Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-07-06
FEWER DEATHS
IN COAL MINES
REPORT OF UNITED STATES BIZ.
REAU SHOWS FALLING OFF
IN LAST YEAR.
1907 HOLDS RECORD
In That Year a,197 Lost Lives; Mum.
Der in 1910 was 1884 and in 1911
Il Had Been Reduced to
2,517.

Washington, July 4-That the high
tide In the terrible death rate in Amer.
lean coal mines has been reached and
passed is the confident belief of the Of
f1cials Of the United States bureau OF
mines.
Figures issued by the bureau show
that 2,517 men were killed in the mines
last year as against 1884 for 1910. This
SHOWS q reduction In the number OF
lives lost Of 81 In one years time The
death rate In 1910 was 3.91 men in every
1000 employed. The rate In 1911 was
s74.
Compared with 1907, the darkest year
IN the history Of American mining,
when S,197 men lost their lives, 1911
shows decrease Of $50 in the number
OF men killed. It was following the
record OF this year that congress auth
orlzed the government to begin inves-
legations looking toward reduction in
the death rate and this was supple
nented in 1911 by the creation of the
bureau Of mines.
Discussing the death statistics Of the
coal mines, DR.. Joseph A. Holmes, d.
rector OF the bureau Of mines. said:
While these latest mortality statistics
In the coal mines Of the country show
slight Improvement over the previous
years, the United States has still no
record to be proud Of. In spite of the
progress we have made, we are still far
below the standard of safety that we
ought to have reached
1t Is OF course comforting to know
that for each year since 1907 there has
been decreasing number of men killed
Tor every million tons Of coal mined,
and that for every life lost we have each
year taken out of the earth more tons
OF coal. This Is an improvement In
the right direction. l hope that within
the next year or two we will see as
great an improvement in the reduction
OF the number Of men killed per 1000
men employed
The bureau is cooperating with the
state mine inspector, the mine workers
and with the mine operators in an en-
deavor to solve many OF the difficult
problems connected with the coal min
ing industry in this country. In this
EFFORT all the above forces are CO. oper-
ating IN good spirit in the determine
ton to bring about better conditions.
In this cooperative effort there Is al
50 serious need of the statesmen. No
branch Of industry in this country
Is on SO bad an economic basis today
as Is the coal mining industry, and
this industry can never be placed on a
satisfactory basis until, through i'm
portant legislative changes, improve
ment In this economic basis is made
possible"
1t was early in 1908 that the federal
government began, it's investigation Of
the causes Of mine disasters following
the climax Of accidents In 1907. The
record for 1907 and the following years
is as follows:
19o7-Thtrty- one hundred and ninety
seven men killed. or 4.Ss in every 1000
employed.
190S-Twenty-four hundred and
forty nine killed. or 1854 In every 1000
employed.
1S09-Twenty- six hundred and sixty.
eight killed, or 4 In every 1000 EN-.
ployed.
1910-Twenty- eight hundred and
thirty -four men killed, or 3.91 in every
1000 employed.
1sll = Twenty -hve hundred and
men killed, or STA in eyerv
I 900 employed