New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-07-08
10 PROTECT MINERS
Cause Of Coal Mine Explosions
viii Be Sought.
PROJECT CT THE GOVERNMENT

Spectacular Tests to Be Made With
Gas, Damp and Dust-WiII Fire Ex-
piosives into Great iron Cylinders.
Rescue Appliances to Be Tested In
Miniature Mine Filled With Fumes.
Spectacular experiments to determine
the causes of explosions in coal mines
are to be made by the federal govern
ment at Pittsburg within few weeks.
The buildings of the old arsenal estab-
lished there during the second war
with Great Britain are to be turned
into an experiment station, at which
the mine experts of the technologic di-
vision of the geological survey are to
set their wits to work on the problem
OF how to prevent the further increase
Of the toll Of human lives given in ex-
change for the fuel supply.
During 1907, all told, 5000 mine
workers were killed as against 2,051 in
1906. From unofficial estimates based
on incomplete returns received by the
officials of the division which is to con-
duct the experiments sixteen men were
killed or injured each workday of 1907,
says Washington special dispatch to
the New York World. During last June
twenty three miners were killed and
thirty injured in and about Wilkes
barre
The government experts suspect that
many of the explosions are caused by
the dynamites and blasting powders
employed by the miners. Therefore
their first tests will be to accurately
determine the relative safety of these
explosives when fred where there is
deadly fire damp or the dangerous dust
resulting from the breaking up of the
deposits Of coal or both.
For that purpose explosives Of all
sorts will be hurled into huge cylin-
der made of boiler plate filed with
natural gas, which chemically is very
nearly like fire damp. The explosives
Will be hurled from mortar into the
cylinder, which will be hundred feet
long and six feet in diameter. In order
that 1t may not be blown to pieces
each time charge OF explosive is fired
into it the cylinder will be provided
with a large number Of valves so con-
htved that they will open when the
pressure reaches point considerably
below that at which the destruction of
the cylinder might reasonably be ex-
pected. If ignition fails after severe
tests, the use of the explosives that
fail to fire the gas will be recon-
mended.
A supposedly explosive mixture Of
fire damp and coal dust will be fired
into. So will supposedly explosive
mixture Of coal dust and air. The ques-
ton whether such mixtures are really
Of an explosive character will be thor
oughly thrashed out. Many mine own
ers insist that mine dust is not explo-
sive; that the worst it will do is to
burn after there has been an explosion
Of gas or fire damp.
The steel trust officials having charge
Of it's mining operations believe dust
damp and gas are all explosive So
believing, they have hired gas well
drillers to bore holes into all their
mines to form vents from which gas
and dust may be blown by the power
full fans that supply pure air. The trust
is spending hundreds of thousands of
dollars In such safety work. The holes
are from twelve to eighteen inches in
diameter.
Miners and operators will be invited
to witness the tests at Pittsburg. In
order that they may see the effect of
the firing into the mixtures of dust and
damp or dust and air one Of the safety
valves will be covered with Oil paper.
Six inches from it small quantity Of
gun cutton will be placed. II the mix
ture inside the cylinder explodes, the
resulting flames will burn out the oil
paper, and then, to make assurance
doubly sure, the gun cotton will be
there to give evidence Of the force OF
the explosion. If it is a light one, the
gun cotton will not be set off, If it is
a heavy one, as expected, the gun cot
ton will also be exploded.
Another set Of experiments will be
made with safety appliances to be
worn by members Of rescuing parties.
A miniature mine, with drifts, head
ings, rooms and ladders, will be con-
structed and then filed with smoke or
gas, so as to make the test Of the res
cue apparatus as near as possible like
that to which it would be subjected in
real mine.
A Puzzle to the Athletic World.
Tom Longboat, Canada's long dis
lance runner and probably the most
feared man in the Olympic Marathon,
is puzzle to the athletic world. Two
wears 400 he mao l1nknnwn On