Evening star., 1900-09-18
Fewer Men at Work Today in the
Anthracite Region.
FIRST INDICATIONS OF TROUBLE
Hungarian Women Armed With
Clubs March to a Mine.
WORKS UND Z r G. U A r d

PHILADELPHIA, September 1S-If. as
President Mitchell of the United Mine
Workers claimed last night, 112,oOO of the
1f1.D0 mine workers in the Pennsylvania
anthracite coal fields were idle yesterday,
it is certain that this number has been con-
siderably augmented today by additions to
the strikers ranks. Reports from the four
big districts embracing the hard coal re-
gion are to the effect that fewer men are
at work today than were working yeSter-
day, and that cOllieries that worked full
handed or nearly SO yesterday are either
badly crippled shut down today.
The weather has grown much colder since
yesterday. and this change is greeted with
JOY by the mine workers, who believe it
will greatly increase the demand for coal
and thus force early adjustment of the
differences between them and their en-
ployers.
Talk of arbitration is so persistent that
the hope is growing that this method of
settling the strike will finally be adopted,
although the mine owners declare that
they Will deal only with their employees as
individuals, and the strike leaders say they
will insist upon formal recognition of the
union. This difference would appear sufii-
ciently strong to keep employer and EN-
piOye apart forever if persisted in.
One little band of miners in the Wyoming
valley, those of the West End Coal Com
pany at Mocanaqua. numbering few hum
dred men, stand out prominently the
only men al work out of nearly 10000 in
the Lackawanna and Wyoming region. Eff
forts TO induce them TO Join the strikers
have failed. They say they have always
been treated kindly, they have griev-
ance and they will, therefore remain loyal
to their employers.
Most of the Men Mt Work.
General Manager Henderson of the Phil
adelpha and Reading Coal and Iron Com
pany In a statement to the Associated
Press today, said:
'Thirty-six of the thirty-nine collieries
operated by this company are in operation
today two additional ones being shut down
this morning. These are the Henry Clay
working short-handed yesterday. AS with
the Burnside colliery, which closed yester-
day, number of men reported for work,
but not sufficient TO start up. A number of
the remaining collferies are working short
handed. The average daily output of our
colllerleS yesterday was a little over 100
cars less than usual. This condition can be
attributed to the closing of the Burnside
colliery and the extent to which the re-
manning collieries are running short
handed
Pennsylvania COmpany's Mines
George III. Ross, secretary of the collieries
operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company. in a statement to the Associated
Press today, said:
THE situation today in our collieries is
about the same yesterday, except the
Lykens. Luke Fidler and Cameron collier
les were unable to be operated because suf-
ficient men did not report for duty Yester-
day the only collieries idle were those at
Nanticoke and Glen Lyon. Today the Will
Jamestown colliery is running full. Luke
F1dler and Cameron would be in operation
TO-DAY Were 1t not for the fact that the men
are kept. through intimidation, from work
About 1850 are employed at these collieries,
and large number were ready and willing
TO begin work, when the intimidation I
speak of occurred. The withdrawal of the
men at Nanticoke and Glen Lyon yesterday
can be explained. Last year they were on
strike for five months, having practically
union Is now making. They returned to
work at the expiration of this time after
the company had made some slight conces-
siuns IN the nature of allowance for work
IN the breasts, where the difficulty in min
ing the coal was greater than had been
calculated. They have been satisfied since
until about six weeks ago, when the labor
agitators appeared and urged them to
strike"
Mr.. Ross, when asked as to the possibility
of the company increasing the price of its
coal. said
THE question of an increase has not
been considered by the manapemeut