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INCREASE OF MINE INSPECTORS
IN ANTHRACITE FIELDS.
In his new report. James E. Roderick, chief of
the department of mines of Pennsylvania, says
relative to the increase of anthracite inspectors:
"I may state, to commence, that the law providing-
an increase in the number of anthracite
inspectors from fifteen to twenty becomes effective
January 1, 1906. The law gives the chief of department
of mines the power to rearrange the districts
and assign inspectors for each. I gave this
matter close study during the past months, as it
was a difficult problem to make an equitable division
of the work among the inspectors. After rearranging
the districts to my own satisfaction I
made a tour of the anthracite counties, meeting
the inspectors of Luzerne county in Wilkes-Barre
October 2, the inspectors of Lackawanna county
in Scranton October 3, the inspectors of Schuylkill,
Columbia and Northumberland in Pottsville
October 6. To each group of inspectors I submitted
my rearrangement of the districts, and I
am pleased to say that my division gave entire
satisfaction.
"The districts and inspectors, counties and head­
quarters are as follows:
"First district—P. J. Moore, Carbondale, Lackawanna.
"Second district—L. M. Evans, Scranton, Lackawanna.
"Third district,—H. 0. Prytherch, Scranton,
Lackawanna.
"Fourth district—D. T. Williams, Scranton,
Lackawanna.
"Fifth district—*Johns©sr Scranton, Lackawanna.
"Sixth district—Hugh JffafDonald, Pittston, Luzerne.
"Seventh district—P. M. Boyle. Kingston, Luzerne.
"Eighth district—James Martin, Wilkes-Barre,
Luzerne.
"Ninth district—D. T. Davis, Plymouth, Luzerne.
"Tenth district—*Walsh, Nanticoke, Luzerne.
"Eleventh district—D. J. Roderick, Hazleton,
Luzerne.
"Twelfth district—P. C. Fenton. Mahanoy City.
Schuylkill.
"Thirteenth district—A. B. Lamb, Shenandoah,
Schuylkill.
"Fourteenth district—J. O. Donnell, Centralia,
Schuylkill.
"Fifteenth district—B. I. Evans. Mt. Carmel,
Schuylkill.
"Sixteenth district—M. McLaughlin, Shamokin,
Northumberland.
"Seventeenth district—Isaac Davies, Lansford,
Carbon.
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 49
"Eighteenth district—John Curran, Pottsville,
Schuylkill.
"Nineteenth district—M. J. Brennan, Pottsville,
Schuylkill.
"Twentieth district—C. J. Price, Lykens, Dauphin.
"*New inspectors not in service.
"To make an equitable division of work among
the inspectors it became necessary to ignore county
lines entirely, so the Lackawanna inspectors have
in addition to that county the counties of Wayne,
Susquehanna, Sullivan and a part of the southeastern
section of Luzerne."
THE END OF THE BREAKER BOY.
Delaware & Hudson Co.'s officers believe they
have successfully solved the breaker-boy problem
by the use of niechanicai slate-pickers, installed
in the companies of the Black Diamond colliery in
Wilkes-Barre, which started work recently. Instead
of three hundred breaker boys which a
breaker of its capacity requires, only twelve boys
are used, spiral slate-pickers taking the place of
others. They worked satisfactorily. The company
will probably place similar pickers in its
other collieries and in time they may do away
with the 24,000 breaker boys now employed
throughout the region.
St. Louis to City of Mexico.
Commencing December 15th, the Iron Mountain
Route will inaugurate Semi-Weekly Limited Train
Service between St. Louis and the City of Mexico.
The trains will leave St. Louis at 11:00 A. M.
every Tuesday and Friday, running over the Iron
Mountain Route to Texarkana, the Texas & Pacific
and International & Great Northern R. R. through
San Antonio to Laredo, thence over the National
Lines to the City of Mexico. This service is
scheduled for fifty-five hours, the equipment being
new, and including an Observation Parlor Car, a
Compartment Sleeping Car, a Dining Car, and a
Composite Car, with all the comforts and luxuries
of modern travel.
Until the powder companies agree to make a
compromise, the anthracite miners will destroy
all of the empty powder tins. This is in accordance
with a resolution adopted at the Keg Fund
convention recently held at Pittston. The resolutiojn
contained a recommendation that after
November 1 all empty tins be destroyed unless the
powder conipany pays more than eight cents
apiece. The miners, until a few months ago,
received ten cents apiece for the powder tins.