Evening star., 1908-01-10
M I N E DISASTERS
FRENCH EXPERTS INVESTIGAT-
ING CAUSE.

No explanation of the cause Of the re-
cent fatal mine explosions in this country
is offered by two French experts sent
over by their government VINO have been
investigating the disasters since Decem-
Der II and who are now in Washington.
The investigators are jacques Taffanel OF
the French department of mines. and
Paul Dunaime OIL the Arzin mines. These
engineers have visited the scenes of the
disaster at Darr Pa. Monongah, w. Va.
and Naomi. Pa.
Copious notes of all the conditions pre-
cedent to and during the disasters have
been taken by the experts and when they
return home they will formulate the
ory on what still remains one of the mys-
teries of mining. The French govern
ment since the great disaster at Cour-
riers. when thousand lives were lost.
has determined to solve the problem. and
now an appropriation of S6oUoo has been
made by that government for an expert
ment station where conditions accom-
panying explosions may be reproduced
and causes isolated and determined. with
view to preventing such causes and
minimizing the dangers of the miner
life.
AS it is. ~ Taffanel says that mining
is far safer in France than il is in this
country, though the mines are more dan-
gerous. since they are deeper and con-
tain more dust and firedamp. The laws
in France are stIicter than they are here,
he says and the quality of powder which
he has seen used in American mines would
not be permitted in France. Proper
tions of number of men employed and
amount of coal mined being eGualiZed
America kills three miners to France
one. The experts say that if American
mines were operated under French laws
they would be the safest in the world
They are consulting with officials OF the
geological survey.
causes a German is in the city with an
apparatus which faces conditions. He has
a helmet like that used by divers, con-
nected with a cylinder of oxygen and g
cylinder of potash tablets. these latter
carried on the back in knaDsack fashion
With this apparatus a man can enter
mine and work in the midst of firedamp
rescuing men who have been overcome
and bringing them out for reSuscitatlon
The apparatus will supply air for two
hours without reioading. under a pressure
of l2J atmospheres. Six thousand liters.
or 10000 cubic feet. of air are supplied
hourly the carbonc acid given off from
the lungs being absorbed In the potash
tablets carried in the second cylinder. The
helmet fits over the face alone, leaving
the back of the head and the ears ex-
posed. a pneumatic cushion around the
rim of the headpiece making it alr-tight
when inflated.
This apparatus has been in use for four
years by the Ge rman government and has
been used for rescue work in many mine
accidents Only one mine in this coun-
try-the Boston and Montana-uses II
though it has been adopted by eight Mex
lean companies.
In Germany majority of the mine
workers are trained in the use of the ap-
paratus. which is very simple. SO that
they may gain confidence and be avail
able to form rescue parties xat any time
Al the recent disaster in Jacobs Creek
Walter E. Mingramm. in charge of the
apparatus. says he was not permitted to
join the rescue work at the mine. though
he volunteered TO enter and see if there
were not still hope that some of the en-
tombed men were in such condition that
resuscitation was possible. He reached
the mine about twenty-four hours after
the explosion. but entry to the pit was
denied him. he says, though he was the
only man who could possibly enter and
discover whether hope must be given up