The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-03-18
$500 Men
ARE EMPLOYED
Homestake Mine Now Work
ing with the full quota
of Men.
MANY ARE AEH HANDS IN THE HINES
Plants were Closed down but Thir
teen Wccks-Littie Trouble so
far experienced.

Word from Lead this week is that
the Homestake company has $500 men
at work, with business moving as
smoothly as could be expected. Thir-
teen weeks ago the plants We're closed
down, and just sixty days ago the de-
termination was cached to resume
operation. The task was no small one
as when the shut down came it was
believed necessary to remain closed
for long period. and every possible
arrangement looking toward this end
was made. Machinery and pipes in
all the plants We're disjointed and laid
away to keep from rusting and the
mine was put in shape for at least a
years idleness.
The work of resumption has been
carried on as spec lilly and safely as
was possible. 1t was necessary for the
company to import miners and shov-
elers to supplant the union men who
refused to sign up as non-union. They
were brought in daily from mining
camps all over the west, many of them
being practically green men who were
forced to rely entirely on the bosses
for the methods of working the big
property that contains more than 100
miles OF track underground.
With but few minor disturbances,
such as fights between the detectives
or non-union men and the unionists
that resulted in police court cases,
there has been no trouble. The man
agement of the company reports that
it is now dropping it's regular l,O0C
stamps and employing over $500 men
and that they are giving better results
than under the old methods. The
armed guards that have been on the
property constantly since the impor.
tation of men started in January are
still being maintained, but are being
gradually withdrawn.
AT the slime plant in Deadwood the
force has been working to its capacity
and there is possibility that an adj
dition of two more presses, making 2S
in all, will be made to handle the
amount of shines coming down daily
from Lead. The capacity of the slime
plant at present is about 1000 tons of
slime per day and it is believed that
this figure can be materially increased
under the new conditions in the mines,
making the additional presses neces-
sary to the plant.
Now that the company has it's full
quota OF men at work, the problem of
future work for the Slovenian mine
workers is brought to a focus. Dur
ing the period of the shutdown these
men positively declined to believe
that the company could do without
their services. Some few realized
that there would be no more work
and several hundred left Lead, but
there are today probably 800 of them
left. Their only means of support
beyond their own resources is the
weekly benefit of from $3.50 to $12 per
man, according to the number in his
family, which the Western Federation
has been paying. Quite number OF
the Slavonians own their own homes
on Homestake ground and unless they
can make some disposition of the
property they are likely to be out the
amount of their investments.
Some OF the leaders are now casting
about to find the most available place
for the locked out men to seek. Sla.
vonians who have friends in the fruit
belt in California have received letters
from their western friends that there
is plenty of room for the Lead Slavon
ians out there and it is altogether
possible that large number will be
induced to go there and enter the
fruit raising business in which theil
countrymen have rlready made . sue
cess.