The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-10-21
COAL COMP PANlES
GETTING CARELESS
Mine Inspector Petit Discusses
Matter i'm His Quarterly
Report.
SPRINkLING OF MINES
IS BEING NEGLECTED
Law Also Being Violated Re-
garding Taking of Blasting
Powder Underground.

Conditions in some of the coal mines
Of the state. as shown by State Coai
Mine Inspector J. u. Pettit's quarterly
report, submitted to Governor John -
Cutler Tuesday, are not what 'hey
might be. The report was in the shape
of copies Of letters sent to the coai
mines at fault, calling their attenuon
TO their shortcomings and this propaoly
will be sufficient TO bring about
remedy of the faulty conditions,
Mr. Petit calls the attention OF the
Union Pacific Coal company OF Chey-
enne. Wyo,, to conditions in Pleasant
valley mine No. ?, in the following Ian
guage: :. ,,,.
moderately done. Several dry places
were found in this mine. L desire 10
suggest that it is false economy to cut
down the watering expenses IN these
mines, as the dust is Of highly eN'
plosIye nature.
s'This was proved 10 be the case ON
the night of August IA, when the night
shift in the third back south entry had
drilled and put in charges In i've hooles.
They fired four of the holes, intending
TO fire the fifth one, located on the right
RIB, later. But all of the five holes eh-
ploded, raising some dust and formlnG
il into n fame extending out forty feet
along the entry, dnd slightly burning
two back entry men.
Might Have Been Fatal.
The entry had been watered the day
before. Mr., Petit says. else there might
have been fatal explosion, as the
flames, as 1T was, licked up all the fine,
dry dust that had begun TO settle on the
floor of the mine.
This company also has been guilty Of
violating the law relating TO the guam
tity of powder each mau is allowed TO
bring into the mine at one time, Mr..
Petit saws that he found in some OF
the rooms as many as three or four full
cans of powder. The law allows only
one can, containing q maximum or SIX
and one-fourth pounds, to be brought
into the mine at one time.
At the mine of the Rees-Grass Creek
Coal company, at Grass Creek, Mr.. Pet
tit found that some of the miners han
been allowed TO take twenty five"
pound keg Of powder into the mine at
one time. The storing of Gilsonlte IN
large quantities III the mines of the Gil
son Asphaltum company of Dragon, this
state, is condemned by the inspector.
All tho approaches from the return
airway to the fan in mine No. l of
built of lumber. Mr.. Petit says, and
should fire start no part could be
saved He suggests the use of sheet
metal in the building of future fans and
other similar buildings.
Another Suggestion.
Mr.. Petit also urges the Union Fuel
company of Ogden to secure safety
lamps for its Grass Creek mines, as it is
possible that fire damp may be en-
countered at the depth attained in these
mines He criticises the Winter Qaur-
ter mines for allowing smoke and dust
to accumulate in the passages, and ad-
vises the improvement of the system
of ventilation.
The Four Point mines at Kenilworth
have been running without an ane.
mometer, an instrument for measur.
ing the quantity of air in circulation,
and the inspector advised the manage
ment TO install one of these iustru-
ments. The quantity of air in circula-
tion should be ascertained once a week
and reported to the mine inspector, with
the number employed in the district, on
or before the 10Th of each month.