Evening star., 1941-11-21
Further Disorders
Feared After Hours
Fight in Pennsylvania

By the Associated Press.
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 2l.-Guns
blazed again today in the coal
flelds Of Fayette County, wound
ing at least 10 men in the most
serious flare-up of the 5-day-old
United Mine Workers strike for
a union shop in the steel COM
pany-oWned captive mines.
Hundreds of shots were fired as
the battle between pickets and nom
strikers ragged for more than an hour
along a valley road leading to the
H. c. Frick Coke Co.'S Edenborn
mine, 18 miles north of Uniontown,
where three pickets were wounded
In gunplay yesterday.
Three wounded men, who identi-
fed themselves as pickets, were
treated at the Uniontown Hospital
and seven at Brownsville. John
Stepanik. rs, OF Coal Center, one of
those taken to the Uniontown Hos
pital, claimed the plckets were way
laid by non-union men. The U. M.
W. also identified as pickets seven
men taken to the Brownsville hos
pital.
Shot without Warning.
I'VE we're ambushed near the
company store and shot down with
out warning" said Stepanik, who
was shot.
The company store is quarter OF
a mile from the mine gates where
more than 200 pickets. most of them
from coal mines in Washington
County across the Monongahela
River, had massed before dawn.
One of the bullets. which COM
pany officials said was fired from
the road where pickets were as
sembled, shattered window in
the company's Office building near
the mine opening. witnesses said
guns flashed along the road, on Stag
piles. nearby hills and from the
vicinity of the company office.
Despite the gunfire, Mine Supt.
Edward Mason reported "a number
of our men went into the mine and
are working
Most of the wounded were re-
leased from hospitals. Only one was
described as seriously hurt. He was
hit by pistol and rife bullets and
buckshot. Bullets tipped from both
sides of the mine road after the first
volley was fired from 2 little hill.
AS reinforcements Of pickets ar
rived, their automobiles were tagged
down and the drivers were ordered
to douse their lights.
Shouts broke the quiet between
the sporadic outbursts of firing,
Lights at the mine. cleaning bright
ly when the shooting started. were
turned out. Rocks we're hurled from
the hillsides, striking some OF the
cars.
Situation Getting Worse.
Sheriff Charles T. Frock, arriving
at the scene later, reported he
searched the pickets and found
box of shells on one man, but no
guns.
The sheriff was called away by
report that nine workers had been
cornered in the Frick Co.'S Kyle
mine by pickets who crossed mine
property and entered the pit.
William Hynes, president of Dis
trict 4 of the United Mine Workers,
visited the hospitals in Uniontown
and Brownsville and then issued this
statement:
Our men were ambushed from
the hills and Stag dumps. We were
shot down by pistols, guns and rifles.
We intend in the future to meet
our opponents on equal terms"
Sheriff Frock said he believed the
situation was rapidly getting out
of hand" adding:
TT appears it is going to get
steadily worse"
One of "a Captive Mines.
The Edenborn mine is one of "a
captive mines in Western Pennsyl-
vania producing coal for the big steel
companies. The H. c. Frick Coke
Co., subsidiary of the United
States Steel Corp. operates nearly
score of the mines in Fayette
County and has claimed operations
have been going on at Is per cent
OF normal since the strike was called
five days ago.
Whereas. the company claims
about 3,400 men are still working in
the Fayette mines, the union places
the figure at about 800.
From $4,000 to $4,000 captive
pit miners in Western PENNSYLVANIA
are involved in the strike for union
shop, which would require miners to
join the union after a stipulated pc
riod of employment.
Walkouts in sympathy with the
captive mine strike have spread to
See COAL Page A-2l)