The record-union., 1897-07-13
GREAT MINERS STRIKE
Tn THE COAL REGIONS.
CONTINUED from First Page.)


ders.
There are about ten trainloads OF
Pittsb1rg product on the sidings of the
Fort Wayne Railroad between this city
and Alliance, on which tie railroad
company has an eagle eye. 1t was
mined for the lake trade, but held until
there are 100000 to 10,000lO0O BUSH
els on the flats and barges along the
rivers. This might as we'll be in the
mines, as far as satisfying the real
demand IS concerned. It will cost near
" as much to handle it as it did to dig
1t, and if it is put on the market II
will be at a very stiff price. There are
serious doubts, however, of the opera
tors being able to put it on the mar
ket The miners will watch the coal
in the barges, and if an attempt is made
70 load ii for the railroad trade the hand
lers win be induced TO strike. In TINS
the miners expect to be successful.
MAY EXTEND TO OTHER FIELDS.
CHICAGO. July 12.-Colonel w. P.
Rend the millionaire coal operator, has
returned from Pittsburg. where, during
the past week he has been in confer
ence with other coal mine operators
and with the officials of the miners
organization relative to a settlement of
the strike Mr. Rend says there is no
telling right now whether the strike
will last. Whether it viii spread to
other labor he cannot say, for a strike,
like a conflagratiOn, sometimes spreads
to everything within reach, bNt he
hopes for an early and peaceful settle
ment by arbitration.
OF a coal famine Mr. Rend has no i'm
mediate fear. He says that in antici-
patton of the present strike many op-
orators had stored large quantities of
coal, and these operators, from selfish
motives, are not in a particular mood
10 have this strike settled. They hope
to reap a ripe harvest by the advance
in prices.
Mr.. Rend discussed the strike situa-
tion at length and, continuing, said:
THE strike has grown in size from
day to day until now il has assumed
vast proportions. I expect that within
the next ten days it will have reached
the full maturity and it's greatest
strength. Unless speedily settled it
threatens to be one of the most formid-
able conflicts between capital and labor
in the entire industrial history of the
country. The mining regions of seven
coal-producing States are now more or
less involved in this struggle. Fully
125, 900 men have Withdrawn their labor
from the production Of coal and there
is a prospect that next week will wit
ness a still further increase in the size
of this already large army of striking
workmen. 1t is clear that this move
fc ir1lN nd
that there are serious causes calling for
redress that have resulted in this gen.
eral uprising.
The success or failure of the strike
depends very largely upon the success
during the coming week of the plans of
the miners officials. They will strain
every effort to close down the mines Of
the New York and Cleveland Gas Com
pany in the Pittsburg region and at the
same time organize and bring out the
coal diggers in West Virginia. If the
latter continue to work coal will be
produced by them in sufficient quanti-
ties to prolong the strike until the min
ers now idle viii have become weak
ened and exhausted into final defeat
The miners of West Virginia have had
in the past but little affiliation with the
miners in the Northern States.
Besides the coal mined in West Vir-
ginia there are also large amounts of
bituminous being produced in Pennsyl-
vania outside of Pittsburg. While coal
viii be scarce in very many places
there Will be no general famine. at least
not for while longer. Besides the
sources of supply 1 have named, coal
.,fe- l,
Vile section and the new mining dis
tricts of the State and from East Vir-
Ginia.
1T seems to me the best way of all
is to have a conference of all the rep
resentatives of both the operators and
miners at Pittsburg and then by just
concessions on both sides agree upon
terms of peace"
OPERATORS MORE HOPEFUL.
CLEVELAND, July 12-The local
operators took a more hopeful view of
the strike situation this morning. Dan
Hanna, manager of NJ. A. Hannas & Co,
said that as long as the West Virginia
coal was mined there could be no par
ticular stringency, as there is sufficient
coal out of the earth already to last
until winter Small dealers, however
are squirming over their inability to
get coal for retail orders from the big
dealers. The big dealers will not part
with their supply. Not pound of coal
entered the city yesterday.
Positive information has been re-
ceived in this city that the Ohio rail-
roads have decided to refuse to haul
West Virginia coal. These include the
Baltimore & Ohio, the Cleveland, Lo-
rain &c Wheeling, the Wheeling & Lake
and the Cleveland. Canton & South
Erie and the Cleveland, Canton &
Southern
a prominent coal operator said this
morning that unless the miners are rep
resented at the meeting of the boards
of arbitrators tomorrow the whole
thing will be a farce
The miners are not in a position to
ask for arbitration said he. ''They do
not want it. They have more than full
filled their boasts. They have accom-
plished as much, if not more, than they
TO dictate. In my opinion the strike
Will last sixty days at least"
Colonel Myron T. Herrick, receiver of
the Wheeling & Lake Erie. was ap-
preached upon the subject as to
whether the Ohio roads would refuse to
haul coal
I'VE are not refusing to haul it," said
he, and 1 have not heard that there is
This Is the Pa