The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-11-19
Legislation on Coal. Mining

or all classes Of industry which the ue
cessities and advancement Of the age have
called into requisition, mining is amongst
the most disagreeablc and dangerous Ex-
animation Of the rates Of insurance against
injuries or death arising from accidents will
show that the risk incurred by the miner, in
the pursuit Of bis avocation, is considered
to be most especially fraught with peril
and fatality. Since such is the character
which painful experience has attached to
mining, and since il is a species of labor
that cannot be dispensed with, every pre-.
cautionary effort, which the teachings Of the
past and the researches of science have
proved to be necessary and efectual, should
be exerted to reduce to a miniBtHIn the
liability to accidents so extremely incident
to operations and operators in mines.
It has been found that many Of these &C.
cidents are capable of easy prevention and
that majority Of them are traceable to one
or both Of these two great causes the
Grrow parsimony Of capitalists owning or
thinning mines in not providing every secari-
ty which experience md science deem es-
sential, and the utter recklessness Of the
miners themselves. The former, intent upon
producing at the lowest possible cost, be.
come, Ia their oyerweening pursuit of wealth,
steelea against the precautionary require
ments Dhid - very nature Of their under
taking BaqIlai Bleeding the expense in
extenuaaleh sshf insttention to these be-
beSts spd lsts, DESTROYS only of secur-
ing the hi e1nlass return for their
labor with the Iea@ expenditure Of extrane-
GUS effort and becoming so familiarized with
danger, from its continued presence, that
they hu4ily entertain habitual contempt for
it, neglect to adopt even those too frequent
ly meagre measures which are afforded for
their safety, Left to themselves, these PER
niciOus conditions and tendencies would con.
tinued unaltered and their dire consequences
be repeated instead If being remeaies and
it therefore becomes incumbent nsoR the
e, as the protector Of t6ezI@es<oEfts citi-
1ers to enact senloxoA eKIR IS a. shall
counteraet these e|4lsE THIS duty Is fully
acknowledged and performed BY European
nations. Britain, France, Prussia and Bel
gum have statutory regulations adapted to
the peculiar exigencies of each, but eoincil
ing in the general principle Of extending in
the &gis Of the state over the miner whilst
following his perilOus task, From whatever
cause It may have sprung, the legislatures Of
the various states Of the Union wherein mi
ming is more or less extensively carried on
seem to be lamentably indifferent to this i'm
perative. obligation. OCCASIONALLY the whole
country is horror-stricken by some such
APPALLING catastrophe as that which occurred
last year at Avondale Collicry in Pennsyl-
vania. The disintereste1 and bountiful
charity, for which the american nation is so
justly: and widely eelebrateo, is thoroughly
elected and liberal pecunia1y aid is prompt.
ly furnished to the survivisg sufferers, but
the Immediate and primary causes Of the
are permitted uninterrupted exist
ense to reaQaq tho The baneful effects. The
scores OF IN, who miserably persisted at
AvOndsle weg ssInn sacrificed, --bsachered.
would more 1eha press il. The accidents
{ so cailed1 which pssducsd their decease
would fANslbfeh rendered. impossible blythe
sxefrissof the commonest foresight and BY
fittls zddAi nal outlay Hsd such a!htal-
y baprsned in any Of the cphutrise before