The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-05
MINERS FAST IN
P0VERTYS GRIP
One Man Worked Seven Years
and Saved $50.
SMALL NUMBER OWN HOMES
INTERESTING TESTIMONY BE-
FORE STRIKE COMMISSION.

= n CRANTON. Pa, Dec. 4.-At to- =
y days session of the anthra- =
y cite strike commission the =
= representatives of the mine work y
= ers continued TO call witnesses,
= most particularly mine workmen. y
= 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 other COM
panies had violated the agreement en-
tered into by both sides when the COM
mission was appointed. that the strik-
ers should return TO work and be given
their old places back, where they had
not already been filed. Some Of the
witnesses called testified that they were
not given back their old places, and
maintained that men prominent in the
union in the various localities during
the strike were Disseminated against
Mine Inspectors to Appear.
The commission has decided TO in
vite the mine inspectors to appear be-
fore them, because the miners assert
that the wOrlmen fear to inform the
mine inspectors of dangerous or I'M
healthy places in the mines because the
some representative of the company,
who may cause the mans dismissal.
This is a new point before the commits
sion.
Rumors of possible negotiation look
ing to a settlement outside the commits
sion continue to be heard Lawyers
admit that they have heard such ru-
mOrs, but say they know nothing
about a possible settlement Whatever
is done viii be first decided upon in
New York. where those in authority
to act are located Several attorneys,
among them W. W. Ross of the Del
aware, Lackawanna & Western COM
Dany, have returned to the metropolis
Whether or not it is in connection with
peace negotiations cannot be learned
here. The opinion still prevails here
that the operators and the miners viii
agree on most points before the COM
mission concludes its hearings.
Union Man Tempted.
Andrew Mattey, a SIavonian. who
was employed at Coke Brothers & Co.'S.
was the first witness called He was
the president of his local union and
was told by the company, he said, that
if he quit the union he would be given
a boss Job. He refused, and later was
given. such bad work that he gave Up
his job. He said he was the means Of
bringing fourteen SlavOnians 10 this
country at the instance of a breaker
boss at the Coke mines They were
promised S1.10 day, but received only
60 to so cents a day.
When the witness was asked by Mr..
Darrow how many times ne had seen
the mine inspector in the mines, Com
missioner Watkins asked the purpose
Of the question.
Mr. DarrOw said that as a rule the
mine inspector is accompanied by
company official, and therefore a miner
is afraid 10 make a complaint in the
presence Of his boss
Mr. Mitchell maintained inspectors
should be unaccompanied and their at
tention not diverted from bad places
in the mines
It was decided to invite all mine in
spectors to testify regarding the point
raised.
Saved $50 in Seven Years.
John G. Strenix. an Englishman, fol-
lowed Mattey- He said ne avera ged
about $500 a year, and had worked IN
the mines for thirty years. ~
John Farari, an Austrian, formerly
employed by the Coke company, said
he was able to save only $50 in the
last seven years
Jackson Ansbach Of the Hazleton re-
giOn was an interesting witness, be-
cause he is the first fireman to appear
before the commission He said he
received SI-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-fOur
hours straight without relief. This
statement caused a buzz through the
court room, and every commissioner
Strengthened up and became more in
terested- In answer to a question put
by the commission, he said he was or
one day every two weeks, thus working
six days one week and eight days the
following week.
Surprising you should fail asleep
when you work on the long shift OF
twenty-four hours, what would hap
pen?" asked Mr.. Darrow.
Well" he replied, IF I slept long
enough the fans would stop, gas would