Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1875-05-01
CUE CORRESPONDENCE.
a Defence of Mr.. Roy.
APRIL 81, 1919.

communication from HOMECOMING SlSlti
Boss Miner" where the writer in my iudS-
mcnt docs Mr.. Roy, State Inspector OF
Mines for the State of Ohio, great injustice
in reviewing his report to the governor of
that state Now as Mr.. Roy is hundreds of
miles distant do not purpose to stand by
silently and see him stabbed in the back by
profcsscd acquaintance, as your CORES
pondcnt claims to be.
After describing his report as a rambling
sort of document he adds in sarcastic style,
that it is 'gottcn up for the laudablc pur
pose of airing the vast amount of knowl-
edge he has acquired on the subject of
mining, and for the ostensiblc purpose of
displaying the superiority of his own wis
dom in all that relates to the above named
weight with them to the mind of any in
tclllgcnt man. They are themselves the
best proof that they come from mind
filled with p. ejudiCe and bigotry for it is
a well known fact that Mr. Roy is com
PEELED by law 10 furnish an annual report to
the governor, giving all details concerning
the working of the Mines Inspection Law {;
pointing out its defects and recommending
such alterations in said law as in his iudg-
ment is necessary for the protection of the
lives of the men employed therein; and
that he is working hard for thGt laudablc
purpose no unprecedented mind can deny.
Instead of his report being a rambling
document it shows that he has not eaten
of the bread of idlencss when we take into
consideration the eight hundred miles of
travel that he has performed under ground
in the mines Of Ohio for the purpose of
having the provisions of the law carried
out. His report shows that large maiori-
ty of the mines of Ohio were not in condi-
ton fit for men to work in, and it is obvi-
Gus that they are improving by adopting
the remedies pointed out 10y him, which
will gladden. the heart Of every philanthro-
pist. That it is an able document, contain
ing much valuable information, is proven
by the favorable notice it has received by
the press throughout the country. ques-
ton if Boss Miner" with all his boosted
intelligence, could get up superior one.
Your correspondent also speaks sarcas-
tically of that portion of Mr. Roy's report
that relates to the opening of the mines of
Ohio and the plans adopted for working
the same. Now | ask him the question
what does he know about the mines of
OEio in comparison with Mr.. Roy, who
has inspected the majority of them?
will venture the opinion that he was never
in one of them in his life. Which of the
two will the public generally b,licvc, is not
n hard question TO solve.
He also misrepresents Mr. Roy in SAYING
that he claims that the square or panel
system" is his own original plan, as Mr..
Roy claims no such thing in his report, ror
let in his series ofpapcrs published in the
Ade0cate in 10 and IA on Mines and Mn
ing. On the contrary, he gives credit to
the person that adopted it, first in England,
and, although he has adopted it for the
last eighteen years." neither he nor Mr..
Roy are the originators of it, Mr. Roy
only recommends it where it is practicable,
and | am under the impression that the i'm
practica3ili,y of it in working our Big Vein
would not have reflected much credit on
either of the gentlemen, even ii they had
been the or;ginators, for | believe that a
comparison made between TIE mines work
ed on that plan and the others wrought
on the angle, the result will be IN favor of
the latter. The highest of our veins, the
nature Of our coal and the strata above it,
leach us that better system of Mining our
Big Vein ought to be sought after and
adopted.
Tho portion of Dir. Roy's report that
seems to give most offence to your CORES
pondent on page g. (Which he docs not
quoteO is the following, (aftrr describing
the length and breadth of our coal basin J
He says:
Along Georges Greek at least five feet of
solid coal, OF magnificent quality, three feet
OF which is OF easy and inviting removal is
left untouched iii the Mine and it is a mat
yer OF wonder that the operators of the
Mines will permit this waste, seeing that
several of the Mines take ont all such coal
Then he quotes the Hampshire Mine ms
an instance where all this coal is bodily re-
moved. Now to call this a criminal man
ner of mining coal on Georges Creek"
may seem an objectionable offence to "Bos,;
Miner but TO me it seems a mild way ot
entering protest against the present mode
Of mining our Big Vein of coal WIN
Boss Mincl" show Us the rea on why'tbis
portion of the coal is left in the GEORGES
Creek Mines, while it is mined at both ox-
tremCs of our coal lasin2 As Mr.. Roy
states, it is lost forever, and it was his duty,
and any other persons duty, to call the at
tention Of tie public to the fact. II is Il
matter which interests the whole commun-
iiy. As he states in his report" nature
has blessed our country above al others
with boundless fields Of coal, it is no reas; a
that we should waste t." An English
writer has sad Of the stores of British coal !:
we are drawing more and more uNon "A