The Black Diamond Strike: When a Single Wage Dispute Paralyzed 350 Miners

Three hundred and fifty men are idle at Black Diamond, a strike having been ordered at that place by the local assembly of the Knights of Labor.

The trouble, as near as can be learned, is due to alleged injustice against one man. According to one of the miners who came to town yesterday morning, the circumstances were about as follows: A miner named Finnegan came to Black Diamond some weeks ago and applied for work. The mine being short-handed, Finnegan was put to work on the outside and allowed laborer's wages, $2.50 per day. Afterward he asked to be put into the mine, and he was put at rock work, on Section Twelve. When pay day came he was only allowed laborer's wages instead of miner's wages for his work, and he reported the matter to the local assembly.

Action was taken in regard to it, the assembly holding that he was entitled to miner's wages for the time he worked under ground. Wednesday evening notices were posted on all the entrances to the mine, and when morning came all hands refused to go to work until the matter was satisfactorily settled, and all day long 350 men loitered around the camp awaiting developments.

As soon as the news of the strike reached the city, Mr. E. H. Martin, local agent of the company, went out to the mine to find out the cause of the trouble and do what he could to adjust matters. On his return to town in the evening, he was seen by a Star labor reporter.

In answer to a question as to the cause of the strike, he said: "I must confess, that although I have been to the mines, I do not know the cause of the trouble, and I think if the matter was sifted down, no cause would be found to exist, outside of the imagination of a few fertile brains. I asked fifteen or twenty of the employees whom I met on my arrival at the mine, the cause of the trouble, And every one of them said he did not know. I then asked them why they were not at work, if they had no grievance, and they said because the Knights of Labor had ordered a strike, and that the edict of that organization in Black Diamond was the law."

"Have you many agitators and disturbers at Black Diamond?"

"No; our camp has always been remarkable for its freedom from such fellows. Our men are almost all good, sober, honest American citizens, and are generally on the right side of every public question that comes up. While all the other mining competitors were having trouble with their men a year or so ago the Black Diamond company had no trouble at all, and I am surprised that the men should strike at this time, when everything was working so harmoniously."

"How long do you think the strike will last?"

"I can see no reason why it should have commenced, and consequently cannot see any reason why it should last any length of time. I feel confident the men will all go to work today from what I heard just before leaving the camp. But few of the men knew what they were striking for, and I understand that the supposed trouble or misunderstanding in regard to Finnegan's wages has been adjusted and satisfactorily settled. It is safe to predict we will be hauling coal again tomorrow."