The Washington herald., 1921-08-28

owner and operator.
dozen years ago the Bureau OF Mines
found that it would be necessary TO have mine OF
some sort properly to test conditions which exist IN
the mining industry causing explosions and killing
men Accde..s had been running at too high rate.
The United States had acquired reputation OF being
the most prodigal nation the world with its natural
resources and at the time the most prodigal in
spending the lives of its workers getting those
out into shape for the Of mankind. Some
thing had to be done. and the first step to get
the nine for experiments, to test out under actual
working conditions some OF the theories which
gneers had for improving the working conditions and
making mining a safer industry.
The mine at Bruceton, abandoned coal prop
ey useless from the standpoint Of further production
OF coal found to be ideally suited for the pur-
poses OF the bureau II was purchased and equipment
to prove various contested points shipped
How many lives have been saved a result of
the work done at Bruceton and the lessons learned
thereby would be hard estimate, but It certainly
in the tens of thousands. Mining accidents have
been cut in half and lower-explosions have been
reduced to where they a novelty rather than a
common occurrence and methods of safety work have
been developed which have reduced the risk OF mining
so per cent more.
The first thing which the bureau set out to do
was to prove to the miners that coal dust was ex-
ploslve A miner is hard -sheed sort of individual
drilling. amping and firing. becomes caloused to the
dangers which impress the uninated so forcibly
Consequently, after the familiarity has bred contempt
Tor the powder or dynamite accidents occur. But
powder accidents because of the fact that people were
handling something they could see, were relatively
easy to stop. Not so with coal dust
n UST in many forms, in the light of modern
- science, has been proved to be full of explosive
possibilities Coal dust finely separated particles al
most pure carbon with the right amount of oxygen
present and spark or flame to start action results
in very rapid combustion which is another name for
explosion
A who regarded coal dust as only something
which got into his hands and hair and lungs was
hard person convince that in certain forms had
kick quite as bad as dynamite. The bureau did it
this way.
Certain of the lower chambers in the experts
mental mine were carefully busted with coal powder.
almost as fine tacum powder. Coal dust
distributed on shelves each side of the tunnel
sentry" as the word is used in mining parlance.
About two pounds of dust distributed for each
linear foot of the entry. In this way the condition
which exists in working coal mine exactly
reproduced except that in the coal mine the dust
comes from the drilling. the machine cutting and the
blasting.
Then, after the dust had settled and had been
stirred up again. so that little of it floating in
the atmosphere almost invisible, everybody out
of the mine. small cannon, loaded with four
pounds of black powder fired. 1t was pointed
toward the mouth of the mine The air currents
which set up stirred the dust and the flame from