The Tacoma Coal Strike: When Miners Turned on the Overseer

TACOMA, June 13.—The Tacoma Coal and Coke Company of Wilkeson offices were surrounded this morning with warrants for the arrest of sixteen men. The story as told to enforce officer is as follows: The Tacoma coal and coke company leased their mine to a man named Haseman last year, he to be responsible over the necessary coal. The company concluded that it could operate its mines with equal facility directly and thus dispense of services of Haseman. The miners heard of this and seem to have made it so occasion of asking war upon the overseer of the coke works, J. W. Kelly, against whom they have had a grudge for some time, chiefly because of his having rejected considerable of the coal sent him. Accordingly they held a meeting and shortly after sent word that they wanted to see him. He sent word in reply that he could be seen at his office. In answer a body of thirty odd men went to the office, surrounded it and discussed the question of breaking him.

A. C. Smith, one of the officers of the company, appeared on the scene and succeeded in inducing the men to give over their purpose until the next day. That night Kelly succeeded in getting away. The company then shut down the works, and has kept them so since the first of the month. As this is the only coke works on the Pacific Coast, and is rushed with orders which keep piling up, this has been a great hardship.

Mr. Smith came to the city yesterday and filed a complaint against sixteen of the more turbulent, and if their arrest is made successfully work will be resumed at once, but serious trouble is anticipated by the officers.