New-York tribune., 1907-12-21
DEATH AND THE MINER.

The incOmpetency of present lhdustiial i""'
has again been demonstrated, this tiihe hioio
forciby than ever before, by the statistics an'
observations complied in the latest bulleuh
from the geological survey, in which seVerai eA-
perts present the results OF their lnVesuSa
tons of the accidents befalilng coal hiineIs.
Everybody was prepared TO find long list or
casualties, but who expected tne news 'hdI
during 1906 every sunset was the last one for
six coal miners and the end of usefulness TOR
thirteen more: And vet this is the rate at
which labOrers were killed and seriousl!
MANNED during that year of grace Nearly
seven regiments went down into the pltS' there
to be swallowed up crushed while seeking 10
wrest coal from the earth for their Fellow men.
This sombre record cannot be relieved of its
shadows by the remark that mining is IN
evitably beset with great dangers. which must
be accepted with resignation. True. delving for
coal far below the sunlight can never be as
safe an occupation as stenography, but COM
parative study of accidents in American and
foreign mines reveals our ackwardness in pro-
tective legislation and correspondingly greater
loss of life. The number of deaths among
every thousand miners in all European coal pro-
ducing countries has been steadily decreasing
at a rapid rate during the last decade. al
though the output of coal has increased greatly
in the same period But in this country the
number OF fatalities has doubled since 1880,
so that now we have the unenviable distinction
of killing three times as many miners to the
thousand as the leading European nations do.
The same discreditable disparity appears if the
comparison is made on the basis Of casualties
to the million tons Of coal mined. And the
two appalling disasters of the last fortnight
will surely make 1907 outdO its predecessor.
True, these ratios do not necessarily Indicate
that American mining regulations are only one
third as good as those of Europe; to warrant
that inference the statiSticianS would have 10
show that European mines are as dangerous as
our own in respect to their accumulations of
water and noxious cases. the difficulty OF ven
tilaton and the tendency Of veins and their sur
rounding strata to crumble
The fact that there has been disproportion-
ate increase in the number of accidents caused
by explosions apparently indicates undue haste
in the employment of powders and a willing
ness TO take chances on the part Of operators
and workmen alike. Doubtless mine bosses are
having the same difficulty that New York
building contractors encounter in teaching 1tal-
ians and other ignorant foreigners how TO fill.
tamp and discharge blasts. The same reckless
ness which in operations about this city has
worked no small damage to windows, walls
and nerves is fraught with far more terrible
cors aatonces when displayed at the bottom of
a dann. sitting mine shaft. This stupidity OF
wurki7lgmen. however. is only another excellent
argument in favor of the speedy enactment of
better protective laws. 1t would be vain To
hope however that any legislation mine
rules could wholly eliminate the baneful int1u-
ence of human CareleSsness and crafty dsobedi-
pnce.