The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1914-01-13
Claude Morton
UNDER TAKER
70 S. Main St. jacksonville. Ky

~ ,. MAIN 81. maoISOnVllle, NY
tire block Of old workings after theil
abandonment, 1t has created a ten.
dency on the part of the largest op.
orator In the field to adopt the par
ell system In working No. II coal
To brattice off the old works largely
excluded the oxygen necessary to
the oxidation of the iron pyrI.es.
The second scheme Is important
because conditions arise W there it II
impossible TO follow the sealing
method. Here the end is accomp-
lished through reducing the tenn
perature of the air in contact with
the pillars, by increasing the guam
tity of the circulation and thus pre-
venting the development of heat.
Coal Dust
In the workings where there is q
scarcity of mine water, the accumu.
latiOn of coal dust is, In most cases,
given strict attention by various
arrangements. In keeping with the
usual practice, coal dust Is cleaned
up at intervals and hauled from the
mines. Sprinkling is also in pre-
valent usafia in this connection.
Standardization Of the intake air in
the winter months has been univers.
ally adopted by the larger opera
tors.
Shooting IF The Solid
Because IF she dangers attending
the solid shooting of coal, Chief In
spectOr Norwood. has repeatedly
discouraged this prscticed. Twenty
two years ago, or to be mvre exact,
III his report OF 1891, be comments
in part, as follows:
shooting off the solid is less
common cow than was the case a
few years ago. when the prevalence
OF this performance invited warning
against it from this office. Coal
dust is now Speaking of 1891 gen.
orally admitted. by those who have
studied the question, to be almost
as dangerous as fire damp. AID ex-
plosion may occur In any dusty
mine and the prObs bilIty Of one ex-
lists where shooting off the solid lie
practIced."
This bit Of past history is given
by way OF indicating the commend
able manner In which Kantucky's
mine inspection department has
espoused the adoption of safe and
sane mining methods, thus occupy
ing a conspicuous place among the
highly efficient inspection depart.
ments Of the leading coal producing
states.
Thus almost two decades prior to
the scientific investigation and ex-
pertinent conducted to prove that
coal dust was an explosive agent,
the Chief Inspector of Kentucky
together with other advanced think-
ers, promulgated the dangers stten-
dant upon the presence of coal dust
III our mines.
In connection with the solid shoot
ing of coai, it is7wOrthy of note that
the machine mined coal Ia Western !
Kentucky was 26 per. cent of the
fields output in 1895. In 1911 the
coal mined by machines was 20 per
cent OF the fields Output-an increae
IN rs years Of 81 per cent Hopkins
County, the largest producing coun-
IS Of the state, Produced 1850 OOO tpus
IA l II 90 per cent OF which was III.
aercut by mining machines.
Fatalities
1t is TO the credit If the mine in
'pectoTs aud the various mine man
ayers alike, that the last avsilable
report shows an unp.e-
cedeuted increase ~ the amount OF
,oal mined per fatai accident. La
1910 there were 1863 O33 tons OF coai
won from the various seams for each
lfe lost. In 1911, the production per
fatality was $50 222 tons.
ROOI
When unsupported, the roof Of the
working places IN the No. 8 sRsm
PRESENTS great hazard to the life
If workman Only by careful IN
ipectiOn and thorough propping eau
accident be avoided. AS the work
ngs approach the crop lines the
liability OF accident becomes even
greater. the black slate cover here
hows marked tendencies toward