The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-31
ARBITERS
AT SCRANTON
D.Sc<Ld Into Anthracite
MANY QUESTIONS <sksD
Bishop Spalding J. It Inauisi-
tive Of Conn : .sioners.
s.
Heated Discussion as to the Equit.
able Weight Of Miners Ton
of Coal-will Work
Again Today.

Scranton, Pa, Oct. 30.-The seven COM
| missioners appointed by President Roose-
| welt to adjust the differences existing be-
their employers. today made tour of the
extreme upper coal field and saw every
step taken in the production Of coal from
| the time 1t is blasted to the ground up
| to the point where 1t Is sent to the mar
ket ready for the use of the consumer.
The arbitrator had an interesting day
and returned to their hotel today grimy
from coal dust and tired after eight busy
hours of observation and Investigation.
The trip was quite a novelty to most Of
these in the party.
The commissioners displayed the great
ing The seven arbitrators had to endure
many discomforts, make their way
through wet places in the mines almost
crawl along some of the gangways In the
workings and pass through clouds of coal
dust in the breaker. Notwithstanding
this, their eagerness for information was
not diminished and they expect to put
in another hard days work tomorrow in
this vicinity.
Bishop Spalding asked more questions
than any one of the Others
Have Little to Say.
From their actions today. it is certain
that the commissioners have agreed not
to say what they think of the question
that will come before them. Several per-
sons approached one or another of the
commissioners during the day merely for
the purpose of having him say what he
thought of some things he saw, and in
each case the inquirer was rebuffed.
Today's tour consisted of an inspection
of No. mine of the Hillside Coal and
Iron Company, operated by the Erie Com
pany at West City, and the Carbonate
Coal Breaker of the Delaware and Hud-
son Company. On the run up the Lack
awanna Valley, the commissioners view
ed with interest the several mining towns
situated along the Delaware and Hud-
son Railroad. The start was made from
this city at 10 o'clock today
In the party were the seven commits
sioners. Recorders Mosely and Neill and
four stenographers. Accompanying them
were General Superintendent r. A. Phil
lips of the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western Company; General Superintend-
ent E. E. Rose of the Delaware and Hud-
son; General Manager w. M. May of the
Erie; General Superintendent ]. R. Bry-
den of the New York, Ontario and West
ern, and General Manager B. Thorne of
the Temple Iron Company. The mine
workers were represented by Thomas D.
Nichols, Henry Collins, the Rev. Peter
Roberts of Mshanoy City and James Mar
rick of New York. the latter an expert.
Be sides these. there were in the party
about a dozen newspaper correspondents.
A special train of two Pullman cars and
a day coach, which was chartered at the
expense of the commissioners, carried
the party.
An Observation Car.
The rear car was used for observation
purposes by the commissioners. and they
spent all their time In it. In the car was
a large map showing the coal beds from
Scranton up to the northern edge of the
field at Forest City. The commissioners
studied it carefully and its many fea-
lures were explained to them by Commits
sioner Watkins, who is an expert in coal
mining, and who was formerly an indie
pendent coal operator.
When the party arrived at Forest City
a crowd Of persons. among whom there
were some mine workers. were also gath
cred. There we're no demonstrations OF
any kind. A short drive was taken
through the town to give the commits
sicners an opportunity to view the homes
Of the mine workers and then the entire
party was bundled into three small cars.
What is known in the language of the
miner az ''lokio." which Is a small
locomotive. drew the cars to the No.
mires shaft, a mile distant down the
valley.
Here the commissioners hal a little
fun with one another. As the mine was
wet and dirty the company officials pro-
vided overshoes, overalls, jumpers and
miners caps for the entirs party. Judge
Gray and Bishop Spalding were the first
to don the unifo'm of the miner and
good naturally took the remarks thrust
at them by their colleagues as to wheth-
e.: or not they belonged tc the union.
Descent Into Shaft.
After the party had been rugged out
and provided with miners lamps. which
they either carried in their hands or
fastened TO their caps, the descent OF the
100 foot shaft was made. At the foot or
bottom of the shaft the president and an
other member of the Forest City local
union Of the miners organization who
are employed in tine mine, Joined the
party. The hospital 1t that point was
inspected and then the commissioners
got into a train of six mine cars and
under ground in a southwesterly direc-
ton. Here they saw miners fire a blast.
A thin vein runs into the Clifford mine
adjoining the No. 3 In the Clifford, a
few hours before the commissioners ar
rived. a Hungarian was killed almost in
stantly by the falling of a portion OF the
roof of the mine. He vas doubled up
and his lamp. failing to go out. set fire
to his clothes. almost roasting him
alive. The newspaper correspondents
were casually informed Of this fatal ac-
cident before the commissioners went be-
low, but the arbitrators were not in |
formed of the accident
The vein was explained to the commits !
sioners who asked many questions Of
the miners working in it. From there |
they returned to the main gang"ay and
inspected an average vein. that is, vein !
about six or eight feet thick. In going I
through to some of the breasts" the i
commissioners had to almost crawl. This