The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-06-08

- -" lead burst into her cabin. and. selxing q
revolver rushed at her terrified children. but. be
fore she could shoot. her arms were seiEed from
behind. Tue struggle short and decisive.
One plunge backward across the pounded dirt
noor and the second woman staggered to one
side. painting. with the revolver safe In her hand
just at that dramatic moment the body OF her
own husband was being carried TO the surface
This was n mere incident. almost lost In tho
stupefaction following a local calamity. But Il
serves as a meanIngful introduction to q splen-
did example Of the kind OF occurrence which has
doubled the number Of men killed In our coal
mines In the last ten years
Tho Starkville mine ia average American
coal mine The last annual report before the ex.
pIosion showed that the mine had cleared $780,
900 in the previous year. Il pointed out that the
property was yielding handsome returns the
investment. but II did not mention the fact that
the mine was 30 dusty n new airshaft was sore
" needed. The airshaft would have cost $4,000.
and the management decided against a. Unfor.
tunately. there was no one in the state Of Colo
rado 10 make the company sink IL.
Onenftieth OF the years earnings was too
much TO make the mine reasonably safel Re
suit nfty-nve dead. thirty-two widowc thrown
upon the world. and almost n hundred children
fatheFless. They formed an important addition
10 the years total from the coal mines of more
than seven thousand killed and injured. fifteen
hundred widowed. and four thousand children de-
pendent ON ignorant and helpless women
OWctnlU Ihe8o men were Miiiou by m tNpiO
sion Of the coal dust. eat they really killed
by greed II is the same with all mine disasters
YOu can nna volume after volume on the causes.
but slft them TO the bottom. and In more than
threef0urths Of the cases you VIII nnd that spirit
of Get out the coal. never mind how many men
you hill but get out the coal" Az Ex-Governor
Dawson Of West Virginia once exclaimed In ex-
asperation. There are coal companies which
have no regard whatever for human life
This explains why there are killed In certain
sections Of the naturally not unsafe bituminous
coal nelds OF Peunsylvauia and West Virginia
twelve times many men in comparison to the
number employed as IN the highly dangerous
coal mines Of Belgium For IN this one section
alone, from killing six out OF every thousand In
1900, By 1908, when the last reliable figures were
obtained. the annual death roll had increased
20 more than twelve.
The truth Il that men are ruthlesaly killed In
our coal fields because the coal operators ind Il
lesn expensive q repair damage than take pre-
cautions The human cost they do not take the
trouble 20 ngure because. TO them. there is none
To kill miners entails no financial loss In the
PfttEburg district, even IN the big notorious ex
ploxiors of recent years. the average cost To the
operating companies has been leas than $50 for
evaSy man dead.
you mustn't blame tho mine operators" an i'm
pOrtan, government ofncial apolosised. when ths
blame vas laid AZ their doors IL Isn't theti
fault Thcy are doing all they esn-
You need only turn 10 the governments owr
rsports 70 see the faIlacy Of such a statement
Tho Increase IN mine disasters became 30 marked
about fve years ago that n even attracted the a.
tenflon of tho geological survey more q scientihs
than q humanitnflnn organization. and two men
Clarones Han and walter Smelling wsre detailed
10 study the situation hers and abroad ThoJ
found ths contrast 20 b. almost unbeIlevAble-
a nummariEed In thsao few aentsucaa
In spite q All ths natural conditions tendinl
10 reduco the percuntngs of mlne disasters n eh.
United states % q low ngure. ne accidents dur
ine ina hasa nfteen gearn have shown directly
ceniFafv fsaulla ConsldeFuf IN regard % ~