The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-31
PROMINENT MINE
OFFICIALS DISCUSS
THEIR PROBLEMS
(CoNTINUED TRoM PAGE a..

should be able to see at very frequent in
tervals whether his assistants or inspec-
tors are properly doing their work, and
In this connection the mine foreman, his
assistants and inspectors, but particular
ly the mine foreman, must realize that he
is personally responsible and to blame
when any employe under his charge is
killed or injured as the result of failure
or negligence on his part to see that
proper precautions are taken to force en-
ployes to properly protect themselves. and
until the mine foreman can be brought to
thorough realization of this responsible
ty we will not have the freedom from
fatalities and personal injuries that We
ought to have. The foreman must also
instill the same feeling Of responsibility In
his assistants and inspectors before he
can hope or expect to accomplish the de-
sired results in this direction.
ut is too often the case that when
miner Is instructed to set timbers or prop
erly mine his coal, or properly load and
lamp his shots, but little or no attention
is paid to these Instructions and little or
no attempt to see that these instructions
are carried out for the reason that the
foreman OR assistants are too apt to con-
slider their duty done when they have eau
toned the men and feel that If man is
injured or killed it is his own fault: also
because some foremen feel that If they are
too rigid in their discipline that they will
loose some of their men and reduce their
output. This may occur occasionally, but
to no great extent and such men as will
be lost by the exercise of proper, fair and
unprejudiced discipline will be good rid
dance and the better class of men will be
attracted by the fact that proper and fair
discipline is exercised upon all alike and
thereby, conditions under which they work
made safer and they themselves much
less liable to injury or death due to care
mr. nRVlfQRncp of other amDlOVeS
Therefore, the foreman must make all
men realize that when instructions are
given they must be obeyed or proper dis
cipline will be exercised.
Last year I took up the question of
permissible explosives and the danger of
firing skinner backs, or shots with short
fuses improperly tamped. want to again
emphasize the Importance of this pre-
caution and the Importance of carefully
handling all explosives; ALSO / wish 10
say a word about the use of the term
safety explosives which is term so
frequently used in referring to what
should be Yroperly termed permissible ex-
plosives,' for. the reason that the term
safety explosive would indicate that
the explosives are absolutely safe and
leads frequently to the reckless and care
less uec of such explosives by the miner.
No explosive is safe. but the explosives
as lis,ed by the United States government
as permissible explosives If used within
proper limits. which in most cases is In
Quantities not exceeding two pounds to
any one shot, are much safer explosives
than either black powder or dynamite.
I'm this come ction wish to add before
closing that in addition to the mine mem
toned last year as having been Just
equipped for firing all shots by electricity
from the outside of the mine after all the
men had left. which has been in con-
stant use at this mine with great success
ever SINCE the Tennessee Coal, Iron and
Railroad company has equipped another
niue in the game way in the past two
months which is also operating continual
ly with great success
I'VE woulc probably have continued the
installation of this system at all our mines
but for the fact that we are now arrang-
kng to equip one mine with what is
known az til. hydraulic mining cartridge.
with which believe a number of you are
familiar. We experimental for one day
with one of these in one of our Pratt
mines and the result Of that DAYS expe' l.
ment would seem to indicate that 1t would
lie great success in the Pratt seam of
coal and We are therefore euuipping one
nire to blast the coal altogether with this
carlridrc TO determine whether 1t would
be commercially successful in that field;
II SO. it will eliminate the use of ex-
plosives for shooting the coal and pos
sibly for shooting rock and brushing en-
tries, although as vet we have made no
experiments along this line. and there
fore cannot saw.
at is to be regretted. however. that this
cartridge will only break down Goals Of
certain nature and experiments In the
Bloctcn field demonstrated to us that the
cartridge was not suitable for that seam.
II understand that some Of the other
companies have ordered some of these
cartridges. particularly the Pratt Consoli-