The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-03-15

eer in Mining Congress JournaD.
one of the first questions that is
asked when the radio is mentioned in
relation to its use in mines is, Can
radio be used underground" and
when the answer is given as Yes
the questioner is more or less aston
ished, according to his knowledge Of
the radio art as it exists today
Radio waves do penetrate the
ground and do travel through the
earth much the same way as they
travel above the ground. There are.
however, certain limitations which
tend to absorb the power of the
transmitting set when sending I'M
derground. but due to the increase in
efficiency and sensitiveness of receiv-
ing sets. IL may be stated with auth
ority that no difficulties are encoun-
tered in sending messages from the
surface to the bottom of the deepest
mine unless perhaps the receiving set
in the mine is surrounded by a high
metallic content iron ore. Even in the
latter case, power could be increas-
ed at the sending station so that suf-
fciently loud signals could undoubt-
edly be received under the most adj
verse conditions likely to be encoun-
tered. You will notice that the above
remarks apply principally to receiv-
ing below from a sending set above.
The reverse-sending from below to
be received above-is "a little more
difficult especially in metallic ore
mines
Problem Well Studied.
The problem of reception below the
surface of the ground, and, in fact,
below the surface of the water, has
been well investigated The writer
recently read a report of reception at /
the bottom of n 12OO-foot mine with a
narrow shaft using only a S-fOOt lOOp /
of wire as a means of catching the |
messages where readable signals /
were readily obtained from sending /
station in Germany, and many sta
tons in this country We're copied as
we'll The apparatus used in these
tests was standard equipment, such as
used above ground for loop reception,
and no particular attention paid to
the portability of the receiving sta
ton or its adaptation to permanent
use in mines
Reception below the water was
thoroughly worked out and made
practical during the late war for the
use of submarines, and it may be
stated that accurate and distinct COM
munication was obtained in practice
to and from submarines running sub
merged.
Most of the above experimental and l.
practical work was done using wire Il
less telegraph Obviously. with the
type of labor employed in mines and
the necessity of the apparatus being
such as to be operated by anyone in
an emergency, the radio telephone
viii have to be used in mines, and not
the radio telegraph which necessitates
trained operators The radio tele-
phone is no different in principle of
operation than the radio telegraph,
so that from a theoretical point of !
view it is without doubt possible to
communicate from the surface to the
very bottom of 9S per cent of the
mines of the United States and to re-
verse the communication in about so
per cent of them.
Timber as Source of Danger. i
The timbering of mine will al 7
ways be source of danger from fire. c
The use of carbide lamps will. of '
course. always add to the danger of c
fire. And yet, it seems peculiar that O
speaking. electricity in the ?
form of small storage batteries for t
light miners lamps mas not yet SEEM a
ed to have been practical enough to
be adopted by mining concerns. The
mine shaft carries the hosting para u
phernalia and the skips, or contain "a
ers, and men are constantly passing 3,
up and down the main shaft Through 4
the main shaft also must run tele- a
phone communication, signaling bells, >,
air tubes, and water pipes ~
for pumping the water in the mines. n
If a fire or bad cave-in does occur in
his shaft, whoever is below is almost u,
simultaneously cut off from outside =,
guidance. Radio offers a speedy re- T.,
ief to those who might be imprison- -.
ID as far as communication alone is o.,
concerned. Communication. however, In
$ not the only problem. There is the 9,
problem of food There is the prob y,
EN- of water. There is the problem q,
# suffocatiOn from gases. Radio will o,
Tot help all of these Food can not be -,
by radio Water usually I,
S present more or less But the prob n.
EN- of foul air can be greatly helped Tn
W the use of directional instructions ae
lven from above ,s
Might Obtain Directions. pr
In the mining Office there is map dc
Usually kept up to date, showing each in
mall stOpe. man-way and bulkhead co
n the mine. Some of the miners ha
night remember the part of the mine wi