Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-24
BUREAU Of MINES
At FIRST LARGE TASK
viii investigate and Report on
Mine Accidents and the Fuel
Consumption in Country

The act establishing a bureau of
mines in the department of the interior,
approved May 49, 1910, became effective
July 1. AS originally approved, the law
contemplated the transfer of the entire
technologic branch Of the United States
geological survey, the mine accident in
Vestigations, fuel Investigations, struc-
tural materials Investigations, the en-
tire personnel, property and equipment,
to the bureau of mines, but the sun
dry civil appropriation act approved
June % amended the law to such an
extent that the structural materials in
vestigations, including the personnel
and equipment for these Investigations
went to the bureau of standards, de-
partment of commerce and labor.
Carrying out the spirit and intent of
the law so amended, the secretary OF
the interior has transferred to the
bureau OF mines the investigation of
mine accidents and fuels, together with
the personnel and equipment of these
Investigations, and has transferred to
the bureau of standards the structural
materials Investigations and the en-
ployes of the technologic branch of the
survey engaged in these Investigations
The fully equipped testing station at
Pittsburg also goes to the bureau of
mines.
INCLUDES NINE ACCIDENTS
The bureau of mines therefore in
Cludes the mine accidents and fuel in
Vestigations for which an appropriation
of $4,000 was made by congress. The
total appropriations for the bureau, in
Guiding salaries, rent and expenses of
removal, amount to $500, 200
The work Of the bureau of mines for
the first year will be a continuation
and expansion of the work carried on
by the technologic branch of the geo.
logical survey. The law in itself pro-
Vides for variety of other problems
that properly belong to the bureau of
mines and which should eventually he
undertaken, such as methods of mining
and metallurgical processes, but these
activities will be deferred for the most
part until congress gives additional
authorization in the shape of adequate
appropriations. The spirit of the de-
bates in congress. both on the bureau
of mines legislation and on the apprO
priation items, emphasized the desire
to regard the mine accidents investiga-
tions as urgent, and this will be the
feature of the work.
In all, $4,000 was appropriated for
mine accident Investigations. OF this
sum, under the general plans approved
by the secretary of the interior, $780,
900 is to be spent on the rescue stations,
$685. 900 for housing nine stations, $4,000
for equipping eight new stations and
$4,000 for additional equipment for five
existing stations.
TO INVESTIGATE EXPLOSIVES
The allotment for the investigation
of explosives is $4,000; for electricity
in mining. $4,000; appliances for pre-
venting mine accidents, $4,000; examina-
tion and modification of mining laws,
$4,000, and other technelogic investiga-
tions, ore treatment, etc, $4,000. For
the analyzing and testing of the Goals.
lignites, ores and other mineral fuel
substances belonging to or for the use
of the United States, 100000 was ap
propriated. OF this amount $4,000 will
be spent in the chemical and physical
investigation of fuels, $4,000 in the in
Spection of government fuel purchase,
$4,000 in fuel efficiency Investigations,
$500 in Ignite and peat Investigations
and $4,000 in briquetting Investigations
The mine accident Investigations,
which have been transferred from the
geological survey to the bureau of
mines, were first authorized in the
legislative appropriation act of May
90, 1908, carrying for this purpose an
appropriation of $150,000. This was fol-
lowed by a similar appropriation car
ried in the act for the sundry civil eX-
penses of the government for 1910.
EXPERIMENTING STATION
A mine experiment station was
established in Pittsburg during 1908,
at which, since that time, inveStiga-
tions Of explosives, coal gas, dust cleo
triclty and other possible causes of
mine explosions have been continually
under way. The mining engineering
field force of the geological survey has
already made decided progress in the
study of underground mining condi-
tions and methods. Practically all of
in TUh 1O1in
sions have occurred during the last two
years have been carefully examined,
the gases, coke and dust have been
analyzed at the laboratory at Pittsburg
and every effort has been made to de-
ternine the eXplosibility of various
mixtures of gas and air in the presence
of shotsNof different types of explosives
Considerable progress has also been
made in the investigation of explosives
used in coal mining, and the conditions
under which they may be used with
least risk Manufacturers have sub
mitted many explosives for test at the
station and a considerable portion of
them passed and have been classified
among the permissible explosives. The
Investigations and educational work in
connection with the use of artificial
breathing and other types of mine
rescue equipment, the so-called oxygen
helmets have not only been useful in
developing a more satisfactory use of
such equipment in the examination of
mine explosives, but also better
methods for using this equipment in
mine rescue work.
FUEL INVESTIGATION
The fuel Investigations under the
geological survey and which are trans
ferred to the bureau of mines have al
ready resulted in a better realization
throughout the country as to the value
of fuels. One result of this work is
that nearly all of the fuel now pur-
chased by the federal government is
bought on specifications and subject to
test by the fuel division or purchased
after examination made of the coal
supplied by the mines from which coal
is delivered to the government.
The publications. of the survey relat-
ing to mine and fuel Investigations,
those prepared by the technologic
branch, will in the future be dis
tributed by the bureau of mines. The
publications relating to structural ma
terials will continue to be distributed
by the geological survey. The last of
the bulletins of the technologic branch
to be published by the survey will be
issued from the government printing
office August 1. This bulletin relates
to the explosibility of coal dust andI