Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-05
WORKED IN MINES 80 YEARS
John G. Sternix Says He Earned
About $500 a year.

Scranton, Dec s.. Yesterday was sci
i as the time limit for coal companies to
answer the statement made by the
miners, but the Coke company's time
was extended, the officials of the com
lpany being absent and not prepared te
make an answer.
john G. Sternix, an Englishman, tes
titled that he averaged about $500 a
year. He had worked in the mines
80 years John Farari, an Austrian
formerly employed by the Coke com
pany, said he was able save only $6C
in the last seven years. Timothy Ma
loney said he was unable to. get back
the position he held with the Coke
company before. the strike began.
| SCRANTON, Pa, Dec. 5.-At yester-
days session Of the anthracite strike
commission the representatives of the
mine workers continued to call wit
nesses, mostly practical miners, who
told their story of conditions as they
exist in the Hazleton, or middle, coal
fields. The miners tried to show by
these witnesses that the Coke and 9th
er companies had violated the agree
ment entered into by both sides when
the commission was appointed that the
strikers should return to work and be
given their old places back where they
had not already been filled. Some Of
the witnesses called testified that they
were not given back their old places
and maintained that men prominent in
ing the strike were Disseminated
against.
The commission has decided to invite
the mine inspectors to appear before
them, because the miners claim that
the workmen fear to inform the mine
inspectors of dangerous or unhealthy
places in the mines because the inspect
ors are usually accompanied by some
representative of the company, who
may cause the mans dismissal. This
is new point before the commission.
Rumors of possible negotiations look
ing toward a settlement outside the
commission continue to be heard. Law
yers admit they have heard such ru-
mors. but say they know nothing about
possible settlement.
Jackson Ansfach of the Hazleton re-
gion was an interesting witness be-
cause he is the first fireman to appear
before the commission. He said he re-
ceived $1.57 for a day of twelve hours
and his assistant $1.26. On every other
Sunday, when he and his assistant
shifted from day to night work, they
were compelled to work twenty
hours straight without relief. This
statement caused buzz through the
courtroom, and every commissioner
Strengthened up and became more in
terested. In answer to a question put
by the commission he said he was Off
duty one day every two weeks, thus
working six days one week and eight
days the following week.
s'Supposing you should fall asleep
when you work in the long shift of
twenty four hours, what would hap
nen?" asked Mr.. Darrow.
Well" he replied, if I slept long
enough the fans would stop, gas would
accumulate in the mines, and If an ex-
plosion took place some men might be
killed; that's all.
The Rev. James ". Hussie, rector Of
st. Gabriel's Roman Catholic church,
Hazleton, and the dean, by appoint
ment Of the bishop Of the diocese, of
lower Luzerne county, an ecclesiastical
preferment, as he called it, was the
next witness. Father Hussie stated that
he had an intimate knowledge of condi-
tions in and about Hazleton by reason
of being the rector of the parish there.
When asked to explain the general
conditions as he found them, Father
Hussie said he had lived in the coal
regions practically all his life. "The
conditions in this region" he said,
fare deplorable The mine workers
are barely able to exist. / say this
without any coloring, knowing that I
am under oath. I realize that what I
say is going to the American people,
and I want to talk cautiously. I have
been III their homes. They are not
homes, but merely habitatiOn, rest
ing place.
Continuing, Father Hussie said that
this was the condition before the strike,
that during the suspension the mine
workers and their families were more
pinched and that they were most eco
nominal in many things and barely ex-
listed. Families cannot be kept to-
gether, he said. The boys are sent into
the mines almost as soon as sthey are
able to toddle out" and the girls are
sent to the mills in the small towns in
the vicinity or drift to the large cities.
He related instances of poverty and
said that it took one man six years be-
fore he was able to pay off funeral
debt of 5000.
The Lehigh,s New President
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. Be. B.
Thomas was elected president of the
Lehigh Valley Railroad company and
the Lehigh Valley Coal company in
place of Alfred Walters, resigned, at
special meetings of the boards of di-
rectors Of those companies held here.
mn