The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-01-21
MINING MATTERS
FACTS REVEALED BY THE MINE
INSPECTORS REPORTS.
OPERATIONS IN THIS VICINITY,
Interesting Extracts From the Re
port Submitted by the Inspec-
tor of Mines in the Fifth
Anthracite District

The following are extracts from the re-
port submitted by William Stein, Esq,
mine inspector in this district, to Secretary
OF Internal Affairs Thomas j. Stewart.
The inspector says in his report, II am
happy to state that greater precautionary
measures are being instituted throughout
my district to prevent mine fires. At
many of our collieries where we have no
gas, the woIkmen are obliged to ride up
and down the slopes with Canny safety
lamp, or a lantern, thus preventing a
spark from naked lamp coming in con-
tact with the dry timber, which has
occasionally been the cause of extensive
mine hres.''
Summary of persons employed inside
and outside and description of service /:
Inside foremen, 100; miners, 1854 miners
laborers, 2,229; all other company men,
2 $50; drivers, 767 door boys and helpers,
304; total, 11,054. Outside foremeD, 54 i;
blacksmiths and carpenters, All engineers
and fremen, 5SS; slate pckers, A 1853; all
other company men, 2, ,929 superintendents
and clerks, "a; total, S235. Total inside
and outside, 1929. Number of tons OF
coal produced, 6,236, Asa. Number of tons
of coal shipped, 5,787, 1853. Average nun
Der Of days worked, 205.
In speaking of the general condition Of
the collieries the inspector says it ''hss
been improved so as to increase the safety
and health of the employees, and the
higher mine officials are rigid in their ex-
aminstions when visiting the collieries, in
order to prevent accidents from explosions
of gas, mine fires, or otherwise In open
ing new collieries or new lifts of colliery,
the officials give much thought to the gem
eral construction of the main openings,
such as transportation roads, air.way S,
tunnels through the rock measures from
one vein to another, and outlets to each
vein. The methods by which the several
veins are mined are much improved, COM
pared with those of few years ago, and
while some are expressing themselves even
now, that different method ought to be
and can be introduced, by which our veins
can be mined with greater safety, they
have as yet failed to suggest any improve
ment to our present system of mining,
notwithstanding the Inducements offered to
any one who can inaugurste better sys-
tenn. Additional openings are in course of
construction at several OF our oollieries,
called tender slopes, to be used for lower
ing and hosting men, which is a great
measure of safety for the workmen; and
additional fans have been erected and are
in course of erection for the purpose of in
oreaslng volumes of air rcircuating through
the collieries so as to give practically as
pure an atmosphere as possible to the work
men. feel proud to be in such position
that l can report the willingness of the
operators to do everything they possibly
can for the safety of those working for
them, and l feel confident that if every
man would live up to the law, the death
rate would have been at the least calcula-
tion s'xty-six per cent. below what it has
been every year during my administra-
tionH