Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-05-21
LET THE NINE BURN
Desperate Decision Of Striking
illinois Miners.
A SPRING VALLEY DRIFT ON FIRE,

The Men Standing Out for a Time Against
AIlowin: Anybody to Work Against the
Flames-A Grudging Conscut at Inst OBJ
Check the Blaze. q Force the Superin-
tendeut Says Is Not Nearly Adequate.
SPRING VALLEY, Ills, May 2l.-The
spectacle of strikers refusing to permit
men to put out fire raging in the
works were many are to make living,
knowing that such action means the
destruction of their only means of support
in this vicinity, has been the sensation
here for twety-four hours. And that, too,
in spite of the appeals of the
mine owners and the leader of
the strikers himself They have
relented for time, but no one
knows for how long. The fire is raging
in mine No of the Spring Valley COM
pany, and as soon as the fact was known
the company asked the miners to allow
men to 60 to work extinguishing the
flames. A meeting was called and by a
close vote it was voted TO not allow man
down the shaft The meeting was about
to adjourn when Vice President James
w. Murray, o. the state Miners organi-
zation, arrived from the Cleveland con-
ference. /.
Murray's Appeal Was or No Avail.
Murray's home is in this city and his
influence with the men is great AS soon
as he learned Of the situation and how the
men voted he addressed them and advised
Reconsideration of the vote. He said
that by taking such action it was putting
club in the operators hands by which
their cause would be defeated. He said
the miners should go TO work and put out
the fire, and that if they allowed the
flames to get much headway It would be a
yeah before they could be worked, with a
possibility of utter destruction. When
Murray finished the miners adjourned,
without reconsider.nS The vote, and the
French anarchists set up shout OF Let
them burn, Tear them down." etc, and
left the meeting in II rush.
5Iaicnntcnts Have n BAD Record.
The miners are largely foreigners and
this element would listen TO no reason,
though the English speaking workmen
were III favor of putting ont the fire. They
Were in the minority. however and could
do nothing. They kept up their appeals
with creditable persistence and at last the
foreigners gave IN TO n limited extent but
| not until Superintendent Stone repeatedly
| appealed To them. The probability that
the company would demand protection of
the state for men who would fight the fire
also hgd so;rething TO do with the change
of front. Tine '.unreaaonabl. .s" are all an
| arc!ists ard several hundred of them
gathered ON the hillside looking down
| apon the doomed niiae fox the purpose OF
not allowing n man "a go down TO ext;n-
| guish the flames. L;ist : pte II Der they
carried the red flag in parade upon the
| streets on Lrbor Day and trailed the
United States aag in the dust
| Superintendent stone Makes N, Appcal.
They were hootng and yelling near the
shaft when Superintendent stone came
upon the scene. lie mt once saw how ex.
| c:ted these foreigners We're and spoke tc
the men, coursclug peace He appealed
| 20 their better natures, and after he had
| finished the men cooled down Little and
said they would allow fifteen men to &C
down and work. The fire has got consid
cradle headway and if it reaches the face
of the coal much damage VIII be done
superintendent stone said the force tina,
| was allowed to work is not sufficiently
large. and that if the anarchists would
| not allow any more to 90 down they
| would seek elsewhere for men, let it cos,
| what it NAV