The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-18

AT GAINESVILLE WaShery last night q
number of men were held up on the
Hazelton road while returning from
work and were forced to promise not to
go to the mines today
They kept their promise. Workmen of
the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre Coal com
pany at Audenreid were engaged this
morning in pulling the fires from under
the boilers at those strippings. This in
dicates a suspension of work there.
TROUBLE HAS STARTED.
Shamokin, Pa. Sept. 18.-About 20 per
cent of the men who worked at Mount
Carmel yesterday Joined the strikers
this morning, having cleaned up their
work yesterday, and the strike leaders
| declare that the indications are that all
the mines there will be tied up as tight
as those in the vicinity of Shamozin.
Some of the strikers at Mount Carmel
gathered in the mine operated by the
Reading company and the Union Coal
company and stoned the men who per-
sisted in going to work The operators
are calling on a large force of deputies
and they declare they will protect the
men who choose to work at their mines
Superintendent p. Brennan, of the
Philadelphia and Reading company,
gave out a statement today to the effect
that the Henry Clay and other mines
belonging to this company in the yicin-
ity of Shamokin would not resume work
until the strike had been settled He
said that less men have come to work
than yesterday, and that 1t is useless to
attempt to operate the mines. He left
for Treverton this morning.
OPERATORS CAN'T MOVE CARS.
Scranton, Pa, Sept. 1S.-There is no
break in the ranks of the union miners
in the Lackawanna region and every
colliery and breaker tied up yesterday
when the great strike was begun, is idle
today.
The only places in this industrial val
ley, with its nearly $4,000 mine workers
which are operating today are the Dia-
mond washery, a Delaware Lackawanna
and Western company, employing 20
men and boys, but it is capable of turn
ing out 1000 tons of screened birds eye
coal day; the Oxford washery, an IN
dividual concern employing about 20
hands; the Anthony washery on the
south side, and the Gibbons drift in the
same locality, the former working %
men and boys and the latter about 40.
The Anthony and the Oxford washeries
are supplying local trade only This is
the situation Scarcely 100 men and
boys are at work throughout the entire
valley rs miles long from PittSton to
Forest City, and scarcely an average Of
two miles in width. Even the washerieS
of the big corporations which may un-
dertake to work may only be able to fill
the cars on their tracks for there they
will be left, as the railroad men have
given Fred Dilcher, the member of the
executive board, and President Nichols
the district board, to understand they
will not be hauled down on the branches
to the main lines.
The Columbus washery which provides
culm for the electric light plants, the
steam heating plant will today enter upon
an agreement to operate its works None
of the coal goes to an outside market
they say, and no coal corporations profit
from it.
The Delaware and Hudson company
through its general superintendent, G. c.
Rose, made the announcement that as
long as there is a demand anywhere for
their coal they will find the men and
provide such coal.
1t is possible that such effort will be
made at Carbondale for at all of the
operations of the company in the valley
they have had strike trouble and of diff
ferent degrees during the past few
months and trouble would follow an at
tempt to operate any of these.
NOT A WHEEL MOVED.
Harrisburg. Pa. Sept 1S-The colliery
at Lykens, which was operated by force
of men and boys yesterday was closed
down today and not wheel was moved.
The men went to work as usual this
morning at Williamstown and there are
no prospects of the union miners per-
suading them to quit work. Every effort,
however, is being made by the miners at
Lykens and Wiconisco to induce the
Williamstown men to go out. The effort
to organize a branch of the miners
union at Williamstown has been futile.
NUMBER OF STRIKERS GROWS
Philadelphia, Sept. 1S.-If, as President
Mitchell of the miners union claimed
last night, 10000 of the 141, 900 mine
workers in the anthracite coal fields
this number has been considerably aug
mented today by additions to the strik-
ers' ranks. Reports from the four bis
districts embracing the hard coal region
are to the effect that fewer men are at
work than were working yesterday and
that collieries that were working full
handed or nearly so yesterday are either
badly crippled or shut down today
The weather has grown much colder
since yesterday and this change is greet
ed with joy by the mine workers who
believe it will greatly increase the de-
mand for coal and thus force an early
adjustment of the differences between
them and their employers. Talk of arbi-
tration is so persistent that the hope il
growing that this method of settling the
strike will finally be adopted, although
the mine owners declare they will deal
only with their employees as individuals
and the strike leaders say they will in
sist upon formal recognition of the
union. This difference would appear suf-
ficiently strong to keep employer and
employe apart forever if persisted in.
One little band of miners in the Wyom- |
ing Valley, those of the West End Coal
company at Mocanaqua, numbering a
few hundred men, stand out prominently |
10000 in the Lackawanna and Wyoming |
region Efforts to induce them to join |
the strikers have failed They say they |
have always been treated kindly; they |
have no grievance, and they will there |
fore remain loyal to their employers.
500 JOIN THE STRIKERS.
Hazelton, Sept. 1S.-It is estimated at |
noon today that the number of addition |
al men in this district who joined the /
strikers this morning was about 500.
Most of these recruits belong to mines |
on the north side, where all but three /
or four collieries are operating with |
more or less reduced force
In many mines, superintendent say |
they have more men at work than the
union man will admit Strikers say some |
workers on the north side are not mining I
any coal, but are running the machinery
to give outsiders the impression that the
strike has not affected them. With one |
exception-that of the Eckley collierieS-
reports show that fewer men are work
ing at all the mines on the north side of
Hazelton.
President Mitchell at noon said he had