Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-07-17
STRIKE LEADERS ENCOURAGED
But Very Few Miners Now ut Work
at Any OF the Pittsburg
District Mines,

the third day of the miners strike
1nds the diggers gaining strength rap.
idly in the Pittsburg district, elating
the officials and men correspondingly.
The net result of the struggle up TO
date, as CLEANED from unbiased as well
as from partisan sources. is about rs
follows: Nineteen thousand men idle;
an almost total suspension Of work in
the mines along the Monongahela riv-
err; suspension practically total on
the Wheeling division of the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad. only about
fifty men working there; all railroad
mines closed down with the exception
of the NJ. a. Hanna d Co. mines along
the Panhandle, the New York and
Cleveland Gas Coal company and a few
individual mines that can have but lit
tie effect on the situation. The Hanna
mines have about one-third of their
usual number of men at work and this
slight increase over Wednesday APP
pears to be about the only advantage
the operators have gained.
The coming out of the men along the
Baltimore and Ohio is "A decided victory
for the miAers. because these men
were working under an ironclad agree
ment and by their loyalty to their
brethren forfeit $1,000 in wages which
the company holds out.
The situation as to the supply of
coal cannot he called serious as yet,
because there are from 12,0 900, 900 to
5000, 900 of bushels of coal in stock at
the various pools along theh river,
which can be placed in this city at
short notice, and If need be "a portion
of it could be shipped to the lakes.
Up to the present time no sign of
lawlessness has developed among the
strikers and no evidence whatever that
there will be. Tomorrow promises to
be a day of decided action on the part
of the miners. 1t is reported that a
meeting has been scheduled between
President Ratchford of the Mine
Workers association. and President
Gompers of the Federation of Labor,
in this city, and the miners officials
hat a systematic movement
will be started TO bring out the dig
gers now at wark for the New York
and Cleveland Gas Coal company.
The meeting between Ratchford and
Gompers will be an important one as
plans for carrying on the strike to ~
innate success are to be discussed.
1t is claimed that one of the princi-
pal topics will be n scheme to raise
funds from which it is proposed to
pay all the miners that are not work,
ing full time, i'm order to induce them
to make the tieup complete. 1t is said
that President Gompers will offer to
raise a fund of $50, 900 per week to as
sist the strikers in their struggle.
The miners officials are likely to
meet with a serious stumbling block
in their efforts to induce the miners
of the New York and Cleveland Gas
Coal company TO join in the movement
Notwithstanding their confident asser.
ton that these men will be out before
Sunday night next. A visit to the
mines today disclosed the fact that q
large number of the men are opposed
to striking at this time, because of
their contract agreement.
Pittsburg, July 9.-The joint scale
conference of the iron and steel manu-
facturers and the Amalgamated Asso-
citation of Iron and Steel Workers,
which have been in session two days,
adjourned indefinitely without reach
ing an agreement. Twenty-Five thou.
sand men are affected.
Ottawa, ILL.,, July "a hundred and
eighty miners at L. Hake's shaft, Rut-
land, struck this morning. This was
accompanied by $50 miners from Ao-
luca, who marched across the country
and met the Rutland miners as they
appeared mt the shaft.
supply short Mt Cleveland.
(1ayalnnd .IulV Qy--Tha Situation
here over the coal strike is becoming
desperate. The railroads are growing
holder, confiscating coal, and those
who depend OF the regular supply are
becoming anxious. Several boats are
delayed owing to a scarcity of fuel.
Several leading fueling companies for
lake traffic have supplies only for q
days, or have suspended business alto
gether. 1t is generally admitted that
coal dealers and operators were very
poorly prepared for a strike. Vessel
men say the strike will cause all except
the largest vessels to tie up. The great
plant of the Cleveland Steel company
closed this morning for lack of fuel.
Concluded Not 10 Work.
Wheeling, w. Va, July 9.-It had
been announced by the Wheeling and
Lake Erie management that its Dillon
vale mine would be started today with
the miners protected by United States
marshals. At the blowing of the
whistles not q man entered the mine.
The men met last night and decided, IL
necessary to be protected by marshals
they would not work.