Waterbury Democrat., 1902-11-04
in LEHICH VALLEY.
Miners and Mining Villages
Visited by Commission.
RECORDER WRIGHT A BUSY MAN.
Crowds Gather MT Every stopping
Place to Get Glimpse of the
Strike notwithstanding
ers Questioned.

HAZLETON. Pa, Nov 4.-The an
thracite 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 Weight was kept
busy on the train in attending to the
correspondence of the commission
among the matters he disposed of was
the sending of a copy Of President
Mitchells statement Of the miners
case which was fled with the commits
sion on Sunday night before it's de-
parture from Scranton for this region
to each of the coal companies involved
in the present controversy.
The trip of the commission through
this region was an interesting one, the
conditions of mining being somewhat
different from those existing in the
Lackawanna and Wyoming valley. At
nearly every station small crowd was
gathered to get a glimpse of the mem
bers of the commission. The commits
sioners were met at Pond Greek early
in the forenoon by District President
Duffy and National Board 3Iember p.
G. Gallagher of the miners union, who
represented the mine workers. The OPP
orators interests were taken care of by
General superintendent d. Warriner
of the Lehigh Valley Coal company
and w. r. Richards Of the Lehigh and
Wilkesbarre Coal company, which is
controlled by the Central Railroad of
New Jersey.
The commissions first stop of the
day was at Upper Lehigh, where A. g.
Leisenring, superintendent Of the Up
per Lehign Coal company, took the
commissioners for a drive through the
town. While in this place the arbitra-
tors visited one of the homes of the
miners, the first they have been in
since they have been touring the re-
gion.
Drifton was the next place visited,
and there was crowd gathered about
the commission as Superintendent
Smith of Coke Bros, whose mines are
located there, explained the trouble
between the company and the men. All
the miners employed at these mines
are still on strike because the company
insists upon the men returning to work
as individuals and not in body. At
Jeddo John Markle, the independent
operator, joined the party and escorted
the commissioners to the mining vii
lage OF Oakdale, near. Jeddo. Mr.. Mar
kle showed them the clubhouse which
he maintains there for the benefit of
the men,
Luncheon was served at the Central
hotel here, and the entire afternoon
was spent in the Audenried mine. The
commissioners were lowered into the
workings $50 feet below through a
1,100 foot slope. One of the new
physical features they saw was
vein of coal with very steep pitch,
which was difficult to mine. While
they were inspecting this blast was
fired in a nearby chamber, and the
lights carried by those who remained
in the gangWays below were extin-
guished by the rush of air. Some of
the party were timid for a moment,
wondering what had happened, but
they were quickly assured that there
was no danger by men familiar with
the mine. While underground many
QuSSleOuS were dShSu u LIE
work by the commissioners
After they came to the surface the
arbitrator visited stripping which
is a place where the coal lies so near
the surface that the earth can be taken
off with a steam shovel, exposing the
coal and thus making it's mining an
easy matter. The commissioners spent
the night at the Central hotel and left
for Shamokin at 7:45 this morning.
The day will be spent in that vicinity.