Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1909-01-22
THE MINE DISASTER
Governor Dawson Raps Inves-
tigating Jury.

bSo lAhS July
Charleston, w. Va, January II.
-Referring to the mine disaster i'm
West Virginia during the past two
years, Gov. w. NJ. q. Dawson, in
his biennial message, raps the
coroner's jury which held the mine
operator blameless i'm the Lick
Branch explosion December %, and
says in part:
A PUZZIING VERDICT.
II had hoped we would get through
the year without another serious dis
aster; but, on the 10Th of last month,
an explosion occurred in the Lick
Branch mine in Mcdowell county,
owned by the Pocahontas CONSOLIDATE
ed Galleries Company, whereby fifty
men lost their lives. The
coroner's jury rendered verdict that
the cause OF the explosion was not
| known, but which declared none of
the mine people blameworthy. Just
how the jury could arrive at that
result is little puZzling. If the
cause of the disaster was not known
it would seem impossible to know
that no one was to blame for il. The
fact is that Investigations bycoroner's
juries into mine disasters rarely
amount to anything.
THAT the appalling loss of iife
and the great destruction of property
occurring in this country, and
especially in West Virginia, in con-
nection with the mining of coal,
can be very greatly reduced there can
be no doubt whatever. The cause of
the large loss of life in WestVirginia
cannot be charged to want of efIici-
ency in the department. of mines.
1.-The remedy is very largely i'm
the hands of the owners of the
mines. If they were responsible for
the loss of life, they would take
moIe care in employing properly
equipped superintendents at the
mines and take more pains To see
that these men did their duty. They
would not allow shooting Off the
solid and other such dangerous prac-
tices The effect of the decision of
our Supreme Court of Appeals, that
when the operator of mine en-
ployes fire-boss who is supposed to
be competent man, the operator is
not chargeable with his negligence,
ought TO be overcome by statute; or
else the employment of the men who
are to have charge of the mine
should be supervised by the State
SHOULD BE PECUNIARIL.Y
RESPONSIBLE.
| "If the operators were pecuinarilv
responsible for the loss of life in
the mines they would have their
mines insured, and the insurance
companies would inaugurate n sys-
tenn of safeguarding against such loss
in an effective way, because they
would refuse TO insure or To keep in
sured mine which would not OBJ
serve proper rules and regulations
and was not kept in fit condition.
That most OF these accidents are pre-
ventable, and that the loss of life
and property can be very greatly
reduced, there is no shadow of doubt (:
but this result cannot be obtained
by State inspection alone.
"a superintendent of large col
iery of this State has urged me To
recommend TO the Legislature the en-
actment OF a law which will pro-
hibt any one taking Intoxicating
liquors TO or in mine, or offer the
same To any one employed about
mines while on duty; and that will
prohibit any superintendent, or other
person inauthority or engaged in any
, duty about mine, and any miner,
from drinking such liquors or being
under their influence, while on duty,
or at work in or about mine. lie
says he has had twenty years eX-
preience in mine superintendent, be-
lieves that whiskey is the cause of
the majority of mine accidents; that
he has tried TO prevent the practice,
but cannot do SO in the absence of
law prohibiting it. The statement of
this gentleman strikes me as we'll
worthy of consideration"
Life 100000 Years Ago.