The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-04
Visits the Audenreid Colliery Of the
Lehigh and wiikesbarre Com
pany and Other Places.
INSPECTS A MINERS HOME
AND Is SHOWN A CLUBHOUSE MAIN
tanned BY JOHN MARKLE.
Slight Scare when a Blast Blew Out
Lights Carried by the Party-An
Easily Worked Stripping.

HAZLETON, Pa, Nov. 3.-The anthracite
strike commission spent the entire day
in the Lehigh valley region, visiting one
mine and several of the mining villages
While most of the commissioners were
looking over the territory Recorder Wright
was kept busy on the train attending to
the correspondence of the commission
Among the matters he disposed of was
the sending of a copy of President Mitch
ellis statement of the miners case. which
was filed with the commission on Sun
day night, before its departure from Scran-
ton for this region, to all the coal COM
panies involved in the district. The state
ment was mailed from this city, and
should be in the hands of the companies
tomorrow. Under the agreement made
before the commission at Washington the
operators will make a reply in three or
four days.
The trip of the commission through this
region was an interesting one, the condi-
tions of mining being somewhat different
from those existing in the Lackawanna and
Wyoming valleys. At nearly every station a
small crowd was gathered to get glimpse
of the members of the commission. The
commissioners were met at Pond Creek
early in the forenoon by District President
Duffy and National Board Member p. G..
Gallagher, of the Miners Union, who rep
resented the mine workers. The operators
interests were taken care Of by General
Superintendent s. d. Warner, of the Le-
high and Wilkesbarre Coal Company, which
is controlled by the Central Railroad of
New Jersey.
A conference was held at Pond Creek
between the company and miners repre-
sentatives, and for some time they could
not agree as to which mine the arbitrator
should visit. After some argument the
matter was compromised and the Audenried
colliery of the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre
Company was selected
The commissions first stop of the day
was at Upper Lehigh, where A. Cleinsin-
grin, superintendent Of the Upper Lehigh
Coal Company, took the commissioners for
a drive through the town. While in this
place the arbitrators visited one of the
been in since they have been touring the
region. Drifton was the next place visited
and there crowd gathered about the
commission as Superintendent Smith, of
Coke Bros Company. whose mines are
located there, explained the trouble be-
tween the company and its men. All the
miners employed at these mines are still
on strike because the company insists on
them returning to work as individuals and
not in a body.
At Jeddo John Markle. the independent
operator, Joined the party and escorted the
commissioners to the mining village of Oak
dale, near Jeddo. Mr.. Markle showed them
the clubhouse which he maintains there
for the benefit of the men. On the run into
Hazleton, where the breaker of No 40 shaft
was inspected, Messrs. Markle, Duffy and
Gallagher had a spirited discussion over the
differences existing at the Markle mines
None of the men at the Markle colliery has
returned To, work for the same reason as
those which are keeping the men out of the
Coke mines. M. Markle told them he was
running the Markle and would maintain dis
cipline
here and the entire afternoon was spent in
the Audenried mine. The commissioners
were lowered into the workings $50 feet
below through an 1,1OO-foot slope. One OF
a vein of coal with a very steep pitch which
was difficult to mine. While they were in
specting this blast was fired in a nearby
chamber and the lights carried by those
extingushed by the rush of air. Some OF
the party were timd for a moment, wonder
ing what had happened. but they were
quickly assured there was no danger.
After they came to the surface the arbi-
traitors visited stripping" which is a
place where the coal lies near the sur
face that the earth can be taken off with a
steam shovel, exposing the coal and thus
making its mining an easy matter.
The commissioners spent the night at the
Central Hotel and will leave for Shamokir
tomorrow morning. The day will be spent
in the vicinity and Wednesday will find the
On Thursday the arbitrators will visit the
region around Pottsville, and that night
the commission will adjourn until Nov. a.
The commission held three-hour execu-
out as to what the commissioners dis
cusSed.