The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-02-22

MINERS AWs.
C0IlleFY Explosions,


/ OF the army Of the three hundred thous.
and and odd colliers Of Great Britain. raising
annually some $4,000, 900 tons Of coal. not
fewer than l484 were killed in the wear 1868.
This amounts to . melancholy increase .oi
30 per cent. cvets the sRumber Of 965 killed
" ~ S>ss5s.t S~@21r AScxf -fTuEh o.sPy
lives lost during the last year has not ret
been published, but we fear that it will not
contrast very isvorably with even the terri
/ ole statistics OF 1857. When il Is reIaem-
bered tLat the number Of men wounded is
not stated, and that, further, each unit does
not stand fol q worthless rufklan of a city's
back ms, but for, IL most cases, the father
Of sl1ily, and PrlH0 facie worker, the
political economist must see that, AZ we
wrote years ago In these pages, the country
is hauling up not unlimited stock Of min
eral treasure at the expense Of heavy per
centsge of its hfe's blood. Ia one word.
more than . regiment Of the soldiers Of labor.
after working face to face with death for
yss:-ss, snnually die at their posts. SulI.
speaking a. political ECONOMISTS, 1t world be
very narrow-minded 70 suppose that we slI
Of US do not pay, in some way or other, and
Ia . more or less tangible u. ode, for all this.
Il 10 duty merely from an economical point
of view, 10 try TO diminish A. far Is possible.
this enormous waste Of valuable life. Now,
q very considerable proportion Of these dis.
as5ers, as we hardly need remark, is caused
by explosions Of gas, aud we should hence
gladly welcome any more or less hopeful pro-
posal Of improvement in this direction. The
Times, Of the 3lst Of last month contained a
letter from an engineer, endorsed with his
name and address, 10 which publicity was
o. m fhafk kaa
any rate in its bare features-occurred 10
many.
After remarking that the galleries Of the
slate quarries Of Anglers, France, are, or
were until lately, lighted by electricity, the
writer observed that "the electric light could
be employed to diminish the chances Of ex-
Plosion in collieries. Fire damp Is often
lighted hy the miners on purpose to con
sum- the carburetted hydrogen, and thus
prevent ior . time the presence of q too
great quautty." BY conducting insulated
wires 90 the "teadings," and intermittingly
pu;ting on and breaking the circuit during
the eighteen hours in the "a that the men
are cut Of the pit, the dangerous fire damp
would be burnt, and the choke damp, or car.
bonic acid gas generated, would naturally BE-
at once got rid Of by tho usual means Of
ventilation.
A magneto-electric machine, worked by
the ordinary winding engine, could easily
generate tho electricisy required By letting
the current. ON a. aA~' prepss<intsrvals ths
Hre-damp would b. srnt as soon a. Il &C
cumulatsd, and There would be no danger
or injury to the roof. We understand from
Mr.. Psget himself that he has since learned
that he cannos claim the merit, such as Il \.
OF priority in this idea; but that il appeared
feasible to him from having seen in n South
Wales coiliery the fre-damp, winch collects
In hollows in the roof Of collisry workings.
igns.ed around the wire-gauze Of q safety
Nhlnp held up In he hand. II il also con-
fessedly obvious that there would be danger
IN dealing IN this way with . ablower'' Or
irruption Of gas from q cleft in the strata.
or, still more, with what Is called IN ~
North ''bags Of foulness" O., subterrsnean
gas holders.
As long as any mechanical plan 10 not sys.
tematically carried out, and cannot Offer the
knock down argument Of success. il In noto.
riously easy to find objections; and we MAJ
even add that it IL dangerous for q profes-
sional mans reputation 70 publish proposals
which be has not actually carried out. Il u
always delightfully."- easY 70 speas OF a scheme
on paper, however promising, IA the mode
adopted BY our last weeks fiery correspond.
ent, "Ooal.n Bot let us consider the oues-
tion ut length. for--though We Fsry much
doubt whether any colliery proprietor could
be persundsd 70 try 1.-THE speculation Il =,
least interesting. The object sought 70 "
obtained d simply safely % consume the ex
plosivs mixture sfofmsd ~ the combination q
the caFburetted HYDROGEN exudinv from IN.