Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-02-22
The Mining Bill.

The first Is the amendment of the
Code numbered '197 of Article | and
Isl of Article l2:'
No person shall be eligible to the office of
Mine Inspector until he shall have attained
the age of thirty years, and shall possess a
competent and practical knowledge Of the
different systems of mining and working and
properly ventilating coal mines III said coun-
ties, and the nature and constituent parts Of
various gases of mines, and Of the various
WAYS of exl cling the same from said miues ;
and it shall be required that he has had five
years practical experience as miner in one
or both counties combined, nor Shall any
person be eligible thereto unl'ss he Shall
have been a resident Of either A!,egany or
Garrett counties, or both counties combined
for at least five years next preceding his
election.
The section Immediately preceding
this provides for the election OF the T.
spector by popular vote.
When we ask, therefore, how we
are to know who is the candidate who
understands 'the nature ard con-
stituents of va,ious gases of mines.'
what must be the answer?
Inevitab' V that it is the man who
gets the most votes at the primaries.
And as the miners are sure to be
radically divided on all such questions,
the final referees will be the store
people of Cumberland. the farmers OF
Garrett county and the loggers of the
Pine Hils-people who know nothing
of mining and still less of gases.
Section "209," etc., however, ar
ranges to ascertain the Insl ector's lu-
competency through some miner. who,
wanting the place himself, perhaps,
reports him to the grand jury. This, of
course, takes place Gttcr he Is elected
Found gullty er p"rte, the jury has the
governor administer the grand bounce.
The amendment is further objection
able because its residence requirement
shuts out men who might come in with
new and advanced attainments, and
objects of the bill by destroying all
shortcut chances for Improvement of
methods. This section is, Their, fore
almost equivalent to decree that the
State will tolerate no Improvement in
the mines that is not home born and
homemade. 1t is revist d edit on of
Il, Al
elusive of progress and prohibtory of
the very (Xcellencies the bill pretpuds
to secure.
''20l OF Article and l55 of Article
- amended, reads:
That the said Nine Inspector while in
office shall not act as land agent, or
superintendent, or manager of any mine,
and shall in no manner whatever be under
the employ of any mining companies or
owners operating mines in said counties
While the architects of this bill were
at it, they should have also barred the
Inspector from running meat wagon
or keeping ii saloon.
The next section coinpcls the provis-
ion and establishment by operators Of
"a proper system of pure air ventilation by
satisfactory and effective modes, either
natural or artificial, and said ventilation
shall he maintained thereafter as long as
said mine is worked or operated in every
working place throughout the entire mine
and to eXpe from said mine the noxlous
gases or IMPURE air, so that the-entre mine
i'll all its headings. rooms, cross cuts and
working places shall be in Il healthful condl-
ton for the men working therein and free
from danger to their lives or health by keep
ing therefrom such impure air or gases.
This is comprehensive and everlast-
ing. 1t takes in ''lhe entire mine"
"all its headings, rooms, cross-cuts
and working places" Nothing left out
but the COB. All the abandoned por-
tions must be ventilated, too, to meet
the caprices Of those who have TO
business there as well as the safety of
those who may have.
The next section is of the same
character The com any' is obliged
to do nearly everything in the way of
proppage except make its president,
directors and stockholders, each
assigned to the job of setting up props
for some miner, leave his place in
New York Oh Baltimore and come here
and attend to his real business. Here
it is in brief
That the owner. lessee or agent shall fur
nish, at their own expense, all Props and all
the requisite timber = < at the place in
the heading room, cross-cut or other excaya-
ton in the mine where the miner is at work ;
and shall properly timber any
headings. rooms pillars or other excavations
not recently worked, and lay up roads to and
IN the same previous to the miners starting
new or further work or excavations therein,
1t will be seen that all that is left to
the miner to do is to 90 no further than
his dinner bucket for props, and that
the company must make it as much Il
pleasure to 90 for the one rs the othcl
The section providing for ventila-
ton does moi call for the Inspectors
knowledge Of gas constituents, but it
does say that when he finds noXious
constituent without recognizing it by
that name he must
proceed al once TO make careful exam
a.