The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-30
Thousands Attend Opening Of the
Demonstration Of Explosions
OF Gas and Coal
Dust.
TAFT TO BE PRESENT
Red Cross Society to Show How Re.
lief Work is Carried On Dur
Ing Mine
Horror.

P1TTSBURG. Pa, Oct. 30.-Thous-
ands of expert mining engineers. rep
resentatives of mine and mining in
terests, and spectators attended the
opening Of the National Mine Safety
and First Aid Demonstration here
today. The assembly is said to be
the first of Its kind ever held in the
world and there is wide interest di-
rect.
The exhibitions consist of expert
ments as to the cause of explosions
In mines, the force and effect of ex-
plosions caused by fine coal dust, gas
ses, blown out shot and other things,
the means used by rescuers in going
to the aid Of miners following acci-
dents in mines and the FIRST aid" ad-
ministered to the men after being
brought to the surface. In the explo-
sion exhibitions, scientific instruments
automatically registering the tempera-
ture. and velocity of the air currents
will be used and from these, mining
experts will obtain important data
which will cause them to become
more familiar with conditions and sur
rounding mine disasters, and take
steps for the further protection of
lives and property. Plans were first
made to arrange the program so that
President Taft, who arrives here to-
morrow might attend number of the
explosion demonstrations but because
Qf the fear that these experiments
might end disastrously and the presi-
dent be injured, the program was
changed so that only the tanner part
of the program consisting mostly of
relief work will be staged in his pres
ence. However, the president will be
given a chance to witness one explo
sion at Forbes field when after the
executive has been removed to a safe
distance an attempt to wreck an ad
NOR plate tube 1913 feet long and
feet in diameter will be made
The scene of this mornings exhi
here where the United States Bureau
of Mines has laboratory. This af
ternoon, it was shifted to Bruceteen
Pa, a short distance outside the city
where test is scheduled to be made
in an old coal mine especially fitted
up for the occasion. to show the eff
fects of an explosion of coal dust.
In the mine, fine coal dust will be
placed on slabs in the galleries, mair
passage and dead air spaces and ther
Mound Of black powder exploded
This is expected to show the force
Of fare back caused by blaci
powder. A week ago during a test
to determine the force Of an explosion
of dust, windows in houses for many
blocks around were broken and {
freight car standing near the moutt
of the mine was blown 500 feet dowr
the track.
At the arsenal grounds, tests O
fuel. safety lamps, explosions of Goa
dust and gases were made this morn
ing. Lectures upon the subject were
also given by prominent men.
The exhibition at Forbes field to
morrow will be under the auspices o
the Red Cross society in relief work
Forty rescue teams from every par
Of the country will compete for prizel
which will be awarded the winners b,
the president on platform erected
over the home plate. At the bal
park another coal dust explosion vii
be on the program aided by blacl
powder fired from cannon. Abou
ten different kinds of powder, nov
recommended by the government TO
Use in mines will be fired first in al
effort to show that no explosions re
suit from their use. Finally chafg
of black powder such as is being use'
In many Of the mines will be fire.
and an explosion, which promises t
shake Forbes Field more than an,
enthusiasm that ever followed vic
tory in the ninth inning for the p
rates will result, those in charge 0
the program declare.
The FIRST aid'' contests will b
under the supervision of DR., M.
Shields, chief of the field department
OF the Red Cross. Dr. Shields, VIII
comes from Scranton, Pa, successful
ly organized and brought to hig
state of perfection first aid work il
the anthracite coal mines Of north
ern Pennsylvania.
]. w. Paul of the Bureau OF Mine
will be manager of the field event
and Clarence Hall, of the Bureau Q