Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1905-09-02
Chapter OF Mining Dont's.

Mr.. Robert n. Bell, inspector of mines
for the state of idaho, in his annual re.
port, delivers sermon in don'ts that
should be remembered They may well
be printed in large type and posted
prominently in every shafthouse, where
they may be seen constantly, for to re-
member them is to lessen the number OF
accidents that occur in mines, while re-
suits will be generally better. They
follow:
Don't start to drill in a new face un-
til you have thouroughly satisfied your
self that there is no missed hole or un
exploded pieces of powder left in the
old butts, or that could angle into the
line you are going to point hole
on.
"Donts depend entirely upon reports.
1t often happens that the upper part
of charge of old powder will explode
and the lower part teruain alive and un-
exploded without cutting Off
Don't be in too big a hurry to 90
back on stinker, or burnt hole, or to
reprime missed hole; but it is safer to
reprime it in an hour, say, than to work
over it for a whole half shift. During
the past summer missed holes at the
Snowstorm mine, in Shoshone county,
and at the Crackeriack mine, in Idaho
county, with fuse apparently burnt out,
and giving no sign of life, exploded af-
ter standing quiescent for four and one.
half hours, badly manning two men in
one instance and one in the other, who
were working oyer them. A round six
teen machine holes in three compart-
ment vertical shaft 200 feet deep, at the
Thorn mine, near Idaho City, last sum
mer, was fired, and only one report
short noticed when the round was fin
ally cleared up it was found that the
butts of ten of the holes contained from
one to ton inches of unexploded pow
der. The powder used looked all right,
but subsequently proved to have been
in stock for long time. Moral De
mand fresh powder, use strong caps and
good fuse
Don't use any kind of a metal lamp
ing bar, or tap a wooden one with u
hammer when loading
Don't iab too hard with a wooden
tamping bar in case piece of powder
titches or sticks half way in hole when
loading, and you cannot push it home
gently Never mind your reputation as
d loader Let her spoil; if it should re-
suit in your losing your job you will
haye yourself left anyway.
Don't be hayseed and carry your
powder about your person to soften il,
or attempt to thaw a stick in a fame of
a candle, or crimp cap with your teeth
or break a stick in two; cut it, no mat
ter how dull yopr knife is.
Don't keep powder and caps on the
same box.
Don't jab pick into a muck pile
like driving a spike on the railway.
You are liable to hit stray piece of
powder that will explode and blow your
eyes out. Such an accident has happen
ed within a year. Use your pick to
work the stuff down with mere raking
motion. 1t is safer and just as effect
i've.
Don't take naked light into stor-
age place for powder or sub.magazine /;
leave it at the entrance, as far back as it
will serve the purpose.
Don't take these admonitions too
much to heart, but bear them constant
ly in mind. With all the risks Of min
ing occupation including the handling
of. powder, they are no greater than
those of trainmen, require no more me-
chanical skill, and with reasonably care
ful handling and intelligent precautions
the present source of accidents in Idaho
mines ought to be reduced very mater
tally,