Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-09-25
MINING ENGINEERS.

The recent death of q workman in the 4
avaee mine. alleged to be caused by the q
arelessness and incompeteney Of the ,
ngineer in charge at the time, has caused :
considerable discussion on this impor.
ant subject. An engineer has written
etter to the Virginia Chronicle wherein
,e says:
Serious evils require severe measures
% arrest them. The late accident in the
Savage mine, by which Thomas Sullivan
lost his life. has caused many to think
BY what means these too frequent slaugh-
ters can be arrested. l believe that there
ia no evil so great but a remedy for it
can be found. and il Is with this view /
write, hoping that my suggestions may
lead to desired end.
The Coroner's Jury can come TO a just
conclusion as to thu cause-an incompe-
tent engineer. Could the same honest
Jury have power to examine into the |
competency OF all the men employed
here as engineers, more than one-half
the number would be found incomps.
tent, and therefore unfit to be trusted
with an engine, lot alone mems lives.
II is with the monster incompetency |
that we have to deal, and this must be
done by law. Let an act be passed by
the Legislature compelling every engin-
eer to take certificate as TO competency
this certificate to be issued by an author.
lied board OF engineers; the ceftihcats
to be renewed every year; the owner ol
said certificate to be liable 10 iose IL oy
drunkenness. carelessness, or non-iuin,i-
| ment Of his duties as an engineer while
!! >nl ~, on a charge being preferred
against him before Police Court or JUS
tice of the Peace. On the part OF the
proprietor or employer. let him be liable
to q heavy fine for employing knowingly
or unknowihgly non. certificate engineer.
BY this mode Of procedure n good secur-
ity to the lives OF the miners can be had.
| am we'll aware that many n man will
raise his voice against it, for there are
some on whose gentle stomachs this little
pill will rest rather heavily. We com.
PEELED our doctors to show their diplo-
mas or stop tampering with peoples
| lives; why not require our engineers to
do the same =? The doctor has only the
life of q sick patient on his hands; the
engineer has tho lives of sound healthy
men dependent on his skill and GOODNESS,
which only experience Can give.
too severe criticism OF tho manner
by which engineers are engaged can not
be made. We have chief engineers who
have the reputation of being first-class
men. Some no doubt are; but some be-
yond a doubt are frst-class dummies,
who do not know how to set valve or
even read drawing when they see it.,
. and whose reputation is anything but
moral. A chief engineer who does not
know how to strike proper lines for set
ting work, can not be expected to find
great deal of difference between pillow
and an engine. When say this mean
that farm hand came here to Virginia
and after seeing an engine for six weeks
was entrusted with hosting and lower
ing men. He has only killed one mar
so far.
We have other chief engineers whose
positions became untenable from thu
compulsion to employ men they did no
approve Of
, We have engineers who. for the sake
IS of dollar more per day, run twelv.
T, hours. 1t is well known that eight hour
: is as much as ought to be performed b.
r AN engineer who attends to his dutie
}. properly-especially in hosting works
a Any more only serves to endanger tn
!, lives of miners. A rumor is afloat tina
:. several works are going to adopt tbi
q system. Does not the miner face sniff
q cient dangers in the mine without hay
4 ing his life placed in jeopardy by tn
adoption of measures inconsistent wit
% safe work by the engineers ? Every ma
3 will admit that no precaution is to
r. great whereby human life can be mad
a, secure.
= The engineer who. through careless
80 ness or ignorance, mains or kills ma
al is almost as guilty as the murderer. TT
it writer is himself an engineer. and ca
A. not find sufficiently strong words to col
denim anything like carelessness in or
u Of his profession. He hopes that the'
al remarks may awaken some to the nece
G. sity of adopting more stringent measur
n, in assuring competency on the part
r. those protesting to be engineers.
: Without specially indorsing any OF Il
ideas contained in the above, we belle
= the suggestion requiring all engineers
:, have certificate of competency to be
- good one. All engineers on the Mssi
!. sippi river are obliged to undergo a me
" rigorous examination and their licens
y being issued yearly, they are constant
20 on their good behavior. The annual Il
40 on this class of engineers is ten dolla
', their wages varying from eighty to t.
:. hundred dollars per month. When
- man steps on cage in one of our mi
10 ing shafts, bis life is in the hands OF I
- engineer; and though as class we ha
always found them to be sober, ints
gent, competent and careful, yet bla
). sheep in the flock will cast odium on t
-. entire class, by allowing the terri
- motor be has in charge to get beyond
control. We have often heard river m
~ grumble at being obliged to pay yea
tax, bnt yet they universally recogni7
~ the justice Of it, and usually 80 co
~, ported themselves as 10 be always iou
worthy of promotion. The Governme
recognizing the tremendous responsil
ity imposed on man in charge o
steam engine, places most heavy p
- atty on all violations of the law and Il
compels degree of safety that 9th
40 wise would not exist. Mining is at b
dangerous occupation, and all the
~ juncts employed in its prosecution sho
- be made as safe as possible. 1t may
w.. urged that il isn't fair to discrimin
49, against engineers, and make them pa
license while others are allowed to