Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-07
MINE RESCUE WORK.
Geological Survey Will Instruct Miners
in Use of Apparatus.

~ SSS W fNtPei ohdSs
Carrying out its efforts to reduce the
number of fatalities in coal mines, the
United States geological survey is
about to establish rescue stations in
the principal coal fields of the country
in addition TO the experiment station
already in Pittsburg The new sta
lions will be at or near the center Of
the greatest accidents, and it will he
the purpose of the experts to teach
the miners and the mine bosses how to
use the most approved apparatus for
mine rescue work.
Government mining engineers thor
oughly trained in the use of rescue ap-
paratus will be assigned to those sta
lions. and they will be ready at mo-
ment's notice to go to any place in
their respective districts. The experts
will be equipped with oxygen helmets.
which will enable them to enter mine
at once, even though it is filed with
gas or smoke. These stations also will
be headquarters of the engineers for
the study of the waste of coal in min
ing. one of the important problems be-
fore the geological survey.
1t 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 I'm 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
| Urbana, H., 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 il
Salt Lake City. That station will be
central for the several Utah fields and
will be accessible to the Montana fields
and also the Washington fields.
The coal fields Of Oklahoma, Arkan
sas and southwestern Missouri will bt
taken care of by a station in the neigh
borhood Of South McAlester, Okla.
Several places are suggested for the
] station to cover Alabama, Tennessee
Virginia, eastern Kentucky, Georgi;
and southern West Virginia. One plaI
is to establish station in Knoxville
Tenn. in connection with the Univer
sity of Tennessee, which is in Knox
vile and has a mining course. Biz
mingham, Ala, and Lexington, Ky.
also have been suggested for the sta
ton in that district.
George s. Rice, mining engineer, viii
have general charge Of all mining in
Quiries in the stations, and J. w. Paul
former state mine Inspector of Yves
Virginia, will have supervisory charge
/, of all rescue work. In the stations no
only will opportunity be given to tn,
miners to become familiar with til,
rescue apparatus. but safety lamps o
all designs will be tested In the pres
ence of the miners and the mine own
ers.