The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-05-16
IDs|jb|||bE Miners

cd endeavors to.sktop the appalling
sacrifice Of hunsSh lives In the coal
mines OF the United States are to be
made at once. BY the fuel division OF
the geological saTgey. thus supple
menting it's Efforts to lessen the
waste If fuel TN mining operations.
Plans have 'been drawn for. q
unique experimental station at which
tests OF the various dynamftes and
powders used I'D. Fblasting coal will
he maze with sA View to accurately
determining their safety in @tha
presence or the sdahdly coat gas. Ex.
plosives Of all Sorts will be hurled
by means Of q mortar into a NAM
moth boilerSplate. cylinder, which
has previously been filed With gas,
and the effects viii be carefully not
ed. II ignition3 fails after severe
tests, the explosives will lbe known
rs permissible explosives, "% and
their use will be- urged upon the
mine owners Of the country. =! >';'F@
In addition there will be import.
ant experiments III rescue work. 1t
is declared thatMin serious gas ex-
plosions In mines hundreds Of lives
could be saved Were it possible for
the rescue party%to enter immediate-
1y after the accidents. As 1t is now
the deadly fir9-damp often holds the
men back for hours while their com.
rades are slowly being suffocated or
burned to DEATH 1<
CAN Go 4sato Thick Smoke, e..
In their inyestfga tons SO far, the
government experts have Found an
apparatus in Eunope, which, "when
worn by the members Of a>1rescue
party, enables them to enter any
place where there is gas At the ex-
perlmental' station, a miniature mine
Will be filled With dense smoke and
practical dem constructions in the say
Ing OF life with This apparatus will
/ A definite location for the exneri-
station has not vet, been So
lected, hut # .ds $sprobable; that the
station will Be, I'm the Pittsbtirg dis
trict. .%i',%'s:
I'VE intend to begin the erection
OF this station within a few Weeks, )"
said j. A. Holmes, chief of the tech.
nalogic branch eef the geolegical:sur-
Vey. There seems to be no end to-
gas and coal dust explosions in the
mines. Instead 9of growing less
these horrors appear to be multiply.
ing. <t..Cp,
FROM our Investigations so far
the United States is behind Europe
IN safeguarding the lives OF the men
IN the mines. I. England and Belgium
nave had for years splendid experi-
mental statlonE,lRnd in these coun-
tries there are 'bnk few casualties in
the mlnes.s The Belgian mines are
notorious for sthsypr essence of fire.
camp, yet that conntry has enioyed
wonderful, Immunity from these
terrible explosions. 90" 49, . =.
Permissible, Explosives. -..~.-A--
AS result 6f,the experiments in
England there are a number of peg
mlssible explosives, and1'these mu%
pc used by, the miners in the blast
lns OF Goa, Wandy no, others. They
also nave I'D, Enaland what !isx known
Ms the limit charlse (Which must not
l. De ca! exceeded .on.lSpainS of severe pen
= officials Of the sociological survey
nave been watching with considera-
pfe dismay for some time the fire.
quently, recurring accidents in dif-
terent parts Of the country. Some ar
the recent mine explosions in one
state. West Virginia, are as follows:
Red Ash, March $4,000, 100 kill
Rush Run, March IS, 1905, "a
Killed. - '0o'
Blnefield Coal Dale Mine, January
q, 1905, .22 killed. - J.. =
KANT Creek, Detroit Mine. Jonu-
airy rs, 1906, IS killed.
Fayette county, Paral Mine, Feb
ruary 5, 1906, % killed.
Phflbpi, Century Mine, March 25,
1906, &c Killed. u, ' ~
Fayette county, Stuart Mine, JAM
nary 29, 1907, 81 killed.
Fayette. county, WhinDle Nina
May /, 1907, 81 killed.
Clarence Hall, explosive expert FOR
the government, who has charge Of
the pians for the proposed experi-
mental $ station, recently returned
from England and Belgium. where
ne examined the stations there. In
fhese and other European countries.
the mine owners, the miners. the
government, and ths manufacturers
OF explosives, all cooperate In the
enort to prevent the dreadful exnlos-
Ions. The results Of these expert
'ments go to show that q large num-
per or the exDlosiong In coal mines
are Que TO coal dust rather than gas
'SNIJHREn THE GnNJznxpHnp