Evening star., 1934-10-15
suicide THREAT
!. MADE BY MINERS
1920 Barricade Selves in
Shaft in Protest Against
r - -.
+ Wages.
ycontinued From First page.)

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miners. Five guards stand at the
mouth Of the mine. They are armed
with pickaxes, and they threaten
death to any who attempt to enter.
During the interval Of the strange
strike the men have been without
food, water and lights.
Frantic wives of the men. fearing
the miners would starve, sent bread
and bologna into the pit today. The
food was as quickly returned. With
It came the note that the group was
"determined to die"
Efforts were renewed today to ne
eotiate with the men, but 1t appeared
likely the attempt would not be sue
cessful. The minister of commerce
sent emissaries. The sentries barred
their path with the menacing pick
axes.
An additional $500 miners were
locked out today by the mine owners.
precipitating new fears among the
people. The temper Of the 10000 m
1ldb1bdl1JS - Stk dkk1Co. xtCSAItCAAto VA
militia patrolling the city were re-
1nforced.
There Is possibility that the gov
ernment will take over the mines.
What action, it would take, once in
control, was not made known.
Premier Goemboes sought, without
success, to end the strike yesterday.
He sent i've emissaries into the mine
to deliver this ultimatum:
"Come up within 80 minutes. II
you refrain from lawlessness and vio-
lence we will negotiate with you"
Increases Mems Anger. *
1t served but to anger the men the
more. The emiSsar1eS were held host
age. Word was sent back:
Rather than suffer the slow pangs
Of death by starvation, we will COM
NIT suicide by smothering ourselves" !"
The five emissaries-all trade union
delegates who agreed to act for the
government-weres set free only after
the government had threatened to
blow up the mines.
The persistent refusal OF the mine
drove the miners to send out word
today that they intended to kill their
horses in reprisal for the operators
continued opposition.
4 A threat from the underground tomb
to speed the mass suicide by cutting
of the air and water supply was said
by officials today to be impossible Of
fulf1llment. The government has COM
plete control of the air and water
pumps. thus preventing death by slf-
location or drowning, it was said.
The horror Of the situation in the
mine was disclosed last night when
A strikers were brought to the sur
face. ,,
Some Of them were raving madmen.
{ Several Are Near Death.
7 Some were at the point Of death.
Others were unconscious, their condi-
tion grave.
Hysteria and frenzy marked the
scene at the entrance to the mines
wives Of men in the mine fought
vainly to enter the shaft and join
their husbands In whatever fate be.
falls. Police kept them back.
Other women sought more peaceably
to win their men from the mine-tomb.
They pleaded with the mine owners
to meet the mems demand.
The contention of the Danube
Steam Navigation Co., owner of the
mine, Is that 1t Is unable to accede to
the wage demands because Of the slack
market for coal. The company, in
which there is heavy British invest
ment, has stated it has on hand $4,000
carloads Of coal which 1t has been un-
able to sell.
Because Of the market conditions,
the company explains it has been able
to give work to only about $500 miners
in PEGS. These men receive pay on
the basis Of only q few hours work
. day.
The company's constant word to the
strikers since the suicide threat was
announced has been that it will enter
into no negotiations until they return
to the surface. The reply to this ulti-
matum was:
1T is useless to negotiate further
unless you give us your word now that
all our demands will be granted"
This the company has declined 80
far to do.