The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-08-01

Two collieres, yesterday, resumed ac-
tive operations in every department,
cutting, loading, hosting and cleaning.
They were the oxford operated by the
Peoples Coal company, and the Cayuga,
operated by the Delaware, Lacka wanna
& Western company.
Crowds of strikers and their SYM
pathizers gathered at each colliery
and made some effort to prevent the
men from going to work, but these ef-
forts were not attended with any dis
order. To prevent possible disorder
Sheriff Schadt was at the Cayuga and
squad Of city police were on hand to
reinforce the coal and iron police at the
Oxford.
Neither company would give out the
exact number of men at work. Super
intendent Crawford of the Peoples COM
pany said the number at the Oxford
was more than 12O, and Superintendent
TObey of the Delaware, Lackawanna &
Western said the Cayuga force number
ed more than half hundred.
Many of the men composing the force
at the Oxford are old employees, but the
greater part of them are men whom
President Crawford personally recruit
ed from the ranks Of the old Simpson
& Watkins employees, in various towns
up an down the valley.
WILL RETURN TO WORK.
Former Oxford employees have told
President Crawford that the oxford
local Is to vote today on the question
of returning to work in body. Some
of them, his informants state, have
declared that whether or not the local
votes to return to work, they will re-
port for duty, Monday. These men say
they are satisfied the miners can not
win, and that 1t is sheer nonsense to
continue the fight longer with nothing
in sight except the loss of good places
with company against which they
never had a grievance.
Not much success was achieved in
getting out coal at the Oxford. Machin-
cry broke down twice causing long de-
lays, and the operations in the breaker
were hampered by the fact that the
"chutes" were so stiff 1t required a big
force of men to feed the ceal to the
new mechanical slate-pickers. with
which the breaker has been supplied
since the strike began. The stiffness Of
to the fact that they were bespattered
with the mineral paint with which the
breaker was recently covered inside and
out, and which proved to be worse than
rust in retarding the sliding of the COAL
1t has such wearing qualities that ef-
forts TO strape it away prove futile,
1t will only be removed by being grad
ually Worn away by the sliding coal.
The miners We're also hampered by
scarcity Of cars. The Delaware,
Lackawanna & Western company,
however came to the Peoples company's
assistance and delivered a large con-
signment of cars at the Oxford last
night. They will be distributed to the
miners this morning and made use Of
until the Peoples company can empty
the hundreds of cars now waiting at
the foot" to be hoisted and their con-
tents sent through the breaker.
MOSTLY MINE WORKERS.
superntedent Crawford takes excep-
tion to the statement of an afternoon
paper that the force at the Oxford was
made up of non-union men. He de-
clares positively that ninety-five per
cent of them are members of the United
Mine Workers, and that today, tomor-
row and next Monday will see large
acquisitions to their numbers.
The men working at the Cayuga, ac-
cording to Superintendent Tobey, are
all Delaware, Lackawanna & Western
employees. Most of them worked at the
Cayuga. The others are from the ad-
jacent Delaware, Lackawanna & Wes-
tern mines in North Scranton. "There
is not an import among Them" de-
clared Mr.. Tobey, land as far as l
know every man of them is a member
of the United Mine Workers"
Only seven of the men who started
for work at the Cayuga We're turned
back by the strikers pickets.' All
seven reported later for work.,
The Cayuga like all the Delaware,
Lackawanna & Western collieries is
supplied with mechanical slate pickers
and it's underground haulage is done in
great measure by electricity.
There is large force of men at the