The Topeka state journal., 1900-09-21
SHOOTING BEGUN.
Mine Waterman Shot by an Un-
known AssaiIant.
Mine Operators Issue a Defiant
tatement.~
MINDS ARE MADE UP.
Win Fight 1t Out if 1t Takes All
Winter.
Question is Not Wages But Re-
cOgnitiOn of the Union.
MANY MINERS LEAVE.
Nine to Ten Thousand Join
Strikers Today.
Rioting is Reported at the
Shenandoah Mines.
win Fight 1t Out ifIt Takes All
Winter.
Question is Not Wages But Re-
cOgnitiOn of the Union.
MANY MINERS LEAVE.
Nine to Ten Thousand Join
Strikers Today.
RiOting is Reported at the
Shenandoah Mines.

Shamokin, Pa, Sept. 21.-Evan Davis,
watchman at Hickory Ridge colliery,
was shot probably fatally early this
morning by an unknown person as he
was patrolling the colliery. Before
Davis fell from exhaustion, he fired six
shots at his fleeing assailant, but none
of the bullets apparently took effect.
The colliery is an isolated place and
Davis was compelled to crawl one mile
on his hands and knees to procure aid.
The strike situation is unchanged. Ev-
erything is quiet and the collieries still
remain closed down. The men are en-
couraged by the large number of
Schuylkiu county miners going on
strike this morning
OPERATORS MAKE A STATEMENT.
Wilkesbarre, Sept. 21-The coal oper-
ators issued this statement today: All
the Reading collieries in the SchuylkllI
region are working. The Cameron and
Hickory Ridge collieries of the Penn
sylvania company are working full
handler The Williamstown mines of
the same company are also in operation
The Iehigh collieries in the Mahanoy
region are working full-handed- The
report sent out from Hazleton that the
operators will surrender rather than
lose a big winters trade is misleading
The opera tors have made up their mlnQs
that they viii not recognize the miners
union If a pound of coal is not mined all
winter. The issue is not SO much
question of wages as it is the recogni-
tiOn of the union. The operators OF the
anthracite region can never consent to
have lot of bituminous men run their
business. In the first place the bitumi-
nous men know nothing about the con-
ditions governing the anthracite trade
And in the second place it would mean
ruin for the anthracite interests if the
soft coal men were in a position to DOM
mate the anthracite trade
The exodus of miners from this Sec
tion continues. 1t is estimated that 700
men left the Wyoming Valley yester-
day for the west and the bituminous re-
gions. Two hundred more left this morn
ing The English speaking miners are
going west, while the Slavs, Italians
and Polanders are going back to their
homes in Europe.
Owing to the scarcity of anthracite
many of the locomotives on the Central
railroad of New Jersey are compelled to
use soft coal.
RIOTS AT SHENANDOAH
Allentown, Pa. Sept. 21.-Sheriff John
Toole, of Schuyllxin county, came here
today to attend the fair, but he was in
tercepted by a telegram summoning
him home because of coal mine riots at
Shenandoah He left at HAS a. m. on
a special train made up by the Philadel-
phia & Reading road.
THE READING PLAN.
New York, Sept. 21.-The Tribune
prints the following: The Philadelphia
& Reading Coal company yesterday de-
cided to take a step that will probably
do a great deal to bring the coal strike
10 a speedy termination That was the
determination of the company to raise
the wages of its employees 10 per cent
1t is understood from advices received
from Philadelphia that the advance will
begin Immediately, from this morning,
in fact The effect of it upon the strike
situation will be far reaching and ac-
cording to operators who were seen last
night, it will tend to undermine the
strength of the whole strike movement.
Since 1896 the output of these mines
mas been restricted because of an agree
ment entered into by the operators
whereby the output of anthracite was
divided after the manner of a railroad
pool traffic It is said by those CONVEX
SAINT with the existing situation that the
Reading will not hesitate to break the
agreement In point of fact, the opinion
is expressed that operators whose mines
are closed down are willing that the ar
rangemenS for the time being should be
set aside and are even parties to the
policy of wage increase which has been
decided upon
The motive which induces this atti-
tude. according to report is that the on
orators who are mostly involved in the
strike, are 1mbued with the idea that
the Readings output, supplemented as
~ III OC DJ Qua0IlIleS OF coal
from other mines not yet shut down
Will serve to avert any really marked
coal famine, and that thereby the
knowledge will be impressed upon the
strikers that the anticipated scarcity of
fuel and consequent public suffering
viii fail of realization
In making the 10 per cent advance in
wages. the officials of the Reading do
not take the ground that it is a subnis-
sion to the demands of the workers. The
employees of this company are paid on
what is known as the sliding scale. OF. in
other words, if the mine price Of coal
advances, the earnings of the miners are
increased accordingly.
CONFLICTING STORIES.
Hazelton, Pa. Sept 21-There were no
developments in the strike situation this
morning The whole Hazelton region
was reported extremely quiet
At every colliery in the region strikers
were stationed from dawn until startine-
time to persuade men not to 20 to work
The strikers reported to HEADQUARTERS
that they were successful in inducing a
considerable number Of worlzmen to re-
frain from going into the mines.
Several mine superintendents reportan
increased number Of men at work Pro-
badly the greatest gain made by anv
concern was at the 6. B. Marlxle & co
mines. They reported many additional
men working in their Jeddo and oak