Waterbury Democrat., 1902-05-12
HE UP IN COAL DISTRICTS
Not a Mine in Operation in
 Wyoming Valley.

About l0U,UUU NIGH dhu DOyS <Ale Auie
 Whistles Sounded in Many Places
 To-Day, But Operatives Did Not Re
 spond- Delegates Appointed To
 Day-Several Places to Elect Dele
 gates to Attend Convention at
 Hazelton on Wednesday.
 Scranton, Pa, May 12.-President Mitchell of the United Mine Workers stated this morning that the tie up i'll the three anthracite districts is com plete Approximately 140,000 men and boys are idle, of which only one-half are in the Lackawanna and Wyoming region. In every instance, MT Mitchell said. the order to suspend operations had been obeyed About 10000 mine workers are out in the Lehigh district and 50,00O in the Schuylkill field
 An official of the Delaware, Lacka- wanna and Western Railroad Go said to-day that that corporation had no in tention of resorting to a lockout Con- tinuing, he said:
 '.We do not intend to irritate the men, and the other companies are of the same mind. Nothing will be done until after Wednesday,. The situation is now in the hands of the miners. After Wednesday it will be in our hands.
 We appreciate the fact that John Mitchell does not want a strike. Neither do the companies, despite what has been said to the contrary. While we do not want a fight, we will give the men all the fight they desire if they decide that there is to be one"
 From the same official source comes the announcement that the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Go has stopped selling coal. Not carload has been shipped since Saturday morning. Any order must now be approved by the head of the coal department before being filled. The other companies have taken similar action and it is believed coal famine will speedily result if the suspension is made permanent on Wednesday. The election of instructed delegates is in progress to-day and will continue tonight and tomorrow. Mir Mitchell went to Wilkesbarre last night, but he says there was no sig nificance in the trip.
 Pottsville, Pa, May 12.-From the Panther creek valley in the extreme east of this coal basin to Williamstown in the west and from the Mahanoy and Shenandoah valleys comes the same story of idleness at the hundreds of collieries in obedience to the order of National President Mitchell of the United Mine Workers of America. 1t is even greater than Sabbath still ness, for not a man of the organization coming under the suspension order is at work today.
 Meetings will be held to-day and to- morrow by the locals to instruct their delegates to the Hazelton convention. and the sentiment of opinion at tbis time is favorable to a strike.
 The officials of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Go put in an ap- pearance at an unusually early hour this morning, evidently anticipatine some emergency
 Nothing of an exciting nature was reported and the augmented police force was not called upon for any spe- cial duty.
 Hazelton, Pa, May 12.-Mining onera- tons in this portion of the seventh dis trlct are completely. suspended to-day Ihe whistles at many of the colIieries Were sounded this morning as usllaI but not as a signal for the men to come to work, for none of the companies made an effort to start LID their col lieries, appreciating the fact that the strength of the union was such that the attempt would be futile. The only | class of employees at work are the fire. men, the engineers. the pump runners small number of non-union reDail men and clay stripping hands. who have no connection with the miners. Coal company officials refuse to say | whether they will make a move for a resumption on Thursday in case Wed nesday's convention declares in favor 1 of the continuation of the strike. Suh. day quietude reigns throughout the dis l trict.
 Tamaqua, Pa. May 12-Of the 7.OOf men employed by the Lehigh Coal anC Navigation company in the Panther creek valley, less than a score reported for duty to-day. At the No 4 breake, the slate picker boys went to work as usual and the breaker is now cleanins the coal which was mined on Saturday No effort has been bade to force tht boys to quit work. During the strike of 1900 the Panther creek valley mel remained at work and up to the tim, the whistles blew this morning th, company expressed the belief that ; sufficient number of men to operate tn, collieries would report for duty.
 This afternoon the various locals O. the United Mine Workers will hold spe cial meetings and elect delegates to at tend the HaZelton convention on Wed nesday. The delegates will be instruct ed to vote for strike unless conces sions are granted in the meantime.
 Wilkesbarre, Pa, May 12.-Every mine in the Wyoming Valley is idle to day. The tie-up is complete.
 | SMALL BOY INJURED.