New-York tribune., 1919-09-23
Guards Fire OH Strikers at
New Castle; Two Killed,
Two Hurt at Sharon;
Other Clashes Reported
Crucial Pittsburgh
Plants Running
Homestead, Duquesne,
Braddock, Little Affect
ed, but Ohio and Chi
cago Are Partly Closed
Staff Correspondence

PlIISBU RGH, Sept. 22.-Thc blow
of the steel strike fell to-day and the
steel giant reeled under it, From Col
orado to Pennsylvania the great in
dustry was shaken. From every steel
making centre within those limits re-
ports came to Pittsburgh of men out
and mills down or crippled The
strikers national committee here hailed
the result as an auspicious victory,
while the captains of steel, admitting
the force of the blow, declared that as
the defence side in the industrial bat
tie it had met the attack with more
than expected success and had stopped
it in front of its battle positions
According to a statistical conversion
of reports received by him to-day Will
lam 4. Foster, secretary in name, but
in fact the leader of the organization
committee as we'll as of the strike, es-
timated that about 100000 steel work
ers had abandoned their jobs-this out
of total of between 100000 and 6OO,-
burgh district Foster asserted that H.
UU0 were on strike.
100000 Is Companies Estimate
Being in a position to gauge with a
fair degree of accuracy Fosters figure.
for this district, the steel companies
supplied information which indicated
that the total number of men out in
the whole country would be about 15O.-
Pittsburgh district was estimated to
be about $4,000.
According to the inside views Of
both the companies and the strikers
committee, the Pittsburgh district IS
the Marine of the battle and the Mo-
nongahela Valley the Chateau Thierry
OF that Marne Ii the companies, these
views agree, can substantially win the
mill-crowded valley OF the Mononga-
hela they can win in the district; and
If they win there it is only ques-
ton of the gradual retreat of the
strikers to unconditional surrender.
Are Beaten in the Valley
In the Monongahela Valley, within
a radius of twenty-five miles Of Pitts
burgh, are the vast Homestead mills,
the Duquesne works, the Edgar Thomp-
son plant, the Clarion Steel Works.
the Pittsburgh Steel Company, the Ma
tional Tube Company, the American
Sheet and Tin Plate Company, the
great plant of the Jones & Laughlin
Company, ependents, and a crowd
of minor steel industries. In this wall
ley the Steel Corporation alone en-
ploys about $4,000 men. Not less than
ten thousand of them acclaimed the
strike to-day.
If the first days assault is high tide
for the strikers it is considered that
they are beaten IN the valley. But it
is admitted by the steel companies
that It will take two or three days to
determine the final strength Of the
be less than the first days results in
dicate The strikers claim that tho
total number of men who struck to-
day in the Monongahela plants of the
Steel Corporation was about 80 900, bat
these as well as the rest OF tnclr ig-
ures are known to be exaggerated for
the purpose OF attaining tac prestige
OF success.
Possibilities Of the extension Of the
steel strike to other Industries were
opened up By the announcement Of
Secretary Foster, Of the Committee OF
Twenty four, tonight that railroad
tralnmen had notified the steel com
panles that they would not handle
steel being moved TO and from plants
IN the course of manufacture, AS
these trainmen are employees Of the
United States railway administration.
1t Is considered likely that 1t NAV be
drawn INTO the controversy
Seven Shot at Newcastle
Ihe most serious disturbance of the
day, which witnessed several trivial
brushes between strikers and police.
vas the battle between the coal and
IRON police of the Carnegie company al
Newcastle this afternoon, IN which
seven persons were struck by bulle,a
ana seriously injured, one prob
ably fatally. The casualties were
all with mob of strikers. VINO
were reported having begun by
throwing bricks and rocks at the no.
lice, or with innocent bystanders ="
One of the injured was woman who
was at the gates 10 meet her son. An
other was woman who was sitting on
the porch OF her home, $50 wards ava
Alex Russ, loyal steel worker AT
Farrell, Near Sharon, Penn. was Killed
oy striker tonight as the result ~
discussion Of the strike The strls
er, whose name is known. picked -,
hammer and struck Russ ON .bs
head, causing death instantly. Tn,
strike - 'n0
At the same place Paul Pro ga a