The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-01-08
M. Ia RE


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS tACLi thty ShIeS0
Towering the temper turs Of the min
and placing II nearer destructio ~!
enabling the ait to carry q greater pc
cent. Of dust, which Is manufactures
while the mine is In operation.
Witness the condition at Mariana
one OF the highest and best yentilatet
mines in the country: water lines lait
all through It; the mines washed ever,
day. A more dangerous condition coult
not have been Invented in taa wintel
season than this one. It Is no wonder
lttblew up, as soon as cold weathe,
came. The great wonder is that 4
did not blow up sooner. n Il
Look at Afonongah; NOS and No. 8
and Darr. the best and most highly
ventilated mines in the country. all
destroyed in the winter season. The
Monongahs blew up at 1926 a. m,
Darr at 1920 a. nl- and Mariana a,
ll1:54 a. IN. They were all destroyed
at time In the day waen the greatest
tamount Of dust was. I in suspension,
when all the men were at work. Why
Is It the very best mines In the ,coun.
try are being destroyed flrst7 It h
because natural law is violated in
these mines, to a greater extent. Il
To counterfeit these, conditions the
snrlnkllng. spraying and washing OF
mines should DO stopped at ,oncc, be
cause 1t Ia very expensive. 1t is I'M
practical and renders the mine more
dangerous by lowing the temperature
and enabling the atmosphere to carry
q greater per cent. OF dust. II also
has a tendency to weaken the roof Of
the mines and mako It moro danger.
Gus from falls Of roof slate. 1t is a
very very dangerous practice in every
respect and should be prohibited by
law. 8.
TO connteract the. conditions above
referred to, l would recommend a uni.
form temperature at all seasons Of the
year, slignt1y above the natural TEN.
perature Of the mine. The air enter.
ing the mine In the winter should be
warmed and molstened and the air en-.
tering the mine in-the summer should
'be cooled by being sprayed with cold
water. Under this uniform system
OF temperature, we will get away from
expansion and contraction. and be
able to save many lives and much ex.
peuse by getting away from 80 many
falls Of roof slate. 1t will also le3sen
the cost OF production. as under our
present system the destruction Of root
in mines Is very expensive aud very
dangerous to the many men employed,
and IS the cause OF the loss OF many
lives Of the men employed.
When we establish a uniform tenn.
perature In our mines and an atmos-
pherfc deposit OF moisture in them,
and get down to a proper system OF
maintaining these conditions, We will
be beyond all danger from dust ex-
ploslons. and beyond almost all dan
ger from socaDed gns explosions. 1t
would be almost impossible to destroy
a mine by n gas explosion under an
atmospheric deposit of moisture when
thetmine is in operation. 'RfG.
There viii be another benefit de.
rived from an atmospheric deposit OF
moisture In mines. By Its adoption
We will get away from all danger OF
mine fires, caused by the use OF the
open torch In dry mines. Whenever a
mine Is dry enough for a wooden stop
ping, or a wooden overcast, or a can.
vas door or brattice TO ignite from an
open torch. It Is dry enoughto be de-
stroyed by a dust explosion when In
operation. and all that is needed Is
the Initial. Under such conditions the
elements Of destruction are alwaJs
present ID the atmosphere Of the mine.
There cannot be. an effect without q
cause. 4 In Gthe-ahsence of combustion
there can be no flame. In the absence
Of flame there can BE- no destruction
Of the mine. Some men argue that II
Is necessary to reduce the amount OF
air in our mines. They say we have
too much mir In them. A more dan:
gerous and erroneous Idea could not
be produced. We m1sat as we argue
against the works Of the Almighty,
aud, say there Is too much air on the
earth's surface, as TO say there Is too
much air In the mines.
There Is too 1n,icn Of the kind Of air
we are Introducing. but not enough OF
moist, warm ali. The greater the vol.
ume Of air under atmospheric nlos-
ture, the greater will be, the amount Of
moisture depoSited. and the safer will
be the mine.
h We find also under an atmospheric
deposit Of moisture the amount Of air
ia reduced about ten per cent. For
on illustration, say. a fan at 16o revo.
buttons Ia producing ION. 900 cubic feet