Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-07-21
Nary Lives Lost in Recent Years
From Accidents.
installation Of Comparatively Inex-
psnslys Fighting Appliances.
Regulations and DriIIs Would
Help Materially.

New York.-Herbert N. Wilson.
thl1f engineer OF the bureau Of mines,
10 en- address delivered at the annual
ncting OF the National Fire associa-
ten 10 this city the other day, said
hat failure 70 appreciate the serious
ness Of mine fres and lack of ade-
gate IRE protection have resulted in
iLe loss Of hundreds OF lives and the
destruction Of millions Of dollars
worth Of property In the last few
Iesrs He declared that-two of the
most serious disasters In coal mines
Il The last two years. one at Cherry,
III. In which 262 lives were lost and
iae other at the Pancoast mine. near
Scfanton. Pa. in which "a lives were
'os'. originated from trivial causes
md ought to have been quickly ex-
1nsuished without the sacrifice of hu-
nan lIie
Tie contact OF several bales OF
ha5 with blazing torch or an open
nl1efs' lamp" said Mr.. Wilson.
caused the Cherry mine disaster with
u great loss OF life and a total cost
one million dollars. OF which $4,000
DAY was spent In direct fire fighting
''' several days.
The ire In the Pancoast mine
lIed n miners. left as widows and
~ dependent orphans. This fire is
novn to have started in an under
ground room. presumably from some
Atsoaked waste. The fire was not
'1ougAt serious until It had been burn
At s1o hours This delay was, in
Nge measure. responsible for the
'fsat loss b; lie.
Besides the loss of life, fires have
NN much In money. At Deadwood. s.
y Sl'ooo.ooo has been spent in fight.
ns nre In u metal mine. Today fires
At raging In coal and metal mines in
cfors parts Of the country. Some
nem have got beyond control. and
ave eeen burning for many years, de
p''iEe hundreds Of thousands OF tons
coal and miles OF mine galleries
'ne mine hre near Carbondale, Pa.
~ pufned out such a vast area OF an
1''e''e coal in the last ten years as
result In a subsistence Of the sur
- and destruction OF surface prop
~. Near Summit. Pa. a fire which
y, oeen burning 81 years is estima-
% have destroyed s25.00O, 900
~'n q coal. Near Jobs. o., a tract
soa' valued at several million dol.
mas been burning since 1884. In
q the deeper metal mines at
.''e Mont. fires have been burning
'ne oio timbers since 1889. In the
.''ock vein in Nevada thousands
'eet Of tunnels which had been
Y. ...so ana imbered at great expense
oeins burned out.
he mining engineers of the bu.
.... Z o mines have made a careful
,. & q ares in mines, and have
&..." sa me conclusion that the intro
A., ~ eomparatively inexpensive
lsnting appliances. the adoption
.i,, revef regulations and the institu.
s,'s. a reasonable system of FIRE
e, ~ may minimize fires and confine
M. . brief period of time with
ss,, eanage 10 life and property. The
M. 'se's OF this bureau have had
f-. ' success in combating mine fires
IN. s'sn the use Of the oxygen helmet.
s,@. n an apparatus that entirely
4, s''s !. the head. and through which
M. . furnished artihcially. thus en-
,s'' the vearer to explore the Vi.
,m.2. nay q a hre under conditions Of
,,,< snd gas that would render his
q. s'eseh otherwise IMPOSSIBLE By
4, !, - ! q such an apparatus a mum.
,,',sIi s :. nres have been promptly ertin
'c,.'s esd which would doubtless have
e'a'rol snaps extended beyond
sl,',. ',.'miHtry. through the quick an.
- q gases at frequent intervals