Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1919-10-31
Us B UREAU- 9 r MIN IS

- lIE new laboratories of the inter
II Tor departments bureau of mines
II at Pittsburgh, costing more than
I q million dollars. were dedicated
- recently with appropriate ccrc.
monies In which the mining and
Ek16VSNENTNU metallurgical industries of the
uMISyXNNH country took part. The program
$3.50 or three days arranged 10y
the bureau of mines in coopcr;-
tlon win the Pittsburgh chamber of commerce
One of the biggest features of these ceremonies
was The naton-wir' tirSt-aid and mine. rescue con-
test held during the last two DAYS About 100
! teams from The coal and metal mining companies
throughout The country entered the lists The last
daN there was n holiday for the miners of the
PITTSBURGH diSirc, and thousands Witnessed The
awarding of the prizes To the winners.
III addition To the usual prizes for these con.
tests, the Joseph A. Holmes Safety association an
organization created in 1916 in honor of the mem.
DRY or the first director for the purpose of giving
recognition To persons who had performed merl-
toiious and heroic deeds in the saving of human
me W the mining and metallurgical industry,
VINO had developed some safety appliance 10 fur
lher the saving of life in those industries made
It's first awards. Dr. Van H. Manning president
OF The association announced the list of recipients
OF diplomas and medals and recitcd the deeds for
| which they We're presented. The committee on
awards had recommended that - gold medals be
awarded, all for heroic deeds performed by miners
| OF fellow wOrkmen.
Speaking of the accident conditions generally In
the mining industries and of the outlook. DIR. Van
II, Manning director Of the bureau Of mines says:
II am often asked, What has the bureau Of
| mines accomplished In saving of human life In the
| minesT II is difficult 10 say, as there are so
| many varying factors involved. l may say. how
| ever. that II you consider the prevailing average
| death rate In the mines for period of years be-
fore the federal government took mp this work and
compare IL with the average fatality rate since the
| bureau was created. you will find that 5000 less
| miners have been killed In other words. had the
| old fatality rate been maintained through the last
| few years 5000 more men would have lost their
| lives. II must also be remembered that the situa.
| zion was gradually becoming worse, and who
! knows that there might not have been 1000 or
5000 lives lost? We also have 10 take into consid.
Grafton that, thanks to the many improvements in
! fe-saying methods and the greater understand.
| ings of the Of accidents. this saving OF
1000 human Beings will be increased the years
! roll on until we can show several times 5000 lives
| saved.
1T is indeed n glorious record of human prog.
rcss. Five thousand lives saved Perhaps 1000
| less widows At least 5000 children who stu
have fathers. Take away all the other manifold
! duties of the bureau of mines and this one accom-.
pshment is worthy of all its costs TO the govern.
mcnt since its establishment and for years TO
/ come.
II do not mean that the bureau of mines de.
serves all the credit. II was, however the agency
| That picked up the isolated sporadic efforts OF n
few welmeaning men and companies and welded
them into great national movement for greater
safety In the mines. II nj once gained the CO.
| operation of the miners the mine operators the
state mine inspectors and others and without
these the bureau of mines would have been almost
| helpless.
1T was in 1911 that The bureau held under II,
auspices great national frst-ad and mlnerescue
| bittgl lit.
miners The slogan of that meet was safety first
and that the time that the slogan since inter.
nationally f. nous, first became n national battle
cry for this Humanitarian movement Not only
was safety hrd' Immediately adopted by the
mining companies hut 1t was also taken up by
the railroads ana ny industrial plants Of the
country. Safety or>alzations appeared every.
where Determined campaigns were fought TO re.
duce the number Of deaths and Injuries. In quite
n number Of mills and factories and railroads
| there was n reduction In the fatalities of more
than 30 per cent Further Improvement was slow.
or, hut the original gains We're made and added TO-
"Just how many thousands of lives were saved
may never he known for there are no statistics
that adequately cover Industrial accidents but we
| do know that the bureau of mines and It's asso.
| ciated agencies started movem at that not only
| spread throughout the entire United States but
| II also reached the other countries of the world
with nm equally good effect. And 1t all started
with the modest mine safety meet we held In Pitts.
burgh In 1911.
"Snce that time the bureau has gone It's way
improving its methods. interesting the miner I'm his
own safety and that of his fellow man; doing
| what II could to point out 10 the owners of the
| mines the dangerous places that could be avoided
and making recommendations as the result OF ts
| experiments looking toward still greater safety
To-day the bureau Of mines maintains In every
mining field of the country mine rescue car. fully
equipped with modern lifesavng apparatus that
| responds to disasters and assists In the rescue
work. In the meanwhile 1t visits the mines In its
| district aud gives the miners training In both
| mine rescue and first aid to the Injured. AS a re-
suit there are several thousand miners throughout
the country who expert in the use Of the oxy-