The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-09

Ne" u IL sEtufs INIT
Fear to Inform
tors Of Places Because
They Fear for Their Job>-in In
teresting Witness Was an En-
Eineer - Rector of - Catholic
Church Testihes to the D~epiornble
Conditions in the Mine Regions.
Coke Time fn- Filling
w to Charges Of Miners Wa.
Extended.
Scranton, Pa, December AT To-
commission. the representatives, of the
mine workers continued TO call witness
Is. mostly practical miners. who told
their story Of the conditions as they
exist in the HaZelton o. middle coal
fields. The miners tried TO show by
these witnesses that the Coke and 9th
companies had violated the agreement
entered into by both sides. W II"
commission was appointed that the
strikers should return to work and DO
given their old places back where they
had not already been filled. Some of
the witnesses called. testified that they
were not given back their old places
maintained that men prominent in the
union in the various localities during
the strike were Disseminated against.
h commission has decided TO invite
tho mine inspectors to appear before
them. because the miners claim that
the workmen fear to inform the mIne
inspectors of dangerous or unhealthy
"laces in the mines because the inspec-
tors are usually accompanied by some
representative OF the company wno may
cause the mans dismissal. This Is a
new point DeIOTe the COMMISSION. Ru-
mors OF possible negotiations towards
a settlement outside the COMMISSION
continue To be heard. LaWSeIs aunt
they have heard Sucn TuInOiS out say
they know nothing ABOUT d possible seq
Lement. Whatever is done Viii be nrSl
decided upon in New York, where those
IN authority to act are located. Sever
al attorneys, among tnem ". W. Ross.
Of delaware, L~ackawanna and western
oInpan have returned to the metro
polls. Whether or not II is IN coanec-
ton with peace negotiations cannot De
learned here.
The opinion still prevails here, and
rather strongly too, that the operators
and miners viii agree on most points
before the commission concludes Is
hearings.
jackson H. Bach of the Hazelton re-
giOn VAS one of the most interesting
witnesses because ne is the nrSt nremt.l
to appear before the commission. He
.,;l -, ~anaf,r.I Gl - fnr HQV n
twelve hours. and his assistants SIG.
On every other Sunday when he and his
assistants shifted from day to night
work, they were compelled to Work
tW~enty-fOur hours sJIdISnt without re-
lief. This statement caused a buzz
through the court room and every COM
missioner Strengthened up and became
more interested. In answer to a ques-
tioH put by the commission. he said ~
was OF duty one day every two weeks,
thus working six days a week and eight
days the following week.
"Supposing you shoulu fall asleep
when you work in the long shift Of
tw- nty-four hours what wOulI happen"
asked Mr.. barrow.
Well" he replied, "if l slept long
enough the fans wOul stop, gas would
accumulate N the mines and If an OK
plosion took place some men might
be killed; that's all"
Rev. James V. Hussie, rector Of 81.
Gabriels Roman Catholic church, Haz-
elton. said he Ia lived in the coal Re
giOns practically all his life. The COZ
ditions in this region he said. are
deDlorable. The mine workers are
barely able to exist. ] have been n
their homes. They are not homes. bat
merely a habitation, a resting place.
They are frugal. conservative. asO
able and a COd-fearing people"
F9 miles cannot he kent fDrathcr he
said. The boys are sent into the mines
almost as soon as they are able 20
toddle out" and the girls are sent -
mills in the small towns in the vicinity
Or drift into the large cities. He root
ed instances of poverty and said that
il took one man six years before ne y 8
able to pay off a funeral debt Of 500.
He examined the tax lists Of Fa@a'' =.
he said, and in a population OF which
perhaps 20 per cent. was made UP IL
mine workers. only eighty mine employ
ees out nf 1.723 persons assessed owned
their own homes.
Andrew Mattey A Slovenian said he
was the means OF bringing fourteen
SIavonians TO this country at the in
stance Of a breaker boss at the Coxe
mines. They promised sI.l0 a day bit
received only 65 cents a day. He toll
how be ..ad been paid to go TO Hazel
ton and meet the green horns" who
mao OS'n STlppSn by us UlOt1~E If''fl
Europe. Judge Gray evidently thinx-
in that the allen laws were being
lated. became greatly Interested. aud
lea ming toward the witness. said:
"When was this?"
Seventeen years ago." replied tn
Hungarian.
"Oh." said the judge as he leaned
back IN his chair. and a wave OF laugh
ter swept over the court room.
The commission then adjourned Tn'ti
tomorrow.
Today was set as the limit for the
coal companies 70 answer the submir-
sion made by the miners. but the Coke
nies time was extended until to-
morrow. the officials OF the company
bAir~ absent and not prepared to make
answer.
Resides the large companies which
signed the request made TO Preside I
Roosevelt for the appointment Of The ar
bitration committee thirty-nine COM
panies have up to today signifed their
willingness TO abide by the decision OF
fh- orhstro ta~c