The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-26
MINING EXPERTS MAKE THEIR REPORT Look to Reduction In Deaths In
 CeaI Mines MAKE RECON MEN NDATlONS Report is Transmitted to President. Will Aid Congress in Providing Better Laws for Safety in
 American Mines.
MAKE RECON MENDATIONS

Washington, October 25-(speeial)- )-The three foreign mining experts, Capt. Ar thur Desborough of England, Victor Wat teyne of Belgium and Carl Meissner of Germany, who came to this country six weeks ago at the invitation of the United States government to assist the federal authorities in inaugurating a movement looking toward a reduction of the num- Der of deaths in American mines, have presented their report to Secretary Gar 1 field of the interior department. The report was at once transmitted to i President Roosevelt with letter from the secretary, which stated that "the rec concentrations of the experts will be of the highest importance in aiding Congress and the different state governments in providing legislation which will insure more deficient and careful operation of coal mines, by the adoption of mining methods and safety appliances that will materially aid in preventing the terrible losses of life that have occurred through mine explosions in recent years.
 
 extensive Investigations now being con- ducted by the technoiogio branch of the geological survey, and shows the vital Importance of studying in a thoroughly scientific, and at the same time practical, way the conditions under which the more than 50O,00O coal miners are daily risking 1 their lives"
 l President Roosevelt was much impressed l by the report and ordered that 1t be printed immediately as a bulletin by the geological survey and distributed among 1 the coal mine operators and miners in the hope that the recommendations may lead to the saving of. human life.
 Principal Recommendations The principal recommendations of the experts are in brief as follows:
 We recommend that the government of the United States examine the ex- ploslves now and hereafter used in mn- ing, with view to eliminating the more dangerous explosives. and to improving and standardizng such explosives as may be considered most suitable for such use. these to be designated by the govern l ment permissible explosives i We recommend that the operators and miners of coal use only such explosives i as are included in list of permissible explosives when the same has been pub lished by the government in all mines where there is risk of igniting either dust or gas. selecting that one which their own experience indicates can be used to the l best advantage under local conditions
 We also recommend that investiga- tions be conducted to determine the amount of charge of such permissible ex- plosives' which may be used to the best advantage under different conditions with i a view to reducing danger to the mini mum.
 "All explosives should be made into cartridges and placed in closed recep- tacles before being carried into the mine, and the quantity carried into the mine during one day by any miner should be limited as nearly as practicable to the quantity needed by him for use during the day. Handling loose explosives and making them into cartridges by an open light in the mine should be prevented.
 "Detonators or caps should be handled with great care. and should be carried only by limited number of responsible 1 persons.
 Shooting in or off the solid should not be practiced. The use of very deep shot holes should be avoided as unnecessarily dangerous.
 A Larger Charge.
 ''The use of larger charge than is re- quired to do the work satisfactorily should also be avoided.
 Shots should never be tamped with or other suitable material should be SUD- plies and used for this purpose.
 ''The firing of two more shots in one working place except simultan- eously, should not be allowed un- til sufficient interval has elapsed between the firings to permit an examination of the working place in or- der to see whether any cause of danger has arisen
 should be removed from the working ! place, as far as practicable, and the coal dust on the floor, sides and roof, for a distance of at least 20 yards from the place where the shot is to be fired, should be thoroughly wet, unless 1t has been demonstrated that the dust in the mine is not infiammable.
 "If gas is known to occur in the mine. no shot should be fired until, in addition to the watering, an examipation made im- mediately preceding the time for firing, ! by a competent person using a lamp which will easily detect per cent of gas, has shown the absence of that amount of gas from all spaces within 20 yards of the l point where the shot is to be fired. | Electric Shot Firing.
 Believing that such will be one of the ! greatest advances which can be made in 1 safeguarding the lives of the miners, we j recommend the adoption of a system of electric shot-flring, in all mines where practicable, by which all shots in tlie mine, or in each ventilation district of the mine, may be fired simultaneously, at 6 time when all miners and other employees l are out of the mine.
 l "In all coal mines where explosives are used, it is desirable, and in all mines con- taining gas 1t Is highly important, that l the dust on Nhe walls timbers and floors of the working places and roadways should be kept continually wet prior to