The citizen., 1912-01-26
PERIL OF COAL DUST
Expert Demonstrates Contention
of Explosion.
Pennsylvania Mine Is Wrecked by
Touching of Badly Placed Charge
of Ordinary Black Powder
Test Is Object Lesson.

Pittsburg, Pa.-"No amount of
writing or talking could be so forcible
in the teaching of great lessons"
said DR.. Joseph A. Holmes, director
of the bureau of mines, when he re-
turned the other night from the DEM
onstration at the government expert
mental mine at Bruceton, Pa. Gov
cred with mud and, looking almost
like a veritable miner. Dr. Holmes
was most enthusiastic over the ex-
pertinent, notwithstanding many de-
lays in the preparations.
1t was not until after dark that this
first made-to-order" mine explosion
really took place
Standing alone in his laboratory,
back in the hills of Allegheny county,
a chemist twice touched an innocent
appearing button The explosion
failed to materialize. Investigation
found the source of trouble, which
was readily remedied.
The last shot was touched off by
DR.. Holmes. Instantly there was a
of the earth Flames burst from the
drift and spurted from the air shaft.
The fanhouse went down with a
crash. Dense volumes of black
smoke poured into the open and the
heavens were ablaze.
It was terrifying to the laymen.
Fire bosses, mine foremen and su-
perintendents who had heretofore es-
capped those things unexpected saw
what they believed they would some
day experience. but would never be
able to tell-a real mine explosion.
The government effort had ap-
parently been successful.
1t was a test of the explosive prop
critics of the deadly" coal dust. So
enthusiastic was DR.. Holmes, the gov
ernment's expert, that he made this
public statement:
1.-THE great value of this experiment
to the mining industry was in demon
strating to more than 1,500 coal op-
orators and mine managers from
every coal mining district of the
Unteu states the TACT.
"That ordinary bituminous or soft
coal dust will explode from charge
of black powder badly placed in a
mine;
THAT dust will explode with vio-
lence sufficient to wreck the mine and
kill every person working in the mine,
and
That poisonous gases are given off
from such an explosion in sufficient
quantity to suffocate and poison any
persons in the mine who may have
escaped the violence of the explosion.
The fact that the explosion did
not take place until after dark was
disappointment to the photographers
and many of the visitors; but the eff
feet of the explosion with the enor-
nous fame which penetrated and rose
above the forest trees of this region
was so much more impressive at night
than it possibly could have been dur
ing the daytime that it was held to be
fortunate that it had occurred at night
rather than during the day.
''The explosion at the experimental
mine means further that, having been
actually witnessed by so many coal
mine operators and managers from
the different coal mining states, these
men will return 90 their respective
mines impressed not only with the
fact that dust Wiz explode from the
improper use of Back powder, but
that many of the explosions that have
already occurred in the mines in other
regions have been dust explosions and
not gas explosions, as they were for
merly supposed to be. 1t, therefore,
opens up new lines of treatment look
ing to tie prevention of such mine
explosions in the future"