The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-08-11
ment employe, has gone to her home
in Berkeley county to make a visit.

United State District Attorney S.
W. Walker, OF Martinsburg, and Uni.
ted States Marshal. c. Ned" Smith,
! OF Fairmont, are here. They came
for the purpose OF going over bust.
ness matters with officials at the De.
partment Of Justice.
Coal mine explosions with their
large loss OF life can be prevented,
in the opinion OF the bureau OF mines,
II Its recommendation are followed
and II care Is taken by the mine
workers. George S. Rice, chief mm
Ing engineer Of the bureau, in re.
port Just made public, made this as.
sertion clear.
Mr.. Rice goes further and declares
that mine explosions can no longer
be considered "acts of God" and that
mine management are not using the
means at hand to prevent explosions,
especially dust explosions.
Despite all that has been said ana
written during recent years about the
prevention OF explosions" says he,
1t must be admitted that unsatis.
factory progress has been made in
this country. Out OF 100 typical mines
examined in one state, only 10 were
taking any precautions, and in only a
rev OF these was there enough sys.
tematic humidifying or watering to
give reasonable assurances that the
coal dust always present in q coal
mine, was rendered nonignitable.
Perhaps the reason better protec.
tion Is not sought in bituminous mines
In general is that coal dust is every
where and its presence and danger
are frequently forgotten. The risk
OF an explosion seems to a mining
man like the chance Of being struck
by lightning, yet the chances are
greater than that, as indicated by the
toll OF mine explosions in this coun.
try which has varied In recent years
from 400 to 100 deaths per annum.
mo better illustration Of the ad.
vantage Of carefulness can be found
than In the mines OF Belgium. IL
those mines great instantaneous out.
bursts of inflammable gas from the
measures into the mine workings are
frequent, sometimes smothering the
men, yet for the last twenty years
no explosions of any magnitude have
occurred through ignition Of the gas,
though prior to 1893, when less pre-.
cautions were taken, there had been
many great disasters.
THE adoption of preventative mea-
sures Is largely in the hands of mine
operators but in the carrying out the
provisions every mine employee is
concerned
Without open flame of some sort
there would be no mine explosions.
III safety lamps or permissible
electric lamps were used, even in so.
called nongaseous mines, 1t is thought
that onethird Of all the explosions
in this country would be prevented.
ut is observed by the field engi-
neers Of the bureau that the unex-
pected presence of gas is most in.
portant factor in the starting OF mine
explosions. In many so,called non.
gaseous mine, gas issued in slamm
feeders at the face in some part of
the mine, as matter of daily occur.
renee, yet open lights are used in
such mines.
Comparatively few of the coal
mines Of the country are frankly &C.
knlwledged to be gaseous, and, sing
ularly enough, since the bureaus work
was inaugurated in 1908 only a sin
gle explosion has occurred in a mine
in which safety lamps we're being
used prior to an explosion"
Mr.. Rice outlines In his report a
series of so.called rock dust bar.
riers" as a means OF stopping ex-
plosions that have started. These
barriers consist OF shelves filled with
stone dust, and placed at certain
points In the mine. The idea is that
the force of an explosion will raise
the stone dust into q cloud, and, as
there is nothing in the stone dust to
burn, the explosion will be choked
and smothered. Mr.. Rice, who refers
to these devices as secondary safe
guarded, has already tried them out
with success in the bureaus expert
mental mine, and have been patented
for the benefit Of the mining public.