Eastern Utah advocate. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1895-1915, 1913-03-20
CHAPTER wi.
The Deadly Gases.

stretched wire. There was nothing q
do but walt. The chief engineer located
n spot directly over third west south
where the fire had been hottest. From
the charts showing the curves OF The
nesr OF the mine II was discovered that
there was natural decllvlty starting
az the foot " the shaft and descending
20 the point where the Ore had started
and from there the ground rose again
70 the level % the mine bottom nc the
fm end " third west south entry.
about three quarters Of mile from the
shaft Tho total drop nc the air split
where the nrr had started was only
about Hfteen feet. but a. the height Of
the entry wis ten feet Il wis evident
that " this basin could be- nlled With
water any fire TINT existed IN that
entry could b. effectively cxtinruishcd
without iooding the rest ~ the mine.
n fcnt TINT would be impossible on nc.
count " the vast area Of the workings
Meanwhile the pipes Tor compressed
alr which threaded every tunnel
throughout the milne had been filled
with water and M these pipes would
naturally be- red hot wherever IRE ox.
listed they would burst and discharge
the water where II wns most needed
AZ the spot located by the head engi
peer drill hole was sunk. and NJ 4i2
feet the drill went through. proving
that tho surveyors calculations had
been correct The pipe line was i'm.
NtaaINaN.IN 49,.
weeks q steady stream Of water pour
ru the burned section OF the mine.
u iHr meantime almost hourly oh.
svr,aliuus were taken with the Their.
momsirrs az che shafts, and record was
made of the barometric conditions
within the mine. A mine that Il sealed
bseathcs at regular intervals like a
human being through the natural GREY.
Ices ln the rock. aud even through the
seals at the shaft mouth the vacuum
reatcd by the burning out OF the ory.
gen In the mine would draw IN the air.
aud foe several hours handkerchief
laid over one OF the small openings In
the seal would show n steady suction.
Then. following. an expansion would
be- noticeable. and for an equal period
the strong. heavy smells OF BLACK
damp" and smoke would eHhnle from
NE mine.
SO great was the lnlrr-t inkrn by
the men la this work ~ 80. uluation
mat there was little rompin tng One
morning. however. ~ wuih.l tack
nom the power house o. ~. town /
met Luke Davis. an old miner OF ni,out
sixty. who came llmplng down the
strNet toward the mine. and from him
l beard the first complaint OF the Kind
land many like II followed that had
YET encountered.
The air on top amt az 10 live In."
he said. ''one day lt's cold: next dAy
its hot, I've had rheumatism ever
Hinoe the milne shut down The only
place man keeps his health il under.
gronnd." And there were mnny other.
who shared hi views.
-Four weeks after the shafts were
sealed u WIS determined that some
sort OF personal Investigation should
be made % the conditions In the mine.
one thing was apparent. and that
was that under no consideration should
say air be allowed 10 enter the mine.
al the entrance OF air would not only |
fan up any latent 6re which might ex. |
Isl. but the mixture OF air with the al. /
most pure gas. or after damp" which I.
existed throughout the entire work. |
Ines. would cause a most violent ex. /
piosion and the death OF any who were
within It's reach. Tests OF the mine nj. /
mosphere which had been made by
chemists showed less than I per cent |
Or oxygen and the presence OF enor. |
nous quantities OF the various gases
generated by the burning coal. SO /
poisonous was the atmosphere-for un. /
der no consideration could II be called /
hlled the shafts and ey.
cry foot OF the tunneling below the |
seals that life would be extinguished IN |
approximately ninety seconds should /
any man be compelled 20 breathe Il.
The gases which filled the mine con.
sisted principally OF carbon monoxide.
or white damp, and carbon dioxide. or |
black damp, with a small additional |
or other gases. White .
damp Is the gas most feared by the |
miners. for its properties render Il DIFF. I
ncult 90 detect, inasmuch as Il Is taste. /
less, odorless and colorless and when /
mixed In the proportion OF about Que .
part gas 20 nine parts air Is called .
IRE damp" and becomes explosive 20
a degree hard 10 realize unless one
has seen its effects. Black damp, un.
like white damp. Is heavier than air.
a noneXplosive gas which may be dc. .
tected by Its peculiar odor. Again,
unlike the other, It's eject Is 10 suffo- |
cate and exingulsh hre. This gas y.
80 heavy and moves with such slug.
gish flow that occasionally, when min.
ers have been trapped In a mine fol.
lowing an explosion and have detected
the black damp creeping In upon them |
by its smell, they have been able 10 /
stop its advance by erecting dams or !