Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-02-03
NINE RESCUE WORK.
Geological Survey win Instruct
Miners In Use Of Apparatus.
WOULD REDUCE FATALITIES.

a.vsrnment Plans to Assign to sew.
.,aI Coal Regions Trained Engineers
Who Will Be Equipped With Oxygen
g.lmets and Show Picked Men How
to,Uss Same.
CARVING out its efforts to reduce the
amber of fatalities In coal mines. the
limited States geological survey Is
.hout TO establish rescue stations in
ne principal coal fields of the country
!, addition to the experiment station
already in Pittsburg. The new sta
inns will be at or near the center of
he greatest accidents, and 1t viii be
he purpose of the experts to teach
tbe miners and the mine bosses how to
use the most approved apparatus for
mine rescue work.
Government mining engineers thor.
oushly trained in the use of rescue an
aFatus will be assigned to those sta
tlons and they will be ready at a mo-
ments notice to go to any place in
their respective districts. The experts
win be equipped with oxygen helmets.
which will enable them to enter a mine
At once, even though it is filled with
Gas or smoke. These stations also will
be headquarters of the engineers for
the study of the waste of coal in min
ina, one of the important problems be-
fore the geological survey.
II Is the intention to have every sta
ton fitted with an air tight room
where gas can be generated. The coal
mining companies are to be invited to
send picked men to those stations,
where they will be trained by the gov
eminent experts in the use of the oxy-
gen helmets. 1t is not the purpose of
the government to engage in general
rescue work, but rather to demonstrate
that apparatus until such time as the
mine owners have thoroughly trained
rescue crews at their mines. All the
rescue stations are to be erected in CO.
operation with the mine owners and
state geological surveys.
One of the rescue stations will be in
UEbana. ILL.,, in connection with the
University of Illinois. 1t will take
care Of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan.
Iowa. northern Missouri and western
Kentucky.
A second station probably will be in
Ration n. NJ, TO cover New Mexico,
Colorado, Utah. Wyoming and Mon
tana The largest coal output in New
Mexico and Colorado comes from the
Trinidad field, which is Immediately
accessible to Ration. a second station
Is suggested for that district, to be in
Salt Lake City. That station will be
central for the several Utah fields and
vii be accessible to the Montana fields
and also the Washington fields.
The coal fields of Oklahoma. Arkan-
sas and southwestern Missouri will be
taken care of by station in the neigh
bOrhOod of South McAlester, Okla.
Several places are suggested for the
station to cover Alabama, Tennessee,
Virginia, eastern Kentucky, Georgia
4AA oOuluSAu west VII Slu1h. OuC plaAu
g to establish a station in Knoxville,
Tenn. in connection with the Uniyer-
sity Of Tennessee, which is in Knox
Vile and has u mining course. Biz
mngham, Ala. and Lexington, Ky.
also have been suggested for the STA
non In that district.
George s. Rice. mining engineer. will
have general charge of all mining in
qniries in the stations, and J. W. Paul.
fOrther state mine inspector of West
Virginia, will have supervisory charge
OF all rescue work. In the stations not
only will opportunity be given to the
miners to become familiar with the
rescue apparatus. but safety lamps Of
all designs will be tested III the pres
ence of the miners and the mine own
ers