The Portland daily press., 1892-07-12

So Far as Known, the Dead Number Four
Have Died when the Car Load of Pow
der Dashed Down the Grade to the
Mill and Fxploded-The Union Men
Captured Two Non-Union Miners.
WALLACE, Idaho, July 1.-THE
strained situation in the Coeur d. Alene
labor troubles eliminated this morning.
The Gem and Frisco mines were guarded
by non-union men behind barricades.
armed with Winchesters. As the CANYON
is narrow where the mines are located,
the men behind the barricades could
sweep the two railroad tracks and the
country with bullets. This morning at
5, a miner from the village of Gem
started for Burke. When opposite the
Frisco mine, he Yves flied upon. He ran
back to Gem where the shot had been.
heard and soon the miners in town gath
cred with arms. They marched in a
body toward the Frisco mill, located di-
rectly in front of the mine. When they
were scarcely within rifle range, volley
from the Frisco mill greeted the miners.
A regular battle ensued. One miner and
one non-union man were killed and six
wounded during the engagement.
The miners then went around the hills
and up the canyon above the mine. They
loaded car with 75o pounds of giant
| . k -srN<A
ard the Frisco mine. " nen tio s oaS *,
directly in front of the mill, an explos-
ion occurred, shattering the mill to splin-
ters. The non-union men showed the
white flag and surrendered. They were
marched to the Miners Union hall and
guarded. No indignities were offered
after the surrender.
While the fight was going on at the
Frisco mill, the guards at the Gem mine
into the town of Gem, riddling the
buildings with bullets. A citizen was
shot through the arm. A union miner
was killed, and attempts to recover the
body met with volleys from the Gem
breastwork, and it was not recovered I'M
til an hour afterward. No more shots
were returned from Gem until the armed
miners from Frisco returned. At a. M.
a truce occurred. The Sheriff, District
Attorney and Deputy United States Mar
shals appeared on the scene. The train
was stopped by the armed guards at the
Gem mine, but the sheriff took the mail
on his shoulders and passed on to Gem.
Peace negotiations were Immediately set !
on foot, and at II o'clock the mine force
surrendered to the union men. So far as
can be learned, in all four were killed
and about 10 wounded, though there
may be bodies under the Frisco mill.
Two of the killed were union miners,
and the other two non-union men.
The Frisco and Gem were the only
non-union places in the east end of Coenr
d. Alene. There is still considerable ex-
citement everywhere but no further
trouble is expected. About 60 men in
the mine surrendered. The cause of the
strike was the demand of the union min
ers of the district for $3.50 day for ev-
cry man working under ground. The
mine owners held that unskilled laborers
should be paid only So. When the min
ers refused to accept the scale the mines
were closed. The owners declared that
expensive freight rates were the cause of
the reduction. A lockout was begun
April 1st by the Mine Owners Associa-
ton and 5000 miners were thrown out of
work. Since then, the mine owners
have been making a struggle to run the
mines with non-union men under guard.
The tension has been great for months.
The example at Homestead and the de-
-dision of the United States Courts at
Boise making a perpetual Injunction
against the miners, brought affairs to
crisis.