The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1923-02-10
1850 COAL Mine
DEATHS FOR 1922
Many Big Disasters Occur Dur.
ing Year Despite Efforts to
Promote Safety.
WORKERS BlANED N REPORT
Shows . Reduction Of Twsnty- Thrss
Fatalities From Total Tor 1921,
but VIII Not Represent Lo~-
erinc~ Of Death Rate.

the United States bureau Of mines
from state mine inspectors indicate
that 1850 fatalities was the toll OF
human lives exacted in the coal in
dustry during 1922. This Is q tenta-
tive figure based on actual reports
covering IL months and on an esti-
mate for December based upon the
probable output of coal for that
month. The estimate represents q re-
duction Of % fatalities from the total
for 1927, but will not represent low
ering of the death rate. =
In relation to the quantity Of coal
produced, the accident rate will be
actually higher than for the previous
year, the report said.
In q summarizatiOn Of the years
record. bureau statisticians point out
that from April to August 81 large
part Of the industry was closed down
on account Of the miners strike. the
production Of fresh-mined anthracite
was completely stopped and the out
put Of soft coal was cut In half. This
stoppage naturally eliminated aeci-
dents that would have occurred had
the mines been In operation.
Thirteen MaIer Disasters In Year.
The reduction In loss Of life despite
the strike was not as large a. It might
have been because Of the great num-
Der Of lives lost by mine explosions.
The outstanding feature Of the mine
year was what the bureau officials call
''major" disasters, accidents In which
at least ave lives were lost. There
were Is Of these during the year, II
Of which were explosions. which to-
gether cost the lives Of 261 men.
During 1921 there were only ave
major accidents. with . loss Of %
lives. Only three Of these were milne,
explosions, which resulted In only II
deaths. The most disastrous in 1921
killed IL men; that Of the last year
exacted 81 Hves, while another took n.
On the basis Of number Of fatalities
per million tons Of coal mined the death
rate from gas and dust explosions in
1921 was only 28S, while for the first
IL months Of 1922 It was 731.
The records Of the last six or seven
years had furuished grounds for the
hope that the eoal-mining industry
was no longer to experience the terri
bic explosions Of gas and dust which
formed 50 distressing part Of the 10
dustry's record In earlier years, the
statisticians declared. For many years
tho bureau Of mines and other agen-
cies have been investigating the causes
of these explosions and have been en-
deavoring to find ways to stop them,
and when they occurred to stop them
from travelling through an entire
mine.
Preventive Measures.
Proper ventilation to prevent dan
gerous accumulation Of gas; wetting
the mine to allay dust the use Of
rock-dust to obstruct the progress Of
explosions and other safety measures
have been investigated and devised.
However, the grave loss Of lives Is
not entirely attributable to explosions.
It was declared. Less than 10 per
cent Of the fatalities are caused BY
explosions; nearly 30 per cent result
from rock and coal falls.
"For this lack Of Improvement" the
report stated. commenting on the In
creased death rate, ut 10 perhaps fair
to place the larger part OF the respon-
sibility upon the miners themselves:
They are continually at the working
place where most Of the falls occur.
and are best able to observe the con-
ditions under which they work and TO
tell when rocks should be taken down
or props put up. A miners natural
desire. however, to increase his earn
ings through larger tonnage and his
disinclination to take down rock or
put up q prop when needed, have bsen
the cause Of many needless deaths
and injuries In coal mines"