The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-08-02


hundreds Of thousands Of men are
being slaughtered in the great Euro
pean war, and when the ingenuity Of
man in foreign countries is taxed to
the utmost to devise yet more fright
ful engines for killing men, 1t is In
striking contrast that the United
States government announces through
the Bureau Of Mines that preparations
are being made to hold in San Fran
cisco q great national demonstration
in the saving Of human life and in
alleviating the suferings 81 those who
are injured in the pursuits Of peaceful
industry.
The third national mine safety meet
In behalf Of the army Of more than
million miners Is to be held at the
Panama-Paciflc exposition grounds,
September % and "a, under the aus
pices of the Bureau Of Mines. the
the California Metal Producers asso-
citation. During that week, the Ameri-
can Institute Of Mining Engineers,
the American Mining Congress, ma
bers, will hold their annual meetings
HI LIlS CAPOoAIlOA 0AO WALL lolA IA tAO
safety demonstration, which promises
to have as spectators the largest gath
ering Of mining men ever assembled
IN the United States
II IL expected that more than nifty
teams Of miners from all over the
United States, trained in rescue and
frst-aid work, Will be present to COM
pete in the several events. Gold med
ais are to be awarded by the Ameri-
can Mine Safety association for. in
terstate supremacy in rescue and first
aid work and silver and bronze medals
by the American Red Cross society to
teams that make creditable showfngs.
In addition there viii be special med
ais and prizes to be competed for by
groups of states, such as the south
western states, the Rocky mountain
states, the Pacific coast states and
the southern states.
Already miners all over the country
are preparing for the great national
meet. Both rescue and frst-aid teams
are in training in many mining COM
munities and certain states and
groups OF states are holding elimina-
ton contests SO that they may be
represented at San Francisco BY the
strongest possible teams. Six south
western states, Texas, Arkansas,
Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and
Iowa, have already held state meets
and they are now preparing to hold
an interstate meet in Kansas City in
July. The Southwestern Interstate
Coal Operators association Is manag-
ing this Interstate meet and expects
to have 10000 persons present. The
winning team at Kansas City Is to be
given $1,000 as a prize to defray its
expenses to San Francisco and re.
turn.
The annual meeting of the Ameri.
can Mine Safety association will be
held at Binrmingham, Ala, Septem.
Der 4. and this will be the occasion
OF the southern interstate contest in
first aid and mine rescue the winning
team to be sent to San Francisco. One
Of the big coal-minfng companies in
Illinois and another in the Pocahontas
field Of West Virginia have already
made arrangements to send teams to
compete in the events. The Home
stake Mining company Of Lead. South
! Dakota. will also send an individual
| team. It is further expected that there
will be three teams each from the
| states or Colorado, Montana Wyon.
ing, Utah and New Mexico, five each
| from the states of Arizona. Nevada
and Washington, and a dozen teams
from California. Where a state is
represented by more than one team
there will be elimination contests on
the first day Of the meet, September
%. and the winners of these contests
will meet the eastern teams the next
day for interstate supremacy.
That the miners have a problem on
their hands is seen in the death STA
tistics for the mines. In the year 1913,
the last year for which statistics are
available for all the mines and allied
industries, 3,7s2 men we're killed and
177,000 injured. This includes coal
mines. metal mines, quarries. ore
dressing plants and smelling plants.
In the last ten years. IN the coal