The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-13
LEE MINERS STRIKE.
Labor Trouble Spreads Over the Line
Into California District.

! Special 20 The Tribune.
RHYOLITE, New. March l2.-The
miners Of the Lee district have struck
for higher wages and the scale de-
manded was made known to the 0per-
ators through G. H Wright. Accord
ing to Wright's report the men in the
district have organized miners union
and have asked for scale of wages
similar to those in effect throughout
Nevada. where miners underground re-
ceive S5 a day, on the surface S1.50 a
day, and 81 extra each eight hour shift
for contract work.
When the announcement of the
strike was made the Honeysuckle, the
Hicks and Leavltt's properties and the
Hidden Treasure mine shut down, but
Taylor and Griffith, by the Ray and
Largent interests and the Dorr- -McDon
aid people continued work, agreeing to
leave the question of wage to arbitra-
ton
There is no question in the minds
of Southern Nevada operators that Lee
will hold the center of the mining stage
for the next year If the question of
transportatio of supplies through the
district can be settled before the sum
mer heat sets IN.
Under the present conditions freight.
ing across the Amargosa desert offers
no serious obstacle but as soon as the
hot weather sets in during the middle
of May or the first Of June. 1t will
be impossible to send freight across
the valley unless there is some ar.
freighters with water in middesert.
r, B. Whittcmore, who is the repre-
sentative of the Mann Whittemore in
terests IN Rhyo)ite at the present time.
and who has been making a study of
the fralghting situation, is the man
that is behind the effort Of the Rhyolite
Board Of Trade to dig well in the
middle of the desert to catch the un-
derground flow of the Amargosa des-
ert.
In speaking of the present conditions
Mr.. Whittemore said: "There is no
question IN my mind but that the rush
to Lee vii result in permanent camp.
The showings over there are good
enough for my money and the only
thlng against the district is in its
transportation facilities and its water
fepPply. AS in all new districts, these
things are only brought about by slow,
steady, uphill growth, and while every
DAY adds another two miles to the road
or the Borax Smith extension of the
Santa te, which is building up from
the south and to the Brock system that
IS working south from Tonopah and
Goldheld the Lee district will have to
look to the LAS Vegas and Tonopab
line and to the city of Rhyolite for
Its supplies for n long time.
Lee is but fourteen miles on a di-
rect lne over the hills from the present
line of the road. and in time will have
branch line of its own, but for the
present 1T must look to Rhyolite for ali
supplies The Brock system will have
ais lines through, TO Rhyolitc within
veyors are surveying in the town for
terminals and depot sites The wagon
road TO Lee is in excellent shape. and
aesSSRon as we can arrange to strike
warer IN the middle of the LONG banI
across the desert ] will place macbin~erv ~
on the Lee State line. properties and be.
gln development work. Until that timc
howeyer' . nsytL it will be useless, as within
nuant;tIo "'onti wafer @ VIII be required in large
Lee holdings ''eioP