Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-04-13
MINERS Welfare
CAUSE Of TAFT
Bureau Of Mines laaTkS Great
Step Forward.
SAVES RUADa .OS OF LIVES
Discovery Of Danger Of Coal Dust Im-
portant - Handling Of Explosives
Made Safer = Governments Experi-
mental Coal Mine.

mental Coal Mine.
The saving &c many lives annually
the lives OF miners throughout the
United States Nlll I've one OF the splen-
did results TINT viii follow the estaD-
lishment OF tla aaeau Of mines, one
of the great achievements Ia the Inter
est of labor Of the administration of
President Tat
The excessive aud unnecessary loss
OF life IN tie Hiaes OF this country
was one of 81 nrlalary causes for the
creation OF This bureau. For years
hundreds OF n.i.iers were killed 10 mine
disasters, and practically nothing was
done to Chez d.e terrible loss OF life.
Spurred OF by President Taft. an
act creating the bureau Of mines was
passed by congress aud became ctfee.
tive on July l., 1910 John A. Holmes
of the United States geological survey
was appointed as the first director.
MIR. 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-
tablished at Pittsburgh. where the In
vestlgations 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.
1925 miners lost their lives, This rep
resented 4.S6 OF men killed for every
1000 employed. In coal mines In Eu
rope less than two miners are killed
out 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 $150.000 made by con
gress, the death rate has been already
reduced to practically one-half what 1t
was In 1907.
One of the notable achievements of
the bureau of mines was the demon
stration Of the fact that coal dust In
bitumnous mine Is more dangerous
and deadly than gas. II 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 ms 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
1 dust
| The number OF deaths in the mines
has been greatly reduced as resul,
OF the testing OF explosives under the
direction of the bureau of mines, II
| the year 1908 the coal mines In the Unit
ed States used 100000 pounds o.
short fame explosives. and ut presen
| nearly seven times that quantity Is be
ing used with greater safety due I,
the cooperation Of the coal operator
and the bureau OF mines.
The establishment of an experiment
tai coal mine at Bruretown. Pa.
| twelve miles from Pittsburgh. is still
| another notable achievement Of th
bureau Of mines. 1t places the Unitet
| States In advance,of other nations witt
respect to this research and expert
mental work in mines. Numerous test
| are made at this experimental mine
from which many excellent results ar
| obtained
Still another important work whicl
| is conducted under the auspices Of tn
bureau of mines is the rescue Of en-
| tombed miners. Since the creation o
! the bureau many hundreds OF live
| hive been saved At the big mimi;
| disaster In Ohio one Of the rescue corp
OF the bureau Of mines arrived at tn
Scene thirty-two hours after the disas
| Ter Three men were rescued who has
been given UP as dead and allowed Il
remain IN the mine. At another tins
orc man WIS found alive among ~
xiead. and today he Is the sole survivor
I or TINT terrible catastrophe due to TIL.
splendid wort Of the rescue corps
/ before the bureau Of mines wal
DaGe poss,nle by The interest OF Pres
| idpng Tat. which vas followed by ths
| ssectesarr legislation for its establish
| met there was no organized effort ii
! saylsg the lives If entombed miners
! Time and again men have sacrificed
fheir lives IL vain attempts to rescue
| their companions. This unnecessary
sacrifice OF life has been stopped By
the cooperation Of the state authori
ties with the federal rescuers attached
to the bureau Of mines An inyestiga.
| ton of the fuel resources Of the Uui..
ed States is also being made with q
view of checking the waste and IN
creasing the efficiency with which fact
is used This latter phase Of the wort
IL part OF the practical conservation
policy OF the Taft administrator.
Il
m AEkilau clrrnrAs Taft