The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-05
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WAS FRUlTLESS.
The Expected Conferences OF Min-
ers'and Operators OF
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TIE WHEELING MINING DISTRICT
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DID NOT OCCUR YESTERDAY AZ
TERNooN-opERAToRs MET IN
THE. MORNING AND DECLINED
TO CONFER WITH THE MINERS
DELEGATEs-THEY SAY EACH.
OPERATOR WILL TREAT WITH
HIS OWN MEN-soME coNcEs-
sIoNs FROM THE CHICAGO
AGREEMENT DESIRED.
TIE WHEELING MINING DISTRICT

Yesterday afternoon at Trades AS
sembiy hall on Market street, Il large
" attended meeting Of the coal miners
OF the Wheeling district, including rep
rcseptatIyes from the unions at Wheel
Ing. Benwood, Boggs' Run, Gllchrist's,
and Elm Grove. was held for the pur-
pose OF conferring with the operators of
the district, but their meeting vas not
n conference as the operators decided
at the eleventh hour not to take part,
It seems that the appointment OF mi.
ners' delegates to attend u conference.
was made at the suggestion OF Alr. j. p.
Gilchrlst, proprietor OF the Richland
coal works, above the city, who under
took TO cur the presence OF the oper-
ators at a conference to discuss the
Chicago agreement. Mr.. Gilchrlst made
this attempt, but at q meeting held ut
the Mcclure yesterday morning ut 10
o'clock, at which there were present In
addition TO Mr.. GlichrIst, Mr.. Koontz,os
the Boggs' Run mines and q represen-
tative OF the Elm Grove Coal Works,
the two last named voted against Il
1oAlkth tllCt Will w lilillti D. SODbCtlutlS
that 1t was proper for ench operator 10
deal with his own employees, ito attend
to his own affairs" as one OF the oper-
ators put 1t.
In the afternoon. Mr.. Gilchrist car
ried this decision 10 the meeting of,the
miners at Trades Assembly hall, and 10
say that II was badly received Is put
ting the matter mildly. The miners sup
posed that the operators would attend
and that an amicable settlement and
an immediate return to work on the ba-
sis OF the Chicago agreement would fol-
low. The miners expressed themselves
as disappointed at the failure OF the
operators to meet them half way, and
from the spirit that Is displayed since
the effort OF the miners 10 confer It is
doubtful that operators will be able TO
secure the slight concessions from the
Chicago agreement that they are IN.
xlouS TO secure.
The Chicago agreement calls for n
wage scale Of sixty-slx- cents a ton,
eight hours work 4 day. and a screen
area Of seventy-two feet. being six by
twelve feet In size. and with
q one and one-quarter inch
opening. The operators want the
screen area at present in use I'M
changd. It islsixty feet. Hvo by twelve
feet, with an opening one and three
eighths inches, one-eighth of an inch
over that provided for In the agreement.
The operators claim that the smaller
area OF the screen c~ompensateS for the
slightly larger opening.
The miners meeting was not open to
the public, but 1t Is learned that the
feeling Is not In line with the granting
Of any concessions from the Chicago
agreement. The miners adjourned, and
the delegates were instructed TO report
TO their unions the barren results of the
meeting. The men at the Elm Grove
works are now at work, but those of the
Gilchrist and Boggs' Run works are
idle. 1t remains to be seen what result
Will follow from the conferences be-
tween each operator and his employees.
1t Is said the miners will be almost a
unit against concessions.In which event
another meeting in the nenr future Is
likely to be held.