Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1900-10-17
WAITING FOR ORDERS.
Operators Expect Instructions from
Headquarters in New York.

Scranton, Pa, Oct: 15.-President
Mitchell of the United Minewo rkers will
leave Scranton this afternoon for Halle
ton, but before he does so he may be in
possession of some important news rela-
tive to the strike situation.
Up to / o'clock there was no intimation
from any of the coal companies as to
their action on the resolutions OF the
miners convention Of Saturday. Both
superintendent Of the Delaware, Lacka
wanna & Western and Rose of the Della
ware & Hudson, said they were expect
ing instructions from New York, perhaps
today. Neither would express any opin-
ion as to whether Or not the propositions
would be accepted.
The only feature that the operators
and their superintendent dislike is the
failure Of the miners to incorporate the
powder question in their proposal This
being left undecided will tend to keep
the matter on edge for several days at
least and is regarded as a possible source
Of trouble in the future.
a conference of the individual coal op-
orators and the general mining superin-
tendents Of the coal-carrying roads is in
session this afternoon behind closed
doors. 1t is attended by all the repre-
sentatives Of mining interests of Wyom-
i'm and Lackawanna valleys. One of
the superintendent said the meeting will
continue all the afternoon, but he was
not aware that any definite action would
result. He thought some word would
come to them from New York which
would direct the course to be followed.
Widespread Ruin and Distress.
Hazleton, Pa, Oct. 15.-Want and
striAxe~in the anthracite region. Families
who lived in comfort while the mines
were in operation now feel the pinch OF
privatlOn and the bare necessities of eX-
istenes seem like Injuries; business men
UPON .Whpm prosperity had smiled hav.
thriving: towns have become stagnant,
:stravelers have forsaken them and news
paper correspondents and labor leaders
constitute the: principal element in the
floatii population.
:. The production Of coal constitutes the
sole. industry of this section. There is
no farminga in the neighborhood a5of. the
Follieries:5 land is rocky and barren ;,
TT has been stripped Of timber, and stunt
ed pines. oaks and underbrush+ -straggle
ovsE hill, .aEdsadale- Vast breakersi are
scattered ,-about, each one supporting a.
settlement of miners, with shabby, rec
tangular cottages. Enormous culm
banks Show, how great the underground
work has been. There are miles of sub
terranean passages in mines that have
been in operation for half century aud
.,in which the supply is expected to last
for three centuries to Gomez
). Came to a Sudden:Stop.
When President MitehelFs order for
strike went into effect four weeks ago,
every mine in the Lackawanpa4 and Wye
ming valleys. came to sudden stop and
work wars. suspended in many parts Of
the SchtylkiIl and Lehigh districts, ieav-
ing only the comparatively-s small Panther
creek section in full operation.
Since then the missionary efforts of
organizers of the United Mineworkers
have resulted in the closing of the ma
jerity of the remaining collieries, the
neigh borhoOd, of Tamaqua alone escap-
ing. Strikers who had some little money
on hand for an emergency have-cut their
living expenses down to minimum, buy
ing nothing but food. and little of that.
In..many instances they are able to OBJ
tain some. credit fTonlElocal dealers, but
the bills cannot run very high.
Merchants who had large orders out
standing when the strike begans prompt
ly cancelled them, refusing to- make 5pilf-
chases until the. trouble ended. CONNER
cial travellers, usually the best patrons of