The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-01
COAL COMMISSIONS LABORS
Continued from First Page.)


sistant recorders, General SuperinteGid-
ent Rose, of the Delaware and Hudson
company, General Superintendent Phil
| lips, of the Delaware, Lackawanna and
/ Western, District President Nichols, OF
the miners union. a miner employed in
| the Manville and one newspaper CORE
spOndent, who represented the other
news gatherers.
The party which visited the Forest
| City mines yesterday was too large and
| for this reason the number of persons
| permitted in the mine at one time was
cut down. Recorder Wright did not
accompany the party owing to a pres
sure of work in connection with the in
vestigation.
The arbitrator inspected practically
the entire underground workings. and,
as on Yesterday, found much to inter-
est them They asked numerous ques-
| tions of all 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 more difficult time in get
ting the coal out than where the same
is thicker. The commissioners walked
several miles through the gangways,
| and owing to the exceedingly low roof
they had to do their tramping almost
continually in a STOPPING position. At
ter 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 in
spected three chambers where miners
were at work blasting coal. The first
breast visited was 1000 feet from the
foot of the shaft There the investiga-
tors found a miner and his helper at
work General Wilson and Messrs.
Clark and Parker crawled into the three
foot horizontal opening between the
| rock out of which the coal was being
taken. The commissioners presented a
novel picture as they sat around with
flaming lamps in their hands listening
to the grimy digger giving his testi-
mony 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 helper,
how much he made per month before
the strike and numerous other ques-
tons that might give the commissioners
some idea of how to proceed. General
Wilson was the chief inquisitor and was
ably assisted by his colleagues. The
representatives of the operators and
also the two representing the miners
| TO h,S,, fr,E
favorable to their respective sides. The
miners representatives and the COM
pany officials often differed in some of
their statements made for the benefit of
the commissioners. The visitors were
taken 1000 feet in another direction to
where a miner was working in an ac-
emulation of water. This miner was
questioned principally regarding the
water. He told how he takes it out
every morning before doing any mining
and also told the commissioners what
I compensation he, received for doing 1t.
| He called attention to the loose rock
overhead which made bad roofing, it
often falling and compelling him to
| spend considerable time in improving
| conditions about the breast. In reply
to a question as to how much he got
| for removing the rock he said:
I'VE take it out for the good of our
souls
After the commissioners, super
intendents, and the miners repre-
sentatives had asked innumer.
able questions, the party journey
ed up a plane or tunnel to the second
vein, which measures two feet -four
inches to two feet ten inches in thick
ness. At the end of one of the cham
bers of this seam of coal the arbitrator
were shown how the miners drill a hole
in the narrow space. The visitors then
returned to the surface.
On the way to the first breast imme-
diately after being lowered to the bot
tom of the shaft. which is about 31S
feet from the surfance, Superintendent
Rose called the commissioners atten-
ton to a train of mine cars filled with
coal The rules of the company require
that there must be six inches of top
ping on each car. The cars exhibited
were filled only to the top edge of the
sides. In commenting on this to the
commissioners, Mr.. Rose said it was a
sample of how the company is imposed
upon by some of the men"
After luncheon at their hotel, the com.
misisoners took a ride around the regior
in a special trolley car. They visited
Taylor, Dunmore and Throop three
small mining towns outside of Scranton
This was done for the purpose of view
ing the home and surroundings Of the
mine workers.
The commission will go to Wilkesbar.