Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-12-02
PLAN TO PREVENT
MINE DISASTERS
Coal Operator Would lmprlson
VlOlatOrs Of Mining Laws.
LkXITY IS TOO PREVALENT.
Colonel w. p. Rend Believes More
Drastic Laws Are the Only Remedy.
Favors Courts Imposing Severe Pun
ishment For Least Violation Of Rules

favors Courts Imposing severe run
ishment For Least Violation Of Rules
Colonel w. p. Rend. president of the
Rend Coal company and one of the
largest coal operators In Illinois. re-
Gently declared In speaking of the
catastrophe In the st. Paul coal mine
at Cherry. ILL.,. that in order to pre-
vent future disasters the courts should
be called upon TO send to prison for
long term of years any one who in
the slightest way neglects or violates
the coal mining laws
at makes no difference whether 1t
is the operator, the mine boss or
miner" said Colonel Rend. IF he vio-
Iares the law in the least respect,
thereby endaugering the lives of other
men. he should be sent to prison. As
things are now conducted. If Il mine
boss or anybody else violates the law
he is taken before "A justice of the
peace and given small tine. This
must be done away with Ii an in
spector finds the law being violated.
he should be able to have the violator
brought before the criminal court and
sent to prison for long period.
Pennsylvania has stringent laws of
this character. which We're brought
INTO pei.., after the last big mine nor
rOr, and one ma" 'Vas sent to prison"
In addition to advocating prison sen
tenceS for vioIators OF the mining laws.
Colonel Rend declared that every mine
should be compelled TO equip its tun-
nels and shafts with asbestus cur
tai ls. so that in event of fire they
c aid be quickly placed in corridor
md the fire held back until all of the
men had escaped.
Not only should they be compelled
to have asbestos curtains" he said,
but the mines should be equipped
with sandbags and cement with which
walls could he thrown up in the work
ingS TO stop the flames
Prison For Lighting Pipe.
another thing which should be In
sisted upon is that all powder and hay
should be lowered to the workings at
=
every miner should be compelled 70
use safety lamps In place OF the naked
ones now prevalent in Illinois. These
lamps should be carefully locked by
Il foreman before the miner enters the
pit, and any man seen trying To ez-
pose his lamp or tight a pipe or cigar
while I'm the mine should be at once
arrested aud sent to prison"
Colonel Reud also was emphatic in
saving that smokeless explosives only
should be used in the mines. and he
was more than emphatic III declaring
that th- miners must he forced To use
The explosives in such a way that no
blowout" shots can occur
Mine out Of ten explosions are
caused by blowout shots" he said
Very few are caused by gas or pow
der and blowout shots are simply the
result OF sh!ftlessness and laziness
How Explosions Occur.
In Il vein OF coal eight feet high
the miner should undercut il before
putting In the explosive and then put
In three or foUr small shots to bring
down the coal. Well. be won't do it
He simply bores . hole in the solid
coal. puts IN 4 big charge OF powder.
lamps II with coal dust instead OF
clay. which II usually just under biz
feet, and lets IL GO The result IS
that the charge is unable 10 break the
coal. and 1t blows out OF the hole And
when 1t comes out It comes as fame
The flame coming into contact with
coal dust in suspension causes n tor,
rife explosion. and there you are
Fatal Mistake 10 Msds
In speaking Of the recent disaater at
Cherry. III. Colonel Rend said thar il
seemed To him the fatal mistake was
made In reversing the fans after the
explosion had occurred
Now. 1t is evident" he said. that
the fire was caused by some one In
some way iSnitIng . bale OF hay
which was being sent down into the
pit At the time the fans were forcing
uir down into the mine. and when they
were reversed they began to draw the
air out of the mine. and naturally
drew the flames with the air down the
elevatinG SHAFT, through the main cor.
ridors and up the air shaft. Why the
fans were reversed is mystery to me.
And speaking OF the fans brings me
to another much mOotcd question.
which is simply this; Haven't we gone
too far in the matter Of putting in
fans: We have always thought that
the more fans the better ventilation.
but it Is II question whether all this air
we are sending into the mine doesn't
keep the coal dust suspended too much.
thus very highly increasing the dan
ger of explosions In all my mines |
have installed sprinkling systems in
order to keep the dust settled and thar
should be required by law in every dry
mine. | don't mean these automatic
sprinkling systems: just a hose and Il
couple of carts are all that is necessary
The keeping of the dust on the ground
and not in the air is necessary in order
to minimize the danger of explosions "
In conclusion MIR Rend said that
in all of his mines the shot frcrs had
explicit instructions not to Gre any
shots which were not properly laid