The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-03-15
Possibilities of Radio in the Mines---Aid
in Safety and Rescue Work--A Boom
for Isolated Camps

which certainly would exist in the
minds of the Imprisoned men, and a
great deal of good can be done in
that way-all of this, of course, pre-
Surprising only the miners could re-
ceive but could not send back to the
upper levels.
In a testimony given at the inquest
following a recent mine disaster, be-
lieve it was stated in the newspapers
reporting the news that one man said
that the skip might have been sent
down again and brought up some of
the imprisoned men before the guide
timbers of the skip became burned off
so as to block progress of the skip.
Testimony answering this statement
was TO the effect that the signaling
lines had been burned off at the very
first and it would have been impossi-
BILE to control the progress of the skip
had it gone down. Radio communica-
ton can not become burned away, or
destroyed in any manner
This recent mine disaster has
shown us that radio can proftably be
used in the mining industry. The on
ly question which remains open is
what type of apparatus should be
used and who will be the people who
will pioneer in the investigation work
and find out exactly what type of ap-
paratus is the most satisfactory for
4
argued that radio in the mine would !
not have saved the miners lives, there |
is also a great deal to be said on the |
side that perhaps radio would have |
helped TO save these miners, provid- |
ed of course, that radio had been /
developed to a point where
the apparatus was practical in the |
mine.
The First Step.
1t is. of course a long jump from
writing an article of this sort and
telling just where radio might be
used to the actual adoption of prac-
teal apparatus in the mining indus
try; but the purpose of this article is
merely to start the ball rolling and
get different people in and out of the
mining industry thinking along the
lines of radio for mines so that some \
body some time will take up the
problem in earnest and solve ti-for it
can be solved. A receiving set to be
used by the mines below would be
quite simple would not be heavy. and
would present no difficulties to radio
engineering. A sending set. however,
10 be fixed up so that the imprisoned
miners could talk back to those above
a problem, it is true, but one
which could easily be solved by close
application. The, apparatus would
have to be highly portable 1t would
have to be more or less fool proof in
is tuning because the mines certain
" could not afford to send n radio OPP
orator down with each shift Pre-
,aution win have to be taken. OF
course, that no sparks are released
which might cause an explosion. how
ever, dry cell units are now available
which will last for a considerable
ength of time under heavy use Sets
iANh 90 NAANot ms III NC PAeACNu III NNA
ain intervals throughout the mine, to
,e used only in case of disaster and
ihould be kept mp and in working use
III the time.
AS stated before, ardio of this sort ,
S entirely practical. but not yet fully
developed. 1t would help a great deal s
n cases of entrapped men and while !
{ would not rescne them. Il would !
most certainly aid rescuers and pris- Z
ners to a great extent. Radio alone /
will not do the workout radio, in n
injunction with proper food caches.
xygen helmets and emergency sup c
lies would certainly greatly increase
he chances of averting the great dis
ster.
Three classifications Made.
In reviewing the situation as a
hole, and trying to see where radio
ould be useful to the mining indus .
v, we find that it perhaps may he
vided into three greta heads. The
rst, of course. is safety. which we nj
ave already touched upon; the sec II
AN - amusement anu AAAN AtiAtfA btA NJ
aps might be called general compdn- al
alton. Mining communities in their n
cry name are mining communities. "a
hey are more or less closely bound 70
igether by common labor A great di
any of these communities are plac- "
far away from the centers of civ OF
cation. Radio will put them in
l in the world. exactly as it does
cry other isolated spot. After the
'ening's work is done good music
ay be enjoyed. speakers may be N
ard who never would be heard per-
Fps by the miners in any other way
other words. radio will do a great VI
al to civilize. educate and amuse