The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1907-12-27
MINE VICTIMS MANY.
Facts Gathered By Gov
eminent investigator.
Nearly Three Times AS Many Killed
in United States Last Year IS Il,
Most European Countries.

Most European Countries.
The coal mines Of the United States
are killing three times as many men
per 1000 employed as those of most
European countries. In the last
seventeen years 22,840 men have
given up their lives in the mines of
this country. AS many violent
deaths have occurred in the mines
during the last six years as during
the preceding eleven years. The
number of fatal accidents each year
IS o double that of the year 1896
These terrible facts have been.
gleaneu by Government experts act
ing under orders from Secretary
Garfield of the interior department.
The conclusions Of the experts are
found in a bulletin issued to-day on
Coal Mine Accidents; Their Causes
and Preventions."
The statement in the bulletin that
an increase in the number and
in the seriousness of mine ex-
plosions may be expected to con
tinue has already proven fate
full, for since the words we're writ
ten the country has been startled
with the news of three mine explo-
sions costing nearly 500 lives. The
first explosion occurred in Pennsly-
vania in the early part of December
and cost SO lives Then followed
the Monongah mine disaster in West
Virginia with a loss Of nearly four
hundred lives, and the explosion in
Alabama the other day with 81 lives
lost.
Josepe H. Holmes, chief of the
technologic branch, in summing ur
the situation, says:
The figures in this report indi
cate that during the year 1906 near
~ 1000 men were killed or injured
in coal mines of this country, ant
that the number of these accident
caused directly or Indirectly by min,
explosions has been steadily increas
ing. 1t is also indicated that thi
increase in part isdue to the lack o
proper and enforceable mine repula
tions; in part to the lack of reliable
information concerning the explo
sives used in mining and the condi
tons under which they can be use
safely in the presence of the gas an,
dust encountered in the mines; an,
IN part to the fact that in the deveI
opment of coal mining rot only tn
number of miners are i%ncreasin,
but many mines from which coal j
being taken are either deeper O
farther from the entrance whcr
good ventilation IS more difficult an,
the dangerous accumulationS OF OK
plosive gas frequent.
The increase both in the numbe
and seriousness of mine explosion
during the past few years may b
expected to continue unless, throug
: Investigations such as have prove
effective in other coal producin
countries, information can be OF
tanned and published concerning tn
explosives used, the conditions uf
der which they may be used safely
and the general conditions whic
make for health and safety. Sue
, Information may serve as an INTEL
gent basis both for executive enact
mcnt and for agreements anon
persons associated with mining OF
, erations."
J The bulletin shows that in a
European coal producing countric
: the output of coal has increase,
greatly during the past ten years
3 but the number of deaths per LOO
miners, instead of increasing as i
this country, has undergone a mark
ed decrease, This decrease ha
been due the bulletin says, to tn
effect Of mining legislation on thos
, countries for the safeguarding an
rejection of the lives of the work
men, and has been made possible b
Government action in establishin,
stations for the study of problem
. relative to safety in mining.