The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-10
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR MINE ACCIDENTS?
Military Type Of Discipline
Should Be Enforced in All
Coal Mines.

compilation made from the official
reports shows that In II States, whose
total production amounted ia 1905 10 366,-
092. .237 short tons or nearly 90 per cent
OF the total for the United States. and
whose coal mines gave employment to
.SSf out OF a total of 62G.3 3l5 men en-
ploycd In the coal mines OF the United
States, the total number Of men Killed
was 20e!. while 4402 were injured more or
less seriously, About one-half the men
killed left widows, and about $500 chill
dren were LEFT fatherless. The death rate
per 1000 employees was 3.63. while Tor
every lI5.O00 tons of coal mined, one life
sacrificed.
1t Is true that In some cases accidents
are unavoidable. and 1t is just as true that
In many cases the accidents could have
been prevented If proper precautions had
been taken by the operators OF their
agents. but II Ia also true unhapplly, that
in the probable majority OF cases the
fault lay In the carelessness OF the men
themselves or OF their fellow employees.
In Pennsylvania. for Instance. out of IL
accidents in 1905 which resulted In the
death of more than one person each. the
reports OF the Investigations into the
causes placed the responsibility in eight
cases upon the victims or their fellow
workmen. two were classed as unavoid-
able, and in two cases the responsibility
WAS not fixed, One which was due TO
the breaking OF the holstlng rope might
have been avoided had the safety clutches
been In proper order. but ] do not know
whether the company was held RESPONSE
bic or not. II appears. however that out
of IL avoidable accidents the RESPONSE
bllty In eight cases was placed. rightly
or wrongly. upon the workmen.
II seems next TO impossible 10 Impress
upon some miners the hazardous nature
of their employment and 70 make them
take the simplest precautions TO avoid ac-
cidept, They are In danger all the time.
II is such part OF their lives that they
grow callous to 1t and therefore careless.
a naked lamp on the cap or In the hand
OF miner may ignite a small pocket of
gas which will In turn. start a train OF
explosions OF dust and gas that will wreck
lives. ] have seen a miner. after having
cautioned another workman not to go in
to the head of sangway Just opening
up. as gas was there and the ventilation
was not carried forward, lift his naked
lamp nearly TO the roof not 20 feet away
from the dangerous" spot, TO see If there
We're gas enouGlB there TO explode The
only thing that prvented me from rum
ming away was the knowledge that If the
gas did explode the force of the eXplo-
sion would travel about 10000 times as
fast as | could. and that | should only
be laughed at II nothing happened.
That the responsibility for accidents In
coal mines is placed Officially. at leasD
upon the workers rather than upon the
operators. Is perhaps not without reason.
IL is not an altogether unselfsh motive
thar prompts the owners Of property to
protect IL, even III lHeE jldn no lnOuSHl
FOR their employees And my observation
has been that they are not careless Of
the safety of their men. ii Is a self
evident proposition that owners OF minos
Will endeavor to prevent accidents which
in addition to the sacrifices of lives. may
mean the loss of thousands of dollars in
property.
II there is any place on or in tic earth
where military type OF discipline should
be enforced II is in coal mines, particu-
larry deep and gaseous ones but unfor-
tunately The laws In this country are lax
In many particulars, and attempts TO dis
clpline employees for disregard Of rules
established by operators themselves for
the protection OF lives and property. arc
apt 20 result in strikes. which may lay
the mine idle for weeks or even months.
Ii seems 10 me that there Is a chance
here for a campaign Of education that it
would be well for this organization TO con-
slider
1t Is rather a reflection on our boasted
progress In civilization that this. the
greatest mining country In the world fur
nlshes the worst record for the number
of accidents compared with the number
OF men employed article by Ed
ward w. Parker, In Mines and Minerals
for December