The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1910-09-23
NTUMINOUS
COAL DUST.
A Deadly Explosive More
Deadly Than Fire Damp
Has Been Proven That It Will
Explode Without Aid
OF Gas

rs an eApiOSife mOae ihoiuiOuS'
threatening and deadly to the miner
than firedamp, is the assertion OF
Goo. S. Rice, chief mining engineer
of the Bureau of Mines of Washing
ton. d. c. This is contrary TO what
has been the general belief, neyerthe-
hess il has been proved beyond doubt
ny the experiments of the last two
years at the Pittsburg Testing Sta
ton of the United States Geological
Survey, which is now a part of Blu
Tssu of Mines. While many mines
operators and miners have believed
explosion of firedamp in a mine, near
ty all of them contended that the
dust in a mine, free from gas. could
not explode. Consequently, in many
mines where no firdamp could be
detected, miners have paid little at
iention to the accumulation of dust
from the cutting of the coal. and it
Is in these mines. Mr.. Rice declares,
some of the grsIt disasters have TAX
90 place.
in a bulletin which has just been
ISSUED by the Bureau. Mr. Rice refers
especially to the appalling Series of
great, widesprsading disasters that &C.
CDrred in the United State in 1907,
as evidence Of the terrible havoc
Erought by dust explosions. On jan
1ary %, at the Primero mine. Colo
rado, there Were twenty odd deaths,
On January %, at the Stuart mine,
near Fayetteville, W. Va, ninety
,itaths; on February 4. at the Thom-
AS mine, Thomas. W. Va, twenty-five
deaths; on December /, at the Moo
r<e mine, Pennsylvania, thirty-five
sjtaths; on December q, at the Mon
onsah mine, West virginia, occur
red the greatest disaster in the his
soyy of coal mining in the United
States. 1853 lives having been lost,
On December IL, at the Yolande mine.
Aka, fifty six men Were killed. and o
DfOsmbeT 10, at the Darr mine, 230
rOen were killed. in this black month
nf December alone, says MIR. Rice, CAS-
gasn were sacrificed. chiefly from
the effects of coal. dust, which If not
fhe agency carrying death
u was after these explosions that
che Federal Government took up an
inquiry into the causes of the dis
asters and established the testing
station at Pittsburg. The very first
work was 10 prove to the mine opera
sors and miners that coal dust alone
soIld explode. The dust was placed
jn . cylinder 100 feet long and six
See1 in diameter, with a cannon i'm
bodied in one end. This cannon was
filled with black powder and discharg
ed by electricity into the coal dust
In practically every instance there
vas a terrific explosion, even more
violent than that caused by firedamp
zach succeeding experiment went fur
sher TO prove that coal dust is the
real great danger of the mines. Fire
damp, according to Mr.. Rice, carries
Rs gas is present in a mine in danger
oRs quantities. blue flame rises
from the safety lamp to notify the
xyigf
does not attract attention unless pres
ent in large quantities. Firedamp is
generally found in certain parts of
the mine, and except In notable and
very eXceptionable cases Is controll- !
able by means Of the vetilating cur
rents. II by mischance a body of |
fn'eiapp is ignited in a mine, the !
force of the explosion is terrific, but !
the effect is localized unless dry |
coal dust is present. or unless las |
rarely happens) an explosible mixture /
OF air and gas extends through large /
areas OF the mine. In Il mine that
is dry, dust accumulates everywhere.
and the blast from the ignition and
combustion of the bituminous dust
may traverse miles of rooms and en-
tries and even wreck structures at
she entrace Of the mine. u
One OF the unaccOuntable phases
of the coal dust problem has been the
ttsinctnation OF operators and miners
10 believe that the dust would ex-
stode without the presence OF gas.
The United States was not alone in
his, for the French engineers refu-
st 10 believe in this until the great {
Iissster occurred az Courriers in 1906. q
n which l 1000 men lost their lives '
'lnce that terrible catastrophe. a test |
ng station has been established in !
rance. and now French engineers G
~ filly convinced of the dangers 1
coal dust.
Nov since it is generally accept i
! that bituminous coal dust is explo-