The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-18

| ventilation was stiii good Advice was given the bank boss to sprinkle with water. as there Is danger at any time of>a windy shot to make an ex-: Precautions right after this investiga- ton were taken by hiring fire boss to guard agai9st accidents. The Alabama quest from MT. Cray. October 20. isos, to note the fact that dry headings should be srrinkled
 lperintendent at Bessen1er on Noyember IS. 1908. about a man getting hurt in the mine at Virginia, and also calling attention to the fact that the mine also included in the latter that you have fire damp in your mine and the law requires that you have a man with a first class certificate" It was also noted that 1t was necessary to have A ire boss.
 Answering this letter R. N. Me- Donough, on November 20, 1903, said
 ahe the nest wogd sss cer termination to meet all the require- ments of the law was expressed. It was also said that there was a com- Sumner. who had had a life time ex-
 Fire Boss Not There.
 rspGa ef ss by Sr Tar TnaSs Amerson Turner and Lynn Hawkins kiISe. be-. ing burned by blaze from a shot. The inspector did not believe that there was gas then as the men had worked | a great deal, of dust and it was ad- vfsed that it be sprinkled every day He found no marks to show if the Ire boss was there as I instructed
 MT. Gray then instructed the com- pany that the mine foreman must get a certificate at once.
 l nx. rYrA Aaf nf hA the two men MT. Hillhouse reported an examination of the mine. He went over the part where the men were hurt and reiterated that the ventila- | man that he could not have good air | with the plans of work in use. He | round No. and No. headings very dusty and advised sprinkling; also that track should be sent out of the mines He found that the fire boss did not mark the day of the month in rooms and headings ''as instructed" At this time, the report said, there was no way for the miners to travel to and from their work in the slope"
 A report of an accidentin which Tom Pickett and Anderson Bell were slight ly burned by accumulated gas was made December l, 1905. They had fired | three shots and gone out for an hour. lected. There was not much air and | the air course was ninety feet behind | the heading.
 suggestions by Hillhouse. Another accident IS reported by MT. Hillhouse on January 27, 1904, in which James Shelby, Bob Stafford ana Will liam Lambert were hurt. This came from fire from blast Tn the air course. The burns were dangerous" There was no gas in the air course as the men had been working with open lights. In the opinion of the inspec- n a n reach the men. At that time Mir. Hill- house made the following suggestions: T suggest that the coal should be guard against accidents from excessive use of dynamite or powder. Ss. in my opinion. there is liable to be a serious accident and loss of life at any time" so many accidents from windy shots. MT. Gray wrote F. H. Gafford at Vir- ginia, that all coal in entries. air the clear, no shots should be fired "on the solid" and that great care should be taken in the use of powder and dy- namite. Some advice was given about that the supply of explosives to the miners be limited to what they had | immediate need of. It was also sug- gested that shot flrers be put on to ire
 Another report on an inestigation was made on March l. 1904, by MT [. Hillhouse. He found the ventilation good; that while superintendent Gaf- ford had not adopted the suggestions Of the Chief Inspector quoted he had received them and thought them good; also that the fan would be running in | two weeks according to the superin- | tendent.
 The assistant inspector found. the | ventilation deficient on the same day. but the superintendent promised him that the fan would be in within six weeks, which the inspector thought would greatly improve conditions.
 In a Dangerous Condition. l Mir. Gafford was written further by Mir. Gray about the precautions sug- gested by him in regard to shooting
 Tt Is needless for me to explain to condition of your mine. You have all the characteristics there that go tC make up the disastrous dust explosion You have gas in your mine; your mine on the solid and use inexperienced la | bor to a certain extent, and 1t has been | our observation with the experience oi windy shots we have had in this state from misplacing and charging oi
 MT. Gray then urges that no more shots be fired on the solid and insists | that such practice is dangerous in the | extreme.
 In a report made June 1s, 1904. As. l Ststant Inspector Runner found thai the ventilation was very good, though there was some gas. He also found that the man-way had not been com pleted, but was promised in shor' time.
 Chief Inspector Gray wrote A. w Reed & Co.,, operators of the mine or | June IS, 1904, urging them to see tha the man-way was completed at once He also called attention to the letter sent MT. Gafford in regard to shooting on the solid.
 On September 14, 1905, Assistant In spector Kuffner found the mine ir much better condition than on his last | inspection and that considerable Inn | provement had been made. A man | wa yextended to the third lift. Ths | ventilation was good except some oi | the headings were behind. There wal | very little gas and the mine was being looked after every morning.
 MT, Gray wrote A. W. Reed & Co., the papers at this point readverting tc | June, 1904,-calling attention to re- ports of windy shots in the mine anc insisting that In no case should coal bt used for tamping, but clay or dirt In | stead.
 Inspector Hillhouse found the venti. lation good on December IF, 1904, ane l a man-Way in reasonably good fix. H' suggested some Improvements, how ever, calling attention to the fact | that because of the steepness of the | way. Mine Boss Jordan had fallen anC brolten his leg. MT. Gray wrote Reed & Go. at once suggesting that rail ing be put on the man-way in order '' Here follows a list of the rules