The sun., 1919-06-08
MINE RESCUE CREW eI the BUREAU Of MINES eMTsR!Ns
a in WHICH THERE HAS JUST BEEN AN EXPLOSION
Of GAS.
New Era Dawns With Problems Solved
by Government Experts for Safety of
Millions of Workers, Maximum
Production and independence
of Foreign Products

THE United States Bureau of
Mines soon will swing into its
- reinvigorated peace time stride
and, better equipped than ever, will
begin its manifold undertakings that
concern so closely\many phases Of our
industrial life.
the bureau, under the urge Of conflict,
has discovered many amazing things
and put us in the way Of applying
these effectively in aiding us to help
win the war.
To commemorate the resumption of
its normal conditions under particu
larly favorable circumstances and like
wise to emphasize the magnitude Of
its well earned Importance, the bureau
Is going to hold a celebration in
Pittsburg from September 90 to Octo-
Der 4. when it's recently completed
group OF laboratory buildings at the
Pittsburg experiment station will be
dedicated formally.
Bureau Only Nine Years Old.
More than a million dollars has been
spent-well spent-in creating special
facilities by which the Government
scientists will carry on their epoch
making investigations. To appreciate
what has already been accomplished
of
tentialities of the new laboratories
we should look over the span of nine
years to the time when the Bureau
of Mines had its beginning.
The bureau was established by Con-
gress In 1910 for the purpose of con-
Quoting scientific and technologic in
vestigations concerning mining and the
preparation and the utilization of min.
eral substances with a view TO the
increase of health, safety and efficiency
in the mineral enterprises. For eight
years the bureau paid especial atten-
ton to various problems that became
OF outstanding importance after we
declared war on Germany.
AS Van III. Manning, the able and
energetic director of the Bureau OF
Mines, has explained in his last an.
nual report:
Among these problems are those re.
lating to poisonous and explosive
gases. such as are found in mines, Che
devisinS OF means to protect men
working in noXious atmospheres, the
training of men in mine rescue and
first aid methods, the utilization OF
coal with greater efficiency, the de-
velopment of ways to utilize domestic
minerals to>replace minerals that here.
tofore have been imported, the pre-.
vention OF waste in the production
the transportation and the utilization
Of petroleum and natural gas, and the
development Of processes whereby de.
posts of minerals now unworked NAV
become available as sources of supply
OF Great Aid to Army.
With the experience acquired, the
organization that had been built I'd
and its wide knowledge of mining
milling and metallurgical practice
throughout the United States the bu
reau was in a position to conduc
many special Investigations that .haC
military importance and to cooperat,
with the various agencies that wer,
participating in the great task Of con
vertinG the United States from a coun
try engaged in peaceful industry L
one seeking TO throw its Overwhelming
strength into a war for the preserva
tion OF democracy"
Just how necessary It was that {
bureau OF mines should be called int,
being is made clear by an extrac
from the annual report OF the burea,
Tor l9l3--the year when a new or
san!c act greatly enlarged the scoop
Of this subdivision of the Department
OF commerce. To quote:
There is no exact measure OF III,
losses from mine accidents and min
eral waste, but we may use an an
proNimate. If the increasing rate n
,oel mine fatalities during 1905 1eO
snd 1907, the three years prior 10 th
"eS'nn'nT NJ this work, had continue
-,