Gilpin observer., 1901-02-21
''Then the workingmen will suffer.
That Is inevitable"

'Then there will be trouble"
"Do you mean that yol VIII incite
the men to violence?"
Good God, Stuart, you know will
not! l shall use my utmost power to
prevent anything of the kind"
"Rut what If it cannot be prevcnted?"
Eric said nothing. His face changed
with torrent of feeling and passion.
'1f it comes to that, let God be Judge
If the owners and not the men are real
ly the ones most to blame. / shall use
all my influence to prevent violence or
lawlessness. The union has right to
combine for such wages as 1t thinks
are just. 1t has no right to prevent
other men from working at any wages
they choose to take. Since Joined the
Salvation Army 1 have become con-
vinced that the only permanent basis
for any true settlement of labor and
capital differences must be n religious
basis-that is, Christian"
Stuart listened with an interest he
felt to be genuine. How did you hap
pen to join the Salvation Army, Eric?'
IT'S long story. III tell ycu some
time, not now"
eve heard part OF it, but I want you
to tell me all of it,
~ can't now. l must sc. I have
hardly had minutes time to myself
since this movement came on. must
be going now. You leave for Clave-
land
"Toaight. / want to be there to-
morrow. l can tell beforehand what
the companies viii say. Is there no
other way out of it"
~ don't see any" replied Eric.
The two men shook hands silently,
and Eric went out.
Stuart went down on the night ex-
press and naxt day at Cleveland was
in conference with the other owners.
The result of the conference was what
he had anticipated. The terms of the
union We're rejected. 1t was decided
by the other owners that force of
men should be at once placed at worl:
with steam shovels on TIE stock piles
so as to move the ore, and in case
there was trouble the troops would be
called out. Stuart refused to take ac-
ton on his own mines. lie would not
yet precipitate matters by getting new
men either for the stock piles or the
mines. He came back home the next
day with the feeling that he was at
present in n condition Of indecision and
waiting. Re could not sympathize
with the strike, he did not believe the
union was wise in refusing to let the
Champion miners go to work. and he
could not help feeling that a great ca
lamity of some kind was impending.
1t was two days after his return that
the event occurred which really shaped
and nodded his whole after life. The
mines were still manned by pump men.
They had not been called out by the
union. for the reason that If once the
water in the mines rose above the diff
ferent levels and flowed in among the
timbers the mines would become ruin
ed. and the loss would be as heavy for
the miners as the owners in case the
strike ended and work was again re-
sumed. From six to eight men remain
ed at each mine. There were an engi-
necr, an assistant engineer. two fire.
men and three or four pump men. ac-
cording to the size and number or
pumps. These We're kept going day
and night. as the water rose very rap
idly If left to flow.
Stuart had gone up to the Davis
mine. one of the newer ventures of his
father and recently developed. Its
greatest depth was 800 feet. 1t had
manhole with ladders and a shaft ut
some distance from it for the skip" or
iron carriage used for hauling ore tn
the surface. There were six men at
this mine in charge at this time.
Stuart had come to the engine house
and WAS talking with the engineer
when Eric came in.
Stuart called him over to the dry
room. where the miners changed their
clothing for miners dress.
Eric. want to go down into the
mine. Won't you go with me? l want
TO see again for myself what the work
is, and besides there is new pump at
the bottom that | want to look at"
Eric consented, and the two soon had
on the miners dress and were going
down the ladders. 1t was getting late in
the afternoon, and they left orders with
'A' Nhs'h thet. Nhth they SaNS tHS
signal from the bottom he might let
down the skip, and they would come
up In that.
For an hour they explored different
levels. Stuart was restless and seemed
Intent on realizing as fully as possible
just how the miners worked. He climb
ed up into difficult places and even
fred Off blast in one chamber. using
one of the powder sticks left by the
men when they came out.
At last he and Eric stood at the bot.
tom of the mine. This was an excava-
tion about IA feet across. and the wa.
ter ran In very much as II II had been
n cistern. BY leaning back against the
ladders the light from 900 feet above
could be seen. Eric was sitting thus