The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1911-07-08
MANY Lives Lost in Recent Years
From Accidents.
installation OF Comparatively mex
pensive Fighting Appliances.
Regulations and Drills Would
Help Materially.

New Herbert NJ. Wilson,
chief engineer of the bureau OF mines
IN an address delivered at the annual
meeting OF the National Fire associa-
hon IN this city the other day, said
mat failure to appreciate the serious
ness of mine fires and a lack of ade-
luate fire protection have resulted in
he loss of hundreds of lives and the
destruction of millions OF dollars
worth OF property in the last few
years He declared that two of the
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 the Pancoast mine, near
Scranton. Pa. in which "A lives were
lost, originated from trivial causes
and ought to have been quickly ex-
tinguished without the sacrifice OF hui.
man life
The contact of several bales of
hay with blazing torch or an open
miners lamp" said Mr.. Wilson,
caused the Cherry mine disaster with
it's great loss of life and total cost
Of one million dollars. Of which $4,000
day was spent in direct fire lighting
for several days.
The fire in the Pancoast mine
killed "A miners, left As widows and
1877 dependent orphans. This fire is
known to have started In an under
ground room, presumably from some
oil-soaked waste The fire was not
thought serious until 1t had been burn
ing two hours. This delay was, in
large measure. responsible for the
great loss of life.
Besides the loss of life, fires have
cost much in money. At Deadwood, S.
d.. $1.O00,000 has been spent in fight
Ing fire In metal mine Today fires
are raging in coal and metal mines in
various parts of the country. Some
of them have got beyond control, and
have been burning for many years, de-
vouring hundreds OF thousands of tons
of coal and miles of mine galleries,
One mine fire near Carbonate, Pa,
has burned out such vast area of an
thracite coal In the last ten years as
to result in subsistence of the sur
face and destruction OF surface prop
erty. Near Summit, Pa. fire which
has been burning 81 years Is estima-
ted to have destroyed $25, 900, 900
worth of coal. Near Jobs. O., a tract
81 coal valued at several million dol
lars has been burning since 1884. In
some Of the deeper metal mines at
Butte. Mont. fires have been burning
in the old timbers since 1889 In the
Comstock vein in Nevada thousands
Of feet OF tunnels which had been
opened and timbered at great expense
are being burned out
The mining engineers OF the Blu
reau of mines have made careful
study Of fires in mines. and have
reached the conclusion that the intro
duction of mparatively inexpensive
fire fighting appliances. the adoption
OF proper regulations and the institu
ton OF reasonable system of fire
drills may minimize fires and confine
others to a brief period OF time with
little damage TO life and property. The
engineers OF this bureau have had
much success in ombating mine fires
through the use Of the oxygen helmet.
This is an apparatus that entirely
protects the head and through which
air Is furnished artificially. thus en-
abling the wearer TO explore the vi.
cinity Of fire under conditions OF
smoke and gas that would render his
approach otherwise impossible. BY
the use OF such an apparatus num-
Der OF fires have been promptly extin
guished which would doubtless have
spread and perhaps extended beyond
control
Chemistry, through the quick an.
lysis OF gases at frequegt intervals