The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-07-15
C9ur d. A1ene Miners Follow
the Example Of Homestead
Workmen.
Battle Between Union and Non.
Union Men with Fatal
Results.
A Number on Both Sides Killed
and Injured and a Mill
Destroyed.

WALLACE, Ida, July 12.--The strug-
gle between the union miners in Coeur
d. Alene and the mine owners, which
was patched up about two months ago,
has broken out again in the town of
Gem, and resulted in savage fight be-
tween union and non-union men at the
Frisco and Gem mines, in which six
men were killed, seven wounded, sew
enty non-union men taken prisoners and
the Frisco mill blown up. The fight
lasted several hours. The governor has
ordered out the militia The names Of
only three of the killed have been
learned SO far, all being union men.
They are Gus Carlson, Harry Cummings
and George Pettibone. The other men
killed were guards at the mine.
After the mill was blown up the nom
union men hung out flag of truce and
hostilities then ceased and the seventy
men surrendered. The men are now
under guard at the miners union head
quarters at Gem. The union men have
resolved to drive every non-union man
out of the district. The women and
children have been removed to places of
safety. Both the Gem and Frisco min
ers were guarded by men behind barri-
cades armed with Winchesters, and as
the canon is narrow where the miners
are located the men behind the barri-
cades could sweep the two railroad
tracks and country road with their bull
lets. The Gem mine barricade is with.
in 800 feet of the center of the town Of
Gem.
How the Trouble Started.
At a. m. miner from Gem started
for Burke and when opposite the Frisco
mine was fired upon He ran back
several hundred yards to Gem, where
the shot had been heard, and soon the
miners in the town gathered with arms.
They marched in body toward the
Frisco mill, located directly in front of
the mine. When scarcely within rife
range volley from the Frisco mill
greeted the miners and lead whistled
all about them. They scattered and a
regular battle ensued. One miner and
one non-union man were killed and
six wounded during the engage
ment The miners in the meantime
went around the hills up the canon above
the mines, loaded a car with $50 pounds
of giant powder and sent the Car down
the track toward the Frisco mine. Di-
rectly in front of the mill an explosion
occurred, SCATTERING the mill to splinters,
making it complete wreck and caus-
ing a loss of 100000. 1t is reported
that twenty men were killed by the
explosion. The non-union men then
showed the white flag and surrendered.
They were marched down to the Miners
Union hall and guarded, no indignities
being offered them after their surrender.
While the fight was going on at Frisco
the Gem guards suddenly began firing
volley after volley into the town, rid
ding the buildings. John Ward, a citi-
zen. was shot through the arm, and Gus
Carlson, union miner, was shot and
fell. At Gem several hundred men were
huddled in the streets with rifles and re-
volvers. At noon the Gem mine forces
surrendered to the union men.
History of the Strike.
The Frisco and Gem were the only
two union mines in the east end of Coeur
d. Alene. The strike in Ceur d Alene
began about nine months ago. The fight
was between the Mine Owners associa-
ton, organized to resist the Miners
union demand Twelve mines, including
all the leading ones, are included
in the former organization and money
has been freely contributed to carry on
the fight. The former rates of wages
were $3.50 per day to miners and shovel
ers and the strike of the miners grew
ont of reduction in the shovelers wages
to So per day. About two months ago
matters were Strengthened out and work
went on as usual, but since the Carnegie
troubles began the old question of wages
has been revived by the men and re-
suited in today's bloodshed. A special
telegram says the union men in the
Poorman and Tiger mines quit work and
captured all the non-union men working
in the union mine near Burke.