The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-02-28
FOUR CONCRESSMEN
BELOW THE GROUND
Subcommittee Investigating
Michigan Strike Spend Day
in Mine.

CALUMET, Mich. Feb. 27.-Four
tired congressman stepped out of
hosting cage at Calumet & Hecla
shaft tonight after spending the great
er part OF tho day in the copper mines,
having been at one time nearly mile
under earth. They observed the con-
ditions under which the underground
workers labor. Judge Taylor Of Ar
kansas was the only member of the
congressional subcommittee who did
not visit tho minos.
Led by John Knox, general superin-
tendent of the Calumet q Hecla com
pany. the investigators descended with
! Hubert LauX, a striker, who repre-
sented the union men, and Thomas
James, mine inspector of HouGhton
county, and two newspaper correspon.
dents
The committee was equally attentive
TO Laux and Captain Knox and the
former was given full opportunity to
point out the conditions about which
he complained on tho witness stand.
Laux said. after the day s inspection
was over, that conditions in the mines
/ were much better than they were be-
fore the strike, but that the miner
| had no guarantee that they. would con
tinue as they were unless they had the
backing of a powerful union.
One man Drills.
Two men were encountered early in
the day IS trip, rigging up one OF the So
called one.man drills. Laux called the
! attention Of the committee to the fact,
remarklng that it was too heavy for
one man TO handle.
Captain Knox replied that miners
were supposed to assist each other in
setting up their mac hines. On another
occasion be pointed out three men push"
/ ing q heavy tram car, work which he
said formerly was done by two men.
! The miners were found drilling within
calling distance of each other. another
condition which Laux said did not exist
before the strike, Captain Knox and
| the mine bosses insisted that working
conditions today were not appreciably
different than they had been for years.
Committee at Work.
Coming upon trammer shoveling
rock into car, Mr.. Taylor thought he
would like to try his hand at it, and
he made the dirt fly for minute or
two.
''I guess that's enough for me-" the
chairman said, putting and blowing
from exertion. Here, Howell, you
try it, ~
Representative Howell of Utah
paused after depositing the fifth shov'
elful, and wanted to know whether he
was working on contract or company
account. t<On your own terms" the
mine captain responded.
"Then let Casey do 1t, the Utah
representative said.
Representative Casey went at it like
an old hand. "I II eaow you fellows
that | can come back, he asserted
and the Croatian trammer looked on
in silent admiration, while the Penn
|
car about three times as fast as he
could have done it himself
None of the congressman cared tc
tackle the drill, although each con
fessed that it appeared easy enough tc
operate nfter il was rugged.
The Investigators plan to go tomor
row to Lake Linden to investigate the
lie hearings on Monday in Houghton.
Failed to Identify.
Prozo Burak WHO had charged strikers
with kidnapping him, was called as wit
ness al the night session TO Identify Tn
union officials who had been summonec
TO The session for possible identification
They sat within a few feet OF him al
he scanned the assemblsge from tn
stage Of the theater In which the hear
Z. ings are held
''Can you recognize any OF the mel
who tried TO induce YOU to give fals'
testimony before the strike lnvestigatin.
committee?" asked Fred Harrington, at
toruey for the Colorado Fuel & Iron com
pany
The interpreter repeated the question
In the Croatian language. The droppin;
Of a pin could have been heard through
, out the building as the miner slowl!
, turned his gaze from one side OF th
, house TO the other.
mo" he said at last.
Thus terminated the most dramati
/ incident thus far seen In the strike in