The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-01-09
THE WOLF AT THE DOOR.
About FIVE Hundred Men Thrown Out
Of Employment.

OF Employment.
On the last day Of 1894 the Bell, Lewis
& Yate =. NJ. Co. shut down the Sprague
and Hamilton mines indefinitely. This
threw about five hundred men out Of
employment, many of whom have been
struggling for some months TO keep the
gaunt wolf of want from their homes, as
their wages have averaged barely
enough to keep soul and body together.
Many miners child in this section has
shivered from the cold because the par
ent could not buy sufficient clothes to
keep them warm. In the midst of this
deplorable and pitiable condition OF af-
fairs the company have shut of the
bread and butter from many families by
closing the two mines above mentioned.
The company claims that they are COM
PEELED to do this because Of lack of or
ders for coal. The men, however, are
Of the opinion that there Is some other
reason for this action on the part OF the
company, and that It'll to strike death
blow, II possible, to the miners organic
alton In this section. II the miners be
right In their views OF the matter, hard
hearted and cruel, indeed, are the men
who compose a company that would
cause so much suffering among women
and children that the company may keep
their employees under their thumb.
On Friday notices were posted in
town that there would be meeting OF
the miners in Centennial hall at 900 A.
M. Saturday and the business men were
invited to attend the meeting and dis
cuss the mining situation with the min
ers. When time for opening the meet
ing arrived the hall was packed. Only
five or six business men attended the
meeting. After the meeting had been
In progress sometime business man
was called upon to give his views OF the
case. The gentleman said he would
like to hear a statement from the COM
pany. A committee was appointed TO
go to the company Office and invite
Messrs. Elliott and Bell to come into
the meeting. The gentlemen did not
attend. Mr.. Elliott told the committee
that the mines were shut down because
the company had no orders, and that
was all there was about It. He also said
that the business men should attend To
their own business and he would attend
TO his. The committee mentioned TO
Mr.. Elliott that the men were under
the impression that the company was
hiring the new Italians and Polanders,
that arrived in Reynoldsville by the
dozens last week, and were putting
them into Big Soldier in preference to
the English speaking men who were
thrown out of work by shutting the
Hamilton and Sprague. Mr.. Elliott de.
MED the report and branded it as lie,
but did acknowledge that the new in.
voice of Italians gathered around the
mine for work, and that two or three
actually slipped in and went to work
without checks.
A Polander who came from Brockport
mines got up and said that word had
been sent to that place that all the Itali
ans and Polanders that wanted worh
could get 1t at Reynoldsville, and tha,
he, for one, had come for work but wher
he found how 1t was here he did not wan
to work here, but that he knew OF clever
italian families that had just moved in
to what is called Snydertown that were
going to work for b., L. & Y. G. M. Co
Other men stated in the meeting tha
they knew for positive fact that Ital
ians had been hired to work In Big Sold
Ter since the first Of the New Year.
The miners Of this place never held ,
meeting before that there was sucl
manifestations Of indignation shown q
was shown at the meeting Saturday.
is the thoughts Of the sufferings OF thei
families and that the company is play
ing them false that exasperates the min
ers. The miners were in session al
most all day Saturday and finally decid
ed that the Big Soldier would suspen
for time to see what could be done, .
there were only about two hundred psel
men working in Big Soldier. Thes
men, although making a paltry sum +
support their families, offered to diwid
their work with the men thrown out G
work until the company's business woul
justify them in working all the mine
again, but this Mr.. Elliott refused t
do. The men are all idle now, even tn
''iron men,"