The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-10-31

ing Asks More Questions Than Amy
Other CommissIoner Although All
Show Great Iuterest-Car I'm Shaft
Jumps the Track and Some of Them
Are shaken Up.
Scranton, Pa, Oct. 30.-The seven
commissioners appointed by President
Roosevelt to adjust the differences ex-
listing between the anthracite miners
and their employers to-day made tour
of the extreme upper coal field and saw
every step taken in the production of
coal from the time it is blasted from
the ground, hundreds of feet below the
surface, up to the point where it is sent
to market
The arbitrators had an interesting
day and returned to their hotel at $3.50
O'Clock tonight grimy from coal dust
and tired after eight busy hours of OBJ
servation and investigation. The trip
was a novelty to most of those in the
commissioners party, some of whom
had never been in the. hard coal regions.
The commissioners displayed the great
est interest in every feature of coal
mining. and went about their work in
manner that was pleasing to both the
| mining superintendent and the repre-
| sentatives of the mine workers who ac-
companied the presidents commission
ers. The seven arbitrators had to en-
dure many discomforts, make their way
through wet places in the mines, almost
crawl along some of the gangways in
the working, and pass through clouds
of coal dust in the breakers. Notwith-
standing this, their eagerness for in
formation was not diminished, and they
expect to put in another hard days
work tomorrow in this vicinity.
1t would be unfair to say that one
commissioner displayed more interest
than another, but it can be truly said
that Bishop Spaldng asked more ques-
tions than any one of the others. He
was usually in the center of a group of
commissioners and asked many ques-
tions of those who are employed in and
about the mines.
| All the commissioners were good list
eners, but poor takers when it came
down to getting an expression from
them of any feature of the mining bus
| f,aAc hi
certain they have agreed not to say one
word of what they think of any ques-
ton that will come before them Sew
eral persons approached one or another
of the commissioners during the day,
mostly for the purpose of saying what
he thought of some things he saw, and
in each case the inquirer was rebuffed.
To-day's tour consisted of an inspec-
tion of Number mine of the Hillside
Coal and Iron company operated by
the Erie company, and the Coal Brook
breaker of the Delaware and Hudson
company. The former is located at For
est City, twenty-five miles north of this
city, and the breaker at Carbondale,
four miles south of Forest City On
the run up the Lackawanna valley the
commissioners viewed with interest the
several mining towns situated along
the Delaware and Hudson railroad
The start was made from this city at
precisely 10 o'clock in the morning. In
the party were the seven commission
ers, Recorders Mosely and Neill and
four stenographers. Accompanying
them were General Superintendent r.
A. Phillips, of the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western company; General
Superintendent E. E. Rose, of the Del
aware and Hudson; General Manager
w. A. May, of the Erie; General Super
intendent J. r. Dryden, of the New
York, Ontario and Western, and Cen
eral Manager S. B. Thorne, of the Tenn
pie Iron company. These officials rep
resented the companies. and the mine
Iworkers were represented by Thomas
D. Nichols, president of this district of
the United Mine Workers of America;
Henry Collins, national organizer for
this district: Rev. Peter Roberts, of
Mahanoy CITY, and. James Warwick, Of
New York, the latter an expert. Be-
sides these were in the party about
dozen newspaper correspondents. A
special train of two Pullman cars and
a day coach, which was chartered at
CONTINUED on Sixth Page.)