The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-09

could have been shipped out of there had
the miners remained at work and 1t would
have very seriously interfered with the
general suspension. 1t is reported that the
operators in this division have advertised
for men to fill the places of the strikers.
If this be true and an attempt made TO
resume with nonunion men X is feared
there will be serious trouble. 1t is not like
~ however that sufficient number of
men can be secured to sta the mines. The
miners on the Wheeling { V sion apparently
have no fears in regard the length of
the strike. A large number of them were
asked how long the strikers could stand It
without suffering from want. one and all
were firm in the belief that all could
scratch along for several weeks all
right. Well" replied a digger to the ques-
ton, "the man who owns the pit I work in
said once when we had some trouble with
him and won out that the miners could live
on weeds in the summer and ! guess we
can. Anyway we are willing TO try 1t for
a right smart spell"
About one-third of the full quota of dig
gers was at work at the Panhandle mines
of NJ. A. Hanna & Co to-day. This is an
increase over yesterday, and is due to the
fact that the firm posted a notice to the
effect that if the men did not return to
work to-day the money due them on their
iron-clad contracts would be retained. The
amount, it is said aggregates $4,000; In the
first pool the men who were under con-
tract also came out. There is no basis on
which TO estimate the amount sacrihced by
the first pool miners, as the firms agreed to
pay per cent. interest on the money held
back
The local mining officials, flushed with
victory are now preparing to make move
against the mines of the New York and
Cleveland Gas Coal Company. They eX-
press confidence in their ability to bring
these men out before the end of the week,
and then the suspension in this district
will be complete. Then the strike extern
sion work will proceed eastward. The mines
shipping to the seaboard VIII be attacked.
Fist will come movement against me
mines of the Westmoreland Gas Coal COM
pany and the Pennsylvania Gas Coal Com
pany, and thence the officials will direct
their attention to the Central pennsylvania
fields. EmissarieS of the United Mine
Workers of America have been in the latter
fields for the past week. They report prog
ress. From hints dropped by the miners
officials it is not improbable that sue
cessful elimination of the strike agitatlon
in the soft coal fields will result in the
assignment Of strike emissaries to the
anthracite region. The output OF that dls-
trict is restricted to stated amount py
agreement entered into between members
of the operators organization. The min
ers officials think this agreement will be
broken and that an effort will be made
in part the need of coal among bltum1nous
consumers They are watching this Phase
of the struggle with great care: ANY IN
timation of Increased output among anthra-
cite mines will result in an immediate strike
agitation in those fields.
Coal operators dispute the claims OF the
miners officials as to the situation on the
Monongahela river. There are propaply
5000 or 1000 idle river miners, SAID one,
but they cannot be called strikers, as the
majority Of them have not had work Ior
several weeks There are now at least To-
O00OCO bushels of coal loaded in the harpor
and in the pools, and it is not likely that
cts before fall Before the last general sus-
pension there was a rise m the river ana
every pound of coal went out. There can
be no coal famine In the home m MARI
with this large supply on hand. Most or
this coal can be loaded in cars II the strike
be prolonged and used for the lake trade