CHAIRMAN GRAY'S SARCASM, SHELLED SAN CARLOS, COAL SITUATION, CORTLAND WOODWORKING CO., AND DEATH OF MRS. GEORGE O'BRIEN

 

George Gray.

Cortland Evening Standard, Thursday, January 22, 1903.

CHAIRMAN'S SARCASM.

Judge Gray Didn't Like the Word "Permission."

LETTER OF DISTRICT PRESIDENT.

Superintendent Mercur Said He Would Put More Men to Work If He Could Get Them—John Murray, Called by Company, Proved a Good Witness For the Miners.

   Philadelphia, Jan. 22.—The feature of the day in the continued session of the anthracite coal strike commission was Chairman Gray's rather strong remarks in commenting on an incident where District President Fahy of the miners' union would not grant "permission" during the strike to a contractor to erect a boilerhouse at a colliery, the house being necessary to preserve the mine from [flood] damage. The president of the commission said he hated tyranny, no matter whether it was practiced by an operator, a miner or any one else.

   The Temple Iron company had closed its case and witnesses for the Lehigh Valley Coal company were being heard when the incident took place. R. S Mercur, a district superintendent of collieries in the Mahanoy and Shamokin districts, was on the stand. He said the men in his collieries worked on an average of about seven hours a day. The miners, he continued, will not produce any more coal as a result of President Mitchell's "hurry up'' order. They claim there is no coal shortage, and that it was a scheme of the operators to show the men are earning large wages.

   Chairman Gray remarked that the miners should come to Wilmington. Del., his home, and see poor people standing around waiting to buy a bucket of coal at 17 and 18 cents a bucket.

Can't Get Men Enough.

   Mr. Darrow asked the witness why he did not work two shifts, and he replied that he could not get the men to cut enough coal to keep the breakers going 10 hours a day. If the union will furnish men, he will put all of them to work.

   Mr. Mercur then told of the troubles in keeping the water from accumulating in the mines during the strike. He said the company had contracted with a man to build a boilerhouse for Packer colliery No. 5. The strikers refused to permit this to be done; they would not even permit the material to be taken from the railroad cars. Finally the contractor wrote to District President Fahy, asking permission to erect the boilerhouse, and the labor leader replied:

   "On account of the existing conditions I cannot grant you permission which, as I understand from your letter, you request." The letter further stated that Mr. Fahy was willing to meet him and discuss the matter.

   Chairman Gray asked the witness if he did not apply to Mr. Fahy, and he replied he did not. The president of the commission sarcastically asked the witness why he did not, with due submission, go to see Mr. Fahy and appeal to him to permit the building of the boilerhouse. He might have softened a little, added the commissioner.

   Mr. Darrow protested that the matter should not go any further until Mr. Fahy was heard. The chairman and Mr. Darrow then had an animated colloquy over the matter, during which Judge Gray said he did not like the word "permission," as used by Mr. Fahy. This was a free country and he was not educated up to using the word in the way Mr. Fahy had employed it. Then added that he hated tyranny, no matter whether it was practiced by an operator, a miner or any one else. The chairman delivered his remarks with much force, and the incident created considerable of a stir in the court room.

Stopped Mules' Feed.

   Mr. Mercur closed his direct examination by saying that during the strike the miners compelled a man to cease hauling feed to mine mules. Judge Gray did not believe this until a letter showing that such a thing was ordered by a local union was shown him.

   John F. Murray, a union miner, was placed on the stand by the Lehigh to testify about what seemed a trivial matter. He proved to be a good witness for the strikers. He said the company did not deliver enough cars to the men and that the union had no rule restricting the number of cars to be delivered to each miner. He added that there would be trouble in the anthracite regions so long as some of the companies insist upon paying the men by the car instead of paying them by weight. He asserted that the cars are more like freight cars than mine cars. The miners, he continued, think the cars hold much more than the 2 1/2 tons the company claims they hold.

   At this point counsel for both sides and the commissioners got into a discussion on the advisability of changing the system of pay from car to weight. Mr. Darrow said it had been suggested that the miners be paid by weight and that if the companies' sales of coal were in excess of the tonnage paid the miners then the latter should be paid their share of the excess.

   The commission then decided to devote an entire day to the consideration of the car and the weight system.

   S. P. Warriner, general superintendent of the company, in his testimony said there were no complaints made to him on the car question prior to the recent strike.

   He said it would be impossible to save a standard car owing to the varying conditions in the mines. He thought that it was possible, however, to more nearly standardize the cars. He thought an eight-hour day would curtail the production and necessitate the opening of more collieries to meet the demand for coal.

SMS Panther.

SHELLED SAN CARLOS.

Germans Renewed Attack on Venezuelan Fort.

FORTRESS RETURNED THE FIRE.

Three German War Vessels Participated—Panther's Guns Fired Every Minute at 500 Yards Distance—Engagement Lasted Three Hours—Village Burned—German Residents Protest.

   Maracaibo, Venezuela, Jan. 22. —Three German war ships, supposed to be the Panther, Vinita and Falke, began shelling the fort of San Carlos at half past 10 o'clock Wednesday morning. The fort returned the fire. The engagement was in progress at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

   A correspondent in a rowboat approached to within three miles of the fort at noon. The roar of the guns was terrific.

   The Panther appeared to be not more than 500 yards from the fort. Her guns were being fired every minute.  The fort could not be seen for the clouds of smoke, but it was plain that the Venezuelan gunners were answering the German fire splendidly and with great rapidity.

   At 1 o'clock in the afternoon an explosion occurred apparently in the fort and a denser cloud of smoke covered part of the ramparts.

   A number of Indian fishermen were intercepted fleeing from the direction of the fort in their dugout canoes. They reported that the smoke seen was from the burning village of San Carlos, which had been shelled by the German ships and was in flames.

   The shelling of San Carlos has created much excitement among the German residents of this port, who have protested against the action of the warships.

 

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIAL.

The Coal Situation.

   Whoever may be at fault, whether the coal producing and coal carrying companies, the independent operators or the miners, there today exists in this country a condition more deplorable and distressing than has ever before existed in time of peace.

   A midwinter fuel famine prevails with all its dire results. The gravity of the situation is told with startling details in all the newspapers. In hundreds of cities and towns there has been and is now great distress, and in many places people have been driven to overt acts of disorder to save themselves and those dependent upon them from suffering and distress and perhaps death. In several places coal in transit has been openly seized by infuriated citizens, in some instances under direction of the municipal authorities and with the approval of the responsible and reputable citizens, justifying the action on the ground of a public necessity which was above statute law. Cases of coal stealing have become almost too common to excite comment. In a majority of arrests for such thefts, sympathetic magistrates have discharged the offenders with only a mild rebuke and frequently with such commendatory comment as to incite further thefts.

   Surely conditions must be intolerable when in time of peace and general prosperity courts of justice make larceny immune from punishment and municipal authorities counsel trover and conversion and usually law abiding and orderly citizens are driven by necessity to such acts.

   So grave is the situation that the coal famine is today the uppermost topic in congress. Scores of antitrust bills have been introduced, leveled at the coal combine, investigations have been ordered by both senate and house, a bill has been passed by both houses and approved by the president admitting foreign coal to our ports free of duty. Most significant has been the introduction by the chairman of the house judiciary committee of a resolution which directs that committee to investigate and report upon the power of congress "to declare that a necessity has arisen for taking possession of all coal, coal beds and coal mines in the United States and all lines of transportation necessary for the transportation of coal." In brief the resolution asks for information as to the power of the government of the United States to enter upon ownership of mines and railroads.

   In former years and under less dire conditions such a resolution would have been regarded as trenching upon revolution. Whatever may be done in relation to it by congress, it is the most radical proposition ever offered in that body.

   All this shows that our lawmakers and the law enforcers are beginning to realize that something must be done, and that speedily, to relieve a condition which has become intolerable. The law abiding public will not long patiently endure such a situation, whoever may be at fault for its existence. If law and order are to prevail, the fuel famine must be quickly ended.

 

CORTLAND WOODWORKING MFG. CO.

Leased the Ireland Plant—Preparing for Business.

   The Cortland Woodworking Manufacturing company is the name of the new company that has just been formed to do business in this city. It has leased the Ireland mill, and the work of placing the building in readiness for the business of the new concern is now being pushed rapidly along. The company expects to begin operations in about four weeks.

   The new company has been incorporated under the name above stated with a capitalization of $5,000. The parties interested in it are nearly all from Binghamton. It will make sash, doors and blinds and do a general custom mill business.

   Mr. E. H. Shapely of Binghamton, N. Y., who has had twenty-five years' experience in this business, is the general manager of the concern as well as the secretary and treasurer of it. He will move his family from Binghamton to Cortland in the spring and make this his permanent residing place.

   The company has a ten-years' lease of the building and has purchased the machinery that is now in the mill. The place will be repaired throughout and new and improved machinery will be added for doing all kinds of work in wood. An office will be built south of and adjacent to the front of the mill.

   The new firm is already receiving much encouragement from the people of Cortland, as orders for working more than 100,000 feet of lumber have been placed with it.

   Mr. Shapley says that be shall bring several experienced workmen to Cortland to assist in the mill. He also says that the company is prepared to expand as the business here grows and demands it.

   The mill is now very well stocked with all kinds of machines, and when new ones are added the facilities for turning out all kinds of custom work will be unsurpassed. The mill is provided with a 40-horse power engine and a 50-horse power boiler.

   The Reeve Manufacturing Co., manufacturers of the Reeve Kitchen cabinet, that occupies one of the small buildings on the Ireland mill lot, will not be affected by the lease of the mill. Mr. Reeve will continue to turn out his improved article of kitchen furniture as formerly.

 

Rev. W. J. Howell.

Traveling Masonic Certificate.

   Rev. W. J. Howell, pastor of the First Baptist church, who starts Feb. 6 for a trip to the Holy Land has just received from the Grand Lodge of the Masonic fraternity a Mason's traveling certificate which states that he is a member of Cortlandville lodge, No. 470, F. A. M. of the state of New York, U. S. A., and commends him to the good offices of any brother Mason if he should be in need of them. It is made out in English, French, Italian and Latin and is quite an imposing looking document with its large seal. Mr. Howell is in hopes that he may not need to use it, but regards it as a good thing to take along with him into a strange land.

 

Death of Mrs. O'Brien.

   Mrs. George F. O'Brien died yesterday afternoon at 4:15 o'clock at her home, 5 Greenbush-st., aged 44 years. The funeral will be held from St. Mary's church, Saturday morning at 8 o'clock. The remains will then be taken by the 9:22 Lackawanna train to Whitney's Point for burial.

   Aside from her husband Mrs. O'Brien is survived by one son, George W. O'Brien; also by one brother, John Hopkins of Whitney's Point and by six sisters, Mrs. Thomas Reagan of Cortland, Mrs. Thomas Murphy, Mrs. John Johnson and Misses Ella and Josephine Hopkins of Whitney's Point, and Mrs. Frank McHugh of Chenango Forks.

 

Charged With Vagrancy.

   Ella Wood, who has been arrested several times by the city police officers, was arrested again this afternoon by Chief Barnes, charged with public intoxication and vagrancy. She was found by the officer in the hallway of the Martin block.

 

BREVITIES.

   —The estate of the late Prof. Fuertes of Cornell university amounts to $6,000.

   —A new curfew ordinance at Fulton has been enacted and goes in force next week.

   —School Commissioner Luke J. McEvoy held teachers' training class examinations in Marathon today.

   —The Ithaca Journal of last night has learned of ninety-six cases of grip in that city and estimates that the number will be doubled in twenty-four hours if the mild weather continues. Cortland is getting its full share of grip victims too.