The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-14
.ONE CORPORATION
 CLOSES ITS CASE
Physicians Tell Commission
 About Health of Mines
NOT so BAD AS REPORTED
Strike Board Refused to Admit Evi dence on Amount of Whisky Con- sumed In Anthracite District,
 as Per Capita Was Not Given.

Philadelphia, January 13.-Having occu- pied nearly three days in calling wit nesses to testify in opposition to the de- mands made by the anthracite miners. the Delaware and Hudson comrsny closed it's case before the coal strike commission this afternoon and the commissions at tention was called to the conditions exist ing in and about the eollieries operated by the Erie company. This corporation manages the Hillside Coal and Iron com pany and the Pennsylvania coal company and it's counsel before the committee is Wayne McVeagh of Philadelphia and Major Evrett Warren of Scranton.
 One of the principal witnesses called before the committee today was Thomas F. Torrey, coal sales agent of the Dela-' ware and Hudson company of New York, who testified that the company he rep resents is deriving no benefit from the present abnormal price which the public Is paying for it's fuel
 Two Physicians Called.
 Among other witnesses called by the Delaware and Hudson were two phys- clans who gave testimony to show that the occupation of mine worker is not so unhealthful as physicians for miners have stated. A real estate agent testi- fled to the amount of property owned by the miners of the company, and an employe of the Delaware and Hudson, who had made an investigation of wages paid to bituminous miners, which showed their pay was under that received by the anthracite miners.
 General Wilson owing to the illness or Judge Gray again acted as chairman of the committee and was several times call ed upon to intervene in the personal tllts between opposing counsel over the admission of certain evidence
 The commission would not admit statls- tics presented by J. P. Dixon of Wilkes barre, regarding the consumption of liquor in the regions surrounding and in- cluding Scranton and Wilkesbarre be- cause they did not contain the per capita Consumption; that the amount consumed by the mine workers could be separated from the remainder of the population.
 Dr. w. G. Fulton, a surgeon in the LatRawanna hospital at Scranton, and Dr. ". D. Keller of Scranton, who has had special experience as a medical ex aminer for insurance companies, testified that the occupation "of q miner compared favorably with that of most other oc equations. so far as healthfulness Is con- cerned." Both physicians named occupa~ tions which they thought were unhealthier but they admitted that 1t was healthier to live above tho ground than in it.
 Mines Are Dangerous. The witness admitted on cross examn- ation that the anthracite mines are more dangerous than any other mines in the world, with very few exceptions In the west where new mines are being opened.
 by having Maj. Everett Warren read a brief opening statement of what the com pany intended to prove.
 Concluding his statement Major War ren said the claim of the miners of a ton of 2260 pounds Is impracticable for physical reasons. Capt w. A. Mayo of Scranton, the general superintendent of the two companies, told of the improve ments in and about the collleries which tend to make the occupation of the miner more healthful told of the efforts of the company to improve the cerdi- ton of its employees in other directions. The company, he said, never restricted the men in the number of cars they should load. He stated there was no reason for a miner who is industrious to send his boy to work in the mines. He said the docking system Is principally left to the judgment of the docking boss. The dockage from April, 1901 to April, 1902, at the Erie company's mines was from 1.050 to 31A per cent Captain Mayo further stated that many of the mine ac- cdents were due to carelessness of the men. Speaking of the amount of im- purities in the loaded mine car, as 1t comes from the mines, he said there was from 10 to 30 per cent waste in running it through the breaker.
 Before the strike of 1900 the witness said the relations between him and the men were very pleasant