The sun., 1898-02-20

gas. That the Maine carried Pocahontas coal
tcrviews, Capt. Royal Bradford Of the Bureau Of
Equipment has stated that the battleship car
time before She was ordered to Havana. She
had quantity Of 1t aboard when her orders
Ssr to GO thEs and she used most Of
she re, reached that port. There she recoalod with
THE fact that during. her stay in Havana
harbor she had more hard coal than soft in tho
3Snkers Sha has tn no bearing on my theory at all
ried for SO many weeks might remain in the
%5pnkers bunker for a long time without exploding.
the ship. being added to every hour by tho
bituminous coal still on board: Nothing but a
away Gases 81 dse rapdy Sna Locked
doors and closed windows win not keep them
out out OF compartments; I have no doubt that
and to many otSog PARTS e OF the ship Where
to the explosion @ nnf ftsef t. t. e was caused
believe. by these gases finding their way into
the engine room, or some place where there
light in room full of the gases from bitumi.
nous goal would be sufficient to explode the
same result, That the explosion Of this gas
would be sufficient to blow the Maine out Of tho
mates sSn be doubted by any one who
tpde on the Maine would have reduced the Bat
Bituminous coal is used almost entirely on
steamships The vessels in the navy all use it,
soft. The Pocahontas product is generally fe.
garded as one of the best bituminous GOALS
mined. and there is probably more Of II used in
various reasons for this, ono being that 1t is
cheaper than hard coal. another that it ignites
coal ' in ali s't TRIAL trips Of Ves
sels built by them. They say that 1t burns
N N ny,n nft tfo
producing qualities.
The explosion OF gases from Pocahontas coal
est mine disasters that over took place in this
morniEyr o 9sSnrrsd at lao o'clock on the
night gang consisting of an TT men was 4 in the
Killed most Of them being blown VIM to pieees. s
cars. which stood near the mouth Of the mine.
snd Mefe bs SoTn 200 feet and the engineer
trees in the neighborhood wore uprooted and
three houses. several hundred feet away, were
RACED and some Of their occupants killed.
Inc cause OF the explosion was q mystery for
mi mine was well ventilated. and that there was
Ihe eomPsny asked the american @ e Institute ef Of
eIp.rs to to APPOINT committee of
port OF this committee is interesting in view
of Can't. Bradford's declaration that It was
not reasonable to believe that enough gas could
plosion of any consequence.
=, The report does not positively state whether
there was gas in the m me or not. but presents a
series OF incidents to show that there was 1t
mentions the burning of two brothers named
Ray by the explosion of a powder keg. Tho
explosion was caused by a blown-out shot from
a distance of 100 feet, and not in direct line,
the keg of powder being protected at the time
by the angle Of a break through. 1t goes on as
follows:
'The burning of George Britten is described
by himself as having been done by a flash fol.
lowing shot fired in the face of his room he
being about thirty-five feet distant and pro-
tected by nm anglo Of tho coal. Another in
STANCE is related of Pickering blue flame seen
In the under cut near miners lamp and at
tributed by him to fire damp issuing from the
shaly slate left in the floor and everything the
lower bench Of coal remaining unworked
The flashing of smoke seems to
have been almost wholly unknown to the man
agement. and while not unusual in other mines.
the practice seems to have been 30 general here
ana the flame SO persistent as to lead to the
supposition that tho products of Imperfect com.
bustion OF the powder may have been rein
forced and quickened by a small amount of fire
damp. Two instances should be mentioned in
which body of fame has been described a.
flashing back 60 to 100 feet from tho head Of
an entry. following the firing of shot. without
The final decision Of tho committee was that
tho explosion was due to the reckless use of
powder In tho mine and the presence Of fro
damp. N