The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1909-11-30
WHAT SAVED The
CHERRY MINERS.
Owe Their Lives to Govern
Tnent's Rescue Corps.
RUSHED 0SCENEOF DISASTER

As Soon as Word Was Received Of the
Catastrophe Men Trained at Expert
ment Station IN Pittsburg In Use Of
Oxygen Helmets Were Sent to St.
Paul Coal Mine.
1t is believed by United States gov
ernment officers in Washington that
the miners who were recently saved
from death In the st. Paul coal mine
at Cherry, ILL.,. owe their lives to the
work of the governments rescue corps
connected with the geological survey.
These men. who are stationed Mt Pitts
burg, where the survey has an expert
ment station for Investigating the
causes of mine disasters, were rushed
to Cherry as soon as word Of the catas-
trophe was received.
Each member of the corps had been
trained ia the use Of what is known as
the oxygen helmet, an. apparatus that
permits artificial breathing In the pres
ence Of deadly gases Equipped with
such helmets the governments life saw
ers were able to enter the shaft Of the
burning mine and fight the fire at close
\ range.
officials said that had the methods
! that have been in use in the past been
employed the mine shaft would have
been sealed until the fire had been
smothered for want Of oxygen. This.
of course. would have meant a delay
sufficient to have caused the death of
every man under ground
Much Time Saved In Reaching Miners.
Geological survey officers said that
the ability Of the governments rescue
corps to enter the mine, filled as 1t was
with smoke and gas, saved at least
several days tirne in reaching the en-
tombed men. 10 these officers the res
cue at Cherry is the most practical
demonstration ever given anywhere in
the world of the efficiency of the oxy-
gen helmets.
They asserted that this experience
would 90 long way toward showing
mine owners and miners the necessity
for having a cCwplete equipment of
oxygen helmets at each mine. together
with corps of men trained in their
use. II is their belief that hundreds of
lives can be saved in this manner and
the terrible death rate in American
mines thereby reduced TO q figure
somewhat approaching the compara-
lively low rate of casualties in Euro
I pean coal mines
With the governments method this
agonizing wait at the shaft for the
gas to dissipate Is done away with
and it il not necessary to pour fresh
air into the mine, for the members of
the rescue corps in their oxygen he'll
NETS can enter any atmosphere, how
ever deadly, and remain for a period
Of two hours. If there has been an
explosion of gas the members of the
corps enter the mine at once and look
for small fires that usually follow ex-
plosions. These fires are extinguished
at once. and then the yentiating cur
rent is turned on without any danger.
In other words, the mines normal con-
dition is restored at the earliest possi-
BILE moment, and the men who are in
the farthermost recesses of the mine,
where the black damp has not yet pen
etrated, are able to walk out.
The station erected at Pittsburg con-
sists Of an explosive gallery. where
the powders used in blasting the coal
are tested and standardized. and also a
large room for the training of miners
in rescue work
Equipment Of the Rescuer.
The oxygen helmet and auxiliary APP
pnratus weigh between thirty-five and
forty pounds. The helmet is metal
lie case inclosing the head with an
isinglass front The helmet proper is
connected with tubes leading to two
tanks of oxygen, which are carried on
the back in manner similar to a sol
dier's knapsack, the straps supporting
it going over the shoulders.
Each tank contains oxygen sllIicient
to last one hour. An indicator attached
to the oxygen tanks shows the wearer
Of the helmet Just how much time he
may renain in the mine. This is abso-
lutely necessary. for if the rescuer has
walked half a mile into mine aud 1t
has taken him thirty minutes to tray
erse the distance be must figure on
thirty or forty minutes time to return.
10 addition TO the tanks of oxygen,
there is a cartridge Of potassium by
drogen which takes up the poisonous
matter from the breath and absoFbs
It. thus keeping the oxygen in its pu-
rity TO do the two hours work. These
helmets are In general use In Euro
pean coal producing countries and are
credited with saving many lives.