The record-union., 1897-08-21
The Camps Of Miners Are Slowly
DiSintegrating.
Belief That All VIII Go,Home Within a Few
Days.
Deputies, However, Will be Kept
at the Mines Until They Are no
Longer Necessary-The Strikers
threaten to Enter Suit Against
the Sheriff for Preventing Them
Marching.


PITTSBURG, Aug. 20.-It was re-
ported among the strikers to-day that
SUIT was to be entered against Sheriff
Lowry for obst1ucting the roads i'm
Plum and Patton townships The strik-
erS contend that he exceeded his au-
thority in closing the roads to them.
and that the matter will be tested i'm
the courts
The Sheriff said no change would be
made in his methods for a few DAYS.
The camps of the strikers We're slowly
disintegrating, and he thought in a day
or two all the strikers would have gone
to their homes. AT present he has nine
ty deputies on duty at the three mines.
These will be kept there until heis sat
isfied they are no longer necessary. The
cost of maintaining the deputies up to-
this time amounts to something like
$4,000.
Attorney Kaufman, representing the
New York and Cleveland Company,
says the expense of employing the dep
uties is great, and that the order of the
court viii be enforced rigidIy and at
once. If the campers do not leave, Mr.
De Armitt will petition the court to issue
attachments for contempt. The Sheriff,
however, has said that he will not in
terfere with the campers, but will not
permit the strikers on the highways.
Forty-seven coal companies of the
Pittsburg district have signed the uni
formity agreement. Eleven other big
concerns have agreed to sign, and their
names will be appended to the list as
soon as the directors of the various
companies meet and go through the for
malty of instructing their official heads.
the Presidents, as is prescribed by a
clause of the uniformity agreement.
This morning the striking miners en-
camped at Turtle Creek stole a march
on the Deputy Sheriffs guarding the Oak
Hill mine. While the deputies were
waiting for the detachment of campers
to appear on the roads leading to the
mines, on which they did not come, the
strikers were making a long detour, so
as to approach the mouth of the pit
from tho ether side, and they succeeded
in getting there without being observed.
Their appearance was startling to the
few men who were ready to go to work.
and the deputies were hurriedly sent
for. While they were coming the Strik-
ers told the men that there would be a
concert in their camp tonight, and in
vited them to attend. When the depu-
ties, commanded by Deputy Sheriff Da-
vid Hanna, appeared, a copy of the in
junction was read to John Large, the
leader of the strikers, and he left the
place. Another party of strikers went
to Monroeville, but so far as they could
learn no new men were taken into the
entrances there.
The strikrs express the belief that
one of the mines to be operated by the
mine owners in their effort to break the
strike will be the Plum Creek mine, and
that the miners at work now at Oak
Hill and Sandy Creek will be taken to
Plum Creek and the two mines closed
down. By centralizing their forces the
company would have 61S men, which
would be enough to operate the Plum
Greek in full.
To offset this move the strikers Will
go to camp at Plum Creek. Edward
Mckay, who is in charge of the camp
ers at Turtle Creek, said to-day that
the miners had no fear Of labor being
imported, as it would be too expensive
and would benefit the strikers more than
the operators. The mines now working
would surely close down.
Everything was quiet at Plum Creek
this morning. The strikers followed the
programme outlined by Captain Belling-
ham, and sent men singly and in pairs
to patroI the roads The deputies did
not interfere with them. In spite of the
Injunction, the strikers claim to nave
made thirty converts by going to the
houses of the miners and talking the
strike over in a friendly way.
Secretary Warner was at camp last
night. and notified the miners that any
men evicted from the company's houses
for striking would be provided with
comfortable houses, food and clothing.
COLUMBUS (O), Aug. 20.-The min
ers' officials have adjourned after hav-
ing mapped out statement to the ef-
feet that the time has come for united
action by labor organizations. The call
will make about one and half col
umns. 1t is not ready for delivery.
STATEMENT OF OPERATORS.
PITTSBURG, Aug 20.-The coal
onerators in their meeting tonight,
after waiting in vain for an answer from
President Ratchford to their telegram
asking for conference here to arbitrate
the strike question, issued statement
TO the public shortly after midnight
The operators state that if the miners
leaders will agree to confer, and that,
if no basis can then be agreed upon,
they will submit the dispute to arbitra-
tion.
The operators charge Ratchford with
trying to delay settlement, that ne
NAV bring all the labor organizations of
The country to his aid, and then frighten
politicians into insisting upon settle
ment of the strike without regard to its
merits.
The operators will call upon Ratchford
to arrange at once for conference for
settlement or arbitration. They say they
have exhausted every effort to make
amicable settlement, but that the miners
refuse either to meet in conference or
to arbitrate.
A correspondent of Nature says
1ocf1irad Immunity from the