Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-07-19
Legislative Quandary


coal operator, unless he be dead one.
The Homecoming Rerier of last week
lends its voice to the lugubrious cho-
rus and bewails the cupidity of mine
owners in general, the majority in
particular.
No less culpable in its view are
Legislative bodies who fail to make
laws that must at last be carried out
and enforced by the miners themselves.
In support of its deduction from the
Dunbar horror the Rerie~ quotes the
following authority:
Sigismund Lowe, for many years chief en-
gineer of the Pittsburg division of the Balti
more & Ohio railroad visited the Dunbar
mines to give advice to those engaged in the
work of rescue. In speaking OF his visit, and
his remarks are applicable to the majority of
mines IN this country, he says:
When | found there was no plan of the
mines by which the work of rescue could be
directed intelligentiy, came away disgusted
But the owners of the Hill Farm mines are
no less blanable than the owners of almost
any other mine in the state There is no
such thing as accurate mine engineering
Plans and maps are made but mostly by in
competent people. Operators do not care
about accuracy in such matters. 1t costs too
much. In Germany the work of engineer
ing in mines must be done with precision
The map must be correct to the inch. There
is law here requiring maps of the mines.
but the majority of the plans are worthless
and the real intention of the law disregarded
Proper mining engineers are not employed.
because to do so is needless expense. The
best mining engineer in this part of the State
was discharged a short time ago because, as
it was claimed he spent too much time in
looking to the safety of the men.
The Reyieao then thinks this
"A strong indictment of the present system
of mining and forcible argument in favor
of better methods.
All this would appear to be the better
argument, but we have heard that Mr..
Lowe is frequently incapable of deter
mining whether other engineers are
competent and their work accurate.
And outside of the use that labor
agitators make of his wholesale censor
ship of mining methods in Pennsyl
vania, his word in such matters is not
the law and gospel of underground
engineering. He may think, like
CONSTANT Niccovie, that his breath
"smells sweet with truth" but some
who have known him long and well
are inclined to hold that he is infirm
on that particular point in another
direction.
1t does not appear fair, therefore,
to assume from such testimony that
other engineers know nothing, or that
"incompetent people" are mostly"
employed to make "plans and maps"
1t is about time, too, that foreign
ers were made to stop telling Amer
leans that nothing is done right here
that in Germany" or elsewhere in
Europe, the absolutely accurate thing
is done, or must be done. For one,
the JOURNAL believes not word of
such trash.
But let us get little closer to Mr..
loves sweeping condemnation of
mine owners, operators, engineers.
plans and maps. He says, in effect,
that all are about alike-that those
who are running the other oollieries
in Pennsylvania are as "blameable"
as the Hill farm people.
The engineering pay roll for the
month of June, this year, of the H.
C. Prick coke company shows list of
80 names at a total expense of So, 670.57.
This force looks after 81 collieries.
While no particular description of the
individuals, or summary of their ca
pacities, can be given of this corps, it
can be said that that they are repre-
sentatives for the most part of tne
tuition of the very best schools in this
country. Among them also are men
of age and experience, and altogether
it is quite certain they are more than
equal to any one student the combined
academies of Germany can graduate.
Hence, the best proof of the value
and efficiency of the engineering de-
partment as overseers of the men and
properties of the Prick company, for
instance, is the fact that this force is
kept and paid so we'll.
For if incapacity or experience had
ever proven during the lapse of many
years what Mr.. Lowe represents-that
all engineering and maps are value
less-the company is not entitled to
1.-THE of its great reputation as business
concern.
But, as we have had occasion to in
quire before-how can legislation ben
eft the case? What relief can the
Legislature afford the miner that he
does not already possess in his own
sovereignty as a citizen If he can
not protect himself from the penalties
of remonstrance now, what will he do
when, with law to protect him, he
must come out with even more bold
ness and enforce that law?
Above all, how many correct maps
and plans can the Legislature create
by enactment, and, Loves being very
scarce, how many competent engineers
can the Legislature find to make
them
No Pent Up Utica.
II - avilapt III ~ OF bar tho oor,nr