The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1909-02-18

some non-combustibie matter. The
experience along this line have been
satisfactory and in the opinion of
those who are trying it, do minimize
the dangers of an explosion.
Negligence, Always.
! A careful examination into all the
disastrous explosions, or almost all
of them, which have occurred in this
state, will reveal the 1act that they
nave occurred by reason of negii-
gence, some on the part of the opera,
tors and others on the part of the
miners, and almost all of them are
the result of the violation of law and
the non-enforcement of the rules and
regulations of the company, and the
principal violation is the shooting off
the solid. While the miners them
selves engage in these practices yet
1t is the opinion of this committee that
no company should permit such prac.
tice, and by the employment of a mine
foreman in the mine who would give
it his careful attention these prac-
tees could be absolutely broken up.
The last explosions that occurred,
namely on the goth of December and
on the 18th of January at Lick
Branch mine. occurred in a mine that
was being operated in total disregard
of law. The law provides that break
throughs shall be made at a distance
OF every 80 feet and when the explo-
sion occurred in this NINE according
to the evidence before your commit.
tee, men were working as much as
24O feet ahead of the air and general
~ through the mine they were work.
| ing ahead of the air more than so
feet This was in viola ton of law.
After the explosion an inspection of
the mine reveals the fact that shoot.
ing off the solid was generally prac.
ticed throughout. the whole mine The
company which owns this mine should
not be allowed to excuse itself by
saying it did not know of these prac.
tees. 1t was it's duty to know that
the law was being violated and that
the miners were shooting off the
solid. And another fact that was
not mentioned by the chief or any
OF the deputies in the report to this
committee, but was subsequently ad.
mitted by the chief to this committee
was that prior to the explosion the
tan was stopped for about half an
hour. but the chief believed that the
stopping of the fan had nothing what
ever to do or was not a contributing
| cause to the explosion, and we might
add in this connection that this com.
p.an
OF the law In respect to working
ahead of the air contributed in any
way to the disastrous explosion in
this Lick Branch NINE because the
fact was that the explosion took placo
near break-through. How far or to
what extent the disregard of the law
IN this mine contributed to the OK
plosion and the loss of life this com,
mlttee cannot now say. The grosscst
negligence. in the opinion of this com
f1'ittee' that was practiced at this
mine both by the department of mines
and the operating company was to
permit the men to go into that mart
OF the mine and begin work. which
was not effected by the first exp1o.
SION and begin work. There cannot
!
De any excuse on the part either of
the operator or the department for
permitting the miners to enter tnis
part or the mine that was not Of
fected by the first explosion until tho
NINE mad been carefully examined
and found to be safe and free Of
latent dangers. 1t seems to the com
mlttee as proof that neither the de-
partment nor the operator are fully
! awake to the dangers surrounding
them, and alert to prevent them.
The chief of the mine department
and many of the operating companies
have prepared a bill and submitted If
to the legislature. in many instances
modifying the present law. This bill
is not approved nor disapproved by
this committee. There are some fea.
lures in the bill which if enacted into
law would tend to minimize the dan
gers latent in every mine While
there are other provisions in the bill
that seem to the committee to weaken
the department. The shot firing pro.
vided for by the bill unquestionablv
would be a good thing but unless :;
mine foreman would prove themselves
different than they have been in the
no -