Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-08-21

There is no material change IN the
local miners situation, excepting that
as each day passes the coal famine be-
comes more strongly felt. The search
ty Of fuel has begun to seriously in
terfere with the local industries and is
compelling some Of them TO shut
down. The fact Of the Riverside Steel
Works closing down for this reason
has already been mentioned in this
paper. Yesterday morning three OF
the plate mills also shut down. This
leaves only one plate mill, the blast
furnace and the tube department
working.
The probability is that before many
days the entire Riverside plant, eX-
cept that portion which can be oper-
ated by gas, will be forced 10 quit.
The Riverside is the largest manufac-
tory between Pittsburg and Cincin-
natl and has been running steadily
for four months and more. The
Wheeling Steel Works, which has
had a two-weeks' run, will also prob
ably have to stop tonight. Yesterday
Rodefer's glass factory at Bellaire,
employing 200 men. were also COM
PEELED TO shut down, the first time for
a wear. because Of the coal famine
The lack Of coal is being much felt
in Bellaire and the inevitable closing
of its industries is commencing. The
Bellaire gas works succeeded in get
ting four car loads of fuel yesterday
from some unknown source, and is
still running. The stove foundry there
is making gas connections and hopes
to be able to continue, but the enam-
cling works, which has been running
ever since it was first started, Will
probably have TO stop before many
days.
All the railroads are busy confisca-
ting coal in their possession and II IL
was not for this reason some OF the
local factories, whose coal shipments
are being appropriated in this man
ner, would be able to continue. This
fact is taken by the miners to be suf-
ficient evidence that the operators
have not all the coal they need to
supply orders and that the end Of the
strike has not yet appeared. The
bringing out Of the miners at Bowers
ton. Ohio. this week has closed every
coaling station on the Pan Handle
between Pittsburg and Newark, and
notices to the effect that no coal can
be obtained at BowerstOn have been
posted all along the road between
these points for the benefit of train
crews. So general is scarcity OF coal
noticed that the commonest slack,
which never would have been used
heretofore, is being utilized. At
SCOTS mines, on he main line of the
Baltimore e. Ohio railroad, there have
been acres of coal slack piled up for
years. and at present there are about
100 men hired at 50 per day to load
this coal.
So far as the Wheeling district is
concerned the situation could not be
better for the strikers. The mines are
all idle and the miners, who have
heretofore kept out of all unions have
been organized. The men at the River
side bank were organized by Secretary
Anderson yesterday. The miners Of
this vicinity are confident in the gen.
eral outcome of the strike and do not
share any Of the apprehension that Is
felt in other quarters They charac-
terize the latest declarations Of the
operators as a grand bluff play and say
that their threats to start the mines
with nOn-union men is only to induce
the strikers to compromise.
The picnic given by the brlcklayers
yesterday for the benefit of the miners
was fairly well attended