Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-15
DEATH IN Mines
FEWER FOR YEAR
One Life Snuffed Out With
Every $4,000 Tons of Coal
in United States.

Washington, Jan. 15.-One miners
life is snuffed out with every 1873 900
tons of coal mined In the United
States. In 1907 when the federal bu-
reau of mines was beginning its work
the ratio was greater: One life was
given with every $4,000 tons. DR..
Joseph A. Holmes, director Of the
United States bureau of mines, in his
annual report today to Secretary Fish
er, attributes the decrease in the NOR.
tally to the federal governments
work in the mining fields, and points
out how the enormous death list may
be still further reduced.
While much remains to be done, in
Guiding a 6~oad extension of the in
vestigation of accident and rescue
work so that it will include metal and
ether mineral mines as we'll as coal
mines, DR.. Holmes shows that where
as there was an average of 6.93 men
killed for every 100000 tons of coal
mined in 1907, this number decreased
steadily to COS in 1908, to $40 the
next year, 5.66 in 1910 and 5.4s is the
calendar year 1911. The figures for
the year Just closed, it is estimated,
will show further decrease in the
death rate.
The death rate in the metal mines
of the country is nearly as high, he
declares, as in the coal fields. averag,
ing more than three men per thousand
employed; the death rate in the quar-.
ries is larger than 1t should be, aver.
aging far more than that in foreign
quarries; and the same is true in ret
allurgical plants. He recommends,
therefore, that the bureau be given
money to carry its mine-accident in,
vestigation into these other fields in
larger measure than the limited ap-
preparations so far granted have al
lowed.
The enormous annual loss in min
ing and preparing coal for market
the huge waste OF natural gas. as well
as lack of efficiency and waste IN the
metal mining industries are mention
ed by DR.. Holmes. This extravaganza
of natural resources, he asserts
should be checked.
Pioneer education work, temporary
in character" is the way in which the
director refers to the mine rescue and
first aid work among the more thar
100000 miners in the $4,000 mines Of
the country. Ultimately this must bt
taken care of, he says, by the Goa
mining companies through the train
! ing and organization of miners a.
each OF the larger mines or groups o.
mines He states that already g
number of companies maintain res
cue stations at their own expense
( The chief purpose of the bureau Of
mines is to train miners in first-aid
! mine-rescue and fire-fighting methods
/ and he adds that during the yea
more than 10000 miners have attend
! ed the lectures and demonstration
given from the mine-safety cars; more
than 1000 additional miners receive:
/ training sufficient TO enable them Il
participate in actual mine-rescue worl
and more than twice that number have
been added 10 the list of miners
trained in first aid practice
Health conditions in and abou
mines should be Investigated, in tn,
opinion of DR. Holmes. Preliminar,
inquiries, he says, have indicated tn
pTeya ence of tuberculosis and tn
presence of hookworm as miners dis
eases in several different localities il
the United States. 1t is importan
that this work should be extended raj