The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-07-31
'll!|||!|!|!g| J On:
sl1 k&4S srIy ,iI Il 5rst.. ~ III, ~ -
CHIEgts CAUSE OF DISASTER ri
&. si d SAdrE MINES. &.s N. l.t$S
Chtief Al1ne psoector Paul Crittcises
Mtne l,pehpss for Employing H. I
i Fore igners y1Ffiot4Asas*,s
~ onske4 for Exphsoss. N',G

~ ~" t{ftsEFss': ~ y. SC <, Rtj26 e -
: Inexperienced and ignorant work.
men, recruitsain foreign fields for, Ia
! Dor In tho tnes Of West sVts@inia,
are IN q iafHsx degree held response
bic for sthaSd disastrous maaes sxplo-
d sfonS which4have occurred; With al
/ afnaing - rahldity In the last aths&e
] ySArss bySJRHkes w. Paul, chief OF the
department. SdS mines, in his annual
REPORT juat eaed. ~ rs. aff :: sS4'552s
Etss:Bor seyerat ears, in his annnaIirsv
p0fts, Chiet has referred TO the
importationtOf unskilled, workmen In
to the stateSns one of the greatest
elements pfsdahger to The coal indus
/, try; but in Shtsl last report his remarks
are more ftfeible than on former oc-
casions. :. Dissassing the large NUM- !,
her Of Aliens ployed.in the mines,
Chief Paul says; .., - r. , 7
IAN eftort3has been made to ascer-
tain the number Of the different ma
ktionalities that are employed within
the mines oIathe state, but owing to {
incomplete reports made by some Of T
THE Operators the effort has been only
lpartially, successful. Out OF total /
lsof 5Ss209 persons employed the ma
I tionaltty3 is $repnrted upon "A ,094, and
of this nnIber there are ,20,4O9
Iiwhite Americans, 9,9O8 Negroes, g.
1885 Italtans4es. Huns, 1,548 Po-
tlish and 3,51S employees Of "a other
= nattoAa titles, '"'~~ =. /. !, s.l|
/ With such a heterogeneous mass
4 Of hamanity,sa large part Of which
Is lacking IN Smining skill and knoW1-'
I edge Of MINING conditions, it Is not
gsnrpristnG that mine disasters occurs
(which RhockaS the, public mind and
kibie mish the:4f9ir name of the state.
!, f'Ehe n1tnings5d ustry Of the state-.is
Epassngs through It's most crucialj Pc
5EriGd-+fh tha .tSansitionU from English.
speaking wprkmen to the tongues Of
' many European countries, whose
Esubiects area menace to the safety
of a mine. ,N}$%$.,, IL. ~
| UntiI q rev generation is had,
: (which has taken on the intelligence
Of a practical inine worker, and which
EembFaces@ the teaching, of American
Einstitue4ona,x there will remain a fac-
ttoFl s9t2 dan sen Within onrNmipess that
Legislation cannot easily eliminate,
: EAs.; the1 weakest link measures the
Estreagth Of g. chain, the most incom-
petent; and unSkilled mine worker es3
Etabttshea the safety withih a natnes2sa !.
10 In CON Feectiesa with, this, the annu-
!. !, af report Oft her depar tmert 20 shows
Ethat for, the pasbesaven years, fsem
1901 to 1907, inclusive, 9O9 persons
Ehave been killed IN the. mines within,
this state who have had less than
20
with less. than five years experience,
EWhtle only; 366Ghaye persisted who
J have had from *stx to ten years expe-.
rience beneath gthe ground. Since
1883 the average loss of life within
efthe mines for every 1000 persons
= employed has been 4.53. For the
. past year the ratio was 734. .
During the past year from the 1888
: producing mines, operated; by 1856
> firms, togethert with small country
mines, the coal produced was 40
{ 040,311 gross tons Of spot value
or $42 ,O42, 326.55, The coke manu-
4 featured was 3,828,O49 tons Of val
lie Of $8,767 ,606.21. The Kanawha-
New River field. dad with a. produce
= ton Of 13,637,951 tons, while the
y ond with totalgtonnage of. IL 1885,
! 146; tons; During the year 1903
! machines were 4h use in $50 mines
> and produced 14,548,183 TONS, or
a 1854 per cent. 4of the total produc-
ton, while they gave, employment to-
y I2,248 workmen.
r. Forty~three companies in the state
. each produced oyer zoo, 900 tons Of
q Focal, the Fairmont company leading
4 with productions of A,164,337 tons
Iand the New River company second
g. with q production Of 1,837533 tons
tine total tonnage by counties was as
follows: 4 ~" .:,..
Barbour, 776j245.
Brooke, 26,997.
Braxton. 55,774.y.
Clay, 6O,252. n. a.,
:, Fayette, 7,277,297.
Grant, 271 ,542.
J.. Gilmer, 312. 49,:
:. Greenbrier, 31,978.
HANCOCK, rs, $50.
= Harrison, 3,343,319.
Kanawha, 4,626,1O1.
/, T., Lincoln, II, $50.
Lewis, 5,528.
Il Logan, 740,607.
d Marion, 3,619,784.
| Marshall, 56o,427.
III Mason, 93,211.#
III Mcdowell, 8,123,899.
\ Mercer, 2,009,522.
Mineral, 6O7,172.
Mingo, 1,867.100..a q. -.,
Mnnonpa1ia >2AI9koR