White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1911-03-26
SAFEGUAR DING
LIVES Of MINERS
BUREAU OF MINES CONDUCTING
EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN CON
CERNING EXPLOSIVES, LAMPS,
THE DEADLY GASES, ETC.

Since Uncle Sam has taken upon
himself the task of educating miners
to the necessity of new methods OF
protection in underground shafts
there has been a great increase in the
popular attention given to this sub
jeet. The statement was made in a
recent issue of the Scientific Amer
lean that in the past twenty years
coal mines in this country have made
1900 widows and 10000 orphans,
and have exacted a toll of of 10000
lives. In five years more than a
regiment has been killed outright in
the Pennsylvania coal mines alone.
1T seems time" says this paper,
for the government to make siren
uous efforts to overcome the ignor-
anee which causes most of the ia
talities."
Accordingly. the work of the new
bureau of mines in its mine rescue
campaign Is a work of education.
One free school has already been
opened to miners. and others are
planned for establishment in the
near future.
OF more than usual interest are the
experiments and operations carried
on by the bureau of mines. Under
the direction of experts sham ex-
plosions are caused and tests made to
determine the comparative power of
the explosive materials used in mines
The miners are invited TO watch the
effects of these explosions, which are
under control. Galleries are used
for lamp tests. which are made under
conditions identical with those met in
underground shafts.
Miners are taught in mimic shafts
how TO act in ease of emergency.
Difficult passages, with openings such
as those found in coal mines. make
the conditions similar to actual life.
Dummies representing a~sphyxiated
miners are carried out by the men of
the rescue corps while the miners
look on.
Travelling schools. or mine rescue
ears. are engaged in spreading this
knowledge. Six of these cars will
separate territory 70 cover. Among
the exhibits on these ears will be
telephones TO aid in the work or
mine rescue.
Not long ago John Mitchell. who
for nearly ten years was president
of the United Mine Workers. was
quoted as saying:
Mine calamities always suggest
means by which lives thus lost might
have been saved. If coal mines were
equipped with telephones throughout
their workings, II would be possible
for men entombed to let those on
the outside know the location of the
place in which they were gathered.
or al least let them know what was
their condition. And thus the work
of rescue would be g~reately aided. =
Since the disaster of less than two
years ago in the Cherry coal mine it
has been generally recognized that a
telephone system is essential for the
proper safeguarding of the lives OF
the miners. The development of
telephone systems in mines has
nearly all occurred since that cal
amity.
Telephone manufactures recogniz-
ed that the ordinary telephones
which serve so well the purpose for
which they were designed would not
do for underground service. This re-
quires a telephone set that will be
proof against fumes. gases, moisture
and other rigorous conditions met
with in mine shafts. Accordingly.
there have recently been developed
telephones sets that fulfill these rigid
specifications.
Some of these ironclad telephones
sets will stand up against the most
rigid conditions 10 be found in mines
of every description. A photograph
recently was taken of a PENNSYLVANIA
miner using one of the Western Elee-
tric company's mine telephones in
stalled 10000 feet from the surface.
The advantages of a system of these
metal clad instruments are very ap-
parent.
The use of telephone and signal
systems forms a considerable portion
OF the instruction that is given to
miners in a curse on protection in
underground shafts. In a case OF
emergency there are two methods OF
communication between the interior
of a mine and the outside world
One is to run. jump. stumble and
walk through darkened corridors.
The other is to use the telephone.