The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-06

Qualified Now TO SIT iH Judgment on
the Controversy.
Mahanoy City. Pa, Nov. 5.-The an
thracite strike commission ended its
tour of observation of the coal fields in
the Panther Creek valley to-day. and
the members of the party will return to
their homes tomorrow and will meet
again at Scranton on November IA to
take the testimony of the miners. The
biggest days work of the entire trip
was accomplished to-day when the
commissioners made a complete inspec-
ion Of the large collieries and a tour
of the region lying between Mount Car
mel and this city. Six working days
have been consumed in travelling from
place TO place in the anthracite coal re-
giOns and the arbitrators feel they are
now qualified to sit in judgment on the
controversy between the miners and
their employers. In all. the commits
sioners were lowered into seven mines
of varying conditions and went through
several breakers. They met the gen.
eral superlntendents, the mine superin-
tendents and the foremen of the various
collieries visited, and also personally
talked with the grimy coal diggers in
the dark gangways and chambers hun
dreds of feet below the earth's surface.
They heard the grievances the workers
claim they have, and also heard the
company's side of the complaint. Be
sides this the commission gained a
somewhat technical knowledge of min
ing in it's many different features, that
will be of the greatest assistance to
them. They will be able to understand
questions and ask questions where they
would not have been able to understand
them if they had not been under
ground.
The commissioners special train left
Mt. Carmel at 1880 a. m. and first WIS.,
tied the Potts coliery in Columbia
county, several miles from Mt. Carmel.
The breaker of this colllery is different
from those seen at other places. They
went all over the building and were
much interested in the workmen en-
ployed there, among whom were many
boys. From the Potts colliery the train
proceeded through Ashland. GirarG-
vile and Gilberton to the Maple Hill
colliery, in the Afahanoy valley. a few
m les from Shenandoah. This is one Of
the best mines IN the entire anthracite
field, and is equipped with, all modern
appliances. The bottom of the shaft is
730 feet below the surface, and during
their two hours' stay in the workings
the commissioners went about a mile
and a half from the shaft. The whistle
blew the noon hour just as the party
came to the surface. At the breaker
near by the commissioners talked with
the boys whose faces were black from
coal dust. Judge Gray and Bishop
Spalding seemed the most interested In
the lads and each gave some of them
small coin.
From the Maple Hill colliery the COM
missioners' train was run down through
Mahanoy City and Tamaqua to the
Panther Creek valley. Then the arbi-
traitors visited the Lehigh's No. col
liery at Coaldale. The entrance to the
mines was through a DRIFT which is a
horizontal opening into the base OF a
mountain. One hundred feet inside the
entrance the party was lowered by
means Of shaft to the bottom, which
is $50 feet down. The mine proved to
be quite wet AS the members Of the
commission passed along the gangway
in the mine cars drawn by mules they
went under worked-out chutes from
which water flowed in streams. While
going under one chute the mules stop
ped and the water fell into one of the
cars, thoroughly soaking all it's occu-
pants. The party went to the end of
the two long gangways about half
mile in length and up a very steep