The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-06-10
ENGINEERS AND PUMPMEN QUIT
WORK
MORE JOIN THE STRIKERS
The Number Increasing Every Day.
Some Mines Closed and Allowed to
n Town Supplied by One of These
Mine Disorder in rhe
Mine SectiOn-President ROOSEVELT
Petitfoned to Appoint IA Commits

W~ilkeSbarre, Pa. June 4.-More en-
gineers, fremen and pump-runners
joined the miners MO and struck to-
day, but in most instances the coal
company ~officialC were able to fill the
places of the strikers. The Susque-
hanna Coal Compaly's coIliery No. ).
at Nanticoke was the first sufferer, all
the fremen refusing. to go to work,
which compelled the company to shut
down the ngIne This colliery fur
nishes the owe for the water supply
of Nanticoke, and unless the engines
are again started the borough will have
a water famine to contend with. There
was a slight fire in the town today and
as the fire alarm is sounded by means
of the colliery whistles, there was con-
siderable trouble n delay before the
volunteer firemen could be called to the
scene of the fire. The company, it is
said, will allow its mines to fill with
water and let the borough get its water
supply as best it can.
1t was comparatively quiet TO-DAY in
the Wyoming valley. There was the
usual gathering of crowds at starting
and stopping time, but nothing of a
serious nature occurred. Some men
were stoned o. their way to and from
work and several were thrown into
pools of water. the fear of bodily harm
is causing more men 10 quit work than
are h arguments of the strikers.
President Mitchell was kept busy all
day in his headquarters. He had moth
ing to say regarding his visit to Scran-
ton last night wnere he met Frank p.
Sargent, chief of the locomotive fire
men. Regarding the general strike sit
uation, he said everything was pro-
crossing satisfactorily; that more men
were coming out each day and that the
idle men are behaving themselves we'll.
In emphasizing the latter statement,
Mr.. Mitchell said the chief of the
Wilkesbarre police told him that dur
ing the twenty-one days the strike has
been on, there have been fewer arrests
than during the same number Of days
prior to the suspension of work. Among
the arrests that were made not one was
a miner.
The national president had no COM
ment to make when informed that the
New York board of trade had decided
to ask President Roosevelt to take up
the task to end the great struggle.
New York, June AT a meeting of
the New York board of trade and
Transportation Today, Oscar S. Straus,
presiding, resolutions were adopted
urging President Roosevelt to appoint
a commissioner to investigate the situa-
ton in the anthracite regions and to
see if the miners and operators could
not be induced to arbitrate their diff
ferences.
Such power, it was declared, was
vested in the chief magistrate by Chap
ter 1,063 of the federal laws dealing
with differences or controversies which
may affect Interstate transportation
and ommerce.
Washington, ID. c., June 4.-President
Roosevelt spent some time this after
loon considering the proposition of the
New York board of trade and trans
portation.
1t is intimated in official circles that
if a commissioner is appointed the
president will look to Senator Hanna
to undertake the task.