The Hartford republican., 1914-12-18
Loss OF life
MI MUCH TOO GREAT
Saws Director Holmes Of
Bureau Of Mines.
Astounding Facts in Annual Re-
port-Wasie Of Life
and Minerals.

The waste OF mineral resources or
The country. and the inventory Of
the wastes that are continuing arc
..v.u important consideration in the
fourth annual report os Dr. Joseph
=. Holmes, Director of the United
states Bureau OF Mines, made public
to-day.
According TO DR.. Holmes, the bu-
rean mas recorded its most notable
achievements in the rescue of more
than one hundred entombed miners
at different disasters. and the rescue
of many more miners by volunteers
who had been trained in the lie
saving work by the bureau. The bu-
rcau's influence has further resulted
in he establishment of rescue and
first-aid stations at hundreds OF
mines through the country, and the
Director makes the statement that
the trained rcscuers connected with
these stations will in the future
save the lives OF many men. The
total number of miners trained by
the bureau has now reached 24.975.
Despite the effort of the bureau
OF mines, Director Holmes declares
thar the loss of life is far greater
than itshoulde be witeiEactdollp
than il should be with the natural
hazards Of the industry, and makes
d plea for more extended investiga-
tions on the part of the Government.
THE humanitarian motives for under
taking such Investigations are OBJ
viops." says the Director. "A suf-
fici.nt economic reason is that dur
Ing the past year more than $500
men were killed and more than 100,-
coo injured in the mining and metal
luz fical industries of the country. One
haf of these fatalities and three
fouTths OF the injuries may be re-
aa-Ged us easily preventable. The
money lost Tor the accident may be
estimated at not less than $4,000
600 a year, and this loss must be
ultimately paid by the consumers of
mineral products throughout the
country"
The necessity for more extensive
use Of safety appliances in the mines
is shown by the statement that in
tie last five years, through lack of
such appliances. more than $500
InCu have been killed in the mines
and nearly 10000 seriously injured.
The Director comments upon the
fact that in Kansas, Oklahoma, In
diana and Iowa many of the men
employed III the mines to set off the
explosives have lost their lives, and
recommends hat the shots should
DC tired electrically from outside the
mine. "In many districts" says the
Dire ctor, the methods of shot-fir-
ing employed are still so extremely
hazardous that only the most reck-
less men are wiling to act as shot
iirers."
As showing the interest outside
the Bureau OF Mines in the life-saving
campaign in the mines, DR.. Holmes
declares that the states are already
the Federal Government in all it's in
vestis2tiOns in behalf of mine safety.
Re gives as an illustration Pennsyl-
vA5ia, with yearly expenditure of
$.12,GG0. He also cites that twelve
ildiyiaua! mining companies have
r9seoe cars, which is four more than
MicCs.
"a discussing the cause OF mine
disasters, Director Holmes says:
mot only have men been killed or
inquired from what are believed to be
Unu ecessdry electrical accidents I'm
mining, nut indirectly electrical ap-
p4ratUs has been responsible for
mine explosions and mine fires that
extensively destroyed both life and
prop"rty."
Ere improper use OF explosives
aad ne use OF improper explosives
have directly or indirectly caused
large share of the fatal accidents
and ,yious injuries O the men. But
l-.iY @s serious as the killing or
ia.arrs OF several thousand men
IRON -H.s cause during the last five
years rss been the injury to the
he"i'a 1L he miners from poisonous
gases given OF by the improper ex-
plc'I}e, used
Bach day poor ventilation and re-
sui,ins had air injure the health of
thonfa2ds Of miners In most of the
metal mining states the statutory
provisions are incomplete and mad
o4uate, and there is the greatest
disparity between them as to what !
constitutes sufficient ventilation to
keep mine air pure. In fact. no ade-
Quate system of ventilation is gener-