The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-07-27
THE STRIKE
A FAILURE
Miners Have Gone to Work at
Hibernia and Port Dram.
Ending of One of the Most Sense
less Strikes in the History of
Labor = Laborers Became Too
Prosperous.

men are again working. All the de-
puties and specials on duty with the
sheriff at the different mines have
been discharged and now peace and
quiet reigns.
AT the Hihernia mines last Friday
the situation was serious and only
for the prompt action of Sheriff Baker
great damage might have been done
to both mines and machinery. On
Friday some of the men went to work
in the Wharton crusher and this
made the strikers angry. They march
ed down in body, $50 strong, and
drove the men away from the work
Sheriff Baker had been telephoned
for and he arrived on the scene when
the excitement was at its height. Walk
ing into the crowd of strikers he
grabbed the ringleaders and hustled
them away under arrest 1t took nerve
to do it but the sheriff was on hand
with the proper article and the right
quantity. He had to shove his pistol
down one mans throat and the depu-
ties had to draw their guns before
the disturbance could be quelled. But
when once the miners were eowed
they ran as if an army was after them
and sought refuge in the hills. Here
they hid for the next two days.
Three men were arrested and that
ended the trouble
The strikers had threatened to pull
the fires and stop the engines. If this
had been done the damage resulting
would have been impossible to esti-
mate. The mines would have filled
with water and in some cases they
could never have been pumped dry
again. If the Andover mine at Hi
bernia had filed it would have taken
three months to pump it out again.
In fact Mr.. Munson, superintendent
Of the mine is of the opinion that it
might take year to clear his mine of
water.
The situation at the Wharton mine
was nearly as bad. However, it is not
as deep, and so it could have been
cleared more easily.
A Chronicle reporter was on the
scene of the riots from Friday until
Monday and while there talked with.
many of the strikers. Very few of
them seemed to understand what they
were out for. They knew their wages
had been cut but did not know for
what reason.
The reporter also talked with
managers and superlntendents. A few
of the interviews are given here:
Edward Kelley, manager of the,
Wharton mines and furnaces said,
speaking of the situation : This is one
of the most senseless strikes in the
history of mines and mining. The
situation is simply this: the miners
have been raised about sixty
cents a day since last October and
now that we have found it necessary
to cut their wages from ten to twenty
five cents a day they have become
left the scale the same as it was nine
months ago we probably never would
have had any trouble.
"We raised them last October
because the price of iron was up and
kept going up and I'VE thought it a
good plan to let the miners share in
the general prosperity But they did
not appreciate it.
"Our first raise was about twenty
five cents day all around. To some
it was more and to others less. That
lasted until about March l this year.
Then we made another raise of about
fifteen cents all around. Later we
raised again about ten cents day.
The miners were on the top notch of
prosperity and they could not stand it.
s'Then iron took drop. The best
quality of pig iron had been selling for
$9S ton and it suddenly went down
to $16. Pig iron which we had sold
at 500 ton we were glad to sell at
$14. In consequence of the drop we
had to reduce the wages of the
miners. We put the price back to
where it as on March l. Men who at
that time were receiving SIG day
were again given that amount, and
so on down the scale. In some cases
the reduction was twenty-five cents a
day and in others only ten cents. But
the miners did not like the cut. They
did not understand the drop in iron,
apparently, and SO did not understand
why they had been reduced.
'But I think the miners will soon
see the futility Of their strike and go
to work.
Augustus Munson, superintendent of
the Wharton mine at Hibernia, said
lone great trouble with the miners
here is that they have nc head.
There is no organization among them,
no one to tell them what to do and
what not to do. When the cut was
made they simply said, one to the