Waterbury Democrat., 1902-10-23
MINERS co TO WORK
Only a Limited Quantity OF
Coal at Present.
MANY MINES IN A BAD CONDITION.

Machinery Rusted and Timbers Rem
dered Unsafe by Long IdIeness.
Some Applicants For Work
Find Places Filled.
WILKESBARRE, Pa, Oct. 3D.
Rapid progress is being made by all
the coal companies in the anthracite
region toward general resumption of
coal mining The suspension officially
ended at Z o'clock this morning, but
the quantity of coal that will be mined
this week viii not be great. 1t is not
believed % per cent of the normal pro-
duction will be reached until some
time next week. There are number
of mines that will not be in condition
for several months, and there are 9TH
ers that viii not be ready for the men
under two or three weeks.
Yesterday was devoted to general
inspection at most of the collieries to
see what was needed in the way of
repairing before the men could cut
COAL Every piece of machinery must
be gone over to see whether it is in ht
condition to be operated before the
fans in most of the mines can be start
ed to drive out the gas and other i'm
purities in the air. In great number
of the coIlieries there will have to be
much timbering done to, prevent
s'squeezes'' The nearly six months
idleness has in many instances rusted
breaker machinery. which will cause
some delay in starting. NOtwithstand-
ing the many drawbacks, however, the
company officials are confident that
there will be plenty of coal for dis
tribution before real cold weather sets
In
Thousands of men of every class
have made application for work.
There were many disappointments,
however, principally among the en-
gineers and pumpmen. These two
classes of mine workers struck on
June for an eight hour day and also
to help the miners win their contest.
Their positions are not so arduous as
those of the miners Nand their laborers,
and the wages paid are comparatively
better. They want their old positions
back, and in many cases they have
failed. 1t is the opinion of the work
ers that the superintendent will find
a way to re-employ all of them. The
unionists say the companies will get
rid of all incompetent men hired dur
ing the suspension.
One of the developments of the day
was the great number of men who
have been employed throughout the
strike who left their places yesterday
and returned to their homes. Hun
dreds We're paid off by the several
coal companies in this valley, and the
same is true Of the other regions.
Among these were clerks, who re-
turned to the offices of the coal COM
panies; men who were employed in
other occupations and were thrown
out of work on account of the strike,
men wholwer strikers, but went back
to work In other parts of the region
where they were not known and will
now return to their own localities and
try to get work in their old places,
and some coal and iron policemen. 1t
is expected that more of these men
will quit work In the course of the
next few days. They are disliked by
the unionists, and it is probable that
the relations between them will not
be improved once they get working
side by side in the mines.
The troops in this region have not
yet received orders to leave for home,
and none is expected now until after
the collieries get well started. There
has been no trouble in this region be-
yond few fights, the result Of pay
day among nonunion men.
Il