New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-06-01
EXPECT STRIKE TO EXTEND
EVEN OPERATORS SAY MAJORITY Or
FIREMEN. ENGINEERS AND PUMP
MEN WILL. GO OUT.
BIT THEY EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO KEEP
MINES DRY-MITCHELL SAYS PEA'H
TALK is IDLE
TsY TELEGRAPH To THE TRIRrSE-


cases zrber. they have not secured eight
hour day at the present wages It is admitted
by the operators that the majority Will strike
al the frenen. 30 per cent Of the pump run
ners and 50 per cent of the engineers-while the
miners claim that all but a few engineers VIII
out.
Tonight it looks on the surface as if the
miners were nearer right than the operators
Meetings have been held in the last few days
in most of the districts and in that time In
only one district has there been any decided
opposition q strike. That was al Scranton,
where some five hundred of the engineers and
pun7pInen have declared themselves opposed to
strike in tins district to-day and in Plymouth
the vote for strike was unanimous. while In
the Hazeton. Shamokin, Mount Carmel ana
Tanaqua districts The opposition is small The
mine workers will probably get 90 per cent of
the present force TO join them President Mitchell
t-night said % per cent, and President Nichols
predicts that before the end of next week all
OF the union will be out.
In the face Of this the operators continue to
say they will have trouble in running the
pumps and preventing damage TO their mines.
as they believe they can get enough non-union
men TO fill the Ulaces of all the strikers. They
say. however. in q semi-ofticiaI statement issued
tonight:
The Scranton engineers and f1remen who are
going TO remain at work evidently more
alive TO the situation than the men in the
other districts who declare they will strike. If
the United Mine Workers are able to prevent the
operators from running their pumps. and the
rnines III with water II means period of deyas-
tation 10 the districts about them from which 1t
viii take a long time to recover. The COM
niunity which this devastation will affect should
see TO it that the mines. which are the founda-
ton of the business interests, are not destroyed
In Scranton they realize that if business is to
keep on the mines must be kept in condition;
so that when work is to be resumed there VIII
be no delay The terrorism Of Mitchellism is
forcing many of the engineers 10 join the
strikers
SETTLEMENT TALK BASELESs.
President Mitchell returned noon to-day,
and spent most of the afternoon in a conference
with the three district presidents hearing re-
ports OF the Harrisburg trip and of che situation
in the various districts. Mitchell says of the
peace conference rumors:
All this peace talk is without foundation and
am surprised that so indefinite rumors would
receive SO much credence. No negotiations are
on for a settlement of the strike. OF course
the National Civic Federation Will do all it can
20 formulate some plan for an agreement. but
that is its work. and it does not signify that the
principals are consenting to any peace proposals
formed by the Federation. While in the West
large number Of btuminous men. and
settled some internal disputes. The plan of
holding national convention of hard and soft
coal miners decide what sympathetic action
the soft coal men should take in the anthracite
strike is matter that is still unsettled.
cannot say what the sentiment of the bitumi-
noas men is The delegates will probably go
10 the convention instructed and the result Of
q vote upon the question will be- of course, as
impossible 10 forecast as it would be to decide
in advance what action might be taken at
average political convention
When Mitchell was asked what the union
would do IN reference TO President Nichols's
statement that the strike order may be with
drawn. he said: 1T Will not be withdrawn. The
meL are expected TO strike" Speaking of the
great loss to property which would be caused
by the mines flooding Mr. Mitchell said:
If it becomes necessary. would be glad to
furnish the operators any pump steam
men they may need to protect their mines if
they wifi pay them present wages the eight
hour basis. The general situation is salts
factory TO ire generally. This is remarkable
strike. There has not been one unpleasant feat
ure- The organization remains perfect. and
there has not been sign of violence Of any
kind. We expect none
NoN-UNIoN MEN SECURED
While the operators refuse to give out the
number it is estimated that five hundred non
union frenen and pumpmen came to different
parts of this region to-day, and that
more will arrive before Monday morning. The
operators know now just about how many men
they may denend on at the various collieries, and
know how many they will require to fill their
places A number Of coal and iron policemen
from the private detective forces and ex-police
men of the large cities arrived in this city this
afternoon and were distributed. They get So
day and expenses
Men who are to take the places Of frenen
and punpn1en reached this valley to-day, and
were quietly taken off at way stations and dis
tributed Some went into the Scranton region,
and about two hundred into the mines about
Hazleton. while $50 were gathered at shamokin
and Mahanoy City. These, the operators be-
lieSe will with the bosses and clerks who
to work at the pumps or before the fires, be
sufficient to keep the pumps going. At mines
where the engineers quit work the operators
have offered some of the pumpmen places as
engineers and kept them in that way
The entire wilkesbarre district force Of the
present workers have voted for strike This
morning 3o4 of the men who the night
shift met here and. after short discussion, de-
cided by q unanimous vote TO strike on Monday.
while the day shift men. who met last night cast
= vote of 134 to 20 for q strike. This afternoon
the same workers OF the Plymouth district,
,1inety-tvro in number. voted unanimously for a
strike and this evening the day shift men OF
the same region voted 81 strong for q strike
The miners believe the Scranton district men
who have made any determined opposition will
vet &C On strike President Nichols this after
noon in speaking OF these men. said:
They die not refuse to go strike This Idea
has gone broadcast. but il is all wrong The
resolution they adopted asked that the strike
order be withdrawn. j am led TO understand
that IL the order is not withdrawn they will obey
The command TO strike In view of all these
things I believe that the strike order viii be
obeyed- While perhaps not ali the men viii go
out the first day. the great majority o. them
wili-of that am confident
The announcement from the companies that
they can. withou; the least bit of difficulty. I'LL
the places of the men is a declaration which
must seriously doubt They say that they have
forernen. mine bosses and the like in their en-
rlov 20 fiji these places but Il is question in
my innd if they viii do il.