Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1913-01-15
,ny Associated Press,

WASHINGTON, Jan. a. One
miners life is snuffed out with
every $4,000 tons of coal mined in
the United States. In 1907 when
the federal bureau OF mines was be.
ginning It's work the ratio was great.
er; One life was given with every
144.000 tons. Dr. Joseph A. Holmes,
director of the United States bureau
of mines, in his annual report to-
day to Secretary Fisher attributes
the decrease in the mortality 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,
including a broad extension of the
investigation OF accident and rescue
work so that II will include metal
and other mineral mines as well
as coal mines, Dr. Holmes shows
that whereas there was an average
of 6.93 men killed for every 1000
600 tons OF coal mined in 1907, this
number decreased steadily to sos
in 1908, to 5.97 the next year, 5.66 In
1910 and 5.4S in the calendar year
1871. 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, aver
aging more than three men per
thousand employed the death rate
In the quarries is larger than IL
should be, averaging far more than
that In foreign quarries; and the
same is true in metallurgical plants
He recommends, therefore, that the
bureau be given money to carry its
mine accident investigation into
these other fields in larger measure
than the limited appropriations SO
far granted have allowed
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 and industries
are mentioned by DR. Holmes This
extravaganza Of natural resources,
he asserts, should be checked.
Pioneer educational work, tempo.
rary in character" is the way in
which the director refers to the
mine rescue and first aid work
among the more than 100000 miners
in the $4,000 mines of the country
Ultimately this must be taken care
Of, he says, by the coal mining
companies through the training and
organization of miners at each OF
the larger mines or groups of mines
lie states that already number OF
companies maintain rescue stations
As hnt hn oh kat
purpose of the bureau Of mines is to
train miners in flrst-aid, mine-rescue
and fire-fighting methods and he
adds that during the year more
than 10000 miners have attended
the lectures and demonstrations
given from the mine safety cars
more than 1000 additional miners
received training sufficient to en-
able them to participate in actua
mine-rescue work. and more thar
twice that number have been addet
to the list of miners trained IL
first.aid practice"
Health conditions in and abou
mines should be investigated, in tn,
opinion of DR.. Holmes. Preliminar!
inquiries, he says, have indicated
the prevalence of tuberculosis ant
the presence of hookworm as miners
diseases in several different Local
tiles in the United States. II Is i'm
portant that this work should b
extended rapidly, because of tn
fact that the health conditions, a
well as the risk of accidents, ma
be Influenced by conditions suscept
ible of easy Improvement,
The large and continuous influ
OF foreigners into the mining region
of the United States may bring TO a
increasing extent the hookworm an
other diseases that exist in mine
in parts of certain European coui
tries. Various questions that col
Germ the health of workers In mine
quarries and metallurgical plants cal
not be answered finally without II
yestigations and inquiries that al
national in scope. Among such que
tions are the most efficient method
OF preventing the disease peculif
to mining and metallurgical indu
tries, and the most effective sanitaI
precautions to be observed in an
about mines and in the various me
allurgical occupations
Especial attention is called
oohV VI Aut DtntlilS utllNtus uOl
by the government and individual
from the bureaus fuel investig
tions. A saving of money and Il
delivery Of better grade coal tn;
would have been obtained othe
. WISE are mentioned in this come
tion. More than $5,0OO,000 worth
coal is bought annually by the &c
ernment under specifications prepi
ed by the bureau of mines; and a
ditional fuel to the value of
100000 is bought by it under {
general advice of the bureau. r
benefits have been both general a
special, the real saving being s,
eral times as great as the actl
money saved because of the securi
OF better coal
During the year every mine In
United States at which an expiosl
or fire of any note occurred was Y
ited by one or more engineers OF
bureau, says Director Holmes, W
in cooperation with or with
approval of the state or mine o