The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-09-16
SUED BY MINERS.
Sine Hundred Dollars claimed for cut
Coal in "a BrCust.

Coal In a BrCust.
There was an interesting arbitration in the
Office Of NJ. NJ. Burke, Esq, hinging on n
claim Of Mat Lachinsky and Joseph Stro-
whisky, two Lithuanian miners Of town.
against the Lehigh Valley Coal Company for
a sum close upon 5000 claimed to be due them
for coal mined Mr.. Burke represented the
plaintiffs and S. II. and D w. Kaerchcr.
Esqs., appeared for the defendant company
The arbitrators were Mossrs. Harry Haas
and Charles Boyer of Puttsvile, and Jane,
Grant, Of town.
The complaint in the case was that in
January 1s0s, the plaintiffs were employed
by the company in breast No. Z, West
Mammoth vein, 9Th lift, Packer No 4
collicry and, By agreement with James
Heatou, the compauys agent and inside boss
they were to receive 75 cents "A car for each
car of coal cut by them That up to July u,
1895, they were paid that rate per car and
had cut collected and prepared in the breas,
1900 cars Of coal On that date they were
informed by MIR. Heaton that the company
would not pay them for the coal at the price
agreed upon, but that they would be allowed,
after July IL, so much of the coal drawn
from the breast daily as would bring them
wages averaging 81. per day. That the
plaintiffs requested that they be allowed 10
take out all the cut coal then in the breast
but the permission was refused. The plain
tifs further alleged that they were informed
and believed that since July II the company
has been drawing from the breast the coal
cut and prepared by them and the company
has refused to pay them for any portion of it
or for the labor expended by them in cutting
and preparing the coal.
There was quite an array of witnesses at
the arbitration, including mine and fire
bosses and mine engineers aud others en-
ployed by the company. Mine Foreman
Hraton took the witness stand and told n
story which quite llatly contradicted the
plaintiffs and gave the reasons for the change
of price, as well the stoppage of the work
He said the breasts in question was started
by the yard at the rate Of So a yard. Aftes
breasts 7, and had been driven up Ger
tain distance the men came to him and said
the vein was too fiat and they could not
make a living in it. They wanted to be paid
| by the car. After delay of few days,
during which Mr. Hoaton communicated
with his superiors, it was agreed TO pay them
| by the car. The collery is ventilated
with stump headings. A short time
after the men started to work
| by the wagon the fire boss stepped
| the breast because the coal was getting too
| free in the face. That breast was to 90 13l
feet from the Sangway. That was the total
distance it was to be driven At the time
the fire boss stopped the work the breast had
| or feet to 90 to reach the limit. Upon re-
ceiving the fire boss's report Mr.. Heatun
told the fire boss to stop the work and
not let it 90 any further. The
plaintiffs afterwards commenced to blow
down top hole when they had no authority
to do So They had been paid for 30 feet of
the breast by the yard aud they had no right
to any coal for which the company had paid
them by the yard. They drove ten feet by
the wagon rate. When the top coal fell the
fire boss reported to me. l went down and
told the men to pull the coal out of the breast
until we could get the ventilation across the
face, but that they must understand that the
coal belonged to the company, rs it had
been paid for under the yardage agreement.
The plaintiffs we're paid for more coal than
they were entitled to before the ventilation
was established. The breast was stopped al
l3O feet because we were afraid it would rur
through the level above it. When the plain
titls started by the yard they were to work
from the bottom bench tC the top of the
5.foot bench, mining thickness of from 1
to II feet and it would be impossible fO
them to mine all the coal they claim pay fo
within those bounds. The breast has sine,
run through to the leyel above.
The arbitration was resumed this after
noon, but after short session a postponemen
was agreed upon, the date not being fixed.
Come and see our chinaware, cup anC