New-York tribune., 1898-10-09
MINING WITHOUT "DAVIES.'
DISLIKE OF SAFETY LAMPS BRINGS
DEATH TO MINERS.
THEY GIVE A WEAK LIGHT, ARE EASILY BLOWN
OUT AND WON'T LIGHT PIPES READILY.

OUT AND WON'T LIGHT PIPES READILY.
Doubtless Sir Humphrey Davy woul0 nave
been greatly astonished when he invented inc
safety lamp for coal miners. eigh.y-three years
ago, If lie could then have forcseen that nearly
century later accidents wouli still be occurring
in the depths OF the coal pits due TO the use oi
ordinary open lamps in the presence OF Tue
death dealing iredamp Tne inventor "ou'u
have hecn forced to conclude that his lamp hau
in some way failed to prove It's efnciencs' anu
yet such is far from being the truth. so we''
has the Day lamp maintained its Vaiue as d
safeguard for the coal miner that, IN spite VI
many later devices in the way of mining hs"'s'
il has always been found, on the whole, the most
satisfactory. and with slight modihca'iohs' is
the one used wherever safety lamp Is ueSheu'
But Just here lies the point mentioned IN 'he
first sentence A vast number OF coal MINERS
still lightly disregardins the dangers they WORK
in daily, prefer an ordinary lamp or caho'e' ahu
cannot be induced TO use any other In the re-
nort two weeks ago Of the explosion in the En-
nire Mine at Brownsville Penn. where several
lives were lost there was this simple but sig
nhcant sentence:
"The men wore open lamps. such as are used
in all the Monongahela River mines
sO-CALLED SAFE MINES.
No explanation or excuse accompanied '"e
statement it merely describes state OF 'h'hes
which has long existed in that part OF Pennsyi-
vania The mine Of Fayette County along the
Monongahola and also those few miles 10 'he
northeast in Westmoreland County, nave Deeh
regarded for many years as being comparatively
free from flredamp. This reputation mas cauSe'
even more than the usual careiessness among
the miners who work there, and the safety lamp
is an article seldom seen. Yet the occurrence
fortnight ago shows that even mines which are
not fiery as the men say are subject 10 occa-
sional explosions and that the deep caVerhs anu
passages from which ccal is excavated are
never to be reckoned safe. The BrowhsNhe
disaster is only the last Of ~ seiles OF the sa"e
kind in it's neighborhOOd Seven years ago las,
January came the fiightful explosion OF the
Mammoth Mine rear Youngwood about tWeh-
ty-fve miles from the scene OF the present acci-
dent. At that time l0I charred and manglcd
bodies taken out of the galleries after the
explosion. The Mammoth was another saie
mine. and all its men used open lamps, though
they had plenty Uf davies furnished TO them
free by the company Pow little confidence Is TO
be placed in the fact that mine has always
hitherto enjoyed freedom from noxious vap0rs
may be judged from this particular case
Every morning an inspection of the galleries
of the Mammoth FOR purity Of air was made by
the fire boss." As he finished with each section
ne scratched upon It's walls his mark sgnfying
that it was safe TO he worked that day At )
o'clock on the morning IF January -. 1881, the
fire boss" made his rounds usual, and the
men, coming to work at u O'Clock. at once began
work where his ~" assured them Of safety.
Ten minutes later there was a tremendous shock
which made the mountain trembe for miles. OF
The l:; miners at work in the fatal gallery, l0',
including the fire boss, himself, We're killed.
IT was supposed that a miners pick had
chanced to open an unsnspected pocket of fire
damp And the report from Brownsville can
give only the same theory regarding this acct
dent:
The explosion is said to have been caused
by the Ioos. ming OF a large block Of coal, which
opened pocket Of gas
sUPERsTITIOUs MINERS.
60 there are pent-up masses of fredamp even
in safe" mines, and Yet it is not at all probable
that the miners along the Monongahela will be
frightened into abandoning their open lights.
Miners as a class, are superstitous regarding
their work They have belief that they VIII
not die until their time comes and that a
greater or less amount of daily risk does not
make much difference. Then. again. they have
certain objections, fer one or two of which there
is some slight excuse to the safety lamp
Before mentioning these the general features
# the "davy' and its mitatois may be given
The lamp consists Of a metallic cstern for the
OIL and a cylinder Of fine wire gauze, about
diameter. which protects the flame from direct
,,ith fh.. eli lir