The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-06-16

schemes the difficult thing is not the oil
rect moving of air in and out, but the
| splitting Of the current SO that it VIII
| find it's way into all the arms Of the
| mine with nearly equal efficiency.
| The safety lamp ia the great protec-
| tion against fire-damp, which the miner
| cannot otherwise detect, as it has no
| odor But an experienced worker can
| tell at once, by the condition of his
flame, not only the presence Of the fire
damp, but it's quantity. With this i'll
vention the name of Sir Humphrey
Davy is identified. The Davy lamp has
long been improved upon; it is still used,
however, as a working lamp by many
miners. If the flame happens to pene-
trate its gauze at any time and strike
gas on the outside, there is liable to be
an explosion, danger which later
lamps avoid. The bituminous mines are
not as a general thing so explosive as
the anthracite, probably because they
are nearer the surface and hence not
subject to much pressure.
When a fire breaks out, the first thing
the miners do is to try to stifle it; hand
grenades and other chemical devices
are next employed, all in the endeavor
to isolate the flame and fight it down.
AS a last resort the mine is flooded. If
that is possible, as it usually Is. Near
ly all mines are constantly filing with
water anyway, and can be worked only
when the pumps are steadily drawing 1t
off. To stop the pumps and let the
mine fill up is Of course an effective way
of checking the fire, although accompa-
MED often by considerable destruction
of property. Where this method of
flooding is not possible or sufficiently
effective, the bed of stream has some
times been turned in.
How long is our coal going to last?"
asked your correspondent of the coal
mining expert of the geological survey
who had furnished most of this infor-
nation concerning fires. Several CEN
tures," he answered; perhaps many
centuries, but that the coal supply will
some time be exhausted cannot be de-
MED. This is inevitable with the stored
product, and especially one used for
fuel in distinction from the metals, like
copper and iron, that are used over and
over again. The speed with which the
worlds coal supply will be exhausted
depends upon the rapidity with which
other sources of power, light and heat
come to its relief. They will come,
through electricity in manufacturing
and transportation in the not remote flu
ture. The manufacturing regions of the
world are to be those which are sup
piled with waterpower. Few scientists
fear anything from the exhaustion of
the coal supply, for they feel that the
energy of the sun is sufficient for all our
needs. In water power we are utilizing
a single form of the suns activity; it
takes up water from the ocean, deposits
on the hills, and let's it run down to the
sea again, giving us while on its way
tremendous source of light, heat and
power. Coal is, of course, stored-up
We are at that stage in the
worlds progress where the use of coal
seems the most economical supply of
these things, but a more direct utiliza-
ton of the suns power will probably be
our supply In the future
Natural gas has already given out to
a considerable extent; petroleum, |
though not yet exhibiting serious signs
Of dninution, is liable to be the next |
resource exhausted. Our anthracite |
mines here and abroad are going to |
show an increased cost of production
and diminishing returns first, the btu
ninous supply being ample for long
line to come. The constant improve
nent of mining machinery is likely to |
give us a lowering coal cost for some |
line to come, in spite of its diminishing
supply and inevitable exhaustion In
one sense, the coal problem as a ques-