Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-31
TEST A BIG SUCCESS
ExpIosiveness of Soft Coal
Dust Demonstrated.
LESSON TO MINE OWNERS
Governments Experiments in West
en Pennsylvania Declared
Valuable. ;

PITTSBURGH, Pa, October 31.-"No
amount of writing or talking could be
so forcible in the teaching of great les
sons said DR.. Joseph A. Holmes, d.
rector of the bureau of mines, when he
| returned late last night from the demon
stration at the government experimental
mine at Bruceton, Pa. Covered with
mud and looking almost like veritable
miner. DIR. Holmes was most enthusiast
TIC over the experiment notwithstanding
many delays In the preparations.
1t was not until after dark that this
first made to order mine explosion
really took place.
Standing alone in his laboratory. back
in the hills Of Allegheny county. a
chemist twice touched an innocent-ap-
pearing button. The explosion failed to
appear" Investigation found the source
OF trouble. which was readily remedied.
The last shot was touched off by DR..
Holmes. Instantly there was a dull rum
BILE far down in the bowels Of the earth.
from the air shaft. The fan house went
down with a crash. Dense volumes of
smoke poured into the open and the
heavens were ablaze. 1t was terrifying
to the laymen. Fire bosses. mine fore
men and superintendent, who had here
tofore escaped these things unexpected.
saw what they believed they would some
day experience, but would never be able
to describe-a real mine explosion.
Test of Deadly Coal Dust.
The governments effort had apparently
been successful 1t was a test of the ex-
plosivs properties of the deadly coal
dust. So enthusiastic was DIR. Holmes
the governments expert, that he made
this public statement:
The great value of this experiment to
the mining industry was in demonstrating
to more than 1900 coal operators and
mine managers from every coal mining
district of the United States the fact:
That ordinary bituminous or soft coal
dust will explode from a charge of black
powder badly placed in a mine:
THAT dust will explode with a violence
sufficient to wreck the mine and Kill
every person workin in the mine. and
THAT poisonous gases are Siven off
from such an explosion in sufficient guam
tity to suffocate and poison any persons
in the mine who may have escaped the
violence of the explosion.
Impressiveness of Explosion.
1.-The fact that the explosion did not
take place until after dark was dis
appointment to the photographers and
many of the visitors, but the effect of the
explosion, with the enormous flame which
penetrated and rose above the forest trees
of this region. was SO much more i'm
pressive at night than it possibly could
have been during the day time that it
was felt to be fortunate that it had
occurred at night rather than during the
day.
The explosion at the experimental
mine means furt"er that having been
actually witnessed by SO many coal
miners and managers from the different
coal mining states these men will re-
turn to their respective mines impressed
o..., TACT that dust will
explode from the improper use of black
powder, but that many of the explosions
that have already occurred i'm the mines
in other regions have been dust explosions
and not gas explosions. as they were
formerly supposed to be- 1t, therefore,
opens up new lines of treatment look
ing to the prevention Of such mine ex-
plosions in the future"