Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-03
Government Will Investigate
Mine Explosions.
EXPERT TO BE IN CHARGE
Congress Appropriates $4,000 for
the Purpose.
PROCEDURE TO BE FOLLOWED
Station Will Be Established Near
Observation-Disclosures OF ke-
suits for States Interested.


suits for States interested.
The United States government. within
the next few weeks, will begin a series
of scientific Investigations into the causes
of disasters in American coal pines In
the hope that the present frightful NOR
tality may be reduced to minimum. BY
August I. in accordance with plans ap-
proved by Secretary Garfield. the Interior
Department will have complete expert
mental station in operation on the
grounds of the arsenal In Pittsburg. Pa.
For some time before the Hemenway
amendment TO the legislative appropria-
tion bill. making an appropriation OF
s1JO,GO for the work. became law and
the money available government officials
were busy making tentative plans for
the station in order that there might be
no delay. This advanced the project to
such an extent that the material for the
station will be on the ground by July 4.
and II is expected the station Will be IN
operation a month later.
Prompt Action Necessary.
| Prompt action was considered necessary
| because Of the fact that the terrible
record OF ldSt year is DelnS cum
| tinued into this year. although 1907 was
| considered an unusual one, 1900 being
killed in the coal mines. as against 2.Ojl
the year before. From unofficial esti-
mates ii appears that sixteen men have
| been killed or injured each work day OF
the year. Just a few weeks ago twenty
| three miners were killed and thirty In
Jured in and about Wilkesbarre. Pa.
| AT the Pittsburg experimental station
| tests of the various dynamites and pow
| ders used In blasting coal will be made
| with view to accurately determining
their safety in the presence of the deadly
| fredamp and equally deadly coal dust.
Explosives Of all sorts will be hurled by
means Of a mortar into a mammoth boil
er-plate cylinder. which has previously
be carefully noted. II ignition fails after
severe tests the use of these explosives
will be urged upon the mine-owners OF
the country.
In Form Of Cylinder.
Part Of the experimental station in
| which the explosives are to be tested will
| be in the form Of a cylinder 100 feet long
and feet in diameter lying on the
ground. An explosive mixture of fire
damp and air in one case coal dust
and air in another will be pumped into the
| cylinder, and the explosive to be tested
will be shot into II from one end by a big
| steel mortar so that the fame and prod
ucts of combustion will go right into the
explosives.
Pittsburg was selected as the site for
the station because the government Is al
ready in possession Of available land and
buildings there. but this site is especia ly
favorable because 1t lie in the heart of the
eastern coal fields and in the state where
l .514 men lost their lives in the coal mines
in 1907. nearly half the total for the en-
tire United States. 1t is also an advan-
tage to have natural gas easily obtainabfe.
as this gas corresponds nearer to fire.
damp than any other.
Use Of Safety Valves.
The cylinder in which the explosions are
to occur are to be made Of heavy boiler
plate. Safety valves Will be placed all
along the top and will be left unfa stoned
in such manner that whenever there is
an explosion the valves will fly open upon
their hinges. A series Of portfolios on the
sides. covered with one-half-inch glass.
will enable those conducting the expert
ments to witness the explosions from the
observation house, sixty feet away The
steel motar which will hurl the explosives
into the cylinder will be fired by electrici-
ty from the observation house. which is
to be parallel with the cylinder itself.
While these tests are being conducted
| operators and miners will be invited to
! be present. In order that they will be
| able to clearly the explosions OF
gas or dust a piece of oil paper will be
placed across the face OF one of the
safety valves. with a piece of gun cot
| ton suspended about six inches away.
When an explosion occurs, the flames
will burn the oil paper and ignite the
gun cotton.
In connection with the experimental
station there will be miniature mine,
| with drifts. headings. rooms and lad
ders. This place will be filled with
| nY re wi ha
made with apparatus capable OF sustain
| ing life in these vapors. Miners will
| be taught how to wear TINS apparatus
| and how to save their comrades who
may be unconscious in the mine follow
! ing an explosion 1t is believed that
with some such apparatus in use last
| December. when 800 men were killed In
/ four mine explosions. a number of the
victims of these disasters might have
been saved had they been reached In
| time. AS 1t is now, following an ex.
| plosion. with the mine fliled with pol
| sonous vapors no one will venture in
| the mine for some time after the acci-
dent. sad illustration of this is seen
| in the explosion at Hanna, Wyo.. March
2S. in which seventy miners were killed.
No one has yet entered the mine. the
| bodies being still there.
Government Expert In Charge.
The Investigations will be conducted
by a trained mining engineer expe-
TlenCeQ III SUCH WOTk. lie station IT.
self will be in charge of Clarence Hall.
the governments explosive expert, with
DR.. Walter O. Smelling as explosives
chemist.
| The results OF the Investigations will
be published for the benefit of the mine
bureaus of the various coal producing
states. the mine owners and the miners
| themselves. Simple Instructions will be
issued from time to time t. the miners
in half a dozen different languages.
There is no intention of interfering in
any way with the inspection work OF
the state bureaus. The work is wholly
investigative In character and educa-
tional in purpose. 1t is the purpose Of
the United States .officiala to cooperate
with these bureaus to the extent of sup
plying information concerning the mys-
teries OF the catastrophies in the mines.
1t is expected that the results will be
accepted by the state bureaus as a
guidance to future state laws govern
ing the safety of miners.
Top Hats for Hire.
From the London Chronicle.