The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-02-06

ton, ana $4,000 for an auto truck to
get their equipment to mines where
the accidents occur. Mr.. w. ID. Ryan,
safety commissioner of the United
States bureau of mines, and local SUI
perintendent Fleming, also a govern
ment expert, explained the needs OF
the station. These men make life
saving their business. They think
that with an auto truck they can COW
err the territory in a 20-mile radius,
and call attention to the fact that they
saved over 100 lives with the poor
equipment they have during the past
year. Statistics show that by reason
of the gaseous conditions in southeast
Kansas. the danger is greater to TO-
900 miners in Kansas than to $4,000
miners in Illinois. The committee
these men. and it Is probable that they
will get the necessary appropriation.
From the mine rescue station the
legislators were taken to the Pittsburg
Manual Training school, the institu-
ton started by Senator Porter a dozen
years ago. Last year the main build
ing of the school was fried by q bolt
Of lightning, and nothing but the walls
left. Pittsburg citizens raised the
money to begin the work of recon-
struction. trusting to this session of
legislature to reimburse them and
continue the work. The school has
outgrown all expectations. and needs
new building in addition to the one
destroyed by fire. For a year stu
temporary buildings made of tar
paper and lath. One representative
in the party saw the row of paper
houses and asked: What's that?
burger who was standing near. "Those
are school houses. where 1,40O young
people are learning to treble their
earning capacities
The committee was shown over the
manual training school by Prof. w.
A. Brandenburg, Senator Porter, the
real father of the institution, and John
Leeper, the contractor, who built the
original school building and is now
rebuilding it. Owing to the crowded
house was occupied before it was
finished. Leeper's workmen hammer
and saw all around the office of the
superintendent. WOrkmen in overalls
rush material through Railways and
young women students, hurrying to
their classes. stand aside for loads of
cement or lumber to pass them in the
corridors. 1t is the busiest place in
Kansas at this time.
About noon the legislative commit
tee lunched in the cafeteria of the
school, a paper building resembling
the batteries set up by church ladies on
the fair grounds. They had an ex-
cellent lunch, cooked by young wom-
the domestic science classes, and then
caught a trolley car for Weir City,
where they inspected the state 8
school of mining and engineering. This
is one of the newest educational in
situations in the state, and its value
has not been fully demonstrated. A
small appropriation is requested to
further the work at this institution.
Pittsburg has capacity, but that ca
pacity was taxed Thursday and Fri
| day. The Southeast Kansas Teachers
association called on Pittsburg. Twen-
ty-five hundred of them enjoyed the
novel sensation of being guests of a
city. No attempt was made to pro-
vide hotel accommodations could
not be done. But all the homes in
the city were open, and the teachers
were housed and dined without
charge. That is Pittsburg way OF
doing things.
! Pittsburg has more railroads and
fewer chances of escape than any
other town of its size. 1t is easy tc
get to Pfttsburg, but the theory seems
| to be that no one wants to leave after
| he gets there. And they are threaten
/ ing to take that most accommodating
1 train off the Southern for no other
excuse than that it doesn't pay. Or
account of this threat, George looks