The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-04
Loughlin, Of the Philadelphia Evening
Bulletin, Is one of the best of them:

Loughlin, Of the Philadelphia Evening
Bulletin, Is one of the best Of them:
One OF the three operators who Axcd the price
| Of powder at $2.T5 a keg Is John Jcrmyn, tic
richest man In Scranton, and probably In the
Lackawanna valley. Mr. Jcrmyn is the only
survivor of the operators who met representa-
tion Of miners after the War Of the Rebellion
and agreed to supply the powder at So a key.
Before the war II cost tho companies s2.15 a
keg in large quantities AMI the miners were will
| Ing to pay the % cents profit for handling
risk and storage. After the war powder and oil
| jumped to 50 kcg and 81 a gallon, and 4
rcadjustmcnt Of prices was necessary. The Del.
| aware and Hudson Canal company was the only
corporation operating mines in the Lackawann,
valley at that timc--ls6T-and John 5crmyn and
Jones, Simpson & Go. were the only individual
operators In telling Of the agreement witt,
the miners Mr. .fcrm.n said:
| "With two miners from each colliery Thomas
Dickson, representing the Delaware and llnd.
scr company; Mr. Simpson. for Jones, Simpson
& Co., and myself the meeting was held in the
Dickson Manufacturing companys ONCE. After
a long debate It was decided TO furnish the men
with powder at onc.iaf what 1t cost US, or ~,
and oil at one.thirh, or 81. Whale oil was
all We could get at that time, and it was very
expensive. The Delaware and Hudson controlled
The output OF the Simpson and Jcrmyn collierics,
| 80 we had to accept the proposition or close
our mines. The loss TO us on powder and oil
was made up by the Delaware and Hudson com.
pany by a lowering Of the charge for carrying
Our coal TO tidewatcr. That agreement held good
for twenty years, although powder dropped in
price constantly until the miners made another
demand for reduction in 1882 and then s9.7j
| was agreed upon for kcg, with rebate OF
| 10 cents for the empty keg."
| When asked what lie thought OF the chance
| for the success Of the miners In the present
struggle, Mr.. ]ermyn said
"Thcy can never win with the market in its
present condition. If they conceive plan
| whereby the mines can be operated all year and
| find market for the coal then they would be
| liable to better their condition. As 1t is for
the number Of days worked they get better
wages than any workn,en employed on day Ia.
bor. The men in my mines have been out since
| April, simply because I enforced rule they
| made themselves They complained that there
was too much docking for tapping, after
| several meetings told them to make their owl,
rules and would see that they were followed.
One Of the rules was that man docked three
| times for the same otfense should be discharged.
| 1t happened that two of the men sent out cars
untero continually Consequently they
| were ordered discharged. The superintendent
did not know who they were because their nun.
bcrs were the inside Of the car. When the
identity OF the miners was learned they turned
| out to be the leaders in the rue.makng busi.
ness. Then the men demanded that they be
| taken back, but said NOT Then they went
out.
"Anotler grievance that the strikers say they
| have is the company store. From my expert.
| ence I honestly believe it is God.send to the
majority OF them. took vote Of my men to
ascertain II they wanted the store continued,
| for I intended abolis,ing it, because it was a
loss to me- Out Of the LOO men in my employ
500 OF them voted for the store, and petitionei
me to keep it open The others did not want
| the store, or did not care whether it was con.
| tnued or not.
| 81 am carrying nearly $4,000 worth of bills
| at that store and never expect to collect one.
| tenth of them. The allegation that the com.
pany store prices are in excess of those OF other
stores is true to this extent We charge for
| the best goods the same as any credit store in
| this city does. Only the best grades are handled
| and they cannot be bought on the credit sys.
| TEN for a penny less than we put them over
| our counters The men are not compelled to
deal with us. Many Of my best men never
bought a cents worth at the store. They saved
difference between cash and credit prices by
purchasing elsewhere.
"ITouse rent is another item in the bill OF
grievances OF the men. As with the store they
| are not forced to rent our houses I have
thrity.seven houses and twenty.six Of them are
| occupied. have not received cent of rent
| for them since April. The occupants have had
| house rent and water free. Until the strike ends
| it is not likely that I'll get any rent. either.
The men l know to be honest can stay there,
but the othcrs--well, don't know what I'll
| do about them"
Mr.. Jermyn took exception to the reports
that have gone out picturing the mine workers
particularly as a poverty stricken, starving and
| improvident set. lie said he knew dozens OF
| mine workers who had snug sums in the banks.
| lie called attention to the fact that in eighteen
banks in Scranton, Carbondale, Pittston and
Wilkes Barre there are Sl5,0OO,Ooo on deposit in
the savings fund accounts. In Scranton alone he
said there were $0,OOoOO0O of this carried,
ST, 900 of it by the First National baMi. the
| third strongest bank in America. Tins bank
carried about $7.0O0,O6O on deposit on ,ooO
| Capitalization. Mr. Jermyn owns onctenth ol
the First National bank stock.
| John Jermyn is IS years old. lie was born in
| London, England, and came to America when lie
was 81 years old. For seventy.fve cents day he
mined coal for the Delaware and Hudson COM
many, when Scranton was called slocum's lEol.
| low He says ne became rich 'by earning a
dollar and saving fifty cents and then buying
| things
| His first real start on the road to opulence
was when he opened the mines OF the Delaware,
| Iackawanna and Western Railroad company on
| contract. He made enough money out OF that
| to buy small collicry at Old Forge, and from
this source made money rapidly. and doubled
his profits by real estate investments. He is re.
puted to be worth s5,0o00OO and $G,oOO.OOO lle
| is the largest individual real estate owner in
| Scranton, among his possessions being the Goa!
Exchange, the Hotel Jermyn, Merchants and Me.
chanics' bank building and score OF Others.