Bisbee daily review., 1903-04-03
MINE BELL SIGNALS.


 The South Dakota legis' s'ature has passed law fixing the code of mine signals for use in all the mines of that state. It Is always advisable to have strict uniformity in mine bell signals as the likelihood to accident or mis- understanding between the miner un derground and the engineer on the surface is greatly reduced thereby but the code adopted in South Dakota is subject to some criticism. The code as published in the Back Hills Mining Review is as follows:
 One bell. hoist; one bell, stop Ci in motion.)
 Two bells, lowel men; three bells hoist men.
 Four bells blasting signal. Engi neer must answer by raising bucket ol cage few feet and letting it back slow ly; then one bell. hoist men away from blast.
 Five bells. steam on: eight bells steam of.
 Seven bells, air on; eight bells. ail of.
 Three two-two bells. send dowI tools.
 Nine bells, danger signal fire, acci dent or other danger) The rin: number of station where danger exists
 No person shall ring any signal bell except the station tender, unless il case of danger or when the main shaf is being sunk.
 Engineers must slow up in passing stations when men or on the cage O bucket
 Here a lengthy combination of nun bers is inserted indicating the severa levels from the first to the twentieth
 If a cage is wanted. ring station Station tender will respond in person
 If station is full of ore and station tender is' wanted, ring station signal
 One copy of this code shaN be poste( on the gallows-frame and one before the engineer.
 The Mining and Scientific Press, o San Francisco, in commenting on th, law has the following to say: Ar AAsl s4ELdA AOAS pttl kO uO4e or stop. if in motion) is in common use almost everywhere. and cannot b. improved upon. but the signals "twC bells" lower men and three be.ls' hoist men, are defective as giving T; pramonitory warning. and make ni distinction, so far as indicated by th' published code, between men and ma terials. A better signal for lowering men is 32. This indicates that ther' are men to be lowered, whether it b. to a,level below it. If men wish tC descend 10 any particular ieyel. tha level should be rung first, then 3-2 A hoisting signal for men which ha! had years of trial is 3-1. or. hoistin: with men from a level to any onC above, the level first. then 3-1.
 The clause requiring the engineer tC slow up upon approaching each leve seems superfuous and is prohibitory to rapid winding where ,arge tonnage is boisted daily through 9 single shaft and would be unnecessary in well constructed shaft where there is com potent and experienced management The provision that the signal code shall be posted in the engine room and on the gallows-frame at the collar of the shaft should include the station at each level of the mine Itseems un fortunate that the signal code is not uniform throughout the United States as then miners, who are migratory would be familiar with it, no matter in what district they might be em ployed
 In this connection it is interesting to note that the necessity for uniform code of mine bells signals has been recognized by the legislature of Mon tana, which adopted resolution sug gesting conference of the governors of the several mining states. with a view to establishing a uniform signal code for mines throughout the United