Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-07-16
MAY USE MACHINES.
Threat Of Operators In the Pitts
burgh District.
FEAR OF TROUBLE IF CARRIED OUT.
Prospects of Settlement by Arbitra.
ton Are Brishter-West Virginia
Mines May Shut Down-strife
at Danville, Ill.

uation. Throughout the day every
thing in the district had a peaceful
look, all the mines but two or three
were closed down and both operators
and miners appeared to be resting on
their oars as it were. At night, how
ever, it developed that number of the
operators have been quietly planning
coup which is expected to bring dis
may to the miners. 1t is the intention
to at once equip the mines with ma
chimes and do away with great many
diggers. When the mines are ready to
start miners will be imported and put
to work under heavy guard, and the
premises barricaded after the manner
pursued by the Carnegies during the
great strike of 1892. With the coopera-
ton of the other operators, ]. A. Beid-
Ter, of the Webster Gas Coal company,
located on the Monongahela river, will
take the initiative. The operators claim
this plan becomes necessary because
the West Virginia people are gobbling
all of their contracts. 1t goes without
saying that the diggers will resort to
every possible means to prevent the
carrying out of the proposed scheme.
Fears of Bloodshed.
From present appearances the Sickle
Hollow tragedy of 1894, when seven
striking miners were killed is likely to
be repeated soon. This mine is in ths
Washington Run district and was re-
ported Monday as closed. The man
ayers deny that it has closed for an
hour. They are determined to con-
tinue work and have made preparations
for trouble. It is reported at the
miners headquarters here that 1000
miners in that district are getting
ready to march on the mine and bring
out the 600 men working there. The
attempt is to be made on Friday or
Saturday. This mine is shipping daily
100 cars and is menace to the success
of the strike. A movement is on foot
! among the strikers along the Pan
| handle to march to the Boone and ALL
son mines and compel the miners there
to quit work. If these threats are car
ried out there will probably be repe-
tition of the bloody scenes that char
,acterized the closing days of the strike
i of 1894.
Seek to Settle the Strike.
Pittsburgh, Pa, July 14.-The arbi-
tration commission representing the
+, five states in which miners are now
! striking, will make strong effort to
bring the operators and miners to an
understanding that will result in,arbi-
trating or conciliating their differ
!. ences. The Ohio, Indiana and Pennsyl-
/ yania commissioners were enforced
Tuesday by those from Illinois and
West Virginia. The Illinois members
are Daniel j. Keefe, Edward Ridgelly
/ and Horace B. Calof. 1. v. Barton, labor
statistician, is here to represent West
/ Virginia.
There is bare possibility that the
joint arbitration conference may yet
lead to the termination of the miners
i strike on the basis of the ''true uni
formity" agreement proposed by Pres
ident De Armit, of the New York &
! Cleveland Gas company, last year,
but which failed for the reason that the
/ 81 per cent. of the operators in this
district required by De Armit could not
be secured.
Two sessions Of the arbitration board
were held Tuesday, representatives
| from the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio,
West Virginia, Indiana and Illinois be.
ing present. AT the afternoon session
President Dearmit appeared before the
board and told of the conditions which
exist from his point of view. He re.
cited the history of the miners struggles
! for better conditions. He told of the
great uniformity movement in 1886,
which failed of it's purpose. Mr.. Dear
NIT said that if the operators of the
Pittsburgh district will abolish their
company stores, use uniform screen,
give honest weight, 1000 pounds OF
coal for ton, and pay cash every two
weeks, he will leave it to any commit
tee to settle the price of mining and
pay it, no matter how high, providing
all his competitors pay the same price.
Unless these conditions Gun be brought
about he would not agree to abolish the
contract with his men.
President Dolan and Secretary War
ncr, Of the Mine Workers association,
were before the commission in the
evening and recited their grievances,
They disputed much that Mr.. De Armit
had said and questioned his sincerity
at this time. They claimed that when
80 per cent. of the operators had been
secured for uniformity De Armit
agreed to it, but later he found tech.
meal loophole and awaited himself of
1t to repudiate his original proposition.
Eastern Ohio Mines Closed.
Cincinnati, July IA Times-Star
special from Bellaire, O., says: The
miners in Schick's mines on the Balti-
more & Ohio road were on Tuesday per.
suaded to stop mining and with the
closing of these mines all the mines in
eastern Ohio will be closed.
Strife mt DanviIIe.
| Danville, ILL.,, July 14.-Strife between
the miners commenced in this district
Tuesday night. About 400 or 500 Bel
gian strikers and other foreigners gath.
cred at the Pawnee mine, and when q
cage full of colored miners who had
been at work reached the top of the
shaft they were assaulted with DIFF.
Il ferent kinds of weapons, some using
knives and others slaves. Reed, one Of
the colored miners, secured bar OF
: iron and revolver and defended his
fife. Shots were fred. wounding sew.
eral strikers. This infatuated til,
striking miners and they retaliated b,
an exchange of shots, at the same tim,
retreating to the woods. The strikers
piled ties on the Chicago G. Eastern II
linois tracks, also tried to break
switch and SO wreck the train carry