The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-03-09

year, and that the proportion Of deaths to
injuries are as one to five-one being killed
every year for every twenty thousand tons
Of coal hoisted"
In Great Britain, as well as in France
and i'll this country, about one-half Of all
the accidents are occasioned by falls Of roof
and coal one-third take place in the shafts
from the breakage Of engines ropes or
chains, and the upsetting or fouling Of
skips, boxes, tubs, etc The remainder, or
one-sixth Of all the causalties, occur from
blasting explosions of fire-damp, sufFocation
from defective ventilation, poisonous gases
such as carbonic acid gas and after
damp-and inundations
The proportion Of deaths BY accident in
the British mines for 1866 was about one in
every PIG persons one man being killed
in Yorkshire for every 1000 tons raised
The loss of life from fire-damp alone in the
English mines that year was 6lJ, and the
total number Of deaths in the mines from
all kinds Of accidents, was 44. The to-
tai number Of deaths by tire-damp alone
in England, for ten years prior u 1856,
was 2,019, and from all accidental causes,
in the mines Of that country for the same
period, 9,O16.
The effects Of explosion of iire-damp are
shown in the following, taken from long
list of accidents in the English mines
Ninety-two men were killed at Falling
Mine, in 1912; l04 men were killed at the
Wallsend Colliery in 1885 81 men at the
Haswell Coliery in 1874 ia men at the
Cymmer Rhonda mine in 1893 1883 men At
the Lundhill COlliery in 1857 l42 men at
the Risca Colliery in 1860; 81 men AZ the
Talk O the Hill Colliery, and 3Gl at the
Oaks Colliery, both in the year 1865 Az
that was done by tire-damp.
In 1915, 20 men lost thciT hives by the
inundation Of Heaton main pit, and ~
we're killed by an explosion Of the boiler at
the Newbottle pit A similar accident &C
Cured at the same pit. and in the same
way, killing 12 men in 1882, and % men
came to their death in a similar manner at
the Clay Cross pit i'll 1861. Seven men met
death by inundation Of the Bills on CollIery
in 1862. The terrible accident at the Hart
ley mine will not soon he forgotten, where
the simple breakage Of the engine pump
beam resulted in the death of no less than
209 men. In 1SoS, 53 lives were lost at the
St Helen's Colliery. and the same number
Of lives were lost at the Fern Dale C"llIery
in 1868 A colliery explosion at JemaPpes,
III Dtlkluln. III lSOO. V'St Aiit Tvs " 10y
men, and this was followed directly after
by the loss Of twenty eight lives, from the
same cause, at Lancaster England. And
last, though not least. 32I lives were lest
by an explosion at a mine near DRESDEN IN
Saxony, on the 2Sth Of August, 1859. But.
to come nearer home, on the 9TH # sep
tember, 1870, ITO stalwart men and youths
were suddenly deprived Of life by the clos-
ing in, as with wall of FIRE, Of the Avon
dale mine, in Pennsylvania. These lives
might have been saved han there been a
second means Of entrance and exit to that
mine, and when that fact became known to
the public, they in their righteVas indigna-
tion, demanded an investigation into the
cause Of this terrible accident, which was
had with the following result
THE VERDICT OF COEoSER's JURY II THE ANuS-
DALE CASE.
The deceased came to their death by the eX-
haustion Of atmospheric air, or a prevalence
of sulphuric and carbonic acid gases in the
mines, caused by the burning Of the lead house
and breaker on the 9th n September that
the fire originated from the furnace in the
mines, taking effect on the wooden brattice in
the upcast air course leading from the bottom
Of the shaft to the lead house.
And the Jury also returned the following
opinion
That they regard the present system OF min
ing as now worked by shafts, as insecure and
unsafe to the miners and strongly recommend,
in cases where practicable. two places for in
gress and egress, as well a. n more perfect
system of ventilation.
10 BE CONTINUED.