The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1874-03-07
THE MINER.
The Origin of Coal No %.


ANDREw
all able French mining writer. Louis
Stmnuiu, in the work OIL 81. Underground l
Lite, speaking Of the dangers of the nine, |
SAYS 1T is not without reason that the |
art of mining borrows some Of its terms |
from the art Of war. that i'll France
years work Is called campaign, the diff !
t-rent underground work places, posts
gang " miners a brigade, OF squadron
m England shelf or crew-while in Corn
wall the underground manager is called
captain, and the store-keeper purser. Il
u MT said that they attack the coal, ana
Is not the mine itself the golfers field Of
battle Is i not there that in his strug-
giys against all dangers he may be said to
combat them foot t. foot The four ele-
ments Of the aacients earth. air. fire and
water all conspire against him
The common accidents 81 the most dan
gernus occupations # workmgmen above
ground, are fearfuly increased in the
bowels Of the earth The most terrible
Consequences Of an explosion Of mine as
arr not confined alone to the sacrifice of
human life the whole economy If the
mine becomes involved in the catastrophe
This terrible scourge Of the mines is con
fined to no particular country or mining
district, although more prevalent in some
districts than in others, and generally
found in greater abundance i'll Goals Il
cakIng varieties and at depths below the
surface ranging from six hundred to twelve
hundred feet. The latest great mining
disaster by tire-damp occurred at the
DrImmond mine near the village Of West
vile, IN the Province Of Nova Scotia, on
the llth If May, Of last year, in which
seventy-eight miners lost their lives, all Of
whose bodies, save one, are yet in the
mine
The cause of this explosion was due to
the pillars taking fire from a shot in the
pillar side Of one of the rooms The fire
damp ignited from the burning powder,
and could not be put out, although several
miners eXerted themselves to their ut |
most III the attempt. In the alarm that |
spread through the mine consequent in the |
burning room trap door was left open, |
" hieh was used in directing and guiding /
the main current Of air to the work places |
IN low lift Of workings. The gas in this |
nov isolated district soon accumulated to /
the point q an explosive mixture, and \
coming in contact with the wnrkmens \
lamps, as they were moving T. the burnt
pillars to assist IN putting out the fire, a 1
tremendous explosion took place. which |
involved the whole mine in ruin. Vast
volumes Of smoke and dust rose from the .
mouths OF the slope and upcast shaft,
driven forward by the force Of the roaring
whirwind Of the exploded fre-damp
Many Of the workmen q the lower land
we're doubtless scourged To death from this
hrst explosion, while those beyond the
reach Of the blast would be still unscathed
Every light IN the mine would be immedl-
ately eXtingulshed, and the miners would
attempt to reach the bottom Of the slope
in darkness But the tremendous force of
the exploded element have dashed every
arr way down. and had thrown the main
course along the mine, from the down
cast to the upcast compartments, leaving
all the rooms and entries dead. The whole
accumulated gas of the mine spreading
towards the burning pillar soon ignited
and produced second explosion more
terrible than the first, completing the work
Of death and destruction solitary
miner, cropping his way in utter darkness,
reached the bottom Of the upcast shaft a
few minutes before the second blast, and
Vas drawn up IN safety, though terribly
mutllated.
Meantime a crowd of agitated miners
had collected at the top Of the NINE and
had formed themselves into a rescuing
CORPS A number Of them were being
lowered as the second explosion took place,
and such was the herceness of the blast
that one man was blown up out Of the
shaft into the air distance Of 100 feet,
and his body mangled beyond recognition,
WAS not found till next day. The flames
uf the second explosion rose to the surface,
and the long column Of fame set the tubes
and shaft buildings on fire.
All hope at rescue was now abandoned.
The fire ragged all night with increasing
fury The sky was illuminated for miles
around, and the mine gas, which gathered
in the isolated workings exploded again
and again, as it reached the burning com
partments As each explosion occurred,
the flames Of the mine belched forth and
rose high in the air. About 2 o'clock next
morning, the most formidable explosion
of all occurred-the noise of the burning
elements resembled the discharge Of park
of artillery, or a fierce clap Of thunder.
The earth trembled with the force Of the
discharge. while the flames rose in the air
10 a hight of two hundred feet. {
The miners now commenced the work OF
closing up the mouths of the mine open I
ings for the purpose of preventing the en-
trance of fresh air, and thus throwing the I
whole mine dead This having been ac- Z
complished, a stream of water was let In to !
fill the mine with water to extinguish the i
burning pillars and save the mine from G
total destruction.
Such is a brief description Of the latest {
mining terror, as>furnished to the writer a
by an eye witness, Mr.. James Roy, of a
Westville The bodies of the dead miners, 4
70 in number, are still in the mine, and Z
there.they will remain until the work IN q
reopened.
X ...-.,n..a. al okhor connkrif in n