The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-09-27
3rha. Many Miners Have Been Killed
In the United States in
Decade Of
Time.
THE GREwsoME FIGURES
Bureau Of Mines Is Now at Work In
an Effort to Prevent the An
nuaI Toll Of
Lives.

Thirty thousand miners killed In the
United States In the last ten years!
seventy-flve thousand miners injur-
ed, many of them MANNED for life, in
the same period!
Eleven thousand widows made by
the deaths OF the miners!
Thirty thousand chilren left father
less!
4 This terrible record represents not
only the accidents in the coal mines
but also the metal mines
Il Is the story of the tragedy of the
mines, but not the whole story. II
the mines OF the United States in
those ten years had had the same
standards Of safety as in the European
countries; II the United States had
killed two in every 1000 employed, In
stead Of three, four or FIVE.
Fifteen thousand Of the thirty thous-
and American miners killed might be
living today.
Forty thousand out Of the seventy
i've thousand injured might have es-
scaped injury.
Five thousand i've hundred widows
might not have been widows.
Fifteen thousand orphan children
might still have fathers.
This Is the whole grim tragedy of
ne mines epitomized. 1t Is one OF
the most serious problems Of the coun.
try and one that brought the federal
bureau Of mines into being It is the
great problem that the bureau OF
mines. under the leadership of DR..
Joseph A Holmes, it's director, is at
tempting to solve.
This problem Is responsible for the
great national mine safety demonstra-
ton which is to be held in Pittsburg,
Pa, October 80 and 81, under the au.
spices of the bureau of mines, the
American Red Cross, the United Mine
Workers of America and the Pittsburg
Coal Operators Association. From
$4,000 to 10000 miners, superintend-
ents and operators are expected to be
present. President Taft. whose active
interest in the Red Cross movement
has trough. sim in sympathetic
torch with the situation in the mines
will be present and witness the dem.
on-tration and also talk to the miners.
Walter L. Fisher. the secretary of the
interior, under whose jurisdiction the
bureau of mines cones. and who has
taken a deep interest in the work, will
also be present and address the min.
ers. Governor Tener, of Pennsylvania
representing the largest coal produc
Ing state In the union, state that
mines nearly as much coal as Great
Britain, and who has the welfare OF
the miners at heart, will also make
an address.
The purpose of the demonstration
70 to show to the miners some of the
accomplishments Of the bureau OF
mines that will tend toward reduc
ton IN the number Of deaths. So ser.
ious did the bureau OF mnes find the
conditions In the coal mines, 1t has not
yet found opportunity to pay any par
ticular attention to the accidents in
the metal mines and quarries. A ia
vor1te theme with many writer's on
the subject Of accidents in mines has
been that the carelessness Of the min
ers was the greatest factor in the
cause OF deaths While the experts
OF the bureau of mines concede that
carlessness Is factor in such acct
dents, they declare that it is not near
y as important as it is claimed to be
They rather believe, and they say that
their Investigations have borne this
out that the United States is still a
new country in the mining business
and that 1t has not yet learned some
or the, fundamental safeguards tina,
nave come to older countries through
pitter experience. The experts cite
the fact that before they began thei,
Investigations, very few coal operators
or miners believed that coal dust in q
mine could explode without the pres
ence OF gas. The bureau of mines has