Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-04-01
$4,000 QUIT IN PENNA.
B|TUM|NOUS FIELDS
Southern Soft Coal Miners Also
Lay Aside Their Tools,
Leaders Report.
BY Associsted Press n Every Evening.

! BY Annotated Press n Every Evening.
Plttsburg, Pa. April No official
estimate OF the number Of union
miners in tho western Pennsylvania
bituminous coal district who left their
work yesterday. was available from
either headquarters Of District No >.
United Mine Workers. or from the
Pittsburg Coal Producers Association.
controlling about rs per cent Of the
output Of the district Today is Eight
Hour Day, always observed by the
miners as = holiday and the operators
took tho ground they would. on that
occasion. be unable 70 determine the
extent of the walkout before Monday
Miners officials expected. however
and tho operators did not contradict
tho prediction. that some 45 1000 union
men in the western Pennsylvania
fields and ~ 900 more in tho central
lPersi isylvania territory. would Join tho
suspension. So far as could be Learned
today. these men quit their posts be-
fore midnight yesterday. The great
est doubt Centered about the number
Of non-union men, who would join the
movement in the vicinity. comprising
mines in Clarified county and SIR
rounding territory 40 statement
was forthcoming from union head
quarters in Greensburg from which
4 call had been sent out during the
past few days to tho non-union men
to strike with the organized miners
General Suspension IN South.
Reports from West Virginia and
} eastern Ohio late last night were indi-
cative OF general suspension OF min
, ing activities. Practically the only
, doubtful region was that conferred
. about Cumberland. Nd. in the Georges
Creek and Upper Potomac fields, where
mining for Is months has been sub
normal activity and fully 1000 men
, have been idle during that time
Six thousand miners were Haid Il
2e affected by the strike order. hu;
neither the operators nor union o.
ficials could state the exact number.
This was partly due to the individua
contract system used by many Of this
operators in these districts.
Twenty thousand was the number
OF union men estimated 20 have sus.
pended work IN Clearfield. Elk auC
: Jefferson counties in the Duboi.
region OF Pennsylvania Union. lead
, ers predicted 10000 non-union worker
would be with them by Monday.
100 West Va. Mines Closed.
From Morgantown. West Virg!ni;
came word that more than 100 mines
had been closed by the walkout Oper
ators Of this district have announce,
they would reopen on an open shol
basis. but no work was expected Z
% done today, according 70 statement
from both camps. The appearance a
this city OF four blazing crosse
s against the sky from hill tops las
3 night. startled the populace. but n
Significance was attached to II so IA
e as the mine strike IS concerned.
Il Reports from Wheeling. w. Va
: concerning activities IN Belmont an
n neighboring counties in Ohio, acros
Il the river. showed that about 1870
II men were out OF the mines. Charles
Is ton. w. Va. reported that 10 600 unio
s men left their jobs last evening, tool
= n hand. The strike began quietly il
Clarksburg. but no figures on Ii
g number OF strikers were available las
r night. Here. too some operators wer
n credited with having offered to re
O sumo operations on a nOn-union basi:
= but the result was in doubt.
100 Per Cent Walkout.
: Beckley union officials were unabl
e TO estimate the result of the strilx
e order, but felt safe in saying that +
II the New River field. the suspension
j. would be 100 per cent complete an
e In the Winding Gulf area. about :
e per cent effective. since n large mum
ber OF non-union men are employed q
: tho latter. These. the union leader
q are attempting to organize. Official
: Of the New River Company said the
/ expected q cessation in the Raletg
II county mines. but not IN those in Fay
'e cite county.
No Disorders Reported.
There was nothing 70 indicate tha
the waikout had been anything bU
n orderly AZ al points. ard whereye
union men were employed, ampl
:, forces 70 man the pumps and fan
: and otherwise protect the mines wer
. left at their posts when the suspense
; took place.