Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-17
READY TO MINE COAL
Anthracite Collieries Which
Can Start Up.
ENCOURAGING OUTLOOK
FAMINE CAN BE BROKEN IN FEW
DAYS
Full Output Can Be Realized in Five
Weeks-What the Strikers
Ask.
special From a STAFF Correspondent.

coal strike having been satisfied by the Sc
curing of fair play for the miners, the ques-
ton now arises, when can we get coal?"
A qualified answer to this question is OBJ
tanable at the headquarters of the coal
companies in this city, Assuming that the
men return to work next Wednesday or
Thursday, it is said that % per cent of the
normal output will be reached within two
weeks, 30 per cent within three weeks and
the mines running to their full capacity
within five weeks. In the meantime the
public will benefit by rapid falling of the
price of the meager stocks of coal now on
hand and which have been held on specu-
Iation. The owners of these stocks will
hasten to unload, it is said, and material
decrease in price may be expected within
four or five days.
The outlook is not absolutely rosy in the
anthracite region. There is one ugly Ques-
tion still to be settled. 1t is capable Of
making serious trouble, although efforts will
be made to obviate difficulty. This ques-
tion is. what is the status of non-union men
who have taken the places of strikers at the
mines and washeries which have continued
in operation The operators claim that
there are 1900 of these men. They are
not miners. but laborers, engineers, firemen
and outside men. Whatever is the number,
II represents the displacement of so many
union men, who will want their old jobs
when work is resumed.
Officers Realize This Danger.
The military commanders realize the dan
ger from this source and are already max
ing disposition of troops in the regions
where the greatest friction has existed be-
tween the union and non-union men, in an
ticipation of trouble
President Mitchell understands the dan
ger also, and will be constantly alive to the
situation, endeavorng to prevent a clash
The union miners, however are very in
sistent upon the point that their men shall
be given their places. The situation is in
teresting to the public mainly from the
fact that it may prevent speedy resumption
of work in some collieries, and at a time
like this every ton of coal which is held
back means something.
Mr. Mitchell has his hands full arranging
for Mondays convention. He will have to
resist a small but noisy faction, who would
make trouble If they could, but he has
handled every phase of this fight with skill
and tact, and his friends confident that
he will bend the convention of 800 delegates,
not to his will, but in the direction of COM
mon sense and conservatism.
l cannot refrain at this time from calling
attention to the course of Mr. Mitchell
is a young man. thirty-three years old.
who. few years ago, was digging coal in
the bituminous mines of Illinois. During the
past five months he has conducted a con-
test with the presidents OF five great rail-
ways, men supposed to possess the highest
qualities of business acumen, and certainly
possessing the benefit Of education and wide
experience with the world
Utterances Are Conservative.
At that time Mr. MitcheIl's utterances,
IT must be admitted, have been marked
by convervatism, free from demagoguery,
fEee from rant and villifcation, although
the two latter specifications cannot be ap-
piled to his opponents Mr.. Mitchell has
been competent to deal with the President
of the United States without disadvantage
to the interests he represents. has been
able to withstand the pleading of the execu-
tive that he should surrender under fire;
was called upon to point out to the Presi-
dent that the offer which the operators
tended a gold brick and to induce
the President to pass back the gold brick
and swap 1t for the genuine article.
Some confidence therefore may be felt
In man whose course within the past
five months has proved his ability. The
danger TO the public lies more In repetition
of the arrogance and stubbornness of the
operators than In the unreasonableness OF
Mr.. Mitchell.
ties are obtainable here of the outlook in
the particular region. II the men return
TO work in full number, the collierIes in
the upper districts will make a showing
about follows:
Philadelphia and Reading-Thirty-e
collieries; nine are now working; twenty
could resume within week, but eight
or nine would require four to five months
10 clear out the water that is gathered.
Five six of these may be shut down
altogether and the working force concen-
trn- tod hn hattA 1T,
mines The company expects within three
weeks after work starts to be producing
its normal output.
Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company
Nine collieries: two are working; six can
be started in two three days. and enc
Is rather badly damaged.
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
twenty-five collieries, eleven are now work
ing and the remaining eleven are in such
good shape that all can be started within
week.
Delaware and Hudson-Thirty collieries.
FIVE are now working. sixteen can be started
within a week and nine in from two weeks
TO ore month.
New York. Ontario and Western-Four-
teen collieries, six working now, and all
can be started within a week.
Erie Coal Company-Twenty collieries
three are now working. fourteen can start
within week and three within month
Temple Coal and Iron Company-Eight
collieries, two are now working and the
othe- six can be started within a week.
Condition of Lehigh Mines.
The Leigh Valley Coal Company had
twenty mines that were active before the
strike and some others that were inactive.
That company has now enough collieres
working at their full capacity and three
washeries. Men can be put to work in
nearly every colliery, but it is probable
that only about 25 to 80 per cent of the
mines, other than those now in operation,
will be able to mine coal during the week
The Susquehanna Coal Company has six
teen active collieries and two washeries, of
which the washeries and five coliieries are
working. The company is able, with one
exception, to open up all the other collieries
on Monday morning. This does not mean
that they will start cutting coal In all OF
their properties on Monday morning, but