The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-09-11
HARD ROLLED HATS FOR HARD !!
 ROCK MINERS
Much Discussed Protective
 sHeadgear Approved and ,in Use at AL 9 Years

we not Onty approve f the .SO- | call hard boiled" hat as pro- tective headgear for miners, but have been using them for the last nine years in many parts of the mine and their use hasr been compulsory by raise men for some time" L. H. Metzgar, General Su- perintendent of the Alaska Ju- neau Mining Company said today in speaking of the much talked of headgear. sg
 The following synopsis of the history of the "hardboiled" hat and the development of it's use at the Alaska-Juneau Mining Company, prepared by J. A. Will Hams of the Engineering depart ment of the mine, tells in inter esting manner the, reasons it is being used increasingly in hard rock mines.
 Matter Of Education
 Protective hats, m m n y known as hard, boiled hats, have been ains continuous use at the AL aska Juneau since 1924, or for over nine years. The adoption of the hard boiled hat, as was the case of the carbide lamp, has been a matter of education and the overcoming of the prejudices of the miners. Along with improve ment in manufacture has come realization by the miners of the advantages to be. had by the use of hard boiled hats. ',
 World War Descendant
 "The present head piece is a direct descendant of the tin hat of the World. War. The, war time model found it's first industrial use in mining at, Joplin, Missouri along about 1919 or 1920 This hat was heavy, of course, and did not prove popular; besides the Safety Movement was not yet squarely behind it. as.f'f
 Tn 1924, the first real improve ment over the tin hat made it's appearance. Since then the weight of the hat has been decreased and minor Improvements made, but essentially it has not changed. ''The use of protective hats and caps is not confined to under ground mining Hard boiled hats are now found in the oil indus try, steel industry, in quarrying, in ship building, and in various construction projects.
 Present Day Model
 YThe present day hard hat is made of a pressed fibre which is a non-conductor of electricity and is water and acid proof. It will withstand the impact of a twen- ty-pound object falling six feet. The hat. is provided with an in- ner crown about an inch below the hard outside she'll This in ner crown, which may be adjust ed by a draw string to fit the head, ,snugly, distrihuts the force of, any blow. The air space be- tween the inner and outer crowns along with ventilating holes, al low a freer circulation of air than is found in ordinary hats.
 1,o in, a ytlnnhar If styles; the standard southwestern guards the neck and shoulders as well as the head. and also sheds the water. In very wet mines a slicker type is used. while in some dry mines cap with no .brim is used. asM. iV ss Alaska Juneau Style
 'At the Alaska Juneau the Butte style, which is a. southwestern, on- ly with a smaller brim, has be- come the standard. Other types were tried but were found to be less suitable. In the early days of protective head gear at the Alaska Juneau it's use was option al. Gradually. however. the men in raises and shafts saw their worth and asked for them t ."Tha cost of the hats, which at that ; time was over $3.00, was found to be the main obstacle to wider application. Several years ago the company realizing the value of the hat as a safety ap- plance began furnishing them at a nominal cost, and made the wearing i..of them compulsory for raise men, and bulldozers. At the present tins nearlyf,,. every one else in the mine wears them so that the old fashioned cap is the exception rather than the usual visitors to the mine notice the herd .pboilefj / hat u, at once and generally wish to procure, one for souvenir.
 Injuries Reduced
 "The fact that head injuries have been greatly reduced by the use Of hard boiled hats is proved ! by the companys accident sta- tistics, as well as by the scars and aprasions seen on some of