The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-02-26


proceeded On rs foaf 81 inspeetlen-
land visited numerous mine sinsht Dow.
en- and Mercer counties concIullirs
its trip on the twenty4sixth day u o.
tober.
4 On the sixth day Of December nine
teen hundred and seven. an explosion
occurred at Monongah miles Nos. G
and s. In Marion county. The chair
man called meeting of the commit
tee for the sixteenth day of December
at Fairmont, at which time the com
mittee met and visited tae scene of
the disaster. The miaes were total
wreck at that time. The comlI.'':, e
found Chief Mine Inspecto Pau snd
twelve district inspectors at wort ex-
lpIoring the mines. assisting in the re-
Icovery of the dead and looking after
the general conditions of the mines.
The conditions were such. both of tho
mines and those connected herewith
that 1t was impossible for The commit
tee to do anything at thar time. a;i'i
an adjournment was had until the fifth
day Of January, the time get for tie
commencement Of tae hearlug before
Coroner Amos at Fairn,ont. In the
meantime Chief Mine Inspector Harri-
son OF the State of Ohio. and three as
sistant inspectors were sent by the
governor of Ohio to rendec any ssist-
ance they could. Three inspectors
were also sent from the Sta.e Of Penn.
syIvania, and representatives OF the
United States Geological Survey ut
Washington were detailed to visit the
scene of the explosion. Thi:, explosion
at Monongah attracted worthwhile Al
tention, and representatives of for
eign governments went to Mcnouguh
to inspect the mines with view to
decided upon the cause of the cXDi2-
sion If possible.
On the fifth day of January the com,
mIttee met at Falrmont and attended
the hearing before Coroner amos.
They heard great part Of the .csti-
mony, and obtained transcript u: the
proceedings had and Testimony adduc-
ed before the coraner. BEEF ~ leaving
Fairmont, the committee loL the tes-
timory of Chief Mine Inspector TInrrl-
son. OF Ohio, bearing upon the matters
in issue.
Tie committee adjourned on Jann-
airy ninth, ole Thousand nire al
ton on January twenry.thir,.. at which
time the committee assembled,
from day to day took the Testimony OF
eight. to meet in the c.
) divers persons, including Grief Mine
Inspector Paul and eleven district
) mine inspectors. and concIude.l rl'
, taking of testimony on the third day
OF February one thousand nine hun.
dred and eight.
!. In the Investigations made by the
: committee thus far, it has taken more
: than one thousand pages OF testimony
touching the matters specifically re-
quired to be reported upon; besides
procuring many papers. documents,
maps and material, which have been
made a part of the record, and which
tend to throw light upon the subject
under investigation. The labor devolv'
ing upon your committee is manifold
greater than was contempli led by tt.
Legislature. at the time of It's creation.
At that time, the Fairmont Coal Com
pany's mines we're regarded as models
both in equipment and the means enl'
ployed to secure safety for Its nlners.
1t was even held out to the legisla'
ture-when the Legislature was at
tempting to pass new mining law
that the Farmont Coal Company had,
on its own motion and for Its safety,
adopted almost all the safety require
ments of the proposed mining act. be
fore the act was passed. 1t seemed
at that time the Fairmont Coal Com
pany was ever alert TO adopt and SUI
ply any machinery which is believed
would make the mines safe, and that
company felt secure from calamitirs
that had occurred at other mines. Yet
in the midst of that security, and
while this company was pointing with
pride to its mines as models Of equip
ment and management ard safety
there came an explosion, on Derembel
9Th, 1907, in Nos. and 8, =: Monon
gah, that in awful results suppressed
the greatest explosion In the history
of the world, save possibly one. This
is given as an Illustration o. the fact
that in our most modern equipped
mines, turks danger which science
has Yet to discover. This explosion
Immediately attracted the attention Of
operators, chemists ard scientists, moi
only in the different States of the I'm
ion, but of the Federal government
and even foreign countries sent or
perts to ascertain, IL possible, tbs