Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-12-18
PATHETIC STORIES
Are Related by Witnesses to
Coal Commission.
Startling Tales of Greed and Brutal
fy-DOckIng System IntoIernble-
Alleged Attempt TO Bribe
Union Officers.

| evictionS from houses owned by q. j.
Markle g. Co., of the death of wife
as result of the enforced removal
from her home, and the story of
mother whose husband was killed in
the Markle mines, of how she and her
two boys struggled for years to pay
the Markles the back rent and coal
bill She owed them, were the princi-
pal features of Tuesdays sessions
of the coal strike commission.
Mrs. Kate Burns, of Jeddo, told
story of how she and her two boys
worked 10 years to pay off an accum-
ulated house rent and coal bill due to
the Markle Co., the narration Of
which deeply interested the commits
sioners. She said her husband was
an engineer inside the Markle mines.
The husband was killed underground,
leaving her with four children, the
oldest of which was boy of years.
The company never offered her a
penny, but the employees gave her
! about $50 to defray the funeral ex-
! penses.
After closing the Markle case, the
representatives of the miners called
witnesses who had formerly been em-
ployed in several companies to show
that a black list exists.
! Scranton, Pa, Dec. 1.-THE most
interesting, if not important testi-
mony brought out at Wednesdays
sessions of the coal strike commits
sion was to the effect that an alleged
attempt was made by former mine
foreman to bribe two presidents of
local unions of the miners to have ten
| men in each local use their influence
to have resolution passed sending
the men to work, thus making a ser.
! ious break in the solid ranks of the
strikers. Each of the presidents
were to receive $1,000 and a good po-
sition as mine foreman, and each OF
the ten men were to get from 500 to
5000 each.
y large amount of technical testi
mony was heard on various phases OF
/ the questions at issue Two check.
weighmen produced figures which
tended to show that at two Delaware
q Hudson collieries the miners pro
duced 1859 tons of coal more than
they were paid for.
The Delaware &s Hudson Co. pre-.
sented its figures to the commission
they being the first certified statistics
to be handed in. They show the aw
erage earnings of the miner in 1901 tc
have been $622.6S and his labore1
$44947.
Scranton, Pa, Dec. lathe repre-.
sentatives Of the miners during the
course of Thursdays proceedings be-
fore the anthracite coal strike com
ent operators to the witness stand to
tell of the price he received for his
coal, and the mine owner refused,
giving, after much questioning. an
average on the price he received.
The operator was w. j. Crawford,
president of the Peoples Coal Co,
which operates the Oxford collery. in
Scranton. The request for him
to take the stand came as a surprise
The Oxford colliery, during the strike
managed to get enough men to oper-
ate the plant and for one month, ac-
cording to Mr.. Crawford, his com
Pany received $40 a ton for it's coal.
Patrick O'Boyle, a miner, gave the
history of the increase in the size of
the miners ton from 2,24O pounds TO
3,136. He said 25 years ago sizes un-
der pea coal were not used and there
fore it was dumped on refuse piles,
and the ton raised to 3,136 in order
that the companies could get out
2,24O pounds of marketable coal At
present the companies are using coal
three or four sizes under pea and the
men are not being paid for it.
Scranton, Pa, Dec. 13.-Friday's
yft t1,a !, a., TO T,I .ft-ily
commission were taken up in present
ing cumulative testimony on matters
that have already been heard by the
commission. This testimony tended
to show that there has been excessive
docking; that many men were dis.
criminated against because they went
on strike rather than do the work of
strikers; that they are paid one price
for mine cars of all sizes; that they
do not get paid for all the coal
mined that they should have the
eight-hour day because the mines are
unhealthy and dangerous and that
they ought to receive higher wages.
August Baker, a miner employed
by j. S. Wentz & Co.. at Hazlebrook,
near Hazleton, proved an interesting
witness. He said he lived in a com
pany house for which he paid $40
per month.
He testified that the houses are very
poorly built. When it rains the occu-
pants are compelled to place tubs and
dish pans in the bedrooms on the Sec
ond story floor to catch the water
which ran in from the roof. On the
first floor the floor boards were so far
apart that every time the wind blew
it lifted the carpet in the houses built
on stumps. He said there was no
road into HaZlebrook and that under
takers refused to go there and trades
men refuse to send goods into the
town because of there being no road.
Some have tried it and their vehicles
broke down. The only way to get
into the place is by railroad.
Two big Banks Consolidate.
New York, Dec. ia banking con-
Solidation was announced Friday
l l.,