorif
Sharvy determined to send for two addi-
tional companies from West Duluth before
attempting to start the mines. Company A,
Third Regiment, Minnesota National Guards,
arrived this morning with a men. They
were quartered with some 40 deputy sheriffs
armed with Springfield rifles. Both officers
and men of the militia company were
anxious to-day to take possession of tie
mines and hold them against the strikers.
The Sheriff and General Manager B. II.
Bacon, of the Minnesota Iron Company. are
determined not to risk probable pitched
battle without more men. All forces are
waiting the arrival of the West Duluth con-
tingent, when the mining machinery will be
started. 1t is the determination to show no
mercy if the strikers make an attack. but to
shoot low and kill, as it is believed that If a
few of them are killed it will bring the rest
to their senses, although yesterday, when
they closed in on the deputy sneriffs, they
shouted: You may kill a dozen or more of
us, but we will paralyze you in the end"
The difficulty arose with a portion of the
surface men who took a holiday contrary to
the rules, and were discharged. There is,
also, some bad feeling over reduction of
10 cents made a month ago on wages of some
of the men working above ground. This
reduction was made because it was very
hard to get men to work below in the mines
on account of better wages being made on
the outside OF the pits.
The mines are rather hard to guard against
q large force of determined men, well
armed with revolyers rifles sticks stones
and knives. The mouths of the shafts are
all on a tableand or eminence. from 100 to
800 feet above.the surrounding country, and
include an area of 100 acres on which are
nearly dozen working shafts, with expen-
sive hoisting machinery which must be pro-
tected. Still more important than this is
the large boiler and machinery OF the COM
pany, which furnishes the motive power to
hoist the ore out of all the shafts. 1t is
very expensive plant, perfect in its kind,
which must have cost nearly 81, ,O0J, 0OO The
strikers could, if so disposed, by putting in
a lew blasts, cause S., 900 worth of loss in
q few minutes.
North OF the mines is a wilderness of
bush into which the attacking party can Sc
cure good shelter, enabling them to ap-
proach the works from all sides. They came
down yesterday on the poor deputies in this
manner like the wolf on the fold, with a
babel of tongues, swearing in several un-
known languages, like enraged animals.