Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1911-05-05

R0K 0~hlaZ sEsE MI 70 N avg EY40D0N
nored Fire Boss Trader at No g. in which the cars
ended the rum said that twice before there had been
runaways, and on each occasion fires had been
started in the coal dust but had been extnguished
before they spreda. And Blacksmith jenkins, fgur-
Ing the time between the passage of the and
the moment Of explosion, showed that between the
short circuit and the explosion there had been at
least a remarkable coincidence
There were 1862 men killed in that disaster and,
If the had been fixed on electricity the own
ers might have been forced to pay 81 800 a man,
like the owners of the Cherry Hill mine who faced
public opinion outraged at the thought of men be-
ing sealed alive in a burning mine. AS it was they
got off by contributing $4,000 to be added to the
public relief fund of $4,000 So instead of 81 800
each man cost only $5525
Electricity was also not blamed in the case OF
the Mariana disaster of November 2S, 1908 when
154 lost their lives but after the public inter
est had blown over the of electricity aban-
doned at the suggestion of the department of mines
and compressed air replaced In its stead This
might appear to indicate guilty knowledge of the
real cause
AS a matter of fact the owners of the mine, the
PIttsburg Buffalo Company, had alreaa 3 had warn
ing that all was not right in the Mariana On Au-
gust II, more than two months before the big ex-
plosion there smaller explosion which result
ed in the death of one and serious injury to
two Others and Alderman A. r. Day, of Mononga-
hela, before whom the preliminary hearing took
place. found that the accident had been due to cleo
tricity. William Underwood foreman In charge of
the mine arrested on information filed by State
Mine Inspector John F. Bell, a charge of permit
ting 'the use of spark-throwing machinery in that
part of the mine where only safety lamps al
lowed"
The Pittsburg Buffalo Company repeatedly denied
the fact of this accident but the report the state
department of mines for 1908 contains an account
of the accident.
Now that the United States government has
recognized the danger of electricity it has taken
the position that it would be blocking progress to
prevent its use. So 1t has set about solving the
problem in way that will bring final relief but
this will not prevent the death of thousands of men,
who will lose their lives of electricity be-
tween and the time when safely devices are
invented. 1t is impossible to fix an exact number,
but probably less than five hundred have come
to their death through unsafe electric apparatus in
the past year. the length of time the government
has been at work the problem.
In March 1910, the federal department of mines
sent word to all manufacturers of electric mining
apparatus that H H Clark an engineer had been
placed in charge of the work at the Pttsburg test
ing station and ready to stamp the seal of gov
eminent approval all electric mining machinery
that did not spark; but nine months later he had
not yet discovered single piece Of electric appara-
tus which met the requirements. Just consider that
for moment Even with all the improvements
which have been made to electric apparatus safety
is as far off as ever
But what is to be done? It is objected that you
can't stop nine-tenths of the mines from operating
until they are made safe And yet If they are per.
mitted to go ahead at present, they absolute
y certain to kill from 1000 to 5000 men before safe
apparatus is devised and installed
Are those 5000 lives to be sacrificed? Is nothing
to be done meanwhile? Apparently not
II those 5000 men were in one mine and abso-
utely certain to meet death there unless the cleo
trio apparatus torn out, the situation would be
dramatic public opinion would be aroused and some
thing quite effectual would be done The real need
is no less insisent. IT. then it would aot be absurd
to demand Immediate action in the one case it is
not in the other.
But, it is objected again it would interfere with
business, it would be too expensive impossible.
Money, then has more rights than humanity. Money
must be saved at any cost to men. And these 5000
must die because it would be too expensive to save
them.
In Colorado they are beginning to see the light
whole series of horrible disasters has forced Il
on them. The coroneT's jury that investigated the
Starkvle explosion found it had been due to cleo
uicity. and a commission appointed by the governor
strongly urged the legislature this spring abso-
uely to forbid the use of electricity in mines re-
CARELESS of the cost
Having no power to enforce the use OF safety
apparatus, the department Of mines is basing its
undertaking on moral suason. With the help OF
mining inspectors and new state laws It hoYea TO
get results. Eventually, 1t has reaeon to believe.
1t viii be successful 1t IS doing similar work 10
respect to explosives.