The true northerner., 1900-10-26
STRIKE SITUATION
Belief that it Nay Come to an Enc
This Week.
BITUMINOUS COAL. WELL LInEl
AS Soon as the Operators Post Sup
Elemental Notces-A Collision al
WiIkesbarre Between Strikers and
Men Going to Work.

men GONG 10 work.
Wilkesbarre. Pa, Oct. 21.-The gen.
eral belief here is that the coming
week will see the wind up of the
strike. The strikers do not admit this
openly but it is the feeling that the
lockout cannot be continued much
longer. Both sides are expected to
make concessions.
The operators say they have none to
make but under certain pressure they
are expected to make them neverthe.
less. The politicians have had theii
say in negotiations looking toward a
settlement and now the sales agents
of the big coal companies and the re.
tail dealers in the big cities are taking
a hand. They are writing and tele.
graphing every day TO the coal com.
panies that unless something is done
very soon TO bring the strike to an end
and an effort made to get some hard
coal on the market at reasonable fig.
ures. the anthracite trade will be de.
moraliZed for years to come and some
OF ii will be lost forever.
One sales agent writes:
"One of my largest customers tells
me that consumers are getting to like
bituminous coal and that they think
they will keep on using it"
HaZelton. Pa. Oct. 23.-President
Mitchell in an interview Monday night
practically admitted that the anthra.
cite coal miners strike would end as
soon as all the operators posted a no
tice guaranteeing the payment of a 10
per cent advance in wages until April
1st President Mitchell said
"The prospect Of an early settlement
of the coal strike is becoming bright
er. Some of the operators who have
not yet posted notices signifying their
willingness to fall in line either with
the Reading company or with the prop.
osition made by the Lehigh Valley Co
in the Hazelton region. If all of them
notify their employees by posting no
tices or otherwise that an advance Of
10 per cent will be paid each mine EN-
ploye and guarantee its continuance
until April 1st. together with the abo
lition of the sliding scale, believe
that the terms would be accepted by
the mine workers. The reduction in
powder from $2.75 to $3.50 has con
fused the minds of the miners, but
some of the operators have so fully
explained how contract miners could
receive the full advance Of 10 per cent
as well as all other employees that
believe that this obstacle can be over
come"
Discomfort Growing.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, Oct 23.-Discon
tent among the striking miners of the
Wyoming valley is growing and unless
the strike is settled soon they will be
hard to control. A majority of the men
are willing and anxious TO go to work
and if President Mitchell should can
the strike off tomorrow even with the
powder question unsettled he would
receive more credit from his followers
than TO allow the contest to drag on
with the chance of losing in the end
The strikers say they are well organ.
lied now and they can afford to wait
while before demanding other conces
sions. But in the opinion of many a
prolongation of the strike will mean
only a repetition of history. They say
the companies will starve the men OFT
the same as they have in other strikes
and then when they do return to work
it would probably be at old wages and
no union back of them.
A Collision.
The discomfort of the strikers was
shown at the works of the Lehigh ani
Wilkesbarre Coal company in the east.
ern part of the city Monday morning
A gang of men were going to work to
screen coal on the bank of the Empire
mine when they were set upon by a
mob of men, women and boys. John j.
O'Hara, foreman of the gang, was
knocked down with a stone and his
nose fractured Several other work
men were slightly injured. During the
melee several shots were fired. One
bullet grazed the ear of coal and iron
policeman Mccall. The mob destroy
ed all the tools Of the workmen. The
disturbance took place within the city
limits and a detachment of police were
sent to the scene. When they arrived
they found a large crowd of women
and boys, but very few men. The To-
cal officers of the United Mine Work
ers say none of their men were en-
gagged in the fight.
The police found an effigy of O'Hara
hanging to a telegraph pole. There
was a placard on il which read