Show yo COAL MINE E GASES GAS S Since the explosion e in i the coal mine minene mir n x near r The Herald has received inquiries concerning fire damp and after aft r dan P As these matter mattery be of interest ies to many readers at t this time The Herald gladly devotes some space to their consideration consid lation Firedamp Firedamp and afterdamp are not the same Firedamp t J id an Inflammable am mable gas given off of by b coal oal in large quantities and the explosion is caused by ignition when the gas ie Is mixed with atmospheric air The composition of is very variable Marsh gus gas I n Is l light carbureted hydrogen I Ii forms forme i the main maln constituent and oxy oxygen ox oxygen gen carbonic acid and nitrogen in va wa varying vaI proportions are always alwayn alwa g present I It te Ja claimed firedamp when mixed with from four pur to twelve times its v volume lume of atmospheric air is ex explosive plosive but when wh the proportion pro is in above or below these limits it ft Is mere more merely ly IY I inflammable and not explosive Afterdamp is the gas left in the coal mine after ait am explosion of firedamp It is in chiefly composed of ot carbonic acid acM gas and nitrogen The danger d er which arises from gas gag in coal mintS mInt is considerably increased by bythe bythe the tire presence pre ence of or dust oost in Ia the air er r and this it J Je Ie believed d caused e u ed the explosion explosion sion a at al Winter Wi er Quarters Years ago Galloway Gallowy made a number of menis meme in this direction and ascertained that an i n may be produced by ignited particles cles of coal duet dust in the theair theair i air and that a lamp ordinarily safe fe might create creat havoc hav C in a puff of coal dust At t in France and el where wh e fatal fab explosions have been traced to the firing thins of coal dust dUlSt from the flame of a shot even in cases where DO o present prent r in is the work inga It te 1 alleged that tilts tills was wa the trou trouble trouble ble at the mines near Scofield that I they u wese Wele ere so 10 dry the passages had to tobe tobe tobe be wet down frequently If this be betrue beI betrue betrue I true the most theory of this explosion fc lo Ie that somewhere s in the mine a match was struck ruck or er r a spark ark of at lire fire flew from the Of a pick causing caust small nil explosion which which ignited ig t ted ed dust int in hi the like next chamber then in inthe inthe Inthe the next ne anG so 00 on until the gathered tore fore of all at the mouth of or the tUnnel blew the and ventilating ap p apparatus p away any with the force of a mem moth cannon At all 1111 events the Fbi investigation into bite the cua 6 of this thia disaster should be rigid and nd searching aching Measures should be taken talen to prevent a recurrence of such I calamities Precautions are required and taken t explosive gases in inmost Inmost most moot mines mines and ng should be required and done don to prevent explosive duet duat from front filling the air Ventilation ie Is one of the most Import Important ant branched of the th colliery business It not only supplies the men at work with fresh freek air but serves senes to remove the dangerous da erous gases given off oft by the coal coa Air can only oy b bi circulated for this purpose by mechanical contrivances contrivances ances ancee and ad it eem that an apparatus should be stationed at either exit from froma rom roma a mine in order that air may be pumped into one when the ma machinery machinery machinery chinery is III destroyed or communication C is 18 cut Catt off o at the other he I |