The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-04-15
ROCKY FORK MINERS GO ON A
STRIKE.
STOP DANGEROUS PRACTICE
Company obeys Orders Of State Coal
Mine Inspector and Men
#E4a HE -@ 4stt@- III 4A1 IL Wg.E-.5-u t. TX. r0... H.
Refuse to Work.

Red Lodge, April 10.-The 400 Goa,
miners employed by the Rocky Forl
Coal company went out ON q. strike
this morning which gives every prom
Use Of being a long drawnout and stub
bornly fought contest.
A couple of months ago Howard F.
Welch, the state coal mine inspector
was called here by the Miners union
to inquire into some grievances which
the union claimed existed.
The result of the visit of the state
coal mine inspector, it now appears
was disastrous to the men, for he
learned by an inspection of the mine
that the company was in the habit OF
hosting the miners to the surface at
the end Of each shift.
Mr.. WEIGH then stated that this was
a practice which was a most danger.
u one, as a terrible accident was
liable to- occur at any time on the
many trips, which would result in the
most appalling loss Of life. He init.
mated then that he thought that he
would take steps to have the custom
abolished.
A few days ago Manager Shea was
notified by Mr.. WEIGH that the com
pany must desist from the practice
on and after April 10. This notice
was posted at the mines yesterday
afternoon, being dated from the Of
fee of the state coal mine inspector
at Helena, on April 8. It was as fol.
lows:
Dear Sir-After carefully consider
ing the matter I, deem it necessary
for me to ask your company to stop
hosting men on your slope, as is the
present custom. This order will be
effective on and after April 10.
"HOWARD F.. WEIGH"
A meeting of the Miners union was
held last evening and it was decided
that the union would oppose the en-
agreement of this order and when the
whistle blew this morning those OF
the men who appeared for work were
notified by union pickets stationed at
the mines that no one would be allow
ed to go to work. The union claims
that the company car adopt some
other method by which the miners
can be hauled to the surface which
will assure safety from accident n
they refuse to return to work unless
the company provides means for their
transportation from the mine when
they go off shift The slope to the
mine is on a 2%OO-degree pitch and the
half a mile climb to the surface from
the lower workings, they claim, is too
much OF a task after they have finisH
ed their days work.
Speaking of the strike MajIagef
O'Shea said that there was no telling
when the mine would opera
lions. He said that the men were
privileged to 60 on a strike whenever
they saw fit that it was an easy mat
ter for them to cause the mine to shut
down, but that they could not open it
up again. That was a matter entire
aly within the power Of the owners OF
the property and the miners would
discover this fact to their sorrow. The
men employed by the company re-
ceived an average wage rate for the
month of February of nearly $3.50
for eight-hour shifts, working Is days
in that month, averaging their pay to
nearly $50. The larger number of
the miners are Findlanders, who will
find it uphill work to earn this much
at any other vocation.
DOUBLE HARNESS AGAIN.