Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-09
.RHYS TELLS OF
BIC EXPLOSION
MINE INSPECTOR DESCRIBES THE
RECENT EXPERIMENT BY
THE GOVERNMENT
"A SCIENTIFIC TREAT
Blowing UP Of Experimental Mine ana
First Aid to the Injured Lessons
Were Most Interesting;
Foreign Experts Present

The recent first national safety
demonstration held at Pittsburgh I'M
der the direction Of the national gov
eminent was undoubtedly the most I'M
portant and practical demonstration
ever held in this or any otner
country" says r. T. Rhys, state mine
inspector, who recently returned
home 1T was of worldwide interest
and attended by miners and mine ex,
perts from all parts Of the United
States and from foreign countries.
Many OF these men had spent their
lives in the study of mines and mad
come to see tests of great sc1entl1lc
value and competitions among llre saw
ing teams, designed to show the acme
of achievement in the line of protective
efforts and efficient first aid to the In
jured. 49l q, ~ ~ =
"Of the many, interesting demonstra-
tons carried out by the different de-
partments of the national bureau OF
mines the most impressive as well as
instructive in my opinion was the ex-
ploding OF the experimental mine AT
Bruceton, and the first aid to the IN
jured performed by the 'd1fterent
teams present. * ..%#..
-, Mine at Bruceton e. f.
The experimental bureau OF mines
is situated near Bruceton, fa.'
on the Wheeling branch of the
Baltimore & Ohio railroad, and
is opened in the Pittsburgh seam,
which at this point out-crops on the
side of hill about 100 feet above the
railroad. The mine was opened pr1-
marily in order to study the pheno-
mena of dust and gas explosions and
to test various methods, of preventing
and checking explosions In progress
under actual mine and varied condl-
tons. The arrangement OF the mine
consisted of the outside steel gallery
of one-half inch boiler plate, 1O2 feet
long and 6 feet four inches in
diameter, connected by 2O-foot NOV
able steel section and 20-foot con-
crete explosion door section to slant
entry. This entry intersected the east
entry, or air course. at q point about
1872 feet from the end Of the explosion
loor section. The entire slant entry,
70 feet Of the air course. and 1859 feet
If the main openlng were lined with
reinforced concrete. Heavily rein
'orced concrete portals were built at |
he mouths of the gallery slant and
main, opening. One, surface and -FOUR
instrumental chambers
we're constructed. -. s''. |
Coal Dust on Floor *'' ,.~>@Dt
The wires from the instruments In
hese stations passed through pipes
,ehind the concrete lining to record
ne instruments In the observatory.
PRESSURE variations at the stations
nd velocity readings could be taken
" these instruments in conjunction
With those at the observatory. Gas
amples could be taken by special
evices at the instrumental station.
he mine was prepared for the ex-
losion by placing coal dust on the
loor of the steel gallery and on
wooden shelves along the sides Of the
ntries. The distance from the mouth
I the main entry, or opening to the
ace, was about 700 feet and the
mount Of coal dust sprinkled on the
helves and floor was about 700
ounds, or about one pound to the
neal foot. The coal dust was that of
he coal, mined in the experimental
zinc. mashed to a fine screening. A
traight hole four feet deep and about
vo inches in diameter. was drilled
bout the center of the vein in the
ace of the main entry and was antic-
dated to act when red as a blow
ut shot The mine was entirely free
gas and the explosion looked for
as to be pure dust explosion.
Many Examine Mine
"'Tha hole was charged with two and
ne-half pounds of F. F. F. black blast
IL powder and over LOO people went
ito the mine to examine the hole be-
IRE it was fired. Because o. a broken
ire the shot failed to explode twice
hen the electric was turned on. and
v the time it had been located and re-
aired, 1t was dark and many who had
)me there to witness the explosion
ad made their way to the railroad
alton About g.: 80 the current was
lrned on the third time and those
no remained to see it explode were /
ven sight they will never forget.
lmost simultaneously with the noise.
that Of a distant thunder, belch
flame about 200 feet in length, burst
nth from the mouth of the main
,ening. followed a moment later by
her flames equally appalling from
her openings that illumined the
elds and woods for miles around. So
eat was the force that debris was
lrled across gully several hundred
ct in width. Besides proving the &C
tracy Of a scientific theory that coal
lst is explosive. it was spectacular
i'd impressive scene"