Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-08
WAITING FOR PEACE
Prospects Of the Maryland Coal
Miners.
THEIR FIGHT AGAINST LOWER PAY
Effect of the Presence of the Mi
litia.
V EFT ERAN-LIKE BEARING

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star
FROSTBURG. MD, June Z. 1894.
We'll. was just down the street. and
Virgins told ME he had ordered an extra
supply of cigarettes"
What's that for?"
Great Frank Brown, man, don't you
know that the fifth regiment has been or
dered up here?'
That was conversation overheard here
on Tuesday. and contained something Of a
reflection on the members of Baltimore's
crack military organization.
The soldier boys Of the fourth and fifth,
however. since they have been here, have
shown themselves to be very far from the
funny paper idea OF a cigarette smoker
In the first place. the prompt and large
turnout Of the troops was something to be
exceedingly proud of. Within sixteen hours
of the issue of the order the two regiments
were on the grounds of the trouble. They
were not here with thin ranks, either The
fourth regiment has 5l2 enlisted men and
IS officers here, making $50 In all Com
panles r, u and L have every man on the
rosters In line. and altogether the regiment
turned out 90 per cent of its complete num-
Der. The showing Of the fifth is almost as
good.
To say that the men, from the general in
command down to the body servants are de-
lighted with this showing would be doing
them an injustice. They are fairly bubbllng
over with ii, and are highly interested in
comparisons with the showing of the Penn
sylvania troops during the Homestead riots.
all of which they find largely in their favor.
Since they have been mere the troops have
had an utter contempt for rain and cold. an
intense passion for darkness and an in
difference to the question of whether they
got anything to eat or not, which would
send any normal boarding house keeper
into commissions OF delight.
Il a
weather of almost as inferior quality as II
seems possible for any mandatory to turn
cut. 1t has rained almost continuously, and
has been chill and raw at all times. In this
kind of atmosphere the troops have march
ed each morning at daybreak through the
mud to the mines. often a distance Of three
miles, stood guard for several hours with
out shelter. and then marched back to the
camp, and all this on empty stomachs.
Last night the duty was still further added
to by all-night patrols through the neigh
boring towns. In spite of all hardships the
men are careful, and there is little sickness
among them.
The Scene of the Trouble.
The Maryland mines affected by this
strike are situated in Allegany and Gar
rett counties. and consist of an extended
and rich field. Last year the total output
OF coal was 1927. 1905 tons. while 4o11
men were employed. On these 1900 men
many more are dependent while along the
Chesapeake and Ohio canal, of which this
region is the feeder. there are probably
5000 men directly dependent on the ship
ment of coal for support. The chief min
ing concern of the region is the Consolida-
ton Coal Company, and their mines are
the ones around which the war is now rag
ing. This company employs about 1000
men. Their principal mine. the Eckhart. is
the chief bone of contention just now. This
mine Is a large one. working $50 miners,
and is located about mile and half east
Of Frostburg. This mine has a slope 400
feet.
The second mine Of the company is south
east of Frostburg two and a half miles.
II has a 6.0Oo-foot slope, being the longest
In the region.
Next in Importance Of the Consolidation
mines is the Allegany, two miles northeast
of Frostburg. This mine works about 40
men when in operation. The same COM
pany also has one or two smaller mines
scattered over the region.
There are many other strong companies
in the region. The Bowden Mine Company,
west of this place employs over 800 men, as
the town. Close by Homecoming. nine miles
from Frostblrg there are a number Of big
mines.
In all this big region. which should be
teening with activity. the only mines today
In which coal is being dug are three mines
of the Consolidation Company, the Eek
hart. Hoffman and Allegany and the Union
mine of the Union Company, which is close
by the Allegany shaft 8.
Not Over n Hundred Working.
In all these mines not much over 400 men
are at work, and a thousand soldiers are
deemed necessary to make IL safe for this
hundred to enter the mines. Such a condi-
ton argues a screw loose somewhere The
strike in this region came as a corollary to
the coal strikes all over the country on
their demand for 80 cents a ton for mining
coal. The first men went out in this region
without warning nd
steadily from mine to mine until the Con-
solidation was the only company under OBJ
Grafton, and IL with greatly reduced forces
Reduction I'm Pay Announced.
On the I'D Of last March the operators
Of this region at a meeting with the miners.
held in Cumberland. announced that under
existing circumstances the companies
would not be able to pay over 40 cents a
ton on coal. but that as soon as there
should be an advance the old price of 20
cents should be resumed 1t was thought
at the time that the men had accepted the
reduction and that there would be no trou-
BILE. As May came, however, and the coal
strikes spread from state to state the out
side leaders realized that their plans for a
coal famine would not carry so long as
the output from the Maryland fields con-
tinued, and agitators were sent into this
state to stir up the men to act with the
United Miners Association.
These agitators met with determined re-
slStanCe at urst from the conservative ele-
ment, but the young men were hot for a
strike, and gradually the men began to so
out. The first mine to have its men 60 out
was the Big Vein, situated about two miles
from here.
From the time this mine was closed the
agitation gained renewed force, and meet
ings and demonstrations were Of nightly &C.
currence Gradually mine after mine was
deserted by its men, until the three Consoli-
dalton mines were the only ones running
Every effort to get all the men out of these
mines failed.
This state of affairs grew out of several
causes. The Consolidation miners were of
the older and more conservative kind, the
company was the strongest In the region
and had already, in 50 and 81, met and
defeated two protracted strikes. In these
mines the men felt sure OF steady employ
ment, and dreaded the Consolidation black
list.
Forcing the Workmen to Quit.
The strikers finally saw clearly that It
awaited little to win the whole region IL the
Consolidation mines were left running, and
a movement In force was determined upon
For this reason 400 or 500 strikers on Mon
day and Tuesday marched to the Hoffman