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Show SALT LUKE TRIBUNE COMPLIMENTS CARBON'S OLDEST WORKING MINE Utah's industries nre mnny nnd varied, yet no field of endeavor within the borders of the state has yielded a more Interesting fund of information or has been more productlvo in tho development of Utah's resources than tho coal mining operations carried on for the past thirty years in those sections of tho state bearing coal doposits. In mnny respects Utnh lends every other state in the union In coal mining operations. This is particularly truo as regards re-gards the conditions under which the coal miners in Utah's mines live and work and progress. It is truo also in respect to the safeguarding safe-guarding of human life In Utah's coal mines. It is true most of nil, perhnps, in tho splendid quality of Utah mined coals. The oldest nnd largest coal mining and coke producing company in Utah is tho Utah Fuel company, which for over thirty years ho operated its mines with such careful attention to the safety of its employes that today tho company occupies n position nt the top of tho coal mining Industry in the United States and ranks first in safety and the general welfare of lt employes. The Utah Fuel company operates mines nt Castle Gate, Clear Creek, Sunnyside, Winter Quarters nnd tho Utah Mine, nnd the combined daily production pro-duction of these mines is ten thousand tons of conl, which is produced pro-duced from scams that range in thickness from five to twenty-five feet. On its properties the company has established tho town of Sunnyside Sun-nyside with a population of 3500; Castle Cite, with a population of 1500; Clear Creek, with a population ot 1000, and Winter Quarters Quar-ters about 1500 in addition to towns elsewhere. A constant effort has been made to better the living conditions of the coal miners at these places and these conditions are today far above the average to bo found in mining enmps elsewhere. Homes are lighted by electricity and have n splendid water supply. The houses arc comfortable, and the miners rent them on a basis of about tw6 dollars per room, including light nnd water. Encouragement is given by tho company to the miners to plant lawns nnd flower gnrdens. Opera houses and nmusement halls are constructed by tho company and everything done to promote clean amusements of every nature. Educational Facilities of the Very Best. Educatlonnl coursos are fostered by the company' that are distinctly dis-tinctly original. A vigorous campaign Is constantly conducted to educate foreign born employes who do not understand or speak English, nnd tho company employs the principals of the various schools to hold night sessions two or three nights a week, in which the rudiments of English are taught to all foreigners who wish to take advantage of tho opportunity. This Instruction is on tho Roberts' system, which illustrates its lessons by pantomime. These foroign born men and women tiro taught American civil government, govern-ment, geography, English nnd arithmetic, and are grounded in tho principles upon which the American government is founded, in an effort to crento in them the American spirit nnd desiro for American Ameri-can citizenship. Modern school buildings and competent teachers nre found in all of the Utah Fuel company towns nnd camps, as It in estimated that tho more knowledgo that can bo given the foreign bom men nnd women regarding American customs nnd institutions institu-tions nnd the proper means of working in the mine, the better Clti-zens Clti-zens these men and women will become. Tito two best known conl mines in Utah nre probably the Castle Gate and Clear Creek mines, as from these two mines has been produced tho bulk of the domestic fuel consumed in Utah for the pnst thirty years. Tills is due undoubtedly to the fact that Castle : Gate and Clear Creek coals oro free from bone nnd slack. Also, ; they aro free burning, non-clinkcring and very low in nsh nnd moisture, besides hnving excellent storage qualities and being . clean to handle. Employs Twenty-Fivc Hundred Men. Utah Fuel company employs about twenty-fivo hundred men and Its monthly pnyroll is approximately two hundred twenty-five thousand dollnrs, which is distributed twice a month. Tho greater portion of this money remains within tho borders of the state and is turned into other channels. Utnh Fuel company has tho honor of Jinving at Sunnyside tho prize winning mine rescue team of the united States. The company several years ago organized first aid and mine rescue-teams at each of its properties and there is held annually a meet and contest nt one of the company's camps, ; where nil of the first aid teams compete. The Sunnyside team won the inter-company meet In 1915 nnd went to San I-rancisco to the Panama-Pacific exposition to compete against first aid and mine rescue teams of the world. They won first place. n interesting feature of first nid work at the mines of the company is the underground hospital arrangement. These hospitals hospi-tals are built of fireproof construction in convenient places In the mines, nnd furnished with full equipment of first nid appliances. They nre lighted with electricity nnd hnvc water piped to them, so that men who have been injured may be taken there and given first nid preparatory to taking them to the well equipped hospitals that the company maintains nt all of tho mines. Telephone lines arc strung throughout the mines with stations at convenient points, nnd arc the means of bringing prompt enre and nttcntion to any injured person. Largely Responsible For Modern Precautions. Utnh Fuel company is largely responsible for the present safety safe-ty precautions taken in Utah coal mines, such as sprinkling nnd electric Bhotfiring, two features which were Inaugurated at Castle Gate in 1889, when the compnny officials first realized the cx treme danger from explosions of mine dust under nrid ntmosphcric conditions such ns provnil in the West. Dnngcrs nrising from dust were not thoroughly recognized by the general coal mining industry indus-try throughout the United Stntcs until some twelve or fourteen years later. When Utah was admitted to stateliood in 1896, the coal mining Inws then drafted were framed on the experience and knowledge gained through the operations of this company. Laws in regard to additional safeguards have been added to from time tb time as new conditions nrose, until today Utah probably has the most concise con-cise and adequate coal mining law? of any state in the union. This is thoroughly borne out by the nccident record of Utnh, which will compare very favorably with any in the United States, especially in view of the extreme thickness of the conl scams mined. |