The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-18
LINE BOSSES AND OPERATORS
JOIN In "FIRST-AID' EFFORTS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 81

CONTINUED FROM PAGE D.
of 25 miners employed in the Delaware
and Hudson company's mine at Jermyn,
Pa, in 1899, / succeeded in organizing
the f1rst-aid corps for mine work in
America. The men assessed themselves,
took up collections and bought frst-aid
packets, books of instruction, bandages
and splints. The company was appealed
to but gave no encouragement. We had
monthly meetings, consisting of lectures
and drills, and in a short time 1 had an
efficient corps of frst-aid men in all parts
of that particular mine. Then, the 1900
strike coming on, interest was lost and
the corps became extinct.
1T was not until the summer of 1905
that 1 succeeded in getting any coal
company to take up this movement CAL
though I had persisted in my efforts so
strenuously for six years that I came to
be called the first-aid 'crank) when
Capt. w. A. May. general manager of
the Pennsylvania Coal company and the
Hillside Coal and Iron company. en-
gagged me to organize a first-aid corps in
each of the mines under his management,
numbering about 40. and employing, in
round numbers, 1900 The following
year, 1906, the Temple Iron company
took up this movement. and it has grad
ualy spread until all the coal companies
in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania
have inaugurated first-aid in some form
In or about their mines. Without boast
ing I feel that have the honor to have
originated this humane work in the coal
mines of America in 1899. and the Penn
sylvania Coal company, the Hillside Coal
and Iron company, Temple Iron company,
and the Philadelphia and Reading Coal
and Iron company were the first coal COM
panies to inaugurate this life-saving work
In a systematic way
The System Explained.
After having had charge, as medical
director of the organization and training
of first-aid corps of three large coal COM
panies, l feel that l can in no better
way tell how to organize and maintain
corps in coal mines than to detail the
system, plans, methods of training, etc,
by which they are kept up at the various
mines Of these three companies
1.-The mining operations of the three
companies were first divided into 70 dis
tricts, each of those districts having sew
eral colleries and a number Of openings.
A general foreman or superintendent was
placed in charge of each district and this
-/official arranged for a suitable CEN
trail hall, so as to be convenient for all
the men in the district as meeting place.
The hail. of course, Is large enough for
practice drills and stretcher work. One
employee in 20 was selected and invited to
attend the meetings, thus making about
BOO trained first-aid men.
Employees were selected along the fol-
lowing lines: Men who are in and about
the mines all day; men so selected as to
have a first-aid man in each section OF
the workings; several outside men, and
especially the driver of the ambulance;
men neither too old or too young; men
who stay with the company and not
transients; and intelligent foreigners.
This to inclue all classes of employees,
namely, inside and outside foremen, fire
bosses, inside bosses, engineers, pump
runners, breaker employees, miners and
iaborers.
Each of the corps met and adopted by
laws, elected its own officers of admins
tration, consisting of president, vice pres
ident and secretary, who administer Its
affairs under the general direction of the
company. The foremen and assistants,
In and outside and fire bosses, were re-
quested to have at least three of the men
under them present. Meetings were held
in each district once a month, excepting
the months of July and August. The
time of meetings is from 1880 to $3.50 p. m.
"Cards are given each member with the
place and date of each meeting during
the year signed by the general foreman
of the district. The meetings are called
to order by the president minutes read
by the secretary, and then l give them
a short talk on first-aid. illustrating by
charts. diagrams, Xrray plates Of fractures
and by painting the location of the prin-
cipal blood vessels and different i'm
portant organs on the body of the human
subject with colored crayons. I also IL
lustrate wounds in the same way.
1.-THE lecture is short say 30 minutes.
and is as free as possible of medical and
technical terms. Following the lecture
a demonstration is given on living sub
ject in bandaging, stopping hemmorrhages
or applying temporary splnts. This lasts
about half an hour. After that I have
the men themselves practive a SUBJ
lions as performing artificial respiration,
carrying the injured, dressing wounds, APP
plying splints to fractures, and stretcher
drill. The meeting Is closed with an 'ex-
perience' session, the men relating actual
experiences they have had during the
north past in dressing injuries. how they
did 1t, and as far as possible the results
obtained. the same being criticised and
discussed by all members present
Each member of the corps Is supplied
with first-aid packet rubber covert
which he carries constantly In his work.
ing coat and wears a Red Cross button.
-sFa is also supplied by the company with
a copy of my little 'First-Aid Hand Book.
Acontaining simple instructions and Illus
rations Of bandaging wounds and apply
Ing dressings to fractures; what to do
emergencies etc. The book is of pocket
size and contains not quite 100 pages.
The first-aid men also have access at all
times to the well-equippcd mine hospital
rooms. which are provided by the COM
pany."
!. DR.. Shields continued his lecture by
kf4lling Of flrst-aid contests, similar to con-
lists Of volunteer nrs companies and
pwing how such friendly rivalry stimu-
% interest in the work. He gave