Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1876-09-23

tHe many ramlhcatl0ns Of the mine,
and the gas itself by reason of its
levity assists in providing a sweeping
current of air. Where, however, no
fre-damp is given off from the strata
the furnace or fan is too often neglect
ed to the last hour-that is till the
workingmens lamps will no longer
burn, and when provided is too small
to give motion to the necessary guam
tity of air; air courses are also neg
lected, or when driven are kept too
far behind the workings, and stopping
are not promptly erected, as conse-
quence, miners are plunged in an
ever ~thickening atmosphere; where
gunpowder is freely used in breaking
out. the coal from the wall. faces,
binding and suffocating volumes of
smoke in addition load the air of
mines the whole working day.
A general but very erroneous opin-
ion prevails, not only on the part of
the public but even among mine own
ers; that mines in which no fire damp
is given off are not dangerous to life
as compared with explosive mines.
This would be true if non-explosivs
mines were as we'll ventilated as those
which make fre-damp. But adequate
ventilation is not applied in such
mines because they can be wrought
without going to the expense of pro-
viding costly and elaborate furnaces
or fans, air courses, stoppings and
brattice From four to six cents ton
are thus saved in mining the coal, that
should be applied in ventilating, but
saved at the expense of the workmen' s
health and is lost one hundred fold in
the strikes and the resulting destruc-
tion Of mining property. When the
ventilation is neglected in fiery mines,
explosion follows as already stated,
and all the world knows the result,
but when ventilation is neglected in
nsn-fery mines and men are dying by
inches the werld knows it not. The
complaints of the miners, and they
are ever grumbling and fault finding
when working in bad air, are too often
set down as whims worthy of no re-
gard. G-s
The states of Pennsylvania, Mary
land, Ohio and Illinois, the four i'm
portant mining states of the union,
recognizing the many and peculiar
perils of the mine, have of late years
enacted laws for the regulation and
ventilation of mines, and provided
State Superintendent of Mines to see
that the laws were enforced and obey
ed. Although these laws contain
many useful and necessary provisions
for the protection of the health and
safety of miners in addition to the re-
quirements of good ventilation, the
miners have as with one accord named
them the Ventilation Acts caring
little for other needed protection in
comparison with the necessity of i'm
proved ventilation. a- a....I
Though these laws have been in op-
eratiohefor six years in Pennsylvania.
three years in Illinois, and two years
in Ohio, the work of improvement in
mine ventilation has been very slow.
The mine owners conceded the necessi-
ty of such legislation very grudgingly,
looking upon it as an unnecessary and
unwarranted interference with the
business Of coal mining, and have
sought to evade the law rather than
obey its requirements and apply its
precepts. Unfortunately, too, the ma
jority Of the persons appointed as the
mine 'inspe ctors, although practical
miners, had not education to enable
them to write intelligently their pub
lished reports, particularly those of
the Pennsylvania inspectors, which
have been read and criticized by men
of education and by intelligent mining
engineers with something like ridicule
and contempt. But mining schools
will follow mining laws and in time
we shall then have practical-scientifc
men as state superintendent of mines,
and mining literature that will COM
mand attention and respect.
The general public has no patience
and seldom any sympathy with miners
in their numerous strikes and wages
disputes with their employers, and re-
gard as consummate folly the policy
which seeks redress for grievances,
real or imaginary, through strikes.
The mine owners blame the leaders
and agitators at the mines for causing