Evening star., 1948-04-05
Fighting Breaks Out
At Nonunion Strips
In West Virginia
BY the Assoeioted Press

FL 1IS6UhGd, 'Apru o.-ooIb~
coal mining remained at q
standstill across the Nation to-
day as the United Mine Workers
tacitly answered a Government
anti-strike injunction thus: "No
pension, no work"
Fighting between rowing pickets
and nonunion employees at West
Virginia strip mines disturbed the
walkout calm.
Reports rolling in from State
after State we're the same. The coal
diggers - 400, 900 UNIV members
across the Nation-chose not to
work.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Illinois, Kentucky. Indiana, Ala
bama, Tennessee, Maryland, Kan
sas, Missouri, Iowa and Virginia
were among the States reporting
miners still idle.
Electrical Controls Ripped.
Fists swung in West Virginia at
clash between 100 rowing pickets and
employees Of nonunion mine Of the
Grafton Coal Co. at Bear Mountain
in Barbour County. A truck driver
was reported hurt. G. E. Compton,
president of the company. said the
pickets ripped out electric controls
at his firms tipple, putting 1t out Of
commission.
officials reported pickets set up
two road blocks in the Clarksburg,
w. Va, region to stop nonunion strip
mining.
On the heels of a free-for-all at
the Grafton Mine, came reports Of
fighting around the j. and E. Coal
Company at Lost Greek, Harrison
County, and possible trouble near
Jane Lew, Lewis County.
State Police Sergt. w. z. Murphy
said in Clarksburg that troopers
were on their way to Lost Greek,
where pitched battle" was going
on.
Meanwhile. Barbour County Pros
ecutor w. T. George, jr., said that
steps for warrants naming the pick
cts had been taken in connection
with the Bear Mountain fight.
Shots Fired Into Air.
Mr.. Compton Of the Grayton
Coal Co. told Sheriff ]. N. Forman
and State Police Sergt. H. D. Ansell
that three or four" shots were fred
into the air as about 100 pickets
stormed the tipple.
He said the men forced open the
door to power plant controls for
the electrically operated tipple and
told employees that I'VE will turn to
blow this place sky high If loading
Is not stopped"
A free-for all between the pickets
and the workers developed and one
company truck driver was reported
hurt.
Meanwhile, United States Steel
was among the latest steel firms to
tighten It's belt in the Nation wide
strike. 1t shut off the equivalent OF
two Pittsburgh area blast furnaces.
1t had banked one here previously.
The miners apparent refusal to
return to work came despite Gov
eminent injunction ordering them
to end the walkout.
Virginia Brownout Possible.
A new consumers angle was in
jected int othe strike when from
Richmond came word that a
brownout on use of electric power
in Virginia may be necessary un-
less the soft coal mines shutdown
ends within "the next few days"
j. G. Holtzclaw, president of the
Virginia Electric 6 Power Co.. was
the man who sounded the warning.
He said Vepco simply is sitting still
to see what the miners do"
| Members of the State Corpora
ton Commission, meanwhile, dis
cussed coal and power problems.
Judge L. Mccarthy Downs, who
supervised imposition of I brown
out order in May, 1916, said he
planned to confer with Federal au-
thorities in Washington and with
Vepco officials.
No union local meetings on the
mine walkout were held anywhere
yesterday. Miners rarely act with
out such sessions. The only known
meetings today were scheduled by
Utahs miners and one 700-man
local in Library, Pa.
The coal diggers generally said
they wanted some definite work
return order from Mr.. Lewis.
Adolph Pacifico, president of UNIV
District 8 at Bellaire, Ohio, said he
was certain the States $4,000 miners
would stay home today.
The miners seem to have de-
cided they're not going back TO
work until the pension dispute Is
settled" he reported.
A UNIV leader in Western Penn
sylvania, who declined to permit use
of his name, declared:
I've been doing little talking