The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-17
1,95O DEATH FULL.
 IN MINE INDUSTRY. DURING PAST YEAR.
In Spite of Shutdown During
 Strike, Accidents Take Large Number Lives

WASHINGTON. April 1s.- Reports received by the United States bureau of mines from state mine inspectors indicate that 1850 fatalities was the toll of human lives exacted in the coal industry during 1922. This is tentative figure based on actual reports covering II months and an
 estimate for December based upon the probable output of coal for the month. The estimate represents a reduction of 23 fatalities from the total for 1921. but will not represent lowering of the death rate. In re- lation to the quantity of coal pro- | duced, the accident rate will be ac- tually higher than the previous year, l the report said.
 In summariZation of the years record, bureau statisticians point out
 that from the first of April to the last of August a large part of the :. industry was closed down on account of miners strike; the production of fresh mined anthracite was complete l ly stopped; and the output of soft coal was cut in half. This stoppage naturally eliminated the accidents | that would have occurred had the
 mines been in operation. The net results, therefore, was that the five
 month period of the strike showed an abnormally low number of fatal accidents and this reduction will of course be reflected in the total num-
 Der of fatalities for the year.
 Number of Tragedies.
 The reduction in loss of life, de- spite the strike shutdown, was not as large as it might have been be- cause of the large number of lives lost during the year by mine ex- plosions. The outstanding feature Of the mine year was what the bureau officials call major" disasters, acci- dents in which at least five lives were lost. There were 13 of these during the year, II of which were ex- plosions which together cost the lives of 261 men. During 1921 there were only five major accidents With loss of 34 lives. Only three Of these were mine explosions and they resulted in only 21 deaths The larg- est killed, Il men; the largest dur ing the year past exacted S7 lives. while another took IT.
 On the basis of number of fataN- ties per million tons of coal mined, the death rate from gas and dust ex- plosions In 1921 was only 233, while for the first Il months of 1922 it was
 731, more than three times the rate for the previous year.
 The records of the past six or seven years had furnished grounds for the hope that the coal mining industry was no longer to experience the ter rible explosions of gas and dust which formed so distressing part of the industry's record in earlier years. the statisticians declared. For many years the bureau of mines ana other agencies have been investfgat- ing the causes of these explosions and have been endeavoring to find ways, not only to stop them a1to- gether, but also when they occur to stop them from travelling through the entire mine, destroying everything In | their path.
 Preventative Measures.
 Proper ventila tion@ tp prevent den- gerous accumulation of gas; wettlng | the mine to alley dust; the use or rock dust to obstruct the progress or | explosions; and other safety meaN- ures have been investigated and de- | vised Yet in the face of what would seem to be adequate knowledge or l the subject, and some times appa
 rently in spite of intelligent precau- tions, an explosion occurs, causing the loss of many lives and bringing destruction to property.
 However. the grave loss or lives III
 the mines is not entirely attrlput- able to explosions, 1t was declared. Less than 10 per cent of the fatali- ties are caused by explosions; nearly 30 per cent result from rock and coal falls The carelessness of the miners themselves and their disinclinatloh 10 give time to take precautions against the falls are given as the l reasons for that fact. Such acci- dents usually claim their victims one or two at time; and they are at | tended by none of the spectacuiai features that characterize large ex- plosion. But 1t is found at the end oI the year that if falls of rock ana coai could have been eliminated. nearly half of the lives lost in mine acci- dents could have been saved
 The loss during the II months or ,e22 resulted in 7s7 deaths. or at rate of 1880 per million tons. as com | pared with a rate of 2.Ol2 for RS1l. An examination of mining records
 over a long period discloses little II any improvement in the record or this class of mine accidents.
 "For this lack of improvement, the
 report stated, "it is perhaps fair 10
 place the larger part of the respoH- 1 sibility upon the miners themselves
 They are continually at the working
 nlace where most of the falls occur and are best able to observe the con
 ditions under which they work ana
 to tell when rocks should be taken
 down or props put up. A miner
 natural desire. however, to increase
 his earnings through larger tonnage and his disinclination to take down
 rock or put up prop when neeoeu
 have been the cause of many need | less deaths and injuries in coal mines"
 NnARr rAnT hDDCC1