The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-10-07
Perils Of Mining.

| During the past year 273 men were
killed and more than thousand were
injured in the anthracite coal mines of
Pennsylvania. The annual reports of
the Mine Inspectors of the region show
that most of the accidents which re-
suited SO fatally consisted of falls of
roof and explosions of fire-damp. The
anthracite seams run through the Schuyl-
kill and Wyoming valleys, and the ter
ritOry is divided into six districts, each
Of which has an Inspector of Mines who
| is supposed to be selected for his superior
knowledge by Board of Engineers APP
pointed by the County Courts. Some
times the Inspectors selected on account
of his politics or because the companies
exercise Il pressure in his behalf, but it
very rarely happens that he is chosen for
merit Despite these drawbacks, how
ever, the Mine Inspectors are generally
competent to discharge their onerous
duties and acquit themselves with credit.
They are governed principally by the
Mine Ventilation law passed through the
Pennsylvania Legislature shortly after
the frightful AvOndale disaster where so
many lives were lost, owing to the par
simoniouS policy of the operators who
carried on mining in the most reckless
fashion without regard to the lives of
the workmen.
The long list of killed and injured re-
ported every year means, also, large
addition to the ranks of the needy and
destitute, as most miners are married
and in many cases leave large helpless
families unprovided for. When there is
demand for coal, as there has been the
! past few months, accidents fatal and Sc
rious are of frequent occurrence. The
seriouslyiniured are generally described
as those crippled for life, and of them
large numbers are scattered throughout
the region. Notwithstanding the pcrils
which attend the work of mining, it
seems to have a great fascination for GER
tain men, and a good many miners have
told me that they prefer it to any other
employment, because it gives them more
time for themselves and better pay than
they could get at anything else. Those
fearful periods of depression, when the
men are compelled to work only two or
three days a week, are rarely considered
in good times, and the motto seems to
be "a short life and a merry one" |
have often chatted with men in the
morning who were brought out dead in
the afternoon, and two cases especially
are worthy of mention. One of these
frequently told me that most accidents,
especially the falling of roof, were
largely due to the carelessness of the
men, He pointed to the fact that he
never had any serious trouble, because
| he observed proper precautions. He had
worked in the mines twenty years and
had saved from his earnings a sufficient
sum to warrant him in quitting work.
He proposed leaving the mines next
month forever. The day after this con-
versation the community was shocked
by the news that he and his companion
were crushed to death by fall of roof
The other case to which have alluded
was that of man who expected to quit
the mines the very next day after our in
terview. He, too. had been a steady
worker and saved his money. He was
killed by fall of roof at noon the next
day. A miner told me to-day that the
sO-called safety lamps used in the mines
are ahumbug. They are supplied with
inferior oil and cotton, and they are gen
orally made on cheap plan. His hands
and face were evidence to the fact They
were skinned and blistered as the result
of a recent collision with a volume of
carbonated hydrogen while carrying a
safety lamp. Although but little is said
in the newspapers concerning the loss of
life involved in the mining of anthracite
the long lists of killed and injured, even
in the Lackawanna valley for the past
ten years, are fairly appalling, and the
ratio of deaths increases yearly with the
increase in the output of coal. 1t is
thought that thirty million tons of an
thracite will be sent to market this sea-
son. At the very lowest calculation the
companies make a clean profit of one
dollar on every ton; so that one can cas-
lily see what a precious piece of property
a coal mine is.-Scrant0n (Pa.) Cor.
Chicago Times.