Show I r ARBITRATORS AT WORK Anthracite Strike Commission Begin Their I Investigation Into Conditions in theo the-o Pennsylvania Coal Region i Make a Tour of Part of the Fields Saw Every Step Taken in the Production of Coal From the Time It Is Blasted From the Ground Up to the Point Where It Is Sent to Market Scranton Pa Oct OThe oevcn Commissioners appointed by President Rooaovelt to adjust tlio differences existing ex-isting between the anthracite mine workcrs and their employers inndo a tour today of the extreme upper coal floUla and saw every step taken In the production of coal from the time It Is I blasted from the ground hundreds of feet below to the surface up to the point where It Is sent to market ready for the UBG of the consumer HAD INTERESTING DAY The arbitrators had an Interesting day and returned to their hotel at 610 oclock tonight grimy from coal dust t and tired after eight buay hours I of observation and Investigation The trip was a novelty to most of those In the Commissioners party some of whom never had been In the hard coal regions The CommlHslonera displayed the greatest Interest In every feature of coal mining and went about their work In a nuinnnr that was pleasing to behold be-hold Thp mining Hupcrlnlendcnts accompanied ac-companied the Commissioners ENDURED MANY DISCOMFORTS O The fovpn arbitrators had to endure many dlecomfortw make their way through wet places In the mines almost al-most craw nJoJM ome of the gangways gang-ways In The workings mid pass through clouds of coal dust In the breakers Notwithstanding this their eagerness for Information was not diminished I and they expect to put In another hard days work tomorrow In thin vicinity ASKED MANY = SIt S-It would be unfair to say that one Cqmmlssloncr displayed more Interest than another but It can be truly said that Bishop Spaldlng asked more questions ques-tions than any of the others lie was usually In the center of a group of Commissioners and asked many questions ques-tions of those who are employed In and about the mines COMMISSIONERS GOOD LISTENERS LISTEN-ERS 2 All the Commissioners were good listeners hut poor talkers when It cume to getting an expression from any of thorn on any feature of the mining business From their actions today It IK certain that they have agreed not to pay what they think of the questions that will come before I them Several persona approached one or another of the Commissioners dur ing I the day merely for the purpose of having him say what ho thought of Forrretblng he saw and In each case the Inquirer was rebuffed 4 DAYS TOUR Todays < tour consisted of an Inspection Inspec-tion of No 2 mine of the I Hillside Coal company operated by the Erie rom tam and the coal breaker of the Delaware Del-aware l Hudeon company The former form-er I In located at Forest City twenty two miles north of this city and the breaker at Carbondale Jour miles Houth of Forest City On the run up the Lnckuwanna valley the Commissions Commis-sions vlpvvd with Interest the mining min-ing J towns situated along the Delaware i Hudson railroad MAKEUP OF PARTY The start was mad from this city at 10 oclock In the morning In UK party were the eeven commissioners Recorders Record-ers Mosrluy and Nell and four stcnog tnphera Accompanying them were Gen Piil Superintendent 11 A Philips of the Delaware Lackawanna Western company Gcneml Superintendent E E Rose of the Delaware Hudson Manager Man-ager W A May of the Erie Gepcral Superintendent 1 K Brydeii of the New York Ontario 8 Western and General Manager 13 Thornu of the Temple Iron company The officials represented time rompanlcH the mlneuorker being rep icsentod by Thomas D Nlchol 1 president pres-ident of time United MineWorkers of America Henry Collins National or ganiser for this district Rev Peter Kphcrix of Mfilmnoy Ilty and James Warwick of New York the latter an expert Eoblde theso there was In the 4 j irty about a dozon newspaper correspondent corre-spondent SPECIAL TRAIN USED A cpetlnl train of tvo Pullman cars and a day roach chartered at the ex pens of the commissioners carried l the F k arty m The ronr rar was ucd for oh terxatlon pur PORCH hy tho commission 1 er and they nnt all their time in It 1 Kith going nnd coming MAP SHOWING COAL BEDS In the car was a largo map showing the coal beds from Scranton up to the northern edge of the Held at Forest City The commissioners studied It f carefully mid Its many feature were xplalntHi to them by Commissioner uklns who iii I an expert In coal ml hip and uho was formerly an Independent Inde-pendent coal operator The arbitra tors also carefully noted the many mining mi-ning village pnssed by the train At each of the nUtlons a small group of nnoiiH won gathered who curiously Batched the special train run slow ly I by FOREST CITY REACHED p When the party arrived itt Forent City a crowd of permim Rinoug whom < MTO ir Home mineworker uere thie1 Th re XM no demotiKtratJnn 11 or n > Kind the workers standing xl Inu > b > WAlihlnR the men who had the differences cxMing between thorn j and the operators on their hands A short drive was taken through the town to give the commissioners an opportunity op-portunity to view the homes oC the mineworkers and then the entire party par-ty was bundled Into three small cars DONNED MINERS UNIFORM What IB known In tho Jangungo of the miner as a t loklo which Is I a small locomotive lo-comotive drew the cars to the Nn 2 shaft i mile distant down tho valley lerc the commissioners had a little fun with one another As tho mlnn was wet mil dirty tho company officials provided rubber ovornhoop overalls Jumpers and miners caps for tho entire party Judgo Gray and Bishop Spnldlng were the ilrst to don tho uniform of the miner amid gooilnauiredly tool the remarks thrust lit them by their colleagues 11I to whether or not they belonged to the union DROPPED DOWN THE SHAFT After the party had been rigged out and provided with miners lamps which Uioy either curried In their hands or fastened to their caps tho descent of tho ICOfoot shaft was made At the fool or bpltom of L the hurt the vlceprctUdent and another an-other member of the local union of tho miners organization who arc employed JoIned the party LONG TRIP UNDERGROUND The hospital nt that point was Inspected and then tho commissioners got Into a train of six cars and were hauled about a mile and a half underground Accompanied Accom-panied by Superintendent May President NlcK llsand oneor two others tho com nljuilonors Went down a plane of what Is known aH a thin vein of coal where they saw miners lire la blast TIme vein runs Into tim Clifford mine adjoining MJN13R ROASTED LIVE In the Clifford a few hours bcforo tho commissioners arrived a Hungarian was almost Instantly killed by time falling of he roof of the mine He was doubl l up and his lamp falling to go out set fire to 1118 clothes almoHl roasting him olive The newspaper correspondents were cat lally informed of thin fatal accident be Ore ibo commissioner went below but Limo arbitrators wero not Informed of the accident The Vein wan explained to the commlsalonerH who linked many qucs lons of the miners working It HAD TO CRAWL CONSIDERABLE From there they returned to the main angwny and Inspected an average vein hough Itln a vein about six or eight feet hick In going to nomo of the breasts the commltjfiloiiprfl hod to almost rrawl IhlH wns a particularly irksome matter for Judge Gray who la tho tallest mann man-n the cormnlpfllon TALKS WITH A BOY On the return Journoy to the foot of the shaft BlHhop Spukllng came across a Illuianluii boy 1 who was employed as a doortender His face vas black from coal dirt but In the dim light of the lamp OIL his cap time bishop noticed his handsome hand-some features HO nskcd 1 tho boy many questions ae to his age tho chamcleriof his work and the wngea ho received The other commissioners also plied tho boy With qUfStlOI1R TWO HOURS UNDERGROUND Near tho shaft on time return Journey the car In which Judge Gray Gen Wilson find Merer Clark and Park r were sinted Jumped thci Irark and tho four occupants were slightly shaken up Miners quleklv IJlacert the cur on tho track again and furled thern uff with n hearty goodbye The party rejiched the surface at 210 oclock after being underground for two nouns ana ten minutes EXECuTIVE SESSION ON TRAIN A hurrIed limpectlon wan made of tho nnialflc buildings of tlm colliery and then the commlsBloncn were driven In carriages car-riages to tlulr train I Ught lunch was liml on the observation car after which the I commissioners held a brief executive Reunion at which they discussed matteiii nlaling purely to the further movements < if Limo arbllrntors The rxnct nature of till questions dlR > uRFed warn not mad < public but Col Wrlglit tho Kpokesmfm of the party said It was of no public interest in-terest terestCOAL COAL BREAKER INSPECTED The arbitrator had an Interesting time at the Coal Brook breaker at Carnondnle Thfy went to the lop of thc great black building and Irnprcted all the machinery mown to the ground They were much In Ircntcd In tua J11ln and boys who arc cmiloyitl In picking slate and honey from tilt cotil From the breaker the nor tired commlsslonors wcie escortml to the chute horo the coal fresh out of the mine lasent to the breaker by means of n conveyor tin cndlaNH chain arrangement arrange-ment of crnIwrtl ONE BONE OF CONTENTION U JH hero that one of thn principal bones of rontonllon brltv > n the employer and employees Is found The min rs maintain thv mire often unjustly docked bv tim dorking boK ff for Ihe amount of simiLe honey or other rrfuw founil In tim l COM I The commissioner watih the work of the boss closely and saw him dock several sev-eral inlnern bAcansc In hIlt jtidgmenl there yftia too much ot Iho foreign mailer In the car of coal A few fat nway li I the fuaco where tho cars of coiil aro weighed WHJVT CONSTITUTES A TON After tho tvt f > n commissioner had watched tho weighing of conl for a while Mr Clark Inquired how many pounds con Htlluled a ton at this colliery Superln londcnl Bryrton of the Ontario Western thought U WIll 2500 pound but District President Nlcholla i said U wan a little over 31CO pounds Tho two bpgnn to discuss each maintaining ho was right NCHOLLSS OPINION Mr Nlcholla l said that granting that 2SCO wits correct those figures are too high Ho paid when the company fixed l 2SM pounds to conbUtutn a lou no us to got out of It 300 pounds ot pure coal the operators opera-tors did not Mil pa coal hi the inurkat Now they hlo a market for JHA coal and about thn sleti I below ROIl the miners ton of I8TO pounds ha not ben decreased TIME TO QUIT WORK Judge Gray was an lnl rc lfICl l listener ILo i me iisruion J i lie Ktrod wIth hUl huiidii I at + p In hn poixlit and never utt roU a ord It 1111 Quit 1ldnl ihnt Iwitn mrn NlclmUs ond Urjiln trkd in rn k < 1 Rood impression with tin ommli i loiirra but they csprceaed no opinion While the discussion was on the colliery Ihhtle blew and tho signal given for quitting and then tho Judge broke In with Well gentlemen It IB 5 oclock and L gucsa we will havo to stop work This Interrup lion broko up what might have grown Into a heated discussion an to how many pounds should constitute a ion at the mouth of tho mines before the coal Is cleaned WORST MIND TO BE VISITED Tomorrow thoy will Inspect the Man vlllc colliery at Green Ridge Just outside of this city It Is operated generally by tho Delaware Hudson and Delaware Lacicawmm a nut Western companies The colliery Inspected today was selected by tho operators and Is said to be ono of tho best in tho region rime Munvllle colliery Is one of tho worst sio far as thin veins of coal arc concerned and was selected I by the miners representatIves MITCHELL ARRIVES President John Mitchell 1 of the miners union came up from Wllkcabnrro tonight Kc was accompanied by Clarence C Dar row of Chicago who has been appointed by Mr Mitchell as attorney to represent the minors before tho arbitration commission com-mission Tho two hlld a conference with several members of the commission tonight to-night regarding tho submission of testimony testi-mony They wanted to know how far nn attorney could go In the presentation of tho miners caae Neither the commissioners commis-sioners nor minors representatives would say anything regarding the conference Mr Mitchell will return to AVllkesbarrc |