The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-26
ARTICLES DESIRED
ON THE FREE LIST
Coal Mine Inspector Petit
Writes to Utah's Senator'S
Concerning Matter.
RESCUE APPLIANCES AND
SAFETY LAMPS INCLUDED
Not Made in This Country, and
the Tariff Makes Price
Too High.

j. f. Petit. state coal mine IN
spector. has sent a communication TO
Senators Reed Smoot and George Suth'
erland urging them to use their efforts
10 have mine rescue appliances aud
safety lamps placed on the free list,
Mr.. Pettit's communication 10 the
Utah senators follows the receipt OF a
communication from J. y. Holmes, head
of the technologic branch of the geo
logical survey at Washington, accom-,
panied by memorandum. beng usep
BY Senator II. NJ Simmons. IN an ct-
fort 70 have these appliances placed
on the free list in ihc tariff bin now
receiving consideration at the nanas Oh
the national congress.
This memorandum shows That inc
number of men killed in mine accidents
in this country has been steadily IN
creasing for the last fifteen years, In
complete records for 1907 show that
300 men were killed and three times
as manv more were in iured in the mines
Of the United States in that veal
The Introduction OF the rescue apPN-
ances and the more general use OF safety
lamps in gaseous mines VIII materially
reduce this loss Of life and injury. 1t
manufactured here in satisfactory
form. neither arc they likely TO be pro-
duced here. until there is q larger dc
mand. Satisfactory appliances are made
now only IN Germany, England, France
aud Belgium, and while the price Is
not high, still the usual tariff duty
makes the aggregate cost almost pro-
hibitiye. If they can he placed on
the free list here for few wears. suf-
ficicni quantities VIII he used TO demon
strate their valuc aud create a demand,
Mr. Holmes thinks, and they viii then
be produced IN this country AT prices
which will bring them within reach
even OF the smaller mines
Value Of Appliances.
The memorandum sets ont that the
special feature OF he rescue appara tus
= that 1t supplies to the wearer a sut-
flclent amount OF oxygen which.
# breathcd by the wearer or operator.
enables bin 20 spend at least two hours
exploring q mine full OF poisonous gases.
and 70 repeat this experience Indefinite
y by coming out of the mine. q suf-
ficieDt length of time 10 replace the
exhausted oxygen cylinders with new
cylinders rcplenished with another two
hours supply of oxygen.
Rescue appliances in the form Of spc-
clal breathing apparatus arc now man
utactured al two or more places i'll Eng
laud and the same number of places
IN Germany. tho memorandum SETS out.
but 10 satisfactory types are made
here, neither are there any pIaps
IN existence for their manufac-
turc here. The value Of At least
two types OF this apparatus, one
IN England and the other in Germany.
has been recently demonstrated in the
successful fighting and eytjuguishing OF
Dot less than one dozen fires in coal
mines through the efforts OF the gov.
erDment experts, who are investigating
the causes OF mine explosions and in
the resDce Of several lives following a
few Of the recent mine disasters. it.
II set out. aud Ii is believed that with
more general use of the apparatus in
me United states large number of
the existing coal mine fires could he
easily oXtinguished and many mine OK.
plosious prevented.
Nine safety lamps are intended for
use IN mines where fire. damn or otbe-
dangerous minc gases exist. The MON
orardum sets out that no types of these
lamps are being manufactured here. but
satisfactory lamps are being turned out
IN Germany. Belgium. England and
Franco. i bese lamps range in price in
the countries whore thew are manufac
tured from 50 70 50 apiece. but the
tariff makes the price prohibitive here.
i he cost or two sets Of mine rescue m
paratus. complete, ready for use. Is only
about $1,000 in Germany or EnoIsnd
where they are made, but the tariff dutv
on them here keeps them out of fhis
country.