Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-09-16
CRISIS Is PASSED
AT LEAST THE IMMEDIATE is
THOUGHT TO BE.
YET MINERS VERY UGLY
Mere Troops Are Sent to the Points
of Trouble and Many Threats Are
Heard-Feared Another Great
Strike May Result-Gen. Goblin Is
Angry.

HaZletOn. Pa, Sept. 14.-Irouble
has broken out at Coke Bros. colliery
at Ecklev. Two hundred miners at
Buck Mountain, which is about three
miles from Eckley, went out yesterday
morning and started towards the Eek
ley mine The superintendent of Eek
lev colliery telegraphed to General Co
bin for troops, but later in the day the
request was withdrawn, the superln-
tendent notifying the general that the
striking miners had stopped march
ing. A 4 in the afternoon Goblin re-
ceiyed another telegram stating that
these miners had again assembled;
had marched On the Eckley mines
and forced the miners to quit work. 1t
was stated tEat the miners had been
roughly handled by the strikers. Gen
Goblin ordered the city troops OF Phil
adelphia to go to the scene Of the dis
turbance. A start was made shortly
after midnight or just after daybreak.
Eckley is a small mining village and
lies in the valley. There are a num-
Der of cOlleries there and fears have
been entertained the past fOrty-eight
hours that trouble would break out,
as the men have been acting very ugly.
The situation III the HaZIetOn district
is one Of unrest. Requests have been
pouring in to General Goblin from va
rious mines asking that he send
troops to the places in order TO pre-
vent any possible outbreak. The gen
eral states that he will not
send troops to any point unless
an outbreak does occur .
Operators, however, are apprehensive
of the strike and want to be prepared
for any emergency. Two mine super
intendents in this immediate vicinity
have asked Goblin to place guards
around their houses. This will be
cone. Two actresses, who were play
ing in the theater here, passed a group
of miners on the street and overheard
one Of them remark I've material but
stuff. If [ did I would blow them up
tonight" This information was sent
to Gen. Goblin and as he had already
heard mutterings from other sources,
he decided to send guards to the
houses of the two mine superinten-
dents. The guards were not placed on
duty until after dark.
The Coke colIiery is being watched
with intense anxiety. 1t is known
that 1000 men employed in No. had
made a demand for a ten per cent. in
crease, which was to be submitted tC
the operators yesterday. From 5000
| to 1900 are employed III the colleries
! The first discord between the military
and the strikers occurred yesterday,
and Gen. Goblin is angry about it. Fol
lowing his order against the proposed
funeral demonstration, he arranged
for a conference with the Polish
priests who are looking after the cause
Of the men. He impressed them with
the necessity for preventing any show
OF military character and said that
he would permit no uniformed men
to participate except those represent
ing religious societies. Bands of mu-
sic, side arms, sticks and banners
were also prohibited. The priests
promised all of this would be done and
the commander, on the other hand
agreed to keep all troops away from
the funerals. Later the general
learned that there were men in the
%
ian army and others carrying drawn
sabres. The commander promptly
dispatched a staff officer and a detail
of men to the cemetery, but when they
reached there the services were over
and the miners dispersed. Gen. Goblin
said he would demand an explanation
from the priests Eight bodies lay in
the shops of the undertaken at Hazel
ton, where they were viewed by great
crowd of fully 5000 persons that
damned the streets in the immediate
neighborhood but there was no disor-
der. On the platform in front of the
building ten collins were laid, while
Father Aust and a number of Polish
priests celebrated pontifical high
mass. In the meantime a gang of min
ers was in the cemetery blasting rock
to make space for the large circular
grave, in which all the bodies were in
tered. There were brief services at
the grave and several clergymen made
addesses, urging the miners to main
tain order and remain quietly at their
homes. At headquarters late last
night there was a feeling that the
critical period has been passed with
the burial of the dead miners, only to
meet with condition today that may
even be worse. It is feared that be-
fore the end of the week the whole