Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-01-02

nave been good to the miners, and it
is well that this is so. The miner go
ing deep into the ground working with
deadly explosives, and separated from
the help of his fellow men, takes great
risks and daily places his life in jeo-
pardy that his employers may be en-
riched by the fruites of his labors
with the beneficence of nature.
safeguard the state legislature has
framed laws which make it compulsory
that mine owners should provide APP
planes for the safety of their men
and should look after the interests and
welfare of their men, as well as their
own enrichment. Some of the more
important laws dealing with the safety
and comfort of the miners are as fol.
lows:
Escape and Air Shafts.-The owner
or person in charge of any mine oper-
ated by shaft, or one having slope or
drift opening in which five or more
men are employed. shall construct and
maintain at least two distinct openings
for each seam of coal worked, which
in shaft mines shall be separated by
natural strata of not less than 100 feet
in breadth, and in slope or drift mines
not less than fifty feet in breadth.
through which ingress and egress at
all times snail be unobstructed to the
employees, and in slope or drift mines
shall be provided with safe and avail
able travelling ways; all travelling
ways and escapes to be kept free from
water and falls of roof All escape
shafts not provided with hosting ap
planes as hereinafter provided shall
have stairs at an angle of not more
than sixty degrees in descent, kept in
safe condition, with proper landings
at easy and convenient distances apart.
He shall provide all air shafts where
fans are used with working fans FOR
ventilation, and those used for escapes
with suitable appliances for hosting
underground workmen, at all times
ready for use while the men are at la
Dor, and no combustible material shall
be allowed to be or remain between
any escape shaft and hosting shaft.
save as it may be absolutely necessary
in the operation of the mine. A fur
mace shaft, if large enough, may be di-
vided into an escape and a furnace
shaft, the partit, on to be incombustible
| II
! fifteen feet from the bottom thereof,
and SO constructed throughout as to
exclude the heated air and smoke from
the side used as an escape shaft.
| Where two or more mines are CON
nected underground, the several own
ers, by joint agreement, may use the
hosting shaft or slope of the one as
az escape for the other. In all cases
where escape shafts are constructed
less than 100 feet from the hosting
shaft there shall be built and maintain
ed an underground travelling way from
the top to the escape shaft, so as to
furnish the proper protection from
fire for distance of 100 feet from such
hoisting shaft. No escape shaft shall
be located or constructed without first
| giving notice to the district inspector
who shall determine the distance it
shall be from the main shaft, and with
| out his consent it shall not be less than
800 feet, nor shall any building except
the fan house be placed nearer than
100 feet of the escape; but the provi-
sions of this chapter relating to escape
ways shall not apply to mines where
the same are lost or destroyed by rea-
son of the drawing of pillars prepare
| tory to the abandonment of the mine,
and in such mine not more than TWEEN
ty persons shall be employed at one
time.
Ventilation. The owner or person
in charge of any mine shall provide
and maintain, whether the mine be op-
Grated by shaft, slope or drift, an
amount of ventilation of not less than
one hundred cubic feet of air per
mine for each person, nor less than
five hundred cubic feet of air per min
ute for each mule or horse employed
therein, which shall be SO circulated
throughout the mines as to dilute.
render harmless and expel all noXious
and poisonous gases in all working
parts of the same; to do this. artifi-
cial means by eXhaust-steam, forcing
fans, furnaces, or other contrivances
of sufficient capacity and power, shall
be kept in operation. If furnace is
used, it shall be so constructed, by
lining the up-cast for sufficient dis.
lance both incombustible material
that the fire cannot be communicated
| tn any mart Of the works Whan the