East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-07-29
death IN MINES
TO Be LESSENED
Operators VIII Meet Soon TO Discuss
Methods for Reducing Death
Toll

WASHINGTON, July 29.-Mine
operators. mining engineers and mine
surgeons representing practically every
imortant mining company in the
United States will gather at Pittsburg.
Pa on September 22 to discuss meth
DDS for reducing the death toll in
mines and quarries. These men are
members of the American Mine Safe
ty Association which held its first
meeting one year ago in Pittsburg.
Here is the problem they have on
hand. In the year 1911, S,6OS men
were killed in the mines and quarries
of the United States. SiXty-three
thousand three hundred and one were
! injured during the same time. The
death rate for all mining that year
reached 3.5S men in every 1000 en-
rloyed.
The men who will meet are the
leaders in what is known as the SAT
ety First" movement which began in
the United states about five years
ago through the influence of the Fed
eral Bureau of Mines In that time
several hundred mines have been
equipped with rescue crews to save
life following disaster, and first-aid
crews TO give succor to the men who
are injured.
The development of this humani-
l tartan work has led to a confusion of
, methods and the object of the Mine
: Safety association is to discuss the
: different methods and recommend the
use of only the best. In discussing the
object of the association Mr.. II. NJ.
I .F pf SDil
e today. in the hope of reducing the
= number of these accidents and short
ening the period of disability of the
n injured. it was felt that there should
= be greater uniformity in the methods
e Of conducting rescue operations in
e mines after explosions, fires, or other
s disasters, and to give first aid to the
y injured.
t "Workingmen's compensation acts
have in recent years been passed in
fifteen states, of which ten were en-
acted in the year 1911 alone. The
: rapid spread of legislation compell-
e ing employers to care for injured
/ workmen clearly shows the import
J. ance to the employer of reducing the
lie liabilities by every means at his dis
lie posal. These are of two kinds, name
/ ly, safety or preventive measures ans
70 protective or rescue and first aiC
a methods
Mine operators now realize that i
is more expensive to restore wrecked
mines, more costly to fight damage
G. suits through the courts and less pro
I'd fitable to pay regulated liabilit
Ia charges or even workmen's compensa
IL tion. than it is to bear the cost in
er volved in reducing these charges b
n means of diminishing the number o
i'll accidents and the duration of the re
Is sulting disability by the adoption G
ne improved safety rescue and first al
ce methods.
since fifty-eight per cent of all in
dustral accidents are shown by sta
tistics to be due to negligence, care
lessness or lack of knowledge of en-
ployers, or employees, the vital neces
b. sity of learning everything possibl
80. about the causes ana means of pre-
- venting these accidents must be ev
no dent to every man concerned in mir
10 ing. To the operators it spells bus
~, ness success or failure; to the mine
es life or the physical ability to wor
a. and support a family"