The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-08-24
Miners Protection Bill.
An Act Prov idinx for thc hrAIth and safety
Of Persons ImpIoy ed In Coal MtRe~-

SECTION T. n y enacted ~ NJ, P,opi,
" ~, N.t'. w IlrutS. represented ~ IN.
trsHtrdi iS>,p,LIU. That the owner or agent
Of each and every coal mime Ut culhery IL
the State, employing ten men or more
shall make ur cause to be made. at the dis
erection 81 the inspector, or person acting il
that cApAclty. an accurate map or plan Of
the workings Of such coal mine or colhery
and Of each and every vein thereof. show
Ing the general inclination Of the strata
together with any material defectiuns il
the sald workings. and the boundary line,
az sand cual mines ar culhery. and deposit
true copy NJ said map or plan with the
Inspector NJ coal mines, to be filed in ms
uitIcr, ard another true copy IF said MAJ
ur plan with the recorder Of the county IN
which SAID coal mime pr culherN il situated
"a be filed nj his office, both ~ which said
copies shall be deposited, AS aforesaid.
within three months from the day when
this at shall ~ into effect and the orig
nal or COPY n such map or plan. shall
alsu be Kept for Inspection al the office ii
such c'al mine Wy culhery ami during the
month No January ut each and every year.
after this act shall 20 INTO effect. the SAID
owner or agent shall furnish the inspector
and recorder A. aforesaid with a state
ment and a further map or plan II the pro
gress of the workings VI such coal mine ur
culhery continued from the last report "a
the end Of December month Just preceding
and the inspector shall correct his map or
plan Of SAID workings u accordance with
the statement and map Or plan thus furn-
IsAed ANA when any coal mine " worked
out WI abandoned the fact shall he report
rd tu the Inspector and the map or plan
ot such coal mine ur rulhrrv In the office VI
said inspector shall h, carefully corrected
and verified
.. Whenever the owner 81 agent 81
any cpal mine nr culhery shall neglect ~
refuse az furnish the sand inspector ana re-
corder "a aforesaid. with the statement.
the map ur plan. OF addition thereto. As
PROVIDED IN the FIRST section If tins act. at
the time and IN the manner provided, the
said inspector j. hereby authorized Il caus,.
An accurate map nr plan N the workings of
such coal nine ar colherv IL b. made At
the expense nj the said owner or agent.
and the cost thereof may be recovered bv
law from the SAID owners or agent. IN the
same manner AS other debts. by suit IN
the name ot the inspector, and for his use
3 IN all coal mines " colheries that
are. or have been, III operation prior u the
nrst day ~ July. in the year No uur Lord
one Thousand eight hundred and seventy
Two and which are worked h- NJ through
shaft. slope ur drift. and in which more
than fifteen miners are employed II there
X NOT already an eScapemrut shaft IL each
and every sand c,ial mime ami culIerv. or a
communication between each and every
said coal mlnc ur cullIery. and some other
contiguous mInr. there shall be an escape
ment shaft making al least two distinct
means NJ Iugress and e-ress for all persons
employed ur permitted % work in such
coal mime pr cpliery such escapement
shaft. ur other communication with a con
tl-Uous NINE. as aforesaid shall be con
structed IN connection with every vein "
stratum W coal worked IN such coal mines
ur colIeries and the time tu be allowed
for such construction shall be one year for
each one hundred feet IN depth Of such es-
capemedt shaft So tn be constructed OF frac-
tlonal part thereof. And each and every
such escapement shaft shall be separated
from the main shaft by such extent of nat
ural strata as shall secure safety to the
miners; such distance to be left to the direc-
ZION OF the inspector OF person acting in
hat capacity. And III all coal mines OF
coleries that shall 20 into operation for the
first time after the first day Of July. In the
year Of our Lord one thousand eight hun
bred and seventy-two. such esoapement
shaft or other communication with a con
tlguous mine, as aforesaid, to be made for
the purpose aforesaid, shall be constructed
within one year after such mine shall have
been put into operation, where the depth
Of such coal mine OF culliery does not ex-
coed one hundred feet And in all coal
mines that are Of greater depth than one
hundred feet, there shall be allowed one
year within which to construct each
hundred feet or fractional part thereof Of
such escapemcnt shaft And it shall not
be lawful for the owner or agent of any
such coal mines OF collieries, as aforesaid,
20 employ any person TO work therein
or to permit persons 70 90 therein for
the purpose 81 working, unless said owner
II agent shall have first complied with the
requirements Of this section. And the
term owner used in this act shall mean
the immediate proprietor, lessee OF occu-
pier Of any coal mine OF colliery, OF any
"a, thereof and the term agent shall
near any person having, on behalf Of the
Owner II, az aforesaid, the care and man
agement Of any coal mine or cOlliery, or any
part thereof.
! 4. The owner OF agent of each and
every coal mine or colhery shall provide
therefor an adequate amount of ventilation,
by forcing, when practicable, the circula-
ton Of pure air through to the face Of
each and every workingpla in every such
coalmi or colliery, so that every such coal
mine or coliery shall be fit for men to
work therein, and free from standing gas
and from danger to health and life by
reason Of any nOxiuus gas. The ventila-
ton required by this section may be pro
duced by any suitable appliances, but in
case a furnace shall be used for ventilating
purposes, IT shall be built in such a man
ner A. to prevent the communication Of
fire to any part Of the works by lining the
up-cast with incombustibe material for
a sufficient distance UP from the said
furnace.
D. The owner, agent OF mining boss
shall provide that bore holes shall be kept
twenty feet in advance Of the face If each
and every working place-and, if neces-
sary. on both aides when driving towards
an abandoned mine, or part Of mine, sus-
pected te contain infiammable gases, or to
he inundated with water.
6. The owner OF agent Of every coal
mine or coliery, opened or operated by
shaft or slope, shall provide suitable
means Of signaling between the bottom and
the top thereof, and shall also provide a
safe means 0f hosting OF lowering persons
at the mines, with a sufficient cover over
head on every box or carriage used for
hoisting purposes, for the protection Of
persons 50 hoisted or lowered at the mines
And no young person under fourteen
years Of age, or female Of any age, shall De
permitted to enter any mine to work there
in proof of age to be made by sworn Ger