The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-11-23
Coal Operator Would InprIsOn
ViOIatOFS Of Mining Laws,
LAXTiY is TOO PREVALENT.
Colonel w. P. Rend Believes More
Drastic Laws Are the Only Remedy.
Favors Courts Imposing Severe Pun
ishrent For Least Violation of Rules.

at Cherry. H.. that in order TO pre-
vent future disasters the courts should
be called upon to send to prison Tor
a long term of years any one who in
the slightest way neglects or violates
the coal mining laws.
sit makes no difference whether 1t
is the operator, the mine boss or
miner" said Colonel Rend. IF he vio-
lates the law in the least respect,
thereby endHngering the lives of other
men, be should be sent TO prison. AS
things are now conducted. If mine
boss or anybody else violates the law
he is taken before a justice of the
peace and given small fine. This
must be done away with. If an In
spector finds the law being violated,
he should be able TO have the violator
brought before the criminal court and
sent to prison for a long period.
Pennsylvania has stringent laws of
this character, which were brought
into being after the last big mine hor-
ror, and one man was sent to prison.
In addition to advocating prison SEN
fences for violators of the mining laws,
Colonel Rend declared that every mine
should be compelled to equip its tun-
nels and shafts with asbestus cur
tains. so that in event of a fire they
could be quickly placed in corridor
and the fire held back until all of the
men had escaped.
mot only should they be compelled
to have asbestos curtains" he said.
but the mines should be equipped
with sandbags and cement. with which
walls could be thrown up in the work.
ings to stop the flames.
Prison For Lighting Pine.
Another thing which should be in
sisted upon is that all powder and hay
should be lowered to the workings at
night and not in the daytime. Then
every miner should be compelled to
use safety lamps III place of the naked
ones now prevalent in Illinois. These
lamps should be carefully locked by
a foreman before the miner enters the
pit, and any man seen trying to ex
pose his lamp or light pipe or cigar
while in the mine should be at once
arrested and sent to prison
Colonel Rend also was emphatic in
saying that smokeless explosives only
should be used in the mines. and he
was more than emphatic in declaring
chat the mihers must be forced 10 use
the explosives iii such way that no
blowout" shots can occur.
Mine out of ten explosions are.
caused by blowout shotS.'' he said.
Very few ere caused by gas or pow
der. and blowout shots arc simply the
result of shiftlessness and Iaziness.
How Explosions Occur.
I'm vein Of coal eight feet high
the miner should. undercut it before
putting in the explosive and then put
in three or four small shots to bring
down the coal. Well, he won't do ii.
He simply bores hole in the solid
coal. puts in a big charge of powder,
lamps 1t with coal dust instead of
clay. which is usually just under his
feet, and lets it go. The result is
that the charge is unable to break the
coal, and it blows out of the hole. And
when it comes out it comes as fame.
The fame coming into. contact with
coal dust in suspension causes Il ter
rife explosion, and there you are.
Fatal Mistake Is Made,
In speaking of the recent disaster at
Cherry. H.. Colonel Rend said that IT
seemed to him the fatal mistake was
made in reversing the fans after the
explosion had occurred
Now, 1t is evident" he said. that
the fire was caused by some one in
some way igniting a bale of hay
which was being sent down into the
pit. AT the time the fans were forcing
air down into the mine. and when they
were reversed they began to draw the
air out of the mine. and naturally
drew the flames with the air down the
elevating shaft. through the main cor
ridors and UP the air shaft. Why the
fans We're reversed is u mystery to me.
And speaking of the fans brings me
TO another much mooted question,
which is simply this: Haven't we gone
too far in the matter of putting In
fansl We have always thought that
the more fans the better ventilation,
but it is question whether all this air
we are sending into the mine doesn't
keep the coal dust suspended too much,
thus very highly increasing the dam
ger of explosions. In all my mines
have Installed sprinkling systems in
order to keep the dust settled, and that
should be required by law in every dry
mine ! don't mean these automatic
sprinkling systems; just hose and
couple of carts are all that is necessary.
The keeping of the dust on the ground
and not in the air is necessary In order
to lainiflize the danger of explosions ;,
In conclusion Mr.. Rend said that
in all of his mines the shot firers had
explicit instructions not 10 IRE any
shots which were not properly laid.