The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-05-22

| Local coal men, Willie IlOI III dutIlOi
ity to speak definitely on the subject
declare there is no likelihood Of the
operators granting the new demand
formulated by the mine workers ex-
ecutive committees yesterday In
Wilkes-Barre.
The demand, in plain words. Is that
pumpmen. fremen and engineers be
granted an eight hour day without re-
duction Of wages. If the demand is
not acceded to before Monday June g
1902, these men are directed to quit
work.
In commenting on the demand, one
superintendent last night said that as
far as his company was concerned
there was no worry about the possi-
bility of the pumpmen, flremen and
engineers being called out. The COM
pany has anticipated this possibility,
he said and is prepared to meet 1t.
There will be no difficulty, he declared,
in filling the places of the pumpmen
and firemen. With the engineers 1t is
different, but his company he said. had
enough competent men who would an
swer an emergency call to assure a full
force of men for all it's engines. He
expressed some doubt as to the engi-
neers responding to call to quit work.
Most of them, he asserted, are menu
bers Of the union unwillingly, and not
in sympathy with the strike. When it
comes to deserting the company at a
critical time 1t can be relied upon, he
averred, that they will be at least very
reluctant to quit.
WILL NOT GRANT IT.
The speaker stated that the other
companies to the best of his knowledge
and belief were in a position similar
to his own. They will not grant the
demand, and if the pumpmen, firemen
and engineers go out, others will be
put in their places.
Further, he said, if it should come to
pass that the places Of these men could
not be supplied the companies would
proportionately lose no more than the
miner in the long run, II as much.
Water will not destroy coal, he pointed
out. 1t will be there still, for the oper-
ator, just as valuable as it ever was.
The cost of pumping out the mine is
not to be compared with the loss in
wages the men will suffer while wait
ing for the mine to be made ready for
work.
"At all events" he concluded. "you
can say. emphatically that if the oper-
ators knew to a positive certainty that
the mines would be flooded beyond all
possible redemption, the miners new
demand will not be granted"
At present the engineers and pump
men work on two shifts of twelve hours
each. The firemen work in three
shifts of eight hours each with
swing shift on Saturday night and
Sunday.
There was no further disturbance,
yesterday, at the Grassy Island wash
cry in Olyphant. The company, so it is
stated. had no immediate need of its
product, and rather than "rile up the
community" as one official put it, the
washery was allowed to remain idle.
When it becomes necessary to replen-
ish the culm supply. 1t was stated, the
washery will be started up.
TWO SHUT DOWN.
The Delaware, La ckawanna and West
ern company did not operate the Dia-
mond and Bellevue washeries. yester-
day. There was no effort made by the
strikers to close them down. The COM
pany, like all the others, is running it's
washeries solely to supply fuel for it's
boilers, and having secured all the sup
ply it cares to carry shut down the
washeries until the supply needs re-
1t was not so quiet, however, in the
lower end of the valley. Another dis
turbance occurred at the Butler wash
cry, operated by the Erie company at
Smithville last evening. About o'clock
five men who had been laboring at the
quit work and started for their
place at Pittston. An hour or
two previous Il crowd gathered about
the place and numbered from 600 to
800 when the men appeared.
AS they started toward Pittston the
crowd followed. A committee asked
the non-union men IL they intended to
working at the washery and
received a reply in the affirmative. At
his some one in the crowd threw q |
stone and the non-union men drew re-
volvers.
Weapons then appeared in the crowd
and shots We're exchanged in rapid |
The running fight was con-
inued along the road for nearly a mile /
when the non-union men took refuge |
n their boarding house and the crowd |
dispersed.
SHOTS WENT WILD.
Although numerous shots We're fired |
rom both sides 1t is not learned that |
my one was injured by bullets. One
IL two Of the pon-upion man hnmo,,os