Evening journal., 1897-07-12
Beginning OF the Second Week of
..a4 the Great Strike.
THOUSANDS OF MINERS ARE IDLE.
There Are, However, a Large Number at
Work In the West virginia Fields.
Strong Efforts to BE Made
TO Have Them Join. r-~~


one short week such an area OF general
suspension could be wrought as now
exists In the bitumnous mining Indus
try. Then the mouths of the coal tip
Piles that dot the Monongahela Youghi-
ogheny, Allegheny and Peters Creek
valleys and the valleys of Toms and
Millers run We're open and turning out
thousands and thousands OF tons OF the
best coal that enters into the competi-
tive markets Of the world. Now all Is
changed. The vast caverns are like so
many graveyards On the hillsides
basking i'm the shade, there Is an army
of $4,000 unemployed. who are anxious
ly waiting for more to join the troops
Of idlers. on nearly every railroad
track leading to the mines there stand
empty ears. apparently anxious TO be
loaded that their burdens may be car
ried to the ports along the lakes
The success that has attended the
movement has greatly elated the min
ers, and during the next few days every
effort win be made to bring out the men
/ In the few mines that are still working.
! This win be a difficult task but they
express confidence in their ability to
make the suspension complete before
the week is as hours old.
Operators In No Hurry to Settle.
From the best information obtainable
the Pittsburg operators are Ia no hurry
to have the difficulty adjusted, because
many Of them had stock on railroad
sidings which they held for an advance.
Much Of this was disposed of Saturday
at a good profit. one prominent opera
tor said that II would take another
week to determine the exact state Of the
market. and by that time a general
cleaning up win have taken place. All
Interested will be ready to begin busi-
ness on a new basis and probably at a
higher price.
This whole thing will result in a
compromise" said another prominent
operator. "The operators are In a po-
sition to stand it for some time. and
believe the miners are In about the
same condition. 1t looks as If business
will brighten up, and In that event the
operators will be able to get better
prices, and the condition Of business and
the condition of the miner viii be 81
multaneously improved"
lust now the greatest obstacle In the
way of success of the miner Is the ac-
tivity of the diggers in the West Vir-
ginia fields They are working night
and day and are getting ready 70 sup
ply all the coal that is needed. They
are repeating what they did three years
ago, when a general suspension was
declared. At that time there were 9
: number Of operators in the mountain
state that were on the verge Of bank
ruptcy. The general suspension was de-
clared, and there came a great demand
for coal at prices that insured a bie
} profit The operators rallied around
them a large number of men. whose
friendship and support they have en-.
couraged ever since.
The operators profted by thousands
, and thousands of dollars. When the
season had finished and the strike wa,
! declared a failure, they balanced theii
I books and found things on the prope
: side of their ledgers. They realized tina
. they owed much Of their proat to thei
miners and rewarded them for It. on
- every succeeding payday the faithful
8 miners were paid bonuses In the shapi
| of goldpieces, and naturally the bes
, of feeling prevailed among the en-
ployees.
Organizers 70 Go to West Virginia.
This is the condition of affairs tn
organizers that Will go into the Yves
Virginia district this week Will have 4
' encounter. 1t Is argued by the miner
| kIdl lnGIt dlt IADlN HltAA Jul III AAcl
section than there were three years age
. and they express the greatest conf
a dence in bringing them out If they ca
> get their ears. This failing, the rail
. road organizations will be appealed tC
!, This plan Of campaign has been out
lined by the national officers, and IN
developments of the week will be watch
ed with interest
The miners officials say that the sue
cess Of the movement DEPENDS on IA
action Of the West Virginia miner.
They argue that many men in IN
Pittsburg district who are not affiliate
d with their organization sacrificed thou
); sands Of dollars and Joined it The
Is viii tell the Mountain State diggers q
s, the success in this district and max
every effort TO have them join. Their
d are a number of operators in the Pitts
p burg district who have expressed
/: willingness to pay the price demande,
q But the miners have said nay The
viii insist that a majority Of the opera
C. tors In the district pay the SO cent rat
or none. This is the ultimatum of IN
n national officials from which there
J. no appeal IL is known that some
the miners officials would be glad to !,
s. all the operators paying the 60 cent raj
k. operate their mines. but cannot, OWN
to the decision Of the national official
T. who desire to have all the surplus co,
taken from the market.
Destitution Among Tennessee Miners.
q Chattanooga, July ia special
The Times from Jellico says there
q great destitution among the miners
that region. many Of them having lars
b. families and not knowing where a
next meal is coming from. Some Of n
g. miners have gardens, and they hay
NJ ! -. Na r.