The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1909-02-18

senhd been placed at work ia, the
mine Mn4er psrmisaion or: the state
Eflgtpe dns tector and q aappty Iinspec-
|tor. who having completed their in-
E1pecfton on the 18th day OF January
the explosion. announced
that the work could be resumed in
a In as much as the explosion: on
Tie 29th OF December had failed to
teach the workings known as the
t9neW mine" is abundant evidence
Fthat the conditions. had materially
Efhapged at2;@the time of the second
explosion on the 18th of January;
land should not have ;heen overlooked
(bN those: whose 2dutytlt was to care
for the safety OF the men in the
Halnes. ~, -. So ~ ,r ;n.t-.I.' g. =
r. 1n$ dealing With the subject of ex1l
[plosions. the commission has made
a strong argument in which, it shows
that the causes OF such disasters are
many and that it is not an. easy mat
ter to determine, without great re-
search. what the actual causes OF an
explosion may have hbeen.>.I.
The commission rffterates it's re.
port made as preliminary last win
ter I'm regard to. the: Monongah ex.
plosion In the Fairmont field In De-
cember 1907; in which the greatest
number OF, men ever killed in the
state s mining industry 'l6st .thei,
lives. 1t claims that this terrible
catastrophe win go down In history
as one Of the gruesome mysteries on
the mining business; that an inspec.
Ition made just previous to the dfaas,
ter showed that the Fairmont Goa
lfp., had gone far in excess Of the
laws provisions in matters of safet,
and that the two mines Affected were
3155he pride of Tue region, II, not of the
state: - =, = ~ - : = IT,:
'h%Fhe report gives some space to the
1new element dust which Must be
feckoned with In mine. disasters ant
gives the following Gestures by which
a. dust explosion can be determined
e. "First;~ The free. suspension O.
dust In. tho air. ~ J.: ,.,.. 49,.
e Second: The phye,cal character o
1.-The dust. -. .>,ss -
Third: Temperature and hydro
metric conditions. j. T.:
f. Fourth: The volume. and intensit,
Of the flames. - -. 49,
Fifth; The size Of the, openin:
or the working OF the opening.
Si>.th: The condition Of the min,
respecting dust and moisture.
From these conclusions we lear1
Ethat the essential features Of an ex
| plosion are, First, the presence O
,combustible matter in form tina
makes combination with explosive
rapidity possible and, Second; tn,
Ipresence OF an atmosphere that will
support combustionj Third, the ele
iYation OF the temperturet above Thu
point Of ignition and maintaining i
at That point, Hence, any condition
EthatvS lessons either Of these ,co6di
lions not only lessons the, force O
the explosion but, also helps, to pre-
:tYent the concurrent of an explosion
+: - .'a. The PreVentions. ,
r. The, commissions recomnenda
lions Regarding the pfe7ehtfon Of; ok
lplosions show that the members hav
gone to much work to search out tn,
Information and establish the remed,
that will be of%real value to the &C
tual practical mining man. This feat
ure is we'll prepared, interesting ant
| will be Of great benefit =,
| The commission argues along til.
line that all statutory enactments
that may be made VIII not save, tht
lives of miners unless the men them
selves are taught TO- exercise carr
and: diligence for the protection d
1
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