The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-03-16

miners were killed near st. Etienne, in
| France the two colliery explosions at
Granville and Haversford, England, on the
22d Of December Just passed, whereby
many lives were lost, and twenty persons
were wounded, and the terrible explosion
| in Wales, on the nth Of january, at the
Z Oakwood collicry In the latter case many
4 were able Is escape, there being second
shaft, but one gang were entirely shut off,
! fDr Immediately after the explosion the
/ flames broke out and the extensive works
and machinery were entirely destroyed. but
not before eleven ~ the gang had been tax
en- OUT dead
The insecurity 81 property. well rs
life, III most mining regions, AS illustrated
by the caving in If whole streets, with the
houses, IN Hyde Park and Scranton, Penn
sylvanla, within the past few weeks and
the 'recklessncss. begntten uf familiarity
with danger, of the habitues uf those re-
glons, Is shown IN the story of a man who
was sent t. investigate the cause of the
caylng in az the cities last named and who
found, afterwards, that while holding n
| lighted candle in his hand, he had been
gwen an open kcg ~ powder 10 sit upon.
1t is needless to trouble you with long
lists of less extensive, but no less deadly
accidents. such rs are constantly occurring
in the mines Of our own State, and arising
/ from variety Of causes, such as falling in
II rock or slate roofs recklessness Of in
competent engineers ; fire damp and black
or choke damp accidents to the hosting
and other machinery the taking fire of the
woodwork structures which generally COW
er the top If the mines, etc. The larger
mining disasters that have lately been oc-
curing in both hemispheres with such ap-
palling frequency. are only intensified types
Of what are constantly occurring in some
part or other Of our State. and such as we
are becoming more and more liable To every
day with the added danger that We have
no law in force restraining this profigate
waste Of human life.
= Ii IS not enough that air, earth and fire
combine against the poor miner. says an
eminent writer, for = among his worst foes
We must reckon water. also. Not only
does the water rise So rapidly in many pits,
that an accident happening to the pumps,
50 az "a stop them. night occasion serious
risks. but sometimes III the course OF the
workings the men come upon some power
full sUb.errlneau reservoir. which suddenly
bursts upon them with fatal force. To
avert this danger IN European and Penn
sylvania mines 1t IS required that there
shall always H. Bore holes some feet in adj
vance Of the work. 50 that ii there is water
ahead. II inav make its presence manifest
before the barriers between it and the work
men are weakened to dangerous degree
and these bore holes are considered indis-
pensable as a prevention to be taken when
/ . nnr Ill IL L.
old workings from whence an Eruption Of
gas may be apprehended.
| The life of the miner is also assailed ~
I foul air of two kinds, carbonic acid gas, or
choke damp, and the light carburetted nv
drogen gas, or fre-damp. When this latter
gas, which is found in the Viii county, and
some other mines, in this State, is mixed
with the atmospheric air in the proportion
OF one-thirtieth, its presence is Indicated
by the flame Of the candle or lamp, which
dllatej and elongates, and continues 10 do so
more vigorously as the proportion Of gas in
creases, until it measures one-fourteenth.
when the flame becomes self-propagating.
As the proportion Of gas advances from
one-fourteenth, its explosive power increas-
es, and at one-elghth attains its maximum
force. At one-sixth it ceases to be inAam-
mable, and at one-third the light Of a can
die Will 90 out. This compound Of gas and
atmospheric air is so unit for respiration
as to carry certain death to all who NAV be
under its influence. These two foul gases
seem leagued together against the life of
the coal miner, for when by an explosion
the ire-damp has done its work Of destruc-
tion and expended its force, the choke
damp rises 10 suffocate those whom the fiery
element has spared. And with such dead
ly effect is the attack Of choke-damp made.
that the deaths in the mine by sutfocation
greatly exceed those Of fire. This terrible
gas. however, viii only ignite by contact
with flame, and as the miner must have
light to work by, his best safeguard is found
IN some lamp constructed on the principles
Of the Davy lamp. such lamp being not
only preservative against danger. but an
nfallible guage Of its magnitude, the noxi-
Gus gases being accurately estimated BY the
phenomena exhibited by the burning wick.
But IN all mines, Of whatever character
or class, the air Is always vItiated by the
subtraction If hydrogen caused by the re
spIratlon of the workmen and mules. adj
ded 70 the combustion Ct the lights. the
gases generated by the explosions Of cun-
powder used in blasting. and by the decom
position OF the various impurities that will
accumulate IN mines under the very best
regulations. Hence the necessity for
thorough ventilation, even in mines that
arc not hery or fOul-that being the only
defense the miner has against the accumu
latons Of noxious gases to which, in the
prosecution Of his work, he is always sub
jected.
To amelorate the condition Of the miner
BY the adoption Of such precautionary
measures as will tend to lessen the dancers
with which he is surrounded, is the mr.
pose Of the bill now under consideration
1t seeks to do this by requiring mans
and plans of all the mines to be furnished
80 as to inform the inspector Of the actual
condition of the workings of these mines
as to safety, &c. 1t requires an escapement
shaft tor each mine, where there is no com
munlcatlon with any contiguous mine. and !
provides that such escapement shafts. for
all mines under 175 feet deep. shall be con-
structed within one year from the FIRST ~
next July over that depth and under 35O
feet deep, within two years, and in all
other mines of greater depth than $50
feet, within three years But it ex-
Pressly excerpts from the operation of this
law all mines where not more than ten min
ers are worked. 1t calls for ADEQUATE ven
tllation, safe machinery, competent and 40
Der engineers, and the appointment. bv the
Governor, Of competent inspector ~
mines, to be assigned to the duty of eDforc- |
ing this law and, lastly. in All casas &c