The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-12-02
INDUSTRIAL JoTTINGs.

Richard Caffrey, general engineer of
maintenance of way on the Lehigh
| Valley railroad, has rendered his res
| ignation, to take effect Dec. /, next
He will be succeeded by q.
| w. Berg, of Jersey city, at present
! the principal assistant of Chief En-
| gineer Webster. Mr.. Caffrey has been
in the Valleys employ many years,
having worked his way up from a sec
ton hand.
The Lehigh Valley Coal company will
| have possession of the North Ashland
| colliery after Jan. 1. This mine is
now operated by the Reading. 1t is
part of the property of the Girard
| estate, and has been in continuous
| operation since 1861. The Reading con-
| Quoted the mine at a profit for ten
years, and then began to lose money.
1t is the purpose of the Lehigh to carry
| the coal to the Continental mine and
not to use the North Ashland breaker.
A case of very great Importance to
| coal miners has been decided in Suli-
van county, this state. The BerniCe
| Coal company retains $49.57 due Thom-
| as Gildea, on the ground that he had
| signed a contract authorizing the COM
| pany to withhold the money due the
| store. Gildea admitted that he owed
| the store $3.50; that he had signed a
| contract, but his attorney raised the
| point that the company store violated
an act of assembly in selling goods to
cash customers at smaller profits than
| that gained from employees. The Act
| says that wherever any coal company
or other corporation shall charge the
| employe more than an outside GUS
| toner, the debt shall not be collect
| able. This store did business on the
| double standard, and the miner will
| get his money back, as the court de-
| Cided in his favor
"a corps of New York, Wyoming and
| Western railroad engineers have pass
| ed through Pike county recently for
| the purpose OF locating the individual
| producers new coal road from their
| mines in the vicinity of Scranton,
| Pa, to tideWater on the Hudson" says
| an exchange. They stopped at c. w.
| COurtrightS Place on the Twelve Mile
| Pond, and at Nichecronk Lake Villa.
| While in Milford they were registered
| at the Crissman House. where they
| remained several days A most eX-
| haustive preliminary examination of
| the Typography of Pike county was
made, including the valley of the Ray
mondskill and portion of Sussex
| county, n. j."
| Although the fire in the RaVine mine
is believed by the officials to have been
| completely eXtinguished by the water
| with which the affected workings
| We're flooded, the water is still being
permitted to remain in the mine and
one small pump is kept in operation
| on the surface, forcing sufficient wat
| er into the mine to make I'D for the
! leakage thus keeping the food at the
| same Level continuously. The purpose
| Is to cool the workings to normal
| temperature The first time the Off
| cials entered the mine after the flood
| the temperature near where the fire
| had been raging was ninety eight de-
| sress, or within eight of the normal
| figure. The work Of removing the
| flood will probably be started in about
| one week hence.-Pittston Gazette.
Several important changes took er-
| feet yesterday in the Lehgh Valley
| Coal companYs force of outside fore
| men. The establishment of the big
| new breaker at the Prospect coIlierv
in North Wilkes barre creates a new
| position, which is given to Edward
| Smith, for number of years outside
| foreman at the Maltby colliery. The
vacancy thus created is filled by the
transfer of John b. Keeler from the
Exeter collierY, West Pittston, Mr.
keeler thus going back to the colliery
where ne served as boOkkeeper for
many years. The vacancy in the out
side foremanship at the Exeter is fill
ed by the promotion of Robert Nesbitt
Of West Pittston, who has been a
trusted outside employe at this col
lIery for a number of years.
1t is stated on good authority that
the Lehigh Valley Rilroad company has
decided 10 double track all the WAY
over the Wilkes Barre mountain. This
| will prevent all such accidents as the
! one of few weeks ago, when a train
got away and crashed into another
coming up the mountain, resulting i'm
the death of six men, This is the only
| portion of the Lehigh Valley between
Jersey City and Buffalo that is not
double-tracked and it is only a short
distance, but the expense win be heavy
Al places on one side Of the present
single track runs the mountain to con-
siderable height and on the other side
is a steep embankment. In order 10
double-track there will have to be
some extensive cutting away or filling. .
The company has long desired TO do
this work and the recent accident has
very forcibly brought the necessity TO
its attention.-Wilkes-B Barre Record.
Officials of the road deny that this inn
provement viii be made. They say the
cost would be too great to be done at
this time.