Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-12
CLOSE DOWN MINES
Some Of Operators in Hazlston Field Decide
to Make 1t a Lockout.
INDICATIONS LONG FIGHT is EXPECTED
Men Hold Meetings in All Towns to Select
Delegates to Convention,
RETICENT ABOUT INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN
Many Leaders in Scranton Field Opposed to
Calling General Strike.
POINT OUT OPERATORS ARE NOT WORRIED
Temporary Suspension Hits the Rail-
roads Hard and Those Handling
Coal Lny OT Train
Crews.
INDICATIONS LONG FIGHT is EXPECTED
Men Hold Meetings in All Towns to Select
Delegates to Convention.
RETICENT ABOUT INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN
Many Leaders in Scranton Field Opposed t.
Calling General Strike.
POINT OUT OPERATORS ARE NOT WORRIED

HAZLETON, Pa, May 11-Anticipating
the action Of their employees, two of the
individual coal companies IN this region
have practically locked out their men. This
step was taken last night when Coke Bros.
q Co.. operating the Beaver Meadow coll
liery, and Calvin Pardee, Sons & Co., own
ers OF the Lattimer mines, notified their
employees that they need not report for
work until ordered to do so. This order
does not apply to engineers, hremen and
pump runners, whose services are neCes-
sary to keep the mines free from water.
These companies, It is believed, expect a
long struggle and this belief is strength
ened by the fact that az Lattmer work
has been suspended on the rebuilding Of
fanhouse that was burned last week, the
reconstruction of which was necessary to
prevent the accumulation of gases in one
part of the slope
The Lehlgh Valley Coal company an
nounced today that it will give employment
to all men who report for work tomorrow.
Miners Hold Meetings.
Meetings of the United Mine Workers
locals were held In most OF the mining
villages in the Hazleton district today and
delegates we're elected to the convention
which meets here on Wednesday for the
purpose of deciding whether or not to make
permanent the strike to be lnaugurated to-
mo, row. 1t Is impossible to ascertain the
attitude Of the locals on the strike ques-
tion. The meetings were secret and the
delegates were ordered not to divulge their
instructions until they get into the con-
vention.
The district headquarters OF the United
Mine Workers here we're closed this after
noon and the leaders, who have just arrived
home from Scranton, were out among the
men explaining the exact condition of af-
fairs. Seventy-fve per cent Of the men en-
poyed in the various collieries in this Che
Lehigh valley) district are organized and
operations throughout the region will be
tied up until Wednesday at least
Plan 10 Run breakers.
It was reported today that an effort will
be made to start NJ the Cranberry breaker.
operated by A. Pardee & Co., with nom
union stripping men, so that al the coal
that was not sent to the surface on Saturday
may be prepared for market. poll of the
stripping men today, however, would indi-
cate that this would be difficult to do II at
tempted. These men say that they will con-
tinue at work at the steam shovels, but
under no conditions would they take the
places OF strikers at the mines.
Samuel Nedrey, a representative OF the
American Federation of Labor, who arrived
here tonight. said the federation would rem
der all possible aid to the miners in their
struggle.
Hard BlOw to RRiIrOHders.
SCRANTON, Pa, May 1l.-There will be
no coal mined in the Scranton end of the
anthracite region tomorrow. Even though
the strike order was not certain OF being
religiously obeyed, there would be no min
ing as the companies agreed at meeting
OF the general managers and superintend-
ents Saturday that no attempt would be
made to operate.
Some Of the companies, however propose
to keep a few, at least, OF their washer
les running to insure a supply OF coal for
locomotives, hosting engines and the like.
The companies will not admit that the
agreement to refrain from an attempt at
operating Is eventually to resolve itself
into lockout should events at Hazleton
make such a thing possible
The strike has already made Itself serl-
ously felt in other lines of work. The
railroads have laid off four-ffths Of their
train crews, in all about 100 men, and the
Erie shops at Dunsmore, where mine cars
and machinery are repaired, will shut
down indefinitely beginning tomorrow,
throwing 300 men out Of employment.
Meetings Of all the locals will be held to-
morrow to elect and instruct the delegate es
to the Hazleton convention.
Intelligent Miners Oppose strike.
The sentiment among the more thought
full and intelligent miners is opposed to a
continuance OF the strike. These men will
use as one OF their chief arguments the
significant fact that the company mine Of
ficials are not soliciting their men to vote
against the strike, while at the same rel
etive time in the last strike these same
officers we're working day and night TO dis
courage the men from striking.
In the cathedral this afternoon Bishop
Hogan asked the congregation to pray that
the miners should be given light TO do
what is for the best and that something
would intervene to secure peace.
The story that the Morganized fleets win
be used to import coal ana prevent a fam
Inc does not cause President Mitchell any
evident concern. He dismissed 1t with
the remark that the United States is i'm
porting coal to all parts OF the world.
The Blue Ridge breaker OF the Ontario
4 Western company in an Isolated settle
ment above Peckville, was destroyed by
fire today. The. fire was caused by a for
est fire.
SHAMOKIN Pa, May 1.-THE local off,
GERS OF the mines in the Shsmokin district
owned by the Philadelphia q Reading Goa
and Iron company, the Union Coal com
pany and the Mineral Railroad & Mining
company were notified by their respective
companies last night not to hire men e
cut coal during the suspension Of th;
United Mine Workers.
The mine foremen were also instructed
10 keep the boiler houses manned in cas-,
the iremen now at work should remair
away from the collieries.
Making In Pay Rolls.
WILKESBARRE, Pa May 1.-THE clerk.
employed al the various coal Offices II
this city were hastily summoned from
their homes this morning and put 10 worl
on the payTolls.
II is reported that all the employees o
the mines In this region will be paid II
full not later than Thursday and that whel
they receive their envelopes they viii b
told that they are no longer In the emplo,
OF the company, The miners, hOWeyer, d.