Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1902-08-08
): :: :: :: :: :: :: :: q :: :: :: ::

The superintendent and the fifty.
eight men worked for an hour or more;
then suddenly many tons of coal and
rock fell, and In an instant the men
We're entombed In an impenetrable
sepulcher. Whether they were instant
ly crushed to death. shut in and suffo-
Gated or slowly starved will probably
never be known.
A miners outfit consists of several
picks, shovel, drills, tamping bar and
needle, lamp, powder can and his nee
essary clothing. Once underground the
miners repair to their respective places
of work under the supervision of the
mine boss. In addition TO his many
other duties the mine boss r. required
10 carefully inspect every m. room
and look after the safety of the men.
He must also watch out for fircdamp.
In large mines fire boss is constantly
employed to test the roofs of the cham
bers for firedamp. With all these safe
guards explosions frequently occur.
The danger from firedamp is not so
great as In former years. 1t has been
lessened by improved ventilation Of
mines. The greatest factor in the work
mems safety is the noncXplosive lamp,
with which a miner may fcarlessly en-
ter pocket full of explosive gas with
safety.
In the old days 1t was the custom TO
light the tiredamp in coal mines every
night 1t is within the memory of old
miners when it was the duty of one
man to fire the gas In certain mines,
especially those of continental Europe.
so that the explosion might be pro-
voked and the mine made accessible
and comparatively safe for the men
again next day.
Wrapped in a covering of wool or
leather, the face protected by a mask
and the head enyeloped in hood like
a monks cowl. this man entered the
noisome depths to perform the danger
Gus task imposed upon him. The fire.
damp is lighter than air and floats
above 1t in the mine chambers. To
keep as much as possible in the area of
respirable air the ''penitent." as the
man was called because of the rcscm-
blance of his dress to that of reli-
gious order of the Catholic church,
crawled on the ground, bearing before
him long pole with lighted tape on
the end.
AS he dragged his way along. alone
| In the poisonous mazes of the mine, his
! toT I'm nt Ex-ifh fhp rtn.
sive gas, and detonation after detOna-
| ton followed one after another until
the noxious substance had been entire
ly decomposed and the atmosphere
made safe. Frequently the penitent
was killed at his post either by the
force of the explosion or by coal and
| rocks dslodged and crushing him
where he crept. Firedamp explosions
are still very frequent in coal mines,
| and in too many instances investiga-
| tion shows that the responsibility lies
! with the carelessness or recklessness
of the miner himself
The safety lamp, however, is the
great protection against firedamp,
which the miner cannot otherwise de-
tect, as it has no odor. But an expert
enced miner can tell at once by the
condition of his fame not only the
presence of gas. but its quantity. The
Davy lamp, the invention of Sir Hum
phry Davy, was long ago improved
upon. 1t is still used, however, as a
working lamp by many miners. If the
fame happens to penetrate its gauze
at any time and strike gas on the out
side. there is liable to be an explosion,
a danger which the improved lamp
avoids.
The bituminous mines are not as
general thing SO explosive as the an