The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-31
PROMINENT MINE
OFFICIALS DISCUSS
THEIR PROBLEMS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 81

fGOATIN led f1AOM c'J
~~-~~~%~--~---~~--r1-~c~-@-
man 10 enter a place after it had been
shot. In order to push the development
work as fast as possible, the shot-hrer
was permitted to shoot whenever called
on. There were, however, some eight or
ten out of the $50 miners who were per-
nitted to shoot their own shots. These
men were working in headings, In. whlch
The management was eager to make fast
progress and were men of experience
who had been working in the mine for
months and who were according TO the
hest Judgment of the superintendent and
mine foreman safe and sane When one
compares this method of shooting with
that generally practlced in the district
of putting explosives into the hands or
7ntried nen-who, perhaps, know MOTH
sng of conditions surrounding them, sure
Nv II must be conceded that the method
emnIoved at Mulga exceeds in point of
safety any in the district. OF course,
those mines must be excepted where shots
nre fired exclusively by frers or electric
sty, when all men are out of the mine.
Since the mine has been In operation
no applicant for work was ever given an
explosive and told 'to go and make coal
for tomorrow While discussing the mat
ter of giving men places, your attention
Is called to the following fact: We are
Frequently chided, and justly so. that the
record of mine casualties in this coun-
try as compared to foreign countries IS
so vastly against us. To my nina, one
of the strongest reasons for this, save the
economic one, is that in European coun-
fries great-grandfather. grandfather,
father and son have worked In one mine
and a knowledge of the minutest detail
of the mine Is a heritage to each succeed
fnp generation Bit here In our eoun-
try and more particularly In this dis
trict where we are mainly dependent on
the negro who works here To-Day ana
there tomorrow, never remaining IONS
enough in one place to learn now 10
properly and economically shoot ms coal
ar to become familiar enough with the top
~ acquire a knowledge of how 1t set
tles--here In Alabama, with these eondl-
4ions confronting us-we are seriously
Handicapped The ignorance and ire
sponsibiity of the average miner is sure
ly a serious menace to the SAFETY OF
The man who knows his business. TINS
Is the real problem that the future holds
for us You must remember that we
are passing -the-easy stages of mining
tbe old drifts with their surface water
are fast working out and before an
other generation passes deep shafts' with
their dust and gas will confront us. IL
the corporations of this district Will cell
land and help good men to build homes'
more permanent good can De accom-
plished toward saving the lives of men
than by all other combined means.
"For the first few months after Mulga
was In operatlon the mine was not
Uprinkled However, in the winter or
1909 It was decided to flush all places on
sundays by means of the air pipes This
method of alaying the dust was eontin-
red for one year and two months, four
weeks after a separate water line with
sprays had been installed. The practice
of flushing places with water from the
air line was abandoned. owing to the
fact that eaeh. Monday morning men
mad considerable trouble with their
lpunchers but principally because the
sprays which had been in operation four
weeks were giving excellent re-
suits. This fact Is evidenced by re-
port of one of the mine inspectors who
spent Ave hours in the mine two days
before the explosion. He said, haulage
roads were moistened and dust when
taken in your hand would roll into balls.
There were no dirty roads on day Of
inspection, permissible explosives were
used for shot firing
"As an example of how sincere the
officials of the company we're In their
efforts to make the mine safe, 1t may
not be aniss to recall the following in-
cident. In February, which is considered
one of the coolest months, I requested
the mine inspectors to come to Mulga
on a Saturday when the mine had gone
the longest possible time without water,
and examine It, The mine was found in
excellent condition and so reported. 1t
was decided not to install separate
water line until the fall of 1910, shortly
afterwards the accident at Primero, Colo.
occurred. At that time the vice presi-
dent of the company-was in New York,
from thence he wired instructions to
purchase and install a separate water
line with sprays. A two-inch line was
laid along all main headings and one
inch line along all cross headings Tees
were placed every 100 or 200 feet, SO
chat the sprays might be moved when a
place had become sufficiently dampened.
On the night and at the time of the
explosion sixteen sprays were in opera
ton. | mention this incident not to
reflect on, any mans Judgment. but
rather to impress ON YOU in whose
: bands rest the lives of so many men.
the seriousness of your work.
'Mulga is ventilated by a Clifford Cop
pell, steel encased fan, belt driven on
one end by a $50 horse motor and on the
other end an engine stands ready, with
belt in position In the event of an ac-
cfdent to the generator At the time of