The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-29
MITCHELL in THE CITY
HE WILL LEAVE FOR ANTHRACITE
REGION TONIGHT.
Calling of the Convention May BE
Delayed AwhiIe-COnference with
Indiana Men.

President John Mitchell, of the United
Mine Workers. returned to the city yes
terday afternoon and sat at his desk in the
Mine Workers headquarters for the first
time in several weeks. He said he would
not be prepared to give out any information
concerning the special convention that is to
be held in this city to decide how far the
strike of the anthracite miners is to be
carried into the btuminous region until
after he is again in the East and reviews
the situation. AS to the contemplated pro-
ceedings against the coal-carrying railroads
of Pennsylvania to annul their charters for
violations of the State Constitution, which
prohibits them from engaging in the mining
of coal, President Mitchell said he did not
know when steps would be taken, but said
the matter was being considered. Every
thing is satisfactory in the anthracite dis
trict," he said, land the men are obeying
the orders to stay at home and keep away
from the company's property and saloons.
President Mitchell will leave for the an
thracite region this evening, and his stay
there will be indefinite. AS he contemplates
this trip it IL believed that no special con-
vention will be called until another effort
is made to settle the differences in that
region. The threatened litigation of the
miners may have something to do with his
return East.
A conference was held at the United
Mine Workers headquarters last night to
settle some differences that exist between
the miners and operators OF the Linton
field, in Indiana, concerning men following
machines. The differences are Of tech
meal nature and no serious trouble is in
volved. The conference was attended by
President Mitchell, Secretary Wilson and
Executive Board Member George Purcell,
of the national organization and PRESIDENT
Hargrove, Vice President Boyle and eX-
President Van Horn. of the Indiana dis
trict, representing the miners, and Presi-
dent j. Smith Talley and Secretary-treas-
urer p. II. Penna, of the Indiana Coal OPP
orators Association, and J. X. Seifert, rep
resenting the operators.
The question before the conference, while
not a large one, yet represents one of the
many small complications in mining that
requires considerable work to adjust. The
meeting was to decide the meaning of one
word in the contract between the oper-
ators and the miners. That word is ex-
ceedingly," and the conference was TO de-
termine the solidity of coal before it can
be termed exceedingly" hard.
Where mining is done with chain ma
chimes the chain is set against the coal
three or four inches from the bottom, in
clned downward, so that when il reaches
its limit II strikes the bed about five feet
into the coal. This leaves a piece OF coal
three or four inches high tapering down
to nothing in about five feet. The contract
says that when this coal is exceedingly
hard the operators are TO pay for taking
ii up but when it is not the miners are
to remove it. A difference arose as TO
what was exceedingly" hard coal. the
miners contending that bottom coal in GER
tain mines should be classed as exceed
ingly'' hard, while the operators asserted
that il should not To affect an amicabe
settlement the matter was left to the dis
trict officers and the officers of the In
diana Operators Association and the
national officers of the miners organi-
cation. The conference decided to let one
miner and one operator investigate the af-
fected mines and determine whether or not
the coal the bottom is exceedingly
hard or soft