The Clovis news. [volume] (Clovis, N.M.) 1907-1929, 1912-04-25
MINERS WELFARE
CAUSE OF TAFT
Bureau Of Mines Marks Great
Step Forward
SAVES HUNDREDS Of LIVES.

Discovery Of Danger Of Coal Dust Inn
portant r. Handling of Explosives
Made Safer - Governments Expsfi-
mental Coal Mine.
The saving of many lives annually
the lives of miners throughout the
United States-will be one Of the spleu-
did results that viii follow the estab-
llshment Of the bureau of mines. nj
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 erec-
tive on July ], 1910. John A.. Holmes
of the United States geological survey
was appointed as the first director.
Mr.. Holmes was reputed and certified
to be the best trained mar for the
place o"btainable in the United States.
The chief experimental station was es-
tablished at Pittsburgh, where the iu-
v%estigations 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.
3,125 miners lost their lives. This rep
resented 4.s6 Of men killed for every
LOCO employed. In coal mines in Eu-
rope less than two miners are killed
out OF every 1900 employed. As a re-
suit Of the work conducted by the bu-
reau OF mines and the wise use OF an
appropriation Of $4,000 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
s~tration of the fact that coal dust in
a bltuminous 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 well 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. q
the year 1908 the coal mines in the Unit
ed States used 100000 pounds OF
short fame explosives, and at present
nearly eve 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. 1t places the United
States in advance of other nations with
respect to this research and expert
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 i'm 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 e
remain in the mine. At another time
one man was found alive among l5l
dead. ana today he is the sole survivor
Of that terrible catastrophe due to th'
splendid work of the rescue corps.
Before the bureau Of mines was
made possible by the interest OF Pres
> tdeut Taft, which was followed by thl
necessary legislation for its establish
ment, there was no organized effort II
saving the lives OF entombed miners
Time and again men have sacrificed
their lives i'm vain attempts TO rescu0
their companions. Ehis unnecessar'
sacrifice OF ifeehgs been stopped bi
the cooperation OF the state authorl
ties with the federal rescuer 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 ana 10
creaslng the efficiency with which fue
is used. This latter phase Of the wor.
is a part Of the practical conseryatioi
policy of the Taft administration.
Or. Wiley Supports Taft.
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