Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-22
70 AVERT EXPLOSIONS
Coal Mine Commission Appoint.
ed by the General Assembly
Ready to Report.
A Careful Inspection of the Lost
Creek Mine. Where Disaster
Occurred.
Some Useful Legislation Likely
Some Useful Legislation Likely
to Result From the In.
vestigation.
special to Times-Republlcan.

Special to Times Republican.
Des MONIES. Feb. 22.-1'he coal mine
commission provided for by joint reso-
luton of the general assembly and of
which ex-Mayor r. j. Phillips, OF OF
tumwa, is the chairman, will make q
recommendation some time the coming
week in regard to methods of prevent
ing explosions in mines ar at least les
SEEMING the danger to human life there
from, and this report will not only be
unanimous but it will be one that will
commend itself generally to the per-
sons who are most interested In the
subject. AS soon as the report is made
to the governor bills will be prepared
TO secure laws to meet the suggestions
of the commission. All who have had
anything to do with the matter agree
that the commission is a most excellent
one and fully able to reach a valuable
conclusion on the subject. The four
men on the commission aside from the
members of the board of mine eXamin-
ers are recognized as leaders in the
coal mining industry in this state. They
are giving the matter earnest and
thoughtful consideration.
The commission went to Mahaska
county and inspected the Lost Creek
mine where the recent explosion oc-
CURED which cost SO many lives. They
found that while mining had been re-
sumed there the room In which the ex-
plosion occurred had been closed and
was left in exactly the condition which
followed the explosion. They looked
into the matter carefully. The miner
who had fired the fatal blast had bored
hole into the coal perhaps five feet
deep on the day previous and had fired
it, but the blast was Intellectual, at 1t
blew out" and left the mass of coal
only cracked. Then he had put in an
other hole at different angle and the
two holes came near to each other
within the masss. When this was fired,
with an extra charge of powder, as the
records of the mine show, Il part of the
blast came out thru the former hole and
the cracks produced by the former shot,
as we'll as blowing out the tamping in
the last hole. The records of the mine
disclose that the miner took with him
to the room a much larger quantity of
powder than he should have taken. and
the real cause of the blowing out Of the
blast was carelessness in preparing the
same and using too much powder
The further fact was disclosed by an
of the mine that it is
very dry mine. that pure cold air is
drawn into it, that 1t Is well ventilated
and we'll arranged.
Since the .eturn of the commission
to Des Moines they have been at work
in one of the offices in the state house,
and number of experts have been in
vited to appear and state their views
Among others who have appeared be-
fore the commission is Ben Buxton. OF
Monroe county, who operates the larg-
est coal mine in the state. He is taking
out over 1,400 tons of coal a day and
big force of men, the mine
being run to its full capacity all the
time. But he has never had q life lost
by an explosion. Blasting is going on
all the time in his mine and the blowing
out of the blasts, exactly as at the Lost
Creek mine, occurs frequently-yet this
does not result in the terrible explo-
sions which I'LL the entire mine. His
plan is to wet down the mine regularly.
The air is kept damp. The entries and
avenues are all kept wet down. His
theory is that mine explosion cannot
occur where the air is damp, bur tina
Il is only where there Is dry dust in the
air that the explosions occur. II is a
singular fact that these explosions have
occurred in the best mines
and this is because OF the fact that dry
air Is drawn into the mines. This
quickly fills with dust and while the
air appears to be pure and wholesome
Il may become dangerous from the very
fact of its dryness. Hut explosions
never occur save where the mine Is
illed with dust ana gas. This is agree d
On by all who have Investigated the
matter.
The laws in Kansas and Missouri
provide that special shot firers must be
employed to fire the blasts after the
regular miners are out of the mine. The
objection to this is that by the en-
oloyment of special shot firers the min
ars are encouraged to carelessness In |
placing their blasts. The Iowa commits
sion will not recommend this plan.
What the commission is most likely |
% recommend is that the law require
down of the passage ways of
he mines and inspection of the blasts |
Special inspectors will be provided |
whose duty 1t is to see that the proper |
amount of powder is used and all the
conditions are right for successful and
safe blasting The Iowa commission |
will not go beyond this.
The Legislature is likely to immedi- |
ltely pass any law which emanates
rom the mines committee after con-
ofsthe report of the commits
lion. The report is expected early next |
week.
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