Tag: Iron Miners

Hellraisers Journal: Mary Heaton Vorse on the Mesabi Iron Miners’ Strike in Minnesota, Part I

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday August 30, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota – “A Fierce and Important Struggle”

From The Outlook: Report of Mary Heaton Vorse, Part I:

THE MINING STRIKE IN MINNESOTA
-FROM THE MINERS’ POINT OF VIEW

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE OUTLOOK

March, Mesabi, Marcy, ISR Aug 1916

ONE of the most sinister aspects of life in this country is the failure of the serious and thinking people to obtain prompt information about the various industrial struggles and to get at the causes which are at the root of our industrial unrest.

Since June 3 a strike has been waged on the Mesaba Range, Minnesota, whose largest single owner is the Oliver Iron Mining Company, an arm of the Steel Trust. This strike has affected the life, not only of the twelve thousand miners employed on the Range, but of ten towns and villages from Aurora to Hibbing, a distance of sixty miles. The strike has been characterized by the prompt deputizing of a large force of gunmen, numbering, according to Sheriff J. R. Meining, of Duluth, over a thousand; more, according to residents of the Range towns.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Mary Heaton Vorse on the Mesabi Iron Miners’ Strike in Minnesota, Part I” →

Hellraisers Journal: On the Mesabi, “When Strike-Breakers Strike” by Marion B Cothren, Part I

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday August 27, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota-“To Hell With Such Wages!”

From The Survey of August 26, 1916:

When Strike-Breakers Strike
The Demands of the Miners on the Mesaba Range
By Marion B. Cothren
[Part I]

MN Iron Miners Strike, Location, Cothren, Survey Aug 26, 1916

THE strike-breakers of 1907 have become the strikers of 1916 in the iron mines of Minnesota. Coming over in boatloads from south eastern Europe nine years ago and hired by the United States Steel Corporation to break the iron strike called at that time by the Western Federation of Miners, these polyglot nationalities speaking thirty-six different tongues have become Americanized in the melting pot of the Mesaba mines. Today Finns, Slavs, Croats, Bulgars, Italians, Rumanians, have laid down picks and shovels and are demanding an 8-hour day, a minimum wage of $3 for dry work and $3.50 for wet work in underground mines and $2.73 in open pit mines, abolition of the contract labor system, pay-day twice a month.

The last of May, so the story goes, Joe Greeni, an Italian employed underground in the Alpena mine at Virginia, Minn., opened his pay envelope to find a sum much less than he had under stood his contract called for. “To hell with such wages”, cried he, throwing his pick in the corner, whereupon he vowed never to mine another foot of ore. Second thought, however, convinced Greeni, that action was deadlier than inaction. For three days he stayed at his post, going from stope to stope, saying, “We’ve been robbed long enough, it’s time to strike!” Then he left for Aurora to begin agitation at the extreme eastern end of the range in the little St. James’ mine with its force of 40 miners.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: On the Mesabi, “When Strike-Breakers Strike” by Marion B Cothren, Part I” →

Hellraisers Journal: War on the Mesabi, Forts and Searchlights Part of Plan Against Striking Iron Miners

Janet RayeElizabeth Gurley Flynn
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Friday August 18, 1916
Mesabi Iron Range, Minnesota-I. W. W. Leaders Under Arrest

From Indiana’s Evansville Press of August 17, 1916:

LEADERS OF MESABI MINE STRIKE KIDNAPPED?
FORTS AND SEARCHLIGHTS PART OF WAR PLAN!

Special Correspondence.
EGF, Tresca, MN Iron Miners Strike, Ev IN, Aug 17, 1916

HIBBING, Minn., Aug, 17.-“Forts” are being erected by gunmen of the steel trust interest in the hills of Mesabi iron range; searchlights play by night over the mining villages, up and down the main streets of Hibbing, Virginia and Eveleth; kidnaping, the “bullpen” and wholesale intimidation are said to be an attempt to crush the growing strike of workers.

Put in Jail

On the smaller Cuyuna range, south of this district, the strike already has resulted in a miners’ victory, and this fact is spurring the Mesabi strikers on to greater effort and sacrifices in their own strike.

The county jail at Duluth, 75 to 100 miles from the scene of the strike, is filled with miners’ leaders arrested on technical charges of “murder,” the only excuse for which seems to be in the fact that in a free-for-all fight at Biwabik, responsibility for which has not been yet fixed, two men were killed!

All the miners arrested on “murder” or “riot” charges are railroaded down to Duluth, where there is a large colony in jail, including Joe Schmidt, Carlo Tresca, Frank Little, Sam Scarlett and Jos. Gilday all prominent strike leaders.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: War on the Mesabi, Forts and Searchlights Part of Plan Against Striking Iron Miners” →

Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Speaks to Striking Miners on Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range

Janet RayeElizabeth Gurley Flynn
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hellraisers Journal, Monday August 14, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota – Miss Flynn Fights for MinersFrom the Duluth News Tribune of July 12, 1916:

GURLEY FLYNN IS SORRY SHE WASN’T
ON RANGE EARLIER
—–

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Reno Gz-Jr, July 12, 1916

GILBERT, Aug. 12.-“I wish that I had been in charge of this strike at the start. The demands of the miners would have been higher that $3 per day,” was the statement of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, strike agitator, speaking to a crowd at the Socialist hall here.

Joseph J. Ettor, Miss Flynn and other I. W. W.s have been addressing crowds on all parts of the range during the week. All of the meetings are almost the same, the press, the mining companies and the government being flayed on each occasion.

At each meeting strikers are asked to make out affidavits of abuse at the hands of mining companies or the captains and these are being present to the federal investigators.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Speaks to Striking Miners on Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range” →

Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part II

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday August 2, 1916
The Mesabi Range, Minnesota – Iron Miners Speak Out

From this month’s edition of the International Socialist Review:

Red Girls, Mesabi, Marcy, ISR Aug 1916
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part II” →

Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part I

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday August 1, 1916
The Mesabi Range, Minnesota – Miners Ruled by Deputized Gunthugs

From this month’s edition of the International Socialist Review:

Parade, Mesabi, Marcy, ISR Aug 1916
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part I” →

Hellraisers Journal: Rowan, Flynn, Ettor, and Gruni Speak in Virginia to Striking Mesabi Iron Miners

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday July 31, 1916
Virginia, Minnesota – 1500 Striking Miners Hear I. W. W. Speakers

Joe Ettor (1885-1948)


From The Duluth News Tribune of July 29, 1916:


I. W. W. SPEAKER PROMISES PEACE
—–
Assures Large Audience There Will Be
No Dynamite or Guns Used.
—–

VIRGINIA, July 28.-“No dynamite will be used, no guns are to be fired, there is nothing to be afraid of in this strike,” declared E. Rowan, speaking to hundreds of strikers and citizens of Virginia from the balcony of the Socialist opera house tonight, in his initial address as an I. W. W. leader.

The 500 strikers who marched from Virginia to Eveleth returned 800 strong tonight, increased by the forces from Aurora, Biwabik, Gilbert, Elba and Eveleth.

The meeting tonight was attended by probably 1,500 people, necessitating the working of two speakers at a time.

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Joseph Ettor, Joseph Grunl [Gruni] and [Ed] Rowan were the principal speakers. Musical selections were rendered between the talks.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Rowan, Flynn, Ettor, and Gruni Speak in Virginia to Striking Mesabi Iron Miners” →

Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Urges Miners to Leave the Mesabi and Head Out to Harvest Fields

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday July 29, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota: Miss Flynn Speaks to Striking Miners

EGF, Tresca, MN Iron Miners Strike, Logansport (IN) Daily Tb, July 29, 1916


From The Duluth News Tribune of
July 24, 1916:

I. W. W. LEADER GOES BACK TO STRIKE ZONE
—–
Elizabeth G. Flynn’s Departure Causes
Postponement of Rallies in Duluth.
—–

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, I. W. W. leader, returned to the range yesterday, forcing the postponement of last night’s meetings here, at which she was scheduled to appear to renew her local efforts for funds with which to continue the strike.

It was announced at local I. W. W. headquarters that Miss Flynn, after arriving in the city Saturday night to fill Sunday’s speech-making engagements, received orders to return immediately to the range. Louis Meles, secretary of the local branch of the organization, professed ignorance of the contingency requiring her presence in the strike zone.

J. S. Randolph substituted for Miss Flynn at a street meeting last night at Sixth avenue West and Michigan street. A few dollars was collected from the throng who heard his plea for financial assistance in behalf of the miners.

“Conditions on the Range” were discussed by Einar Ljungberg, Socialist orator, in an address last night before 300 Duluth Scandinavians at the Woodman hall. It was Ljungberg’s last speech in this country before returning to his home in Stockholm, Sweden.

—–

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Urges Miners to Leave the Mesabi and Head Out to Harvest Fields” →

Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn on the Mesabi Range, Calls on Iron Miners to Stick Together

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday July 28, 1916
From Mesabi Strike Zone: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Fights for Miners

EGF, MN Iron Miners Strike, Tacoma Tx, July 26, 1916


From the Duluth News Tribune of July 23, 1916:

Miss Flynn in City.

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, I. W. W. agent, returned to Duluth last night, after a week spent among the strikers on the range. She said she would rest here today and return to the strike zone the first of the week.

“i delivered speeches in nearly all the range towns last week,” she said at the Holland hotel. “Sometimes I spoke in two or three towns in one day. The situation is quiet with both strikers and operators playing a ‘watchful, waiting’ game. It seems to have developed into a test of endurance-a test to see which faction can stand it the longest.”

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn on the Mesabi Range, Calls on Iron Miners to Stick Together” →

Hellraisers Journal: Mesabi Range Strike: Deputy Sheriff and Soft Drink Vendor Killed in Battle at Striker’s Home

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday July 7, 1916
Biwabik, Minnesota – Strikers and Striker’s Wife Arrested

From the July 1st edition of The Duluth News Tribune:

MN Miners Strike-give 'em the boot cartoon, DNT, July 1, 1916
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Mesabi Range Strike: Deputy Sheriff and Soft Drink Vendor Killed in Battle at Striker’s Home” →