The Siege at the Newcastle Coal Mines
A violent confrontation breaks out as 200 strikers clash with non-union men at a Seattle-area coal mine, leaving the community on edge.
The trouble at the Newcastle coal mine occurred this morning. The strikers, who arrived late last night on the steamer, numbered about 200 strong. They appeared this morning at the mine, where they gave the workmen an ultimatum that they leave. When the workmen refused to comply, the strikers attacked them with sticks and stones. A number of men were badly hurt, one perhaps fatally. Robert McClure was beaten severely. Deputy Sheriffs went to the scene and made an attempt to check the strikers, but not wishing to precipitate a fatal riot by using their revolvers, the officers retreated to await reinforcements. The strikers are now in possession of the grounds, and word has been sent for more of their band this evening. The sheriff of King County has been telegraphed for by the officers. The feeling in the region about the mines is very excited.
“They appeared this morning at the mine, where they gave the workmen an ultimatum that they leave. When the workmen refused to comply, the strikers attacked them with sticks and stones.”
Labor disputes in the Pacific Northwest have a long, often bloody history, from the 19th-century coal wars to modern-day struggles for collective bargaining. The tension over worker replacements (scabs) in this 1885 report echoes the persistent, high-stakes conflicts between labor and ownership that have shaped Seattle's regional economy for generations.
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