The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-23
Planter Fights the Measure.

Planter Fights the Measure.
 One of the large planters of south Ala bama, who was a member of the legis- lature, lead the fight against the las to compel the operators to throw the proper safeguards around the lives of the miners. In his argument against the act he insisted that the state had as much right to appoint inspectors to ex- anime his farm; to make him cut down all the dead trees that might fall on the heads of his farm laborers, and to re- quire him to provide umbrellas for his blow hands to work under during the rainy and hot sunny days. When will this custom of the state meddling into the peoples affairs stop?9 shouted the legislator
 Counting from the beginning of the year 1903 the following are the casualties In the Alabama mines: 1903, 56; 1904 S4, and during three months of 1905, 12S. None of the deaths were daused by what is termed gas explosion. On June 20, 1894. four men were killed in a fire at Mary Lee mines; two years ago four men were killed in a windy shot'' ex plosion at Short Creek mines; on De- cember l, 1908, four men were killed at Flat Top by the explosion of a power magazine, and the Virginia mines dis aster resulted from dust explosion"
 What Present Law Requires.
 The present law requires that there must be two openings to the surface of mine for every seam of coal worked. that one of these exits must be an es- eapeway in case of an actident The en- forcement of this law is left with the discretion of the chief mint inspector. The Virginia mine has three openings, one slope, one manway and an escapeway. Yet had there been fifty outlets from the mine the conditions being the same not man would have eSaped with his life. Immediately after the explosion there were three avenues of escape for the ill-fated miners but after inhaline the poisonous after damp death was almost instantaneous
 It has been argued that the miner is familiar with the dangers of coal dig ging; why doesn't he demand that inc proper precautions be taken by the of ficials of the mine to ayDid an exnlo- sion? The answer to this is that a miner IS the most careless of nien. Many of them have been practically reared in mine, and have come to 4 point wbere .neS scorn danger. Many an old miner when asked about the dangers .f coal mining will argue with yo1 that his oc- cupation is not nearly so dangerons as that of the man who labors on inc earth's surface. As a rule. the miner knows little and cares lessl of the Iavs of gases. He has become accustoped to breathing gases generated by the coal and has learned not to fear the daneers of an explosion
 Statistics show that a ma ipritv of tba miners are killed either hs neglected rock or by carelessness in handling ex- plosives. Like the bicycle rider who loops the loop and the highl diver who piunges a hundred feet in the air into a shallow pool of water. the miner Is firm in his opinion that the perils aris- ing from the digging of col are t,, few to require serious notice.
 Mines In Operation,
 In Alabama, there are 172 oommercial mines in operation. With the mine workers strike on. there are tbday 17 s5e men employed in the mines of this state New mines are being constantly onenaa and every indication is that bvl 1906 there will be 25,000 men employed in Alabam. mines.
 Section 3S of the mining laws nrovid,s that in case the operator ct q mine de nlnes to comply with the suggsstj.ns CT requirements of the chief mine ins,,ector the matter shall be referred to the nro- bate judge of the county in which tbo mine is located. From the decision or the probate judge an appeal can he taken to the supreme court. In case of no appeal the decision is final. and any owner or operator who does not comp,y with the final order in the cage within n time shall be, upon conv,c- ton, fined not more than 5000. How lir tie the fine imposed shall be is left to the discretion of the trial judge or jury.