Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-11-03
Whether Cut or Raised, Will
Start from Nov. |.
Commissioners Spend Another Day
Among Miners Under Ground.
The Men Questioned as to Their Work
and Earnings.


Carroll d. Wright, the recorder of the
commission. that if any award affect
ing the existing rate of wages shall be
made. the award shall be effective from
Nov /. 1t was fully expected that this
question would come up before the ar
bitrators. but the action of the COM
missiOners shuts off any possible con-
trOversy that either side may have de-
sired to raise. The miners wanted the
new scale. if one is made, to date from
the time they returned to work, but
the operators left the matter to be de-
cided by the commission. The mine
workers are perfectly satisfied, how
ever. with the decision of the commits
sion. The strike has been off only one
week. and most of the men have not
worked more than four or five days.
The announcement of the commission
was contained in the following brief
resolution:
Voted. unanimously, that if the
commission at the conclusion of it's
hearings and deliberations, make any
award affecting existing rates of wages,
such award shall take effect, Nov. l.
1902
Accompanying the resolution was
brief statement made by Recorder
Wright, in which he says:
1.-The resolution was adopted by the
commission because it felt that it was
important to make its investigation de-
liberately and that it might be well, i'm
order to relieve itself from pressure
from any source which might cause I'M
due haste. to inform the operators and
the miners that should the inveStiga-
ton and the deliberations following it
warrant any change whatever, either
in the way of increase or reduction of
wages, such changes should be from a
certain date. thus enabling all parties
to facilitate their calculations
The commissioners spent the entire
day in continuing their inspection of
the mines and the mining region about
Scranton. They visited the Manville
coliery. operated Jointly by the Della
ware & Hudson and the Delaware,
Lackawanna & Western Cos, in the
forenoon. and the afternoon was spent
in riding through the region on a spe-
cial trolley car.
1t is possible the commission may
make n preliminary report on three of
the principal strike questions. They
are the increase in wages, a shorter
work day and the weighing Of coal.
After these have been decided the COM
mission can take up all other questions
without undue haste. 1t is known the
commissioners have this feature under
consideration and it is very likely a
preliminary report will be made.
The commissioners We're underground
for two hours and a half. The party
consisted of Is persons and included
six commissioners, the two assistant
recorders. Gen. Supt. Rose of the Della
ware & Hudson Co, Gen. Supt. Philips
of the Delaware, Lackawanna 81 West
ern. District President Nichols of the
Miners Union, miner employed in the
Mapville. and one newspaper cores
pendent. who represented the other
news gathcrerS.
The party which visited the Forest
City mines. Thursday, was too large
and for this reason the number of per-
sons permitted in the mine at one time
was cut down. Recorder Wright did
not accompany the party, owing to a
pressure Ct work in connection with
the investigation.
The arbitrator inspected practically
the entire underground workings and.
as on Thursday, found much to interest
them. They asked numerous questions
of ali men they encountered in the
gangways or chambers and did not
seem to mind the discontinue of the
trip. The Manville is said to be one
of the worst mines in this region for
the miners to work. The veins of coal
are not more than three feet thick and
the miner has a more difficult time in
getting the coal out than where the
seam is thicker. The commissioners
walked several mines through the gang
yyavs. and. owing to the exceedingly
low roof. they had TO do their tramp
ing almost continually in n STOPPING
position.
After the arbitrators had been in the
workings an hour. Judge Gray decided
that his back ached enough and he
came to the surface, accompanied by
Bishop Spalding.
Altogether the commissioners inspected
three chambers where miners were az
work blasting coal. The first breast
visited was 2rD feet from the foot OF the
shaft There the investigators found
miner and his helper at work Gen VIII
son and Nessrs. Clark and Parker
crawled into the 3-foot horizontal open
ing between the rock out of which the
coal was being taken. The commission
ers presented a novel picture as they sat
around with flaming lamps in their hands
listening to the Srimy digger giving his
testimony. The miner was asked how
much he made day, how many cars OF
coal he was able to get out. how many
hours he worked what he paid his help
err. how much he made per month before
the strike. and numerous other questions
that might Efvcs The commissioners sorac
idea of how to proceed. Gen. Wilson was
the chief inauisitor and was ably assist
ed by his colleagues. The representatives
of the operators and also the two rep
resenting the miners intcrjected questions
to bring out points favorable to their re-
spectivc sides The miners representa-
tives and the company officials often diff
fered in some of their statements made
for the benefit of the commissioners.
The visitors were then taken 1900 feet
in another direction to where a miner
was working in an accumulation Of wa
ter The miner was questioned princi-
palIy regarding the water. He told Of
how he takes it out every morning be-
fore doing any mining and also told the
commission " hat s&psn pen sati0n he re-