Cortland Contrarian: HEARING GRIEVANCES, BLACK DIAMOND EXPRESS, COAL STRIKE COMMISSION, ELECTION BETS PAID, MARATHON GOLD, AND NEW DENTIST

Judge George Gray.

Cortland Evening Standard, Thursday, November 6, 1902.

HEARING GRIEVANCES.

Strike Commission Ended Its Tour of the Mines.

VISITED THE POTTS COLLIERY.

Talked With Breaker Boys—Went Down a Shaft 850 Feet—Occupants of Car Soaked With Water—Commissioners Have Gone to Washington—Will Go to New York.

Mahanoy, City, Pa, Nov. 6.—The anthracite strike commission ended its tour of observation of the coal fields in the Panther Creek valley, and the members of the party returned to their homes today and will meet again at Scranton on November 14 to take the testimony of the miners.

The biggest day's work of the entire trip was accomplished yesterday when the commissioners made a complete inspection of two large collieries and a tour of the region lying between Mt. Carmel and this city.

Six working days have been consumed in traveling from place to place in the anthracite coal regions and the arbitrators feel they are now qualified to sit in judgment on the controversy between the mine owners and their employes [sic].

In all the commissioners were lowered into seven mines and went through several breakers. They met the general superintendents, the mine superintendents and the foremen of the various collieries visited, and also talked with the grimy coal diggers in the dark gangways and chambers hundreds of feet below the earth's surface.

Heard Workingmen's Grievances.

They heard the grievances the workers claim they have and also heard the companies' side of the story. Besides this the commissioners gained a somewhat technical knowledge of mining in its many different features that will be of assistance to them. They will be able to understand questions-and ask questions where they would not have been able to understand them if they had not been under ground.

They went all over the building and were much interested in the employes there, among whom were many young boys. From the Potts colliery the train proceeded through Ashland, Girardville, and Gilberton to the Maple Hill colliery of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron company in the Mahanoy Valley a few miles from Shenandoah.

This is one of the best mines in the entire anthracite field, and is equipped with all modern appliances. The bottom of the shaft is 730 feet below the surface, and during their two hours stay in the workings the commissioners went about a mile and a half from the shaft. The whistle blew the noon hour just as the party came to the surface.

At the breaker near by the commissioners talked with the boys whose faces were black from coal dust. Judge Gray and Bishop Spalding seemed the most interested in the lads and each gave some of them small coins.

From the Maple Hill colliery the commissioners' train was run down through Mahanoy City and Tamaqua to the Panther Creek valley. Then the arbitrators visited the No. 8 colliery of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation company of Coaldale. The entrance to the mines was through a drift which is a horizontal opening into the base of a mountain. About 100 feet inside the entrance the party was lowered by means of a shaft to the bottom which is 850 feet down.

The mine proved to be quite wet and every one in the party got more or less of a wetting. As the members of the commission passed along the gang ways on the mine cars drawn by mules they went under worked out chutes from which water flowed in streams.

Got a Drenching.

While going under one chute the mules stopped and the water fell into one of the cars thoroughly soaking all its occupants. It was an uncomfortable position to be In and those who escaped a drenching took it as a good joke on their colleagues who were directly under the chute.

The party went to the end of two long gangways about half a mile in length and up into a very steep chute where they found miners at work. In order to get into the chute the commissioners had to climb a ladder and crawl over broken coal through a small opening. Their hands and faces were smeared with coal dust when they came out.

After leaving the mine a number of idle mine workers crowded around Chairman Gray of the commission and told him that they had been discriminated against by the company in the matter of getting their old places back. They said Superintendent Behner would not take them back for some reason unknown to them and that other men had been given their positions. On the other hand the company officials claimed that they have not enough work at this time for all the men on account of repair work now being done in the mines. Judge Gray listened to them but made no comment.

The commissioners arrived in this city at 5 o'clock and spent the night here. Today they left for Pottsville at about 9 o'clock and will depart from the latter place for their homes during the afternoon. The commissioners' special car will be run to Washington by way of Philadelphia and from the latter city some of the commissioners will go to New York.

Black Diamond Express.

BLACK DIAMOND EXPRESS

Wrecked by Misplaced Switch—Fifteen Passengers Injured.

New York, Nov. 6.—The west bound Black Diamond Express on the Lehigh Valley railroad, which left Jersey City at 12:12 o'clock yesterday afternoon, crashed into a locomotive just outside of Newark and fifteen persons were injured, among them Carrie Nation, the saloon smasher. The accident, believed to have resulted from a wrongly placed switch, occurred on the tracks of the Pennsylvania, railroad, which are used by the Lehigh Valley for running into Jersey City. One car and the engine were overturned. The seriously injured were taken to St. Francis hospital, Jersey City.

The express was running at the rate of forty miles an hour, and when near the meadows swung on to a siding, where a Pennsylvania engine was standing. The engineer and fireman of the express saw that a collision was inevitable and jumped escaping injury. Frank Johnson, the engineer of the Pennsylvania engine, went down in the crash. The trainload of passengers was violently shaken, and those in the car which was overturned were injured. The Lehigh Valley officials said that all the passengers except one were transferred to a west bound train at 2:45 and resumed their journey. The exception was W. Frank Hall of Putnam-ave., Brooklyn, who was taken to St. Francis hospital. He and the engineer of the Pennsylvania locomotive were the only persons badly hurt, according to the railroad company report.

The general superintendent of/the Lehigh Valley company said that he could not tell whether the switch which ran the train on the siding was misplaced or out of order. Both of the companies are making an investigation to place the responsibility for the accident.

Breaker boys, Pennsylvania Coal Co.

THE COAL STRIKE COMMISSION

Down in the Coal Mines, Underneath the Ground.

The members of the anthracite coal strike commission have been going "down in the coal mine, underneath the ground," in Pennsylvania, and they must have presented a novel and striking appearance. To see these dignified gentlemen, among them Judge Gray of the United States court, General Wilson, United States army, and Bishop Spalding, a venerable, learned and venerated Roman Catholic prelate, with their associates making such a trip was certainly out of the ordinary. A dispatch describing the incident says:

"The commissioners were supplied with overalls, jumpers, miners' caps, lamps and rubber shoes and presented at least a picturesque if not a dignified appearance. Bishop Spalding's purple stock peeping out above his blue drilling jumper was the only thing giving an outward and visible sign to indicate his sacred office. Justice Gray's physical proportions had not been correctly anticipated from the bust portrait which had appeared in the papers, and as a consequence he could not button up his miner's uniform. General Wilson doubtless never looked heavier in his fullest dress at the swellest [sic] military function."

Then the commissioners started down the incline, each one sitting in the bottom of the car and hastily ducking his head according to orders to avoid knocking his brains out against the roof or being electrocuted by the appalling profusion of overhead wires. The account continues:

"In the car corner yonder huddled the imposing figure of Judge Gray, his six feet and more of splendid height arrayed in a blue denim jumper that was a tight fit and that left six inches of respectable black coat as a frieze above blue and white overalls of impossible cut. He had to bend his stately, handsome head as the cries of 'low bridge' were incessantly called. Silent and composed, General Wilson gazed out impassively into the night of tunneled blackness, with its uncanny will o' the wisp lights dancing afar off. One could not think that he would bow at anything, even a bump on the skull. He was the only man of the commission who still looked dignified with a broad, black smudge across his nose. Commissioner Wright bobbed his head at the warnings and looked bored. He had been in mines before. Mr. Parker wasn't surprised at anything, for there is nothing in the earth and its formation that is new to him. He emerged from the shaft with his 'jumper' looking as immaculate as when he went in. Mr. Clark sat very still and did the necessary amount of bobbing to insure his life, and with a true railroader's forethought for others kept a watch on those in his vicinage who were inclined to be reckless in the way of uprightness. To Mr. Watkins it was an old story, and his concern was only shown for the welfare of others. No one could tell from Bishop Spalding's countenance of what he was thinking, or whether he relished the wild and furious ride in jolting coal cars. He was neither nervous nor talkative, but nothing escaped his observation.

"On the whole, the commission saw coal mining in all its black vividness, the 'darkness that could be felt,' and all that sort of thing with a vengeance."

Election bet payoff, Puck magazine.

ELECTION BETS PAID.

Two Rode in Wheelbarrows and Two Others Had to Push.

Two election bets of the same character were paid last evening and two wheelbarrow rides were taken from the Cortland House to the York hotel by the winners, wheeled by the less fortunate losers. The fellows who gained a free transportation carried banners proclaiming, "I bet on Dougherty." The laboring pair had pinned on their backs the converse of the proposition, which read, "I bet on Davis."

The propellers of the two carts were Arthur Saunders and Clarence Hout, who wheeled respectively, Ralph Bierce and George Hollister. They had a large following, principally of small boys who got a lot of fun out of the matter.

MUCH ADO ABOUT GOLD

But the Gold Doesn't Seem to Materialize in the Ground.

Some days ago The Standard published an item about the excitement prevailing in certain sections of Marathon, N. Y., over the thought that gold had been discovered there, but a little further investigation of the substance in question brought to light the fact that the supposed gold was not gold at all. Among the places where it was first thought that there was gold were the lot of Howard Wood in the village, the farm of L. A. Lanpher, a mile out of town, and the lot of Grant Bliss on Academy-st. All of these people would have been very glad if they could have found real gold on their premises and no doubt were disappointed that the supposed gold did not prove to be the precious substance.

But in this connection the old truth was again shown that one must go out of town to get the local news if one would get it in its most sensational and colossal size. The local papers usually publish the facts too nearly as they are to truly thrill any one.

Last Friday the following dispatch dated at Syracuse appeared in one New York paper and a similar dispatch from Clyde appeared in another:

"The discovery of gold in Marathon has boosted the price of real estate. Thomas F. McEligott had an offer of $25,000 for his lot, the size of an ordinary building lot. A large lot belonging to the Catholic church is to be sold, it is said, for $180,000."

This led the Marathon Independent to comment on the absurdity of the dispatch and to add in conclusion:

"We have a lot twice the size of Mr. McEligots and we would take great interest in disposing of it at Clyde rates. Send your customer down, Thomas."

THE KING'S DAUGHTERS

Will Hold Food Sale in Hopkins' New Greenhouse.

The Loyal circle of King's Daughters will hold a food and bag and apron sale in the large new showroom of Hopkins' greenhouse commencing Friday evening, Nov. 7, and continuing through Saturday, Nov. 8. Bags and aprons will also be offered for sale at this time and in connection with the sale there will be an exhibition and practical demonstration of aluminum cooking utensils.

This is the season of the year when most urgent demands are made upon the resources of this organization for relief of the needy in our city. The food sale will thus present an opportunity to assist in a worthy cause and all who are willing to do so are asked to contribute baked goods and other articles for the sale. All contributions may be delivered at Hopkins' greenhouse on North Main-st. Friday afternoon or evening or on Saturday.

A FIRE DRILL.

One Thousand Normal Students Get Out in About Two Minutes.

There are over a thousand students in the Normal school building at any time when the school is in session. Just before 3 o'clock this afternoon there was a signal given for a fire drill and in a very few seconds over two minutes every student and teacher had left the building. The students in the science laboratories on the third floor used the fire escapes; all others used the stairways, of which there are four flights leading from the ground floor upward. That was a pretty good record, for every movement though swift was made in the most orderly way imaginable.

Bought Another Hotel.

Marion Mathewson, who recently traded the Kremlin hotel for the Park hotel has now purchased the Rogers House at Whitney's Point, and has gone to that place to take charge of his new possession. Mr. Mathewson still holds the Park hotel and Charles E. Barker is conducting it.

A New Dentist Coming.

F. D. Greene, D. D. S., of Plattsburg has rented the front suite of rooms in the second floor of the new Tanner block on Main-st. Possession will be given as soon as the building is completed. The rooms will be fitted with steel ceiling, plate glass windows, electric motor and all modern appointments for an up-to-date dental establishment.

W. C. T. U. PARLOR MEETING.

Reports Given from the Recent State Convention at Ithaca. N. Y.

About fifty members and friends of the W. C. T. U. were entertained last Saturday evening at the home of Mrs. W. A. Dunn, 1 Hill-st.

Excellent reports of the state convention recently held in Ithaca were given by the delegates: Mrs. H. B. Greenman, Miss Estelle Walker and Mrs. Philo Meade. Among the encouraging items were those concerning the gains in membership and efficiency of the organization throughout the state. The Woman's Christian Temperance union now has 24,193 members in New York state, a net gain of 1,679 over last year. The amount of money raised has been $12,627. Seven county presidents were called to the platform the first evening of the convention in recognition of the facts that the counties they represented had made a gain of 100 or morr in membership. Monroe had the best record, a gain of 533 members, the largest ever made by one county in the whole United States.

In response to an invitation from President Schurman a large number of those in attendance at the convention visited Cornell university, where they were very cordially received by President Schurman, and shown about the buildings and grounds.

Another event of special interest was the address before the convention by Mr. Alfred Manierre of New York, the Prohibition candidate for governor. Previous to his coming each delegate had been provided with a small flag, and as Mr. Maniere and his friends entered the church a patriotic greeting was given by waving the flags. The scene was described by those who saw it as beautiful and impressive.

But one change was made in the list of state officers for the coming year, Mrs. Effie Lambert being elected state Y. secretary in place of Mrs. Cora E. Seberry who had resigned.

At the close of the reports several fine recitations were given by Miss Mary Rogers of McGraw. The solos by Mr. Meade and the recitations by little Exilda Purlee were much enjoyed. The serving of refreshments and a social time brought to a close a very pleasant evening.

Supt. Press Work.

Cortland, Nov. 4, 1902.