The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1911-05-27
LACK OF ADEQUATE PRoTEc-
TON BRINGS DEATH AND
LOSS OF PROPERTY.
Cherry Mine Disaster Was Due to
Contact of Several Bales of Hay
With Blazing Torch or a Lamp
of Miner.

New York, May 26-Failing to ap-
preciate the seriousness of mine fires
and lack OF adequate fire protection
have resulted in the loss of hundreds
Of lives and TIE destruction of mil
lions of dollars worth of property in
the last few years, according TO
statement made a the annual meet
ing of the National Fire Protection
association this morning by Her
lert NJ Wilson, chief engineer of the
federal bureau of mines. Mr.. Wilson
went further and declared that two
of Il most serious disasters in coal
mines in the last two years, one at
Cherry ILL.,, in which 262 lives were
lost and the other at Pancoast mine
near Scranton, Pa. in which "A lives
were lost originated from trivial
causes and ought to nave been quick
ly eXtineuished without the sacrifice
OF human life
caunse Of Cherry Disaster.
The contract of several bales of
hay with blazing tord1 or an open
miners lamp, said Mr.. Wilson,
caused the Cherry mine disaster,
with it's great loss of life and total
est Of S1,00000O, of which $50 600
day was spent in direct fire fighting
for several days.
'i'ae fire in the Pancoast mine
killed "a miners, left As widows and
l37 dependent orphans. This FIRE is
known to have started In an under
ground room presumably some oil
soaked waste, The fire was not
thought serious until it had Seen
been burning two hours. This delay
was. in a large measure responsll lie
for the great loss of life.
Besides the loss of life, fires have
cost much in money. At Deadwood,
S. d., Sl,000,000 was spent in fight
ing fires in a metal mine Today fires
are raging in coal and metal mines in
various parts Of the country. soma
of them have gotten beyond control,
and iaave been burning for many
years, deyouring hundreds of thou
sands Of tons of coal and miles Of
mine galleries One mine fire near
Carbondale, Pa, has burned out such
vast area Of anthracite coal in the
last ten years as to result in a sui
sidence OF the surface and destruc-
tion of surface property. Near sum
nit Hill Pa, fire which mas been
burning 81 years is estimated to
haye destroyed $25O0O.0 900 worth of
coal. Near Jcts, Ohio, a tract of coal
valued at several million dollars,
has been burning since 1884 In some
Of the deeper metal mines at Butte,
Mont, fire has been burning in the
old mines since 1888 In the Com
stock vein in Nevada, thousands Of
feet OF tunnels which had been open
ed and timbered at great expense
are eing urned out.
The mining engineers Of the bu-
reau of mines nave made careful
study Of fires in mines, and have
reached the conclusion that the in
PRODUCTION of comparatively inexpen-
siye fire fighting appliances the adop-
ton Of proper regulations and the
institution OF reasona' le system Of
fire drills may minimize fires and
confine others to brief period of
time with little damage to life and
pre-. erty The engineers Of this bu-
relu have had much success i'm com
batting mine fires through the use of
oxygen helmet. This is an apparatus
that entirely protects the head and
through which air is furnished arti-
ficially, tlus ena. ling the wearer to
explore the vicinity Of fire under
conditions of SNAKE and gas that
would render his approach otherwise
impossible"