The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-10
A COUNTER MOVE.
Proposed to Replace Trust Plant
With Independent Mill

Pittsburg, Aug. 10.-The strike at the
Riverside plant of the National Tube
works at Benwood, w Va, came ear
ler than was expected At 2 o'clock
this morning the men in the plate mill
where the skelp for the tube works is
rolled finished their turn, dropped their
tools and announced to the manage
ment that they would not be back on
Monday. They were the first men
throughout the country to obey the
general strike order of President Shaf-
fer. The mill had been operated as a
nOn-uniOn plant and had only recently
organized. The Amalgamated leaders
expected that the men would hold an
other meeting and feared that opposi-
tion to the strike would develop. There
were $40 men employed in the plate mill
but only one-half of that number were
engaged on the turn which finished at
2 o'clock this morning 1t Is understood,
however, that the other shift will sup
port the strike and refuse to go to
work when the next turn comes. The
action of the Riverside men greatly
pleases the strike leaders and the
tie up there will be general. No state
ment as to the situation is obtainable
from the steel officials.
1t is believed here now that accurate
figures as to the number of the men
that obey the general strike order win
not be obtainable until tomorrow night.
With the last turn today all mills close
when the next turn is supposed to
come. The true test viii be furnished
by the number of men who fail to put
in an appearance tomorrow night.
Thousands viii avow their intentions at
the close of work today, but there are
points where sentiment is divided ana
men waver and places where the steel
corporation has known strength and an
accurate count can only be made when
the men take their final stand.
kilograms from McKeesport an
nounce that $50 men today began the
dismantling of the big Devices Wood
plant Several cars were backed into
the plant and a number of rolls were
taken down and loaded on them. A
number of strikers said that only one
mill is being removed and the corpora
ton is not serious in the matter. As
counter move to the order of the steel
corporation an independent plant back
ed by local business men Is proposed.
The capital is placed at $4,000 of
which Enterprise lodge of the Amalga-
ma ted association is said to have pledg-
ed $50, 900. John w Painter, J. K. Skel-
", and James S. Kuhn are among those
named as promoters of the rival enter
prise. Jacob Meyers, foreman of the
Demler plant of the American Tin
Plate company has received orders to
fence the works in, and the order is
taken as an indication of a move to re-
open the works with non-union men It
is said that the carpenters union will
refuse to build the fence and that the
officials of the mill have to do the work
themselves.
A telegram from Bellaire, Ohio, says
that the Amalgamated association
claims to have induced $50 of the skill
ed men at the Bellaire works of the
National Steel company to join the as
sociation These men will, it is claim
ed, go out today and the plant can not
he Operated without them
Paymaster George Falkenstein, of
the Devices Wood plant gave out the
following statement today:
I'VE are now engaged in dismantling
the Devices Wood plant. About $50 men
are now engaged in uneoupling and