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Philadelphia, 1843. About very good.. [3]pp. on a bifolium. Old fold lines, minor wear. Slight loss from wax seal, not affecting text. Minor toning. In the present letter, the president of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, James S. Cox (1798-1862), writes to his superintendent William H. Knowles (1807-1844) about a labor dispute. After a breach in the company's canal, their contracted boatmen refused to assist in repairs, and demanded more money. Supposedly the Irish boatmen were bullying the "country" boatmen into observing the wildcat strike. A rival canal was rumored to have sent the "rioters" money to encourage the disruption. Cox writes:
"We expect W.H. Knowles will be at So. E[aston] when they arrive & therefore expect the coolness & wisdom of you both with out boat'n in case they are so foolish & so bad as to combine to extort an increase of freight above their agre'nt for this season. We regret as much as the boatmen their delay at the breach in the Del. Canal, but we had provided as usual in their contracts work at the breach for those that wished to work, & if they had joined in as formerly to help the repair, they would have shortened their interruption several days!, besides being paid such wages as would reduce the loss by the breach. Combinations is what I hope our Co. will never conceed to, because its tendency is to demoralize the men by inducing them to break their contracts, which in the end would so debace them that finally no agreement would be made with them.... If we can't deal with boatmen honest enough to stick to their bargain! they will have to mine the coal themselves, for we shan't disturb it in the ground without we expect to be repaid its cost."
Cox then discusses the financial considerations in mining and transporting the coal from Pottsville to Philadelphia by various routes. "The boatmen know what their contract is...if we can't get our boating done at prices to sustain us without loss, we will leave the coal in the mines. Information has come here that the country boatmen are desirous of continuing on with their boats as soon as they are released by the brake, but the Irish boatmen threaten them if they do, to cut their tow ropes & throw their horses in the river, & it is also said that the Schuylkill [Canal] people have sent them $500 to aid the rioters, to hold out for their terms." A postscript from 10 July adds that "we shall send up Mr. Sturdevant to Easton on Wednesday, to aid you in bringing the boatmen to reason.... Our opinion is decidedly against any payment at Easton, or any concession anywhere, wh. may embolden them again to assume a threatening attitude, or encourage the miners to follow their examples.
