Arizona republican., 1912-04-29


 portsnt - Handling of Explosives Made Safer - Governments Experi- 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- Iishment of the bureau of mines. one of the great achievements in the inter- est of labor of the administration of President Taft.
 The excessive and unnecessary loss of 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 mine disasters. and practically nothing was done to check the terrible loss of life.
 Spurred on by President Taft, an act creating the bureau of mines was passed by congress and became efec- tive on July l. 1910. John A. Holmes of the United States geological survey was appointed as the first director. 1Ir. Holmes was reputed and certified tO be the best trained man for the place obtainable in the United States. The chief experimental station was es abolished at Pittsburgh. where the in- vestigations of the problems intrusted to the bureau have been prosecuted so successfully for nearly two years
 In the year 1907. the most disastrous of all years in the American coal mines, 3.12J miners lost their lives. This rep T ( gn I-sH 1000 employed. In coal mines in Flu rope less than two miners are killed out of every 1000 employed. AS re- suit of the work conducted by the bu- rcau of mines and the wise use of an appropriation of S150.C0O made by con- gress, the death rate has been already reduced to practically one-half what it was in 1907.
 One of the notable achievements of the bureau of mines was the demon stratiOn of the fact that coal dust in a bituminous mine is more dangerous and deadly than gas. It had been the belief heretofore that gas or fire damp was the greatest menace to the min CTS. and little attention was given to the accumulation of coal dust. The bureau of mines proved to the satis- faction of the miners as we'll as opera tors that coal dust would explode and. unlike fire damp. carried no warning with it. The keeping of dusty mines wet, as recommended by the bureau Of mines. was found to reduce ma terially the chances of explosion of coal dust
 The number of deaths in the mines has been greatly reduced as a result of the testing of explosives under the direction of the bureau of mines. In the year 1908 the coal mines in the Unit ed States used 2.000Go0 pounds of short flame explosives. and at present nearly seven times that quantity is be- ing used with greater safety. due to the cooperation of the coal operators and the bureau of mines.
 The establishment of an experiment tai coal mine at BrucetoWn. Pa. twelve miles, from Pittsburgh. is still another notable achievement of the bureau of mines. It places the United States in advance of other nations with respect to this research and experi- mental work in mines. Numerous tests are made at this experimental mine. from 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- tombed miners Since the creation of the bureau many hundreds of lives have been saved. At the big mining disaster in Ohio one of the rescue corps of the bureau of mines arrived at the scene thirty-two hours after the disas- ter. Three men were rescued who had been given up as dead and allowed to remain in the mine At another time one man was found alive among 150 dead. and today he is the sole survivor of that terrible catastrophe due to the splendid work of the rescue corps.
 Before the bureau of mines was made possible by the interest Of Pres ident Taft. which was followed by the necessary legislation for its establish nent, there was no organized effort in saving the lives of entombed miners Time and again men have sacrificed their lives in vain attempts to rescue luelI COuupdHlOuS l HIS uuneCeSSdlJ sacrifice of fife has been stopped by the cooperation of the state authori ties with the federal rescuers attached to the bureau of mines. An investiga tion of the fuel resources of the Unit ed States is also being made with : view of checking the waste and in creasiag the efficiency with which fue iS uSpd This latter nhaSQ of tho wOrI is a part of the practical conservation policy of the Taft administration.