The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-07-22
COAL CARRIERS
GO OUT ON STRIKE
Demand Maximum For I'm
loading all Barges
Twenty Colored Men Leave TheiI
Work This Morning and Hum
garians May BE Imported.
COMPANY is STANDING FIRM

Coal carriers struck at the West
Kentucky Coal company for an In
crease in wages. this morning. Tween
ty colored men employed in coaling
steamboats, and towboats, walked out
and the companys harbor boat, the
Fannie Wallace, was being coalec
this morning by the white members
of the crew, including the captain
The men have been paid two cents
box for coaling boats where the
coal was carried from shallow coal
barges, and 2 IL cents a box from
the deep barges They struck for z
IL cents a box for any barge, deep
or shallow
Until the strike is adjusted the
West Kentucky Coal company is
practically out of the coaling BUSH
ness on the river. The City of st. JOS
eph. wanting 5000 bushels, and 9th
or boats. will have to wait until the
eolored men go back to work, as
white men never have been found
who could stand the work. The boxes
the men carry, hold . IL bushels
with two men to the box. These
boxes are filed with shovels and are
carried by hand from the barge to
the boat. In a deep barge, the men
have to walk upward to the edge OF
the barge and thence down to the
boat. The company in the past has
made a distinction in wages accord
ing to the depth of the barge, but
the coal carriers are not satisfied
and walked out this morning on the
refusal of higher wages.
This dificulty of barges is not met
with at the St. Bernard Coal COM
pany's docks, where the men were
at work this morning at wages no
higher than have been paid at the
West Kentucky Coal company the
barges used by this company are Gov
cred with floor and the walking Is
always downward from the barges'
making the work much easier. How
ever the capacity Of these barges' is
trifiing compared with the regular
barges.
Oaicers of the West Kentucky Coal
comoanv believe that If the present
demand Is met, It Will be only a
short time until another increase
win be asked. But the river colored
workers hang together fairly vel
and to get their contracts executed
the increase may. have to be concea-
ed The restIessness of labor in this
line IS evidenced among the rouster'
on the steamboats,.
CAPTAIN Leslie Bennett. Dan Reed
engineer; Charles Boos. fireman; ane
Lon Powers, deck hand, were coailns
the Fannie wallace this morning II
the absence Of the coal carriers. TIT
towboat Nellie was waiting to b.
coaled but this could not be done
until help is secured. Efforts to Sc
cure labor in the place of the strik
ers we're unavailing this morning
May Get Hungnrians.
Hungarian labOrers may b
brought from Memphis to replace tn
striking coal carriers of the Yves
Kentucky Coal company The com
pany employs this labor to a certai
extent in Memphis and It has bee
found efficient. Twenty or NOR
with an interpreter would be sum
cient to place the company above tn
viclssitudes of the colored river labor
Evansville river interests are cor
tending with the same labor trouble
that Paducah is facing. The Fowle
line finds It difficult to secure labo
at that end Of the line and sewers
arrests have been made by the al
thorites there in the strike. A rive
man experienced in the handling
colored river labor said that II 80
enter a saloon or other place whei
the rousters .congregate and ask n
first man you see if he will work h
answer viii control the action
every man in the crowd. II
answers yes, you can get as man
men as you want; if no, not a sing
man Will break the precedent. The
Aan. tooaihar't 10 that extent