The Elbert County tribune., 1911-05-05


to blame came out at the hearing but was ig-
nored Fire Boss Trader at No g. in which the
ended the said that twice before there had been
started in the coal dust but had been extinguished
before they spreda. And Blacksmith Jenkins hgur-
ing the time between the passage of the and
the moment of explosion showed that between the
short circuit and the explosion there had been at
least remarkable coincidence.
There 1862 men killed In that disaster and,
II the cause had been fixed on electricity the own
ers might have been forced to pay 81. 800 a man.
like the owners of the Cherry Hill mine who faced
public opinion outraged at the thought of men be-
ing sealed alive in burning mine. AS 1t was they
got of by contributing 900 to be added to the
public relief fund of $4,000. So instead of 81 800
each man cost only $55.25.
Electricity also not blamed in the case Of
the Mariana disaster of November 49, 1908 when
164 men lost their lives but, after the public inter
est had blown over the of electricity aban-
doned at the suggestion of the department of mines
and compressed air replaced in its stead This
might appear to Indicate guilty knowledge of the
real cause.
AS matter OF fact the owners OF the mine, the
PittsburgBufal Company. had already had
ing that all was not right In the Mariana On Au-
gust IL. more than two months before the big ex-
plosion there a smaller explosion which result
ed in the death OF one man and serious injury to
two others and Alderman A. r. Day, of Mononga-
hela, before whom the preliminary hearing took
place found that the accident had been due to cleo
tricty. William Underwood. foreman In charge of
the mine. arrested information filed by State
Mine Inspector John F. Bell. charge Of permit
ting the use Of sparkthrowing machinery in that
part of the mine where only safety lamps are al
lowed"
The Pttsburg- Buffalo Company repeatedly denied
the fact of this accident but the report of the state
department of mines for 1908 contains account
: OF the accident.
Now that the United States government has
recognized the danger of electricity, 1t has taken
the position that it would be blocking progress to
c.. ;t h,, tah.,, NIx,ix, tba
problem in way that will bring final relief. but
this will prevent the death of thousands of men,
who will lose their lives account of electricity be-
tween and the time when safely devices
invented. 1t is impossible to fix exact number.
but probably no less than FIVE hundred have
to their death through unsafe electric apparatus in
the past year, the length of time the government
has been at work on the problem.
In March, 1910, the federal department of mines
sent word to all manufacturers of electric mining
apparatus that H. H. Clark, engineer, had been
placed in charge of the work at the Pittsburg test
ing station and ready to stamp the seal of gov
eminent approval on all electric mining machinery
that did not spark; but nine months later he had
not yet discovered single piece of electric appara-
tus which met the requirements. Just consider that
for moment Even with all the improvements
which have been made to electric apparatus, safety
is as far off
But what is to be done? 1t is objected that you
can't stop nine-tenths of the mines from operating
until they made safe And yet II they are per.
mtted to go ahead at present, they absolute
ly certain to kill from 900 to 5000 before safe
apparatus is devised and installed
Are those 5000 lives to be sacrificed? Is nothing
to be done meanwhile? Apparently not
II those 5000 men in mine and abso-
lutey certain to meet death there unless the cleo
trio apparatus torn out, the situation would be
dramatic public opinion would be aroused. and
thing quite enectual would be done The real need
is no less nsistent. If. then 1t would not be absurd
to demand immediate action In the one case 1t is
not in the other.
But it is objected again, 1t would interfere with
business, 1t would be too expensive. impossible
Money, then. has more rights than humanity. Money
must be saved at any cost to And these 5000
must die because 1t would be expensive to save
them.
In Colorado they beginning to the light
whole series of horrible disasters has forced it
on them. The coroner's jury that Investigated the
Starkve explosion found it had been due to cleo
rcity and commission appointed by the governor
strongly urged the legislature this spring abso-
lutey forbid the of electricity in mines re-
gardless of the cost
Having no power to enforce the use of safety
apparatus the department of mines is basing Its
undertaking moral suasion. With the help of
mining inspectors and new state laws it hopes to
get results. Eventually, 1t has reason to believe
1t will be successful 1t is doing similar work in
respect to explosives.