The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-17
The FIREMEN'S
STRIKE NOW ON
LATEST LABOR STRUGGLE BE
GAN YESTERDAY.
A Large Number of Galleries Closed
Down and More Will Be Shut To-
day, It Is Expected - District
Board of the U. NJ. w. of A.
Orders All Firemen Who Are Mem.
bers of That Organization Not tc
rike-Engineers Decide Not to
Do Any Firing.


Do Any Firing.
The threatened strike of the sta
tionary firemen employed at the var
ious mines throughout this valley be-
came reality yesterday morning,
when the strike order decided upon at
Sundays convention went into effect.
1t will be impossible to tell the ex-
tent of the strike or the strength OF
the firemens organization until today,
because in large number of instances
the men did not quit work until ,
o'clock yesterday afternoon, that be-
ing the time limit decided upon at the
meeting held on Monday night
A fairly large number of mines
throughout the valley were closed
down all day yesterday, however. as
the result of the firemen quitting work
The average number of firemen en-
ployed at a collery is only about eight
four to a shift, yet the refusal to work
on the part of this small number yes
terday threw out of employment as
many as 800 men at some of the mines
The Delaware and Hudson company
was the biggest sufferer by yesterdays
strike, nearly all the firemen employed
by that corporation being members OF
the firemen's organization. Every
mine and colliery operated by the
company, both up and down the val
ley, with very few exceptions, was
closed down by reason of the strike
The big Coalbrook breaker at Car
bondale, which is supplied with Goa
from the six or seven mines and drifts
in the vicinity Of that city was CLOSED
down all day.
ONLY ONE IDLE.
None of the LaCkawanna Collieries ir
or around the city was closed dowr
with the exception of the Cayuga, II
| North Scranton, but several of tha
company's mines down the valley, in
cluding the Bliss. Auchincloss and
| Woodward, were shut down all day
None of the fourteen colieries OF th'
Scranton Coal company and Elk Hi
Coal and Iron company were CLOSED
down. and as far as could be learned
all the Pennsylvania Coal company
mines worked full time. Four of tn,
eight collerics controlled by the Tenn
pie Iron and Coal company were CLOSED
down.
1t would appear that the flremen ar,
not going to have the unanimous ant
| hearty support of the mine workers
organization, as they so confidentl!
expected they would have. About one
half of the mine f1remen in this val
ley are members of the firemen's or
ganization, while the other half ar
members of the United Mine Worker
| of America.
| The firemen who belong to the Mine
| Workers organization are largely en-.
| ployed by the Lackawanna company
| and they were in a quandary yesterday
| morning as to whether they should gC
| out on strike or not. They were fear
| full of going out without the consent o.
the Mine Workers and the dstric
| headquarters of the latter organization
IN this city was besieged yesterdas
| with inquiries from anxious firemer
seeking information touching on thi!
point.
District President Nichols. realizinl
| the importance of the matter, called 8
special meeting of the district execu
tive board TO consider it. This meet
ing was held at district headquarter.
| in the Grand Central annex in the af
| ternoOn. The board, after a brief dis
| cussion, decided to instruct its officer:
to notify all the firemen belonging tC
the Mine Workers organization wht
| asked for information that they SHOULD
remain at work until ordered to strk,
by the officers of their own organiza
tion.
PRESIDENT NICHOLS EXPLAINS
President Nichols, when asked by &
Tribune man last night to explain
| why this action was taken, stated tina
under the rules of the Mine Workers
| organization none of the member.
could quit work unless ordered to do 81
| by their own officers. The firemei
| would have no more right to strik,
without the authority of the distric
officers, he said, than would the dri
vers.
rs there any possibility that tn
district board may authorize n strik
OF the firemen who are members q
the Mine Workers association? Mr
Nichols was asked.
THAT would not be done withou
first consulting our national officers,
he replied. He would not stat
whether or not the advice of Presiden
Mitchell had been asked for on thi
point, but remarked with a smile tina
he was in close touch with that of
fetal.
He refused to say anything in ref
erence to a direct question as to wheth
er the Mine Workers at any collier,
would be ordered out in case tn
places of the striking firemen wer
| filled by non-union men.
1t was claimed at the fremen's head
quarters last night that the effect {
the boards action would be tn
strengthening of the fremen's organ
ization. 1t was stated that fifty me-
members had been received into III