THE CRIPPLE CREEK STRIKE — CONTINUED. THE EXPLOSION AT THE INDEPENDENCE DEPOT.
After the Victor Poole case was disposed of, things quieted down rapidly in Teller County, and by the middle of January the Cripple Creek district was again calm and peaceful.
With all this the strike was still on, both miners and owners refusing to concede anything. The governor, seeing that his tactics could not coerce the miners into severing their relations with the hated Federation, began to gradually withdraw the militia from Teller County, until but a mere handful of soldiers remained in the district.
Negotiations looking toward a settlement were commenced several times, but never came to a successful issue.
Thus the winter gave way to spring, and the spring months likewise passed by without either side showing any disposition to sue for peace. During the early part of June, 1904, the Western Federation of Miners held their annual convention in Denver, and among other things considerable attention was given to the Colorado strikes.
The convention sent a committee down to the Cripple Creek district to investigate conditions there and report back to the convention, and there seemed some possibility of a settlement being eflfected, when an event occurred which indeed ended the strikes in Colorado, but at a dear price to both contending parties.
On Monday, June 6th, 1904, a number of non-union miners, who were about to board a Florence & Cripple Creek train at the station at