The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-01-14
rs DEATH TO MINERS,
THEIR DISLIKE FOR THE SAFE
TY LAMP INVENTED BY DAvY.
"oA't Light Pipes ~Readuy-And Is
Easily Blown Out-For All of which
Reasons the Men Prefer to Risk
Their Lives.

Their Lives.
doubtless Sir Humphrey Dayy would
nave been greatly astonished when he
invented the safety lamp for coal min.
ers elghty-three years ago if he could
a toreseen that nearly a century
later accidents would still be occurring
IN the depths of the coal pits due to
the use OF ordinary open lamps in the
presence of the death-dealing fire
damp, says the New York Tribune
Inc inventor would have beer forced
to conclude that his lamp had in some
way Jailed to prove it's efficiency and
yet such is far from being the truth,
so well has the Davy lamp maintained
us value as a safeguard for the Goa
miner that in spite of many later de-
vices In the way Of mining lights it
has always been found, on the whole,
the most satisfactory, and, with slight
notifications, is the one used wher-
ever a safety lamp is desired.
But just here lies the point men,
toned in the first sentences: A vast
number of coal miners still lightly dis
regard the dangers they work in daily,
prefer an ordinary lamp or candle and
cannot be induced to use any other.
In the report of the explosion in the
Empire mine at Brownsville, Pa,
where several lives were lost, there
was this simple but significant SEN
tence:
THE men wore open lamps, such as
are used in all the Monongahela river
mines"
No explanation or excuse accom-
panied the statement; it merely de-
scribes a state of things which has
long existed in that part of Pennsyl-
vania. The mines of Fayette county,
along the Monongahela, and also those
a few miles to the northeast, in West
moreland county, have been regarded
for many years as being comparatively
free from firedamp. This reputation
mas caused even more than the usual
carelessness among the miners who
work there and the safety lamp is an
article seldom seen. Yet the occur
renee a few weeks ago shows that even
mines which are not fiery" as the men
say, are subject to occasional explo-
sions and that the deep caverns and
passages from which coal is excavated
are never to be reckoned safe. The
Brownsville disaster is only the last
of a series of the same kind in it's
neighborhood. Seven years ago last
January came the frightful explosion
of the Mammoth mine, near Young
wood, about twenty-five miles from the
scene of the recent accident. At that
time 107 charred and mangled bodies
were taken out of the galleries after
the explosion. The Mammoth was an
other safe mine and all it's men used
open lamps, though they had plenty Of
davies" furnished to them free by the
company. How little confidence is to
be placed in the fact that a mine has
always hitherto enjoyed freedom from
noxious vapors 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 he scratched
upon it's walls his mark signifying that
it was safe to be worked that day. At
3 o'clock in the morning of Jan. 27,
1891, the fire boss made his rounds as
usual, and the men, coming to work
at 6 o'clock, at once began work where
his "27" assured them Of safety. Ten
minutes later there was a tremendous
shock, which made the mountain
tremble for miles. Of the 1873 miners at
work in the fatal gallery 107, includ-
ing the fire boss himself, were killed.
1t was supposed that a miners pick
had CHANGED to open an unsupported
pocket of firedamp. And the report
from Brownsville can give only the
same theory regarding this accident:
'"The explosion is said to have been
caused by the loosening of a large
block of coal, which opened a pocket of
gas"
So there are pent-up masses of fire
damp even in safe" mines, and yet it
is not at all probable that the miners
along the M~onongahela will be fright
ened into abandoning their open lights.
Miners, as a class, are superstitious
regarding their work. They have a
belief that they will not die until
their time comes" and that a greater
or less amount of daily risk does not
make any difference. Then. again.
they have certain objections, for one or
two of which there is some slight ex-
cuse, to the safety lamp.
Before mentioning these, the GEN
eral features of the "davy" and it's i'm
itators may be given. The lamp con-
sists Of a metallic cistern for the oil
and a cylinder of fine wire gauze.
about eight inches in height and an
inch and a half in diameter, which
protects the flame from direct contact
with the outside air. Thus my gas
which this air may contain cannot
be fired by the lamp. If there is any
considerable quantity of firedamp pres
ent, however, some of it finds it's way
in through the gauze and, causes the
flame to expand slightly and to burn
with a weird, pale-blue light. This
ought to be a warning to the miner,
but often he is too busy or too careless
to notice it, and if the damp continues
to increase the gauze becomes hot and