Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-14

Both Pinkertons to Be Examined.
At this stage of the inquiry Chairman
Oates said that the committee expected t.
have both the Pinkertons, Robert an
William, before them.
Mr. Boatner, however, continued asking
'Tt is a matter of some importance as I.
| whether you had any correspondence Will
the Pinkertons about these men after you
| interview with this agent and before the
| date of the coming Of the venf"
'1t is likely that we nsd. Through tn
telephone we had frequent conversations
"Do you remember whether in those con
versations anything was said about th'
necessity for providing armsF"
| ~ do not"
"when was it that the Pinkertons wert
advised that it would bo necessary to supply
their men with arms?"
Il could not tell you when. That wa
probably done by Mr.. schoonmaker, ou
| agent in New York"
| mot directly; may have had some com
municatton with Mr. schoonmaker in refer
| ence to that"
what was this communication"
II cannot say directly;. say 1 may hav'
had and it is likely that did haver"
"The question is. did you have?"
81 have replied to that question. think.
There then followed a talk between Mr.
Boatner, the Chairman, and other member.
| of the committee as to whether the witness
had answered the question. Mr.. Frici
| finally said:
$50 far as recollect, think dio have
Some Clever Verbal Fencing.
There followed several questions by Mr.
Boatner and answers by Mr.. Frick on this
point, which brought out no information
except that both were clever mental fencers
Mr.. Boatner finally asked:
"Have you any reason to doubt the accu.
racy OF your recollection"
Mr. Frick replied. II am q very busy
man."
The examination continued:
"In the employment of these men was IT
stipulated that they should be armed?"
Il think not; in fact, am satisfied 1t was
not stipulated"
Judge Oates then took up the examina-
tion, and asked:
"Are you prepared this morning to give an
explanation of the sliding scale?"
Il think am. The object of having q
sliding scale is to have wages adjusted to
the market price OF the article upon which
the wages are based. With the Homestead
workers, for instance, the wages are based
upon the selling price of steel billets. There
is no limitation upon the advancement of
the price or the wages, but there has been a
crease below certain selling point. A
sliding scale also presents the advantage of
having a scale running over an extended
period and not subject 10 adjustment yearly.
scale operates will give you the sliding
scale worked out for each department"
Wages Made by the workmen.
Chairman Frick then presented number
of tables showing what each workman
earned per 100 tons in the 119-ipch plate
mill, under the agreement signed July 15,
1889, Under that agreement, he said, the
minimum price of steel billets was SIS per
ton. Mr.. Frick then explained as follows:
"This table shows that roller, W no earned
in the plate mill in May. by working "a days,
received $3.50 o5, being paid on a s25 mini
mum at the rate of sl3 81 for each loo tons.
The next roller, having worked % days,
made s27s So He was paid at the same rate
but handled more tonnage. The next
worked Is days and made s279 80 At $25 per
ton the roller was paid $l3 81. At SIS % he
would have been paid sl3 81 per 100 tons and
so on until We reach $50 billets. At that
price the roller would have been paid $ls 81
for each 100 tons. If billets should reach the
price of $40 he would be paid $2l 80 for each
1C0 tons"
Mr.. Frick then presented his tables to
the committee, showing what each work
man would earn at the various selling price
of billets, quoted in the market, up to $40
per ton. MI. Bynum then asked for the
contract between the company and the
Government for the manufacture of armor
plate, and Chairman Frick furnished a
copy of this contract, which was verbally
eucidated by him in his testimony of
Tuesday evening.
How Homestead Wages Compare.
In answer to questions by Judge Broder-
ick, Mr. Frick said that the wages paid at
Homestead were higher than those paid at
almost any other works in the United
States. He thought they were 40 per cent
higher in almost every particular than the
wages paid In eastern mills.
Judge Broderick then asked: after the
conflict between the Pinkerton men and
your workmen, did you join the Sheriff in
to the Governor to send troops?"
Mr.. Frick replied: 81 did not until Sum
day evening last, when sent the Governor
thought, of his supporting the Sheriff by the
That was not in conjunction with
the Sheriff, however. The Sheriff knew
nothing of my telegram"
In answer to questions by Mr.. Boatner,
Mr.. Frick said the wages paid to the rollers
to whom he had referred were not diverted
by the payment of money to any helpers.
Mr.. Frick also repeated his opinion that
the men would now be able to make higher
wages than they had made under the old
scale when it was signed. In answer to
questions by Mr.. Bynum, Mr.. Frick said
that the men whose wages he had quoted
worked in some months less than in
others. He thought the ACREAGE num-
Der of days the year through was 27O
Mr.. Frick was dismissed with request
that he furnish to the committee..a state
ment of the selling price of billets for the
last ten years. He remained an interested
listener during the remainder of the fore
noon session.
As Seen From the Little Bill.
Captain William B. Rodgers, of the Time
Coal Company, was then sworn, and gave
his testimony by reading statement pub
lished in the newspapers of July II. He
was then asked by Chairman Oates who
sent to him a letter introducing Colonel
Gray as deputy sheriff, and he replied that
The letter came from Knox & Reed, the at
torneys for the Carnegie Steel Company.
Captain Rodgers said he had told the law
yers that he did not know Colonel Gray and
that somebody would have to give him a
letter of introduction SO that he could get
On the boat.
In answer to questions by Mr.. Boatner,
Captain Rodgers said that he did not know,
when the rifles were loaded into the barges,
hat they were rifles. They were in boxes
ike groceries or drygoods He thought |
hey were loaded upon the boat on July 1 |
Or 2, being sent down for the barges from |
Mr.. Frick. Captain Rodgers said also that |
ne saw, on July 6, when the Little Bill |
,ame down the river from Port Perry, past |
he works, a fiat car burning at the Home |
stead mills. The rifles in the barges, he |!
said, were unpacked all the way up from |
Lock No and were not all unpacked |
when the landing was made. He denied |
hat there was any special preparation of |
he barges by sheet iron lining There was |
only the ordinary inch-board lining up the |
inside to make straight face next to the
freight.
The firing. Captain Rodgers said, began