The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-06-02
NINE DISASTERS MAY
Be AVOIDED

appreciate the seriousness of mine
fires and lack of adequate fire pro-
lection have resulted in the loss of
hundreds of lives and the destruc-
ton of millions Of dollars worth of
property in the last few years, ac-
cording to statement made at the
annual meeting Of the National Fire
Protection Association this morning
by Herbert NJ Wilson, chief engineer
of the Federal Bureau of Mines
Mr.. Wilson went farther and declar-
ed that two of the most serious dis
asters 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 seveuty-four lives We're
lost, originated from trivial causes
and ought to have been quickly ex-
tinguished without the sacrifice OF
human life.
"'rhe contact of several bales of
of hay with a blazing torch or an
open miners lamp" said Mr.. Will
son, "caused the Cherry mine disas-
ter with it's great loss of life and
total cost of one million dollars, of
which $4,000 day was spent in
direct fire fighting for several days.
1.-THE fire in the Pancoast mine
killed seventy-four miners, left for
ty-f1ve widows and 10 dependent or
phans. This fire Is known to have
started in an underground room
presumably from some oil-soaked
waste. The fire was not thought
serious until it had been burning
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., 100000 has been spent in
fighting fires in metal mine. To-
day fires are raging in coal and met
al mines in various parts of the
country Some of them have gotten
beyond control, and have been burn
ing for many years, devouring hum
dreds of thousands of tons of coal
and mines of galleries. One mine
fire near Carbonate, Pa, has burn
ed out such vast area of anthracite
coal in the last ten years as to result
in subsistence of the surface and
destruction of surface property
Near Summit Hill, Pa, a fire which
has been burning fifty-one years is
estimated to have destroyed 1885,
100000 worth of coal. Near Jobs,
Ohio, tract of coal valued at sew
eral million dollars has been burn
ing since 1884. In some of the deep
er metal mines at Butte, Mont, fires
have been burning in the old mine
timbers since 1889. In the Com
stock vein in Nevada, thousands of
feet of tunnels which had been open
ed and timbered at great expense
are being burned out.
"The mining engineers of the Blu
Teau OF MINES nave mace CdFeIu
study OF fires in mines, and have
reached the conclusion that the In.
PRODUCTION of compare lively inexpen
sive fire-aghting appliances, tbs
adoption Of proper regulations auG
tie institution Of reasonable sys
: tenn of fire drills may minimize fire:
and confine Others TO brief pcriot
Of time with little damage to lif'
and property. The engineers OF thi
, bureau have had much success /,
: combating mine fires through th
use of the oxygen helmet. This i
an apparatus that entire Y protect
The head, and through X ich air ]
furnished artifcially, thus enablin
. dc wearer to explore the vicinity Q
fire under conditions of smoke an