Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-07-24
Illinois Coal Mines.
Close of the Arbitrators' lnves.
tigation at Streator.
SOME CONTRADICTORY TESTIMONY.

Those Who Work and Those Who Pay
View. of operators-The Evidence All |
fn-Tru.ts aud Syndicates-Sew York |
Lunch Routes Gobbled-EnElish Capt. |
taIists Moving on Piitsburg Steel Plants
STREAroR. Ills, July 24-The proceed
ings before the board OF arbitration yester- |
day brought ont many points OF interest
alike t. the miners and Operators, and it is
exceedingly difficult to say which SHE was
mostly favored Col Ralph Plnmb appeared
efore the beard, being compelled To walk
with crutches on account Of a recent acci-
dent II gave a detailed account Of the -
we're compaiition northern Illinois operators
were compelled to meet, t-~tifying that be
had been of-rei Tiltnn, southern Illinois.
coal at 81 "a on the cars in Chicago. and
claiming that this was much cheaper than
northern Illinois operators could furnish coal
at last years prices
The Bookkeeper Wages
Mr. Kemptcn. to~kkeeper for the Coal
Run Cod ccmTaay. was recalled aud testi-
fed as 10 the was-s 81 the miners from Jan
uary T. May Of the pr, sent Y, ar H.s figures
showed that ct nearly 3.O IA II employed
regularly TIL greater parI % them averaged
81 = PEI day i,r probably twenty DAYS each
month. while Others did not make quite 80
much. CO. R-nd conducted the eIanina-
% " the ma jority of the Witness. and
b. gave k-mpton a severe cross questioning.
But the latter succsseiei in holding his own
without bacomjn enfsnglei in his figures
The Miners Hive an Inning.
In confederation . Patrick Butter fields
testimony Monday to the e. ffect that wages
dli not average So pr month for tin p rod
from january e. Nav Of this wear. several
other miners testified some asserting that
they were compelled 10 pay house rent of
g.. pick sharpening, etc, until their actual
earnings did not exceed So monthly.
Tom Perry during the month Of April
earned about sic After deducting s. for
house rent he mad les than $40 TO support
his family He had bad place ami had to
work many DAYS when the shaft was Idle IN
orier to I'll his turn
John Buuerfi-li. an able tOiied young
miner, testified that for the four months pre-
c-,iinS the strike his average Wages had
fallen con ,Iierab.v below $50, and that dur
ing that tins be bad 10 do considerable dead
work for nothing.
Thomas Hanna, for two months preceding
the strike, had earned So and So nSpec-
lively. He had good plaoe, and considered
the wages earned by himself as much above
the average OF the shaft He advocated the
adjustment Of the present difficulty upon
Sliding scale, and stated that there was moth
ing in the articles of agreement TO prevent
the aTbitra'ors solving the problem IN that
manner. Others swure that they did not
ayersge so per month.
A Southern Illinois Operator.
Mr. Ridgely. II Springfield, president OF
the Consolidated Coal company. was an inn
portant witness in behalf Of the miners. Be
ing a leading southern Illinois operator it
was to his interest TO compel the operators
throu- bout the northern portion Of the state
| 10 pay : gh pricss as possible fer mining
be testified that his company owned eighty
| mines IN the southern district, of which II
was now operating seveuty-two Capacity,
1900 tons daily During the year ending
April 8 ISIS, they bad shipped 10 Chicago
ami northern Illinois It's, 600 tons, or ,. per
cent OF the total western bituminous coal
shipments For last year this was cunsiier-
ably increased.
Not stealing Any Trade.
Mr.. Ridgsly most emphatically denied the
charge that he had been stealing the north
| ern Illinois coal trade he said they pail -
chimes largely. He declined TO state the cost
OF their cal on the car and was unable to
| give the selling price Of their coal in Chi
| cage, although 1t was market price ami their
agent there was instructed to hold their
| trsdA The company made profit Of s. co.
on its north * eStern business during the wear
ending June so, 1881
Offered Very Cheap Coal
B. I. Lewis. fuel sgent of the Santa Fe
system, testified that he had been offered
coal As low ~ cents per ton on the cars in
central Illinois. or 81 45 in Chicago. and that
he expected TO buy coal cheaper than that
| next win er. William Wilkerson. division
| superin enlsnt Of the Illinois Central rail-
way, testified that during the year previous
and other To the shipments OF coal from Pana
decrease instead of an increage,, ' az -h' "ei
Operator sweet the Stand.
A L Sweet. general manager Of the Chi
cago, Wilmington and Nermllliou Coal com
pany, testified that the dead work IN hi
Streator MINIS cost an average OF 81 cent
per ton The soft coal trade at present, a
compared with that of year ago, Is not :
prosperous there being a decline # Is 10 ,
cents pr ton He said they could not holl
their trade at last years prices The caus
Of this decline Is from the competition o
central AMI southern Illinois He beieveS
that the present. decrease Of prices was
permanent one He knew that In southern
Illinois coal was icing put on the cars at 5
&c Is per ton Ninety thousand tons Q
Hooking valley coal were sold recently i
Chica-D at prices which Wilmington woulC
have 10 sell at 81 - to compste with
The Evidence All Ia
The evidence - now IN, each ssie havint
been given an opportunity 10 present all tn
facts and f -urts IT could produce. The e1
animation OF witnesses has been very thor
ouEh, and the business has bael conducts
with apparent fairness u both sides SO. tina
neither can have reason 10 complain Al
the testimony will be taken to Chicago b.
Mess X nj and Williams and there sub
United to the third arbitrator and referee
Lyman J. Gage.
COMFORTERS AND LUNCH ROUTES