The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1912-04-18
MINERS WELFARE
CAUSE Ct TAFT
Bureau Of Mines Marks 6reat
Step Forward
SAVES HUNDREDS Of LIVES

0soeovoey ~ O109or 81 CoaS DUSK IN.
pertant - Handling Of Explosives
Made safsr - Governments Expert.
mental Coal Mine.
The saving Of many lives annually
the lives Of miners throughout the
United States-will be one of the splen-
did results that will follow the estab-
lishment OF the Lu.eau Of minea. one
Of the great achievements In the inter-
est OF labor OF the administration Of
President Taft.
The excessive and unnecessary loss
ct life In the mines Of this country
was one OF the primary causes for the
creation OF this bureau. For years
hundreds of miners were killed in minc
disasters. and practically nothing was
done to check the terrible loss Of life.
Sprrred on by President Taft. an
net creating the bureau Of mines was
pcssed By congress and became efec-
OF the United States geological survey
was appointed as thu fist director.
E.r. Holmes was reDutcd and certified
to he the lest trained man for thu
Place cbtainab!e IL the United States.
The chief experimental station was es-
fa5,ishe1 ut Pittsburgh. Were the in
veS.ig2tions Of the problems in.rCs. ed
to the bureau have been prosecuted 80
successfully for nearly two years.
In the year 1907. the most disastrous
OF al years in the American coal mines.
c,1c0 miners lost their lives. This rep
resented 4.S6 Of nen killed for e-e:y
1,O0O employed. In coal mines IL Eu-
rope less than two miners ara killed
OFT of every 1000 employed. AS re-
suit Of the work conducted BY the bu-
reau Of mines and the wise use of an
appropriation of $..5o,CO0 made By con-
gross. the death rate has heen already
reduced to practically one-haif what it
WAS in 1907.
One OF the notable achievements o.
the bureau Of mines was the demon
straticn of the fact that coal dust in
= bisurainous mine is more dangerous
and deadly than gas 1t had been the
Belief heretofore that gas or fire damp
was the greatest menace to the min
ers, and little attention was given to
the accumulation Of coal dust. The
bureau Of mines proved to the salts
faction Of the miners as we'll "a opera
tors that coal dust would explode and.
unlike fire damp. carried no warning
with it The keeping Of dusty mines
wet, rs recommended by the bureau
Of mines. was found to reduce ma
terially the chances Of explosion Of coal
dust
The number CO deaths in the mines
has been greatly redaced az result
OF the testing Of explosives under the
direction Of the bureau OF rnines. In
the year 1908 the Goa! mines in the init
ed States used 100000 pounds of
short Fame explosives. end Mt present
nearly seven times that quantity ia be-
Ing used with greater safety. due to
the co-crerntio1 of the coal operators
and the bureau Of mines.
The establishment Of an experiment
tal coal mine ct Erucetown. Pa.
twelve miles from Pittsburgh. is still
another rssab!e achievement Of the
bureau Of mines. It places the United
State, IN advance Of other nations with
respect to this research and expert
mental work In mines. Numerous tests
are mace ut this experimental mine.
frum which many excellent results are
obtained.
Still another important work which
Is conducted under the auspices Of the
bureau Of mines Is the rescue OF en-
.toml,ed miners. Sine the creation Of
the bureau rs-y hundreds Of lives
~@ye been saved At the big mining
disaster In Ohio one Of the rescue corps
Of the bureau Of mines arrived at the
ecece thirty-two hours after the disas-
te-. Three mea were rescued who had
been given up as dead and allowed to
renal, in the mine. At another time
enc man was found alive among $50
dead. and today he is the sole survivor
Of that terrible catastrophe due to the
splendid work OF the rescue corps.
Lesore tie bureau OF mines was
made possible by the interest OF Pres
sdent Taft, which was followed by the
necessary legislation for its establish
mcut, there was 10 organized effort in
saving the lives CT entombed miners.
Time and again men have sacrificed
their lives in vain attempts to rescue
their companions. This unnecessary
Eacrifice Of life has been stopped by
the cooperation Of the state authori-
ties with the federal rescuers attached
to the bureau Of mines. An investiga-
tioa CT the fuel resources Of the Unit
ed States is also being made with a
view OF checking the waste and In
sressiEg tie efficiency with which fuel
IL Used. This latter phase Of the work
ID part OF the practical conservation
policy Of the Taft administration.
o.. Wiley Supports Taft
IN YHarveY " Wiley who rocontlY