Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-05-10

nored Fire Boss Trader at No. 6, 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, dgur.
ing the time between the passage Of the cars and
the moment of explosion, showed that between the
short circuit and the explosion there had been at
least remarkable coincidence
There were 1862 men killed in that disaster and,
If the cause had been fixed on electricity the own.
might have been forced to pay 1900 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 burning mine AS it was they
got of by contributing $4,000 to be added to the
public relief fund of $149 000 &c. instead Of 81 800
each man cost only $55.25.
Electricity was also not blamed in the case Of
the Mariana disaster OF November 20, 1908, when
154 men 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 it's stead. This
might appear to indicate guilty knowledge OF the
real cause.
AS matter OF fact the owners of the mine. the
Pittsburg-Bufalo Company, had already had warn
ing that all was not 'snt in the Mariana. On Au-
gust 49, more than two months before the big ex-
ploson, there smaller explosion which result
ed in the death Of one man 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 elec
the mine arrested on information filed by State
Mine Inspector John F. Bell a charge Of permit
ting "the Of spark-throwing machinery in that
part of the mine where only safety lamps are al
lowed"
The Pittsburg-Bunalo Company repeatedly denied
the fact of this accident but the report OF the state
department Of mines for 1908 contains account
of the accident.
Now that the United States government has
recognized the danger Of electricity, 1t has taken
the position that 1t would be blocking progresb to
prevent its use. So it 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 account Of electricity be-
tween now and the time when safely devices are
invented. 1t ia impossible to fix an exact number,
but probably no 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 on 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 on 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
Tor moment Even with all the improvements
which have been made to electric apparatus safety
Is as far off 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, II they are per
mitted to go ahead at present. they are absolute
ly certain to kill from 1000 5000 men before safe
apparatus Is devised and installed.
Are those 5000 lives to be sacrificed? Is nothina
to be done meanwhile? Apparently not
those 5000 men were in one mine and abso
lutely certain to meet death there unless the cleo
trio apparatus were torn out, the situation would be
dramatic. public opinion would be aroused and some
thing quite ehectual would be done The real need
10 no less fnsstent IT, then 1t would not be absurd
to demand immediate action in the one case It ii
not in the other.
But, It 1s objected again. it would interfere will
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 1t would be too expensive to save
them.
In Colorado they are beginning to sec the light
whole series Of horrible disasters has forced II
on them. Tho coroners jury that investigated the
starkville explosion found it had been due to cleo
tric1ty, and commission appointed by the governor
strongly urged on the legislature this spring abso
lutely to forbid the use Of electricity in mines 70
CARELESS of the cost.
Having power to enforce tho use of safety
apparatus, the department OF mines is basng til
undertaking on moral suasion With the help o.
mining inspectors and new state laws It hopes t.
get results Eventually, it has reason to believe
it will be successful. 1t 10 doing similar work IL
respect to explosives.