THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On September 17, 1900, The New York Times continued its series of articles about what they dubbed one of the greatest labor outages in the country’s history; the miners’ strike stemmed from a labor dispute with coal operators throughout Wyoming Valley.
However, at Mocanaqua’s West End Colliery, things were different.
When everyone else refused to work, miners in Mocanaqua went to work.
“When the whistles blew this morning for the commencement of work there were very few men in sight. The pumpmen and runners were on hand to go to their posts, but miners and laborers were conspicuous by their absence. Some distance from the collieries, watchers were stationed. They were there to see if any of the miners intended to go to work. When they found that the men remained away, they returned to the United Mine Workers’ headquarters and reported. By 9 o’clock Present Nicholls had reports from every mine in the district. They were very encouraging, showing that all had closed down, with the exception of the one at Mocanaqua.”
Through the Valley, more than 22,000 miners were off the job.
Union bosses were expected to make the rounds again on the following day to encourage miners to not go back to work – evening Mocanaqua where workers said they were ‘satisfied with the conditions of things.’
From the New York Times, September 18, 1900
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