The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-12-08
NOT A MAN woRKI>G
Both sides Settle Down for a Long,
Hard Siege.

/ kg
Hard Siege.
| Wardner, Idaho, Nov. 3O.-The Bunk
er Hill and Sullivan mine and concen-
trating mill are now closed The mill
men are not members Of the miners
union, but belong to the knights of
Labor. The latter organization has
voted to sustain the miners union In
its strike and Thursday evening the
mill men, 2S in number, walked out
and the big works were locked up.
Earlier in the day the men employed
| on the tramway quit work after being
waited on by a committee from the
union, and the bucket train stopped
running. This closes up all the works.
as with the mill and tramway closed
there is no use working men in the
mine.
AN ORDERLY THANKSGIVING
The advent of Thanksgiving follow
ing the payment of wages to the strik-
ers resulted in more activity on the
streets, but there was no drunkenness
observable. The saloon men did a fair
business, but it was very light for ma
tional holiday. 1.-THE boys are holding
on to their dollars pretty WE'LL" said one
dispenser of liquors today. "They all
realize that there is a hard winter i'm
front of them and that the money thew
now have may become very valuable
before the winter goes Consequently
they are boarding it, and preparing for
the worst"
One of the features of the present
strike is the almost total absence of
comment. People seem TO have alb
sorbed the idea that public comment
and public gossip are the forerunners
OF trouble and they judiciously refrain
from expressing an opinion as to which
side is right Even the strikers them
selves refrain from making known their
feelings in public places. They discuss
the weather, the prospects of the Last
Chance securing a favorable Judgment
IN the supreme court, or other public
topics; but seldom mention the strike
touples' IL you ask a man a direct
question relative to the strike troubles
ne VIII answer you, but he is pretty GER
tam to look around discreetly and see
whether any one is within earshot be-
rore answering, and then he speaks
only i'm confidence
NON-UNION MINERS LEAVE
No one anticipates any Immediate
union men who have been in the mine
have nearly all vanished They left
Wardner very soon after drawing then.
pay, and nearly all who remain are
arranging to go. Many Of the union
men have also departed for other towns
especially where they have no family
ties here The result is that there are
no antagOnizing elements to infiame the
strikers, which to a great extent sim
pines the situation, The fact that the
mine has been kept open by the man
asement with few men at work is
the only element of danger. But this
IS now ended. The strikers say thew
We're willing that the company should
clean up its slopes and do any necessary
IlInperlng. The announcement of the
company that it will close its mine pre-
vented any immediate action by the
strikers, and if the company keeps ito
promise and does not import men things
are likely to settle down to a hum
drum state.
THE STRIKERS FIRM.
The strikers are firm on one nronos,
ton, however, which is that if the RIM
ker Hill mine opens again it win be
under union principles, and at the same
wages paid the miners in Canyon creek.
we We're willing to work for an in
definite period with merely the recop-
nltlon OF the union and the discharge Of
the non-union men," said a miner "bnt
the company refused to consider our
proposition or concede us any of our
requests, and as long as we had to con-
test the matter we concluded to include
the wage question and place the Run-
ker Hill mine on the same footing with
the Gem, the Frisco, the Tiger. the
Foorman and the other mines in Can
yon creek, which are now working nm
DER the union rules. These mines nav
$3.50 to all underground men, and thar
Is All we ask from the Bunker HILL"
WIN the Bunker Hill and Sullivan
strlke involve any Of the other mines
now at work in the Occur dAIenes?''
There is no possibility of such a thing
me agreement with the other working
mines in the Occur d'Alenes. provides
that any differences arising will he
submitted to arbitration, and I can see
no way in which they could become in
volved in this fight"
A rumor was afioat today that an ad-
vertisement had been inserted in a
michigan paper for rs men to work in
the Bunker Hill and Sullivan, but it is
not believed the men will come. II
they should, however 1t will undoubt-
edly result in trouble.
The cash balance in the treasury today
: SlOs'6OS' Az; gold reserve, SOS, 152, s11, an
Increase since yesterday Of $40, 36s 472.