Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-06-05

Union Claims ThatN early All Fire
men and Pump Men VIII Quit.

Union Claims ThatN early All Fire
men and Pump Men VIII Quit.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, June 3.-The OF
what is looked upon as a most impor-
tant week In the progress of the anthra-
cite coal miners strike, finds the entire
region In an apprehensive mood.
At z o'clock this morning the order or
the United Mineworkers of America
calling out all the stationary engineers,
fremen and pumpmen unless the COM
panies grant them ar eight-hour work
day at present wages, will go into eff
feet and no one can foretel the out
come of the new move. Victory for
either side will be of immense advant-
age. and both parties to the controversy
are striving with all the power at their
&C mmand TO win. If the union succeeds
in shutting down the pumps the mine
properties will suffer damage that may
reach into millions of dollars, and II
the employers should be able to keep
the water of their workings without
the aid OF organized labor IL means
that the power of the union In the an
thracite region has reached its limit,
and that all help in the effort to force
the mine owners
To Grant the Demands
of the great army OF 14T. 900 men must
come from some outside source The
mineworkers say they win preserve the
property of the companies If the engi'
neers, pumpmen and firemen are given
what they ask for and the companies
say they will permit no outsiders to fix
the hours and wages of their men.
Neither side shows the slightest dispo-
sition TO yield, and in the words of n
mining superintendent, sits a fight 10
a finish" There is a fear throughout
the coal belt that the coming week will
witness more or less serious disturb
ances. II is claimed by the union that
nearly all of the pumpmen and firemen
will quit work and that about three
fcurths of the engineers will also refuse
to continue work. This claim was pri-
vately admitted by a company Official
familiar with the situation. While the
plans OF the union W. not been made
public 1t is known that q thorough
system has been mapped out with a
view Of getting out those men who will
refuse to quit to-day. A house-to-house
canvass will be started, which. no
doubt, will have considerable effect.
The methods hat have been adopted
In regard to the non-union men who
will take the strikers places, are not
known.
Practically all the non union men 70
be employed are now In the region. The
companies say that the number of those
who have volunteered to fill strikers
places has been surprisingly large n
That no difficulty has been encountered
In selecting good men. An army of APP
proxtmately 5000 armed coal and iron
policemen. sworn in under a law of the
state, is in the field ready to protect
these men and the mining properties.
a journey through the thickly popu-
lated parts of this CWyoming) district
yesterday found that the idle mine
workers are greatly incensed at the i'm
p~ortation of strangers. At a meeting
of the engineers, iremen and pumpmen
employed in the collieries of the Susque-
hanna Coal company, Alden Coal COM
pany and the two collieries of the Del
aware, Lackawanna & Western COM
pany, held at Nanticoke yesterday, II
was decided by a vote of about 2 to 1
not to strike. About seventy men at
tended the meeting