The herald., 1896-09-08
How He Brought About the '73
Strike
CORNERED THE COAL SUPPLY
And Cleared q Cool Million Of Dollars on
the Deal
The SIso, 200 Worth Of Damage Wrought by
the Rioters Won for Him the Pubifc Sym.
pathy. and So He Won All Around

A little coterie of good fellows gath
cred in the rotunda of one of the hotels
last night exchanging ideas.
1t was not what might be called a
partisan gathering. albeit they were not
all followers of one party. But they
every one and could give or take
hard political knock without whining or
calling one another scoundrels.
The policy of either party had been
fully discussedlandi incidentally both Nc
Kinley and Bryan had come in for some
acid remarks. Some one mentioned the
name of the ruler of the Republican
roost-Mark Hanna.
II will tell you what it is, boys" it was
the grey haired man, who had to all ap-
pearances been doing in the corner with
his hat cooked at an angle of forty-five
degrees over his left eye, that spoke,
what Hanna don't know about some
things amt worth knowing. About
twenty years ago I knew him in Ohio
and for the best of reasons-I had to
know him.
Hanna was at that time treasurer
of what was known as the Rhodes Coal
company, but it included the Warming
ton company, Mountain Coal company,
Willow Bank Slope company, Willow
Bank Shaft company and the Tusca-
rawas Valley company. While in that
| position he displayed greater sickness
than any one ever I came across for
pulling wires and making business man
| ipulations by which some, of course,
lest money while many others gained it.
Yes, you bet," exclaimed the grey
haired man as he reproachfully looked
| around in answer to an interjected in
terrogatory, Mark Hanna didn't get
left; he was a winner every time.
about the sharpest man, though,
that remember" and the old fellow
meditatively crossed his legs, was in
'76 when the big strike was on. 1t lasted
from April until November and was oc-
casioned by reduction in the wages
of the miners from Csc to 6Oc per ton.
About $1,000 men went out and hades
was popping wide open. The riots on
the 26th of April very nearly resulted in
big loss of life, but as it was only
couple of Dagos were killed The
superintendent of course was marked
man and some one took pot shot at
him, while large number of people
were seriously injured. Five of the
shafts were burned by the rioters and
the hoisting works destroyed, and the
damage of that one night was about
$50, 900. In all the damage done amounted
to fully $150,O00. OF course such wanton
destruction gained for the mine owners
the sympathy of very many people, and
you can be sure the strikers didn't bene-
At much by kicking against the powers
that be.
"At first glance, and to the unthink-
ing yaps that go to make up large
part of every community. it seemed as
if the mine owners made clear loss
of $150,O0 Asa matter of fact, they
cleared on that strike nearly mil
lion of dollars. The organization that
Mark Hanna engineered had behind 1t
such men as Selah Chamberlain, Amasa
Stone, the Bradley brothers, all of whom
too, were interested in the Tuscarawas
Valley and Wheeling road, the main
feeder from that section for the Wander
bilt system.
"At Cleveland, Black River, Buffalo
Detroit, Chicago and Montreal the or
ganization had yards, and when the
strike took place every yard was stocked
with coal. There must have been on
hand fully 100000 tons. Before the
strike coal was sold for 81 S5 on the mats;
the freight to Cleveland was 81, and iii
that city it sold for $780, Three days
after the strike was declared the same
cCal sold in Cleveland for $3.50, rise of
81 per ton, close at home. At more
remote points, and as time went on, the
advance was proportionately greater. 1
guess, on that deal, anywhere from 81
to $1.50. at least, was cleared, independ-
ent of the ordinary profit that obtained
before"
The narrator leaned back in his chair
and thoughtfully lit a cigar.
DO you know, boys" he resumed,
and adopting a confidential tone. there's
some people because they can't get
finger in the pie of that kind want to
act dog-in- he-manger. Now call that
enterprise; real good horse sense applied
in a business way. Times were never
too hard for Hanna to pay decent wages
yard bulging with black diamonds
things were different. Circumstances
alter cases every time. A strike was
then just the thing needed to boost
prices, and so the strike came out all
right. In '73. rs and '76 the same game
was worked, and in 1877 l came out
west But the solid cash was not all that
was made by that strike. When the
men caved down the bank the Grove
Company No. 2 and also the Massilon
| Coal company were brought into the
| fold and helped still further to kill
Hanna's competitors and keep prices at
a good, profitable figure.
20, he was a number one Jim Dandy
and no mistake, and if he has his pile
he's made it by plucking instead of
being plucked. and you know there are
only the two classes in the world, any
way"
And the old sinner lay back and slowly
puffed the smoke from his cigar, over
come by fit of silent admiration for
business genius as exemplified in the