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

l.IAr luA 81 ~ N|-'Ntte. ."" ~ e a.
ordefto repprt fuliy On I the nat
tors equired 81 i 8 il.s your Cons
mItfee feds that 4 has moi had tlna
u pFoeare ali the data neeessar for
u complete ana fulI fepor Such 4
report Is contemplated By the resnlps
lions, and as the subject matter cd.
mits, can only be made after the Com,
mittee has acquired all the evidence
possible to be acquired and many days
of close hard work upon such facts.
Inasmuch. however, as the Commit.
tee is desired. in response to the gov.
errors request, to give ne legisla-
ture partial and preliminary report
of its work and the conclusions so
far reached. it submits the following
upon the special subjects required to
be reported up:
First whether said Stuart Mine
was being operated in violation of
llaw, and If SO. in what part is was be
Ing so operated"
Your Committee finds that the Stu
art mine, at the time. OF the explosion
on January 18th, 1907, and for some
time prior thereto, was being operated
in violation OF the law. This mine was
shaft mine and had only one opening.
The law requires that In mines of this
kind not more than twenty men should
be allowed to work In the mine at one
time. At the time the explosion took
place, more than twenty men were
working In the mine. In fact, at the
time of the explosion. according to the
Testimony. there were about eighty
four men working in he mine. Those
conditions seem to have existed prior
to June 3oth. 1906. rs appears from
the report of the district mine inspec.
tor fled In the office Of the mine de-
partment, and to have existed until
the explosion. Your Committee is un.
able to say. from its Investigation, or
the evidence submitted, that this vio-
latIon of the law caused the explosion,
or in any way contributed to 1t, or
that the loss of life would nave been
any less, or the explosion less destruc.
tive, II there had been more than one
opening,
Just prior to the explosion cage
filled with men came out OF the mine
and all these men were examined by
this committee. Their testimony
shows that the ventilation Cf the mine
was good and that there was no evi.
dence OF danger or gas at the time
they left the mine.
Second: This cause of tn. disaster
at said Stuart Mine and other like dis.
asters within the recent past"
Your Committee is of opinion that
the Stuart Mine explosion was a gas
explosion. There seems, rowever to
be difference of opinion as to the
cause of this explosion. On the one
hand 1t is claimed that the initial cause
was blown out shot which ignited
gas that seemed to have been present
in the mine, or that was developed by
the shot, causing the expression. On
the other hand. 1t is the opinion OF
the chief mine inspector thst the igni.
ton Of gas occurred in room No. 4
off third left entry. commonly known
as "Dick Lee" entry, and that it was
caused by a blown out shot. but that
the gas was ignIted by an open lamp.
So it is apparent to the committee
from the testimony taken in this case
that II gas was present in this mine
in the Dick Lee" entry-sufHcient to
have caused the explosion that occur.
red, 1t must have been present in dan.
gerous quantities at the tine the IRE
boss made his rounds in the morning
prior to the explosion, and that he
either failed to visit this entry, or
made wrong report or the air may
have been short circuited BY reason OF
door or brattice being left open,
causing an accumulation of gas be.
yond that point
Your committee finds that the ex.
plosion at Thomas mine No. %. where
twenty-five men were killed, was a gas
explosion. the gas being ignited by op.
] en- lamps carried by men who went in.
to the mine to work. This conclusion
is borne out by the testimony of Mr..
Lee OFT, superintendent of this mine.
who admitted that The fan had not
been running for ten or twelve hours.
nor had the mine been properly in
: spected on the morning of the explo.
sion; that the explosion took place
between 6 and Z o'clock on Monday
) morning, when the men were suppos.
ed to go to work at Z o'clock; and fur
Their, that there was no ventilation in
the mine at the time the explosion
took place and that small gas feed
+ or had been discovered in the mine on
! Saturday before. This explosion &C.