The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1911-10-31
4 NINE OPERATORS
CONVENTION OPENS
Safety Devices Demonstra-
tion One of the Features
of Meeting.
National News Association)


P1TTSBURG. Pa, Oct. 31.-Several
thousand mine owners, superintend
ents and miners from all parts of the
country. principally, however, from
the coal mining districts OF the East
and middle West, attended the open.
Ing here today OF the great national
mine safety demonstration, arranged
under the joint auspices of the
joint auspices of the Bureau of Mines,
the American Red Cross and the Pitts
burgh Coal Operators Association.
The demonstration, the first of it's
continue through tomorrow, and the
presence of President Taft will lend
additional interest to the otherwise
less sensational program of the second
day
The program which was begun
today. was arranged by the new
ly established Bureau OF Mines for
the purpose to demonstrate to those
actively engaged in the mining indus
try the dangers of certain common
practices in mine work and the fallacy
Of long established theories as to the
causes of mine explosions 1t is hoped
that. by thus bringing the result Of
the studies and experiments of the
experts Of the Bureau before the very
eyes of the mine owners, superintend-
ents and miners, they will be taught
valuable lesson which will have
tendency to prevent many mine dis
asters and loss Of life
Shortly after its establishment the
Bureau of Mines acquired some coal
land at Bruceton, twelve miles from
Pittsburg, and there started an exper-
imental mine for the purpose of test
Ing various theories in regard to the
causes Of mine explosions. The most
important part Of today's demonstra-
tion took place at the Bruceton mine,
where in the presence of the assem-
bled miners representing practically
every mining State in the Union, a
mine explosion was enacted by the ex-
perts of the Bureau of Mines
The Bureau of Mines has long been
OF the opinion that coal dust in a
mine Is a greater menace to the lives
Of miners than gas and that by far
the greatest majority of mine explo-
sions ia due to the ignition and ex-
plosion OF coal dust by blowout"
shots, that is blasts which do not
rend the rock or coal. but blow out
the packing and send a jet of flame
into the mine. which causes the coal
dust suspended in the air Of the mine
to explode. The experts Of the Bureau
tested their theory by numerous ex-
periments in the steel tube at the
experiment station in this city and
having become thoroughly convinced
OF the correctness of their theory, de-
cided to convince the mine workers
by an actual demonstration of the fal-
lacy Of their belief that coal dust !
would not explode.
The demonstration was made as
realistic as it could be made under
the circumstances. After the explos-
ion foremen miners of the Bureau Of
Mines. equipped with various types of
entered the mine to re-
cover supposed victims and First
Aid" miners took charge of the pre-
tended victims and resuscitated them.
The rest of the days program includ-
ed demonstrations with safety lamps
In an atmosphere surcharged with coal
gas or coal dust and the advantages Of
various new safety devices.
Tomorrow. at Forbes field, Pitts
burgh's baseball park, there will be
another demonstration of coal-dust
explosion. this time above ground, for
the benefit of the general public The
rest Of the program includes demon
Btrations Of the equipment and work
Of the rescue cars. manned by expert
rescuers. carefully trained in the use
Of oxygen helmets and in the various