The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-06
THEY COT WET.
Last Day of Arbitration Com
miSSi0ners i'm the Mines.
Visited Seven and Got Their
Faces Smeared With Dust.
HAVE SEEN ENOUGH.
Believe They Are Now Prepared
to Hear the Case
And Render a Decision in AccOr-
dance With Facts.

thracite strike commission ended its |
tour of observation of the coal fields in
the Panther crek valley and the men,
bers of the party will return to their
homes today and will meet again at
Scranton on November II to take the
testimony of the miners. The biggest
days work of the entire trip was ac
complished Wednesday when the com
missioners made a complete inspection /
of two large collieries and tour of the
region lying between Mount Carmel and
this city.
Six working days have been consumed
In travelling from place to place in the
anthracite regions and the arbitrators
feel that they are now qualified to sit
/ In judgment on the controv ersy between
the mine owners and their employees |
In all the commissioners were lowered
| into seven mines of varying conditions |
and went through several breakers. |
They met the general superintendent. |
the mine superintendents and foremen
/ OF the various collieries visited, and also
personally talked with the grimy coal
diggers in the dark gangways and
chambers hundreds of feet below the
earth's surface They heard the griev
ances the workers say they have. and
also heard the company's side of the
complaint. Besides this the commits
sioners gained a somewhat technical
knowledge of mining in its many differ
ent features, that will be of the greatest
assistance to them. They will be able to
/ understand questions and ask questions
where they weuld not have been able
to understand them If they had not been
underground.
The commissioners special train left
Mt. Carmel at 7:45 a. m. and first visit
ed the Potts collie1y in Columbia county
several miles from Mt Carmel It is
owned by the Philadelphia & Reading
Coal & Coke company. The breaker of
this colliery IS different from those seen
by the commissioners at other places.
They went all over the building, and
were much interested in the workmen
employed there. among whom were
many boys. From the Potts cOlliery the
train proceeded through Ashland,
Girardville and Gilbert on to the Maple
Hill colliery of the Philadelphia & Read
ing Coal e. Iron company in the Ma
honey valley, few miles from Shenan-
doah. This is one of the best mines in
the entire anthracite field and is
equipped with all modern appliances
The bottom of the shaft is 730 feet be-
hours stay in the workings the commits
sioners went about a mile and a half
from the shaft. The whistle blew for
the noon hour just as the party came to
the surface. At the breaker nearby the
: commissioners talked with the bo-s
whose faces were black from coal dust.
Judge, Gray and Bishop Spalding
seemed the most interested in the lads
and each gave some of them small coin.
From the Maple Hill colliery the train
was ran down through Mahonoy City
ley. There the arbitrators visited the
No. colliery of the Lehigh Coal &
Navigation company of Coaldale. The
entrance to the mines was through a
. drift which is a horizontal opening
About 100 feet inside the entrance the
party was lowered by means of a shaft
+ to the bottom, which is $50 feet down.
The mine quite wet and every one
in the party got more or less wet The
members of the commission passed
along the gangway on mine cars drawn
by mules they went under wOrkedout
chutes from which the water flowed in
streams. While going under one chute
the mules stopped and the water fell
into one of the cars, thoroughly soaking
! all its occupants. It was an uncomfor-
table position to be in and the commits
sioners in the other cars took it as
!, good joke their colleagues who were
directly under the chute.
The party went to the end of two
long gangways about a half mile in
: length and uD into a very steep chute,
. where they found miners al work In
order to get into the chute the commits
sioners had to climb a ladder and crawl
over broken coal through a small open
ing. Their hands and faces were smear
ed with coal dust when they came out
After leaving the mine, a number of
idle mine workers, crowded around
) Chairman Gray of the commission and
told him that they had been discrimina-
ted against by the company in the
matter of getting their old places back
They said Superintendent Behiner
would not take them back for some rea-
> son unknown to them and that other
men had been given their positions On
a the other hand the comDany's officials
n | claimed that they have not enough work
+ at this time FOR all the men on account
of repair work now being done in the
| mines. judge Gray listened to them.
I but made no comment.
e The commissioners arrived in this city al
I 5 O'Clock and spent the night at a hotel
d They will leave for Pottsville at about
E O'Clock today and will depart from ths
L latter place for their homes during the
L afternoon. The commissioners specia
q cars will be run to Washington by way OF
e Philadelphia and from the latter city som.
/ of the commissioners will go to New York
u The commissioners held a conference il
d the parlors of the hotel at which arrange
ments for the holding of the hearings anc
also the mode of procedure in taking tes
tinony was discussed 1t is likely that tn,
Scranton hearing Will be heard in tn
y court house there.
The status of the independent coal CON
panies in the present arbitration proceed
n ings is not clear. All of them have beel
" invited to participate in the hearing i
~ they so desire The Lehigh Coal & Navi
-e cation company, it is understood, ha.
II agreed to abide by the decision of tn
d commission as also have several small in
H. dependent concerns. It is believed that al
id cision If they do this the commission i
e likely to take up the grievances whfel
a have arisen at some of the Independent
collieries since the strike was declare.
ID off The commission has steadfastIy re
rtI fused to visit any collieries where tn
owners have not agreed to abide by tn
award of the commission.