Show f HOW TO PREVENT FRE VENT MINE EXPLOSIONS George S. S Rice Chief Mining I Engineer Urges Following Bureaus Bureau's Recommendations NOT ENOUGH CARE TAKEN Says Safety Lamps Should Be Used in Coal Fields arid and Vigilance Maintained Washington Aug AuS' 28 That That widespread wide widespread wide wide- spread coal mine e explosions with their larso largo loss of ot life lite can be prevented It If th of oC the bureau of ot mints mines are aro used and If It caro care Is taken at atall atall atall all times tl b by everyone in fn tho mine Is the ass assertion mado by 13 8 Rice nice chief chef mining engineer of oC tho the bureau in lit a a. report mado public today Mr Ir Rice goes further and declares that mine explosions can no longer bo considered acts of or God for which no noone noone noone one is responsible lie He says that mine managements are not using tho the means that are at nt hand to prevent pre explosions specially explosions Despite all that has been said and written dUrIng durIng during dur dUr- ing r recent cent years ars about the prevention of at explosions says Mr Rice It Jt must musti i be admitted that unsatisfactory progress pro f ross ress has hns been mado made In this countr country In Int t t lessening the number of dust dusl cx- cx f Out of oC typical mines ex- ex t. t F In one state only fifteen were werey y taking an any precautions and in only a afeW afew afew few of oC those was there enough systematic 88 humidifying or watering to give reasonable assurance that tho coal dust always as present In n a n. coal mine was rendered rendered ren- ren j. j dered Perhaps the reason better protection Js le not sought In bituminous mines In InI I general ls Is that coal dust Is everywhere and Its presence and danger er are fres fre- fre L' L fre- fre frequently s- s forgotten Tho The risk of or an exl ex ex- l seems to a A. mining man like thet the tho t chance chanco of ot being struck b by t lightning yet the chances chances arc are greater greater than that i E BB as Indicated by the toll of or mine ex- ex 1 I In this country which hast has lias liast t varied In fn recent years from to 1100 t F deaths POI per annum L Belgian Miners Miner Careful i No better Illustration of the advani advantage advantage tage of carefulness can cnn bo found than thanIn I In the mines of Belgium In those mines mines mine great Instantaneous outbursts of or i Inflammable gas from the tho measures Into the mine workings s are frequent sometimes smothering tho the men yet rot for I tho the last twenty years no explosions of ot an any magnitude magnitude have o occurred through r ignition of oC tho the gas though prior to 1893 when less precautions were taken r Ir there had been heen many great disasters meas The rhe adoption of oC preventive meas- meas r. r ures largely Is In the hands of mine the tho out the f operators but In carrying provisions eVer every mine employee is con con- t. t Without open flame of or some sort fort there would be n no mine explosions r i Permissible explosives as recommended b by the bureau for use uso in gaseous mines produce sonic some flame but their flame name is isKO KO so small and its duration Is so brief that if lt properly used thc they will not l ignite gas Sas or dust and If they were employed throughout hout the coal coat mines mine to the exclusion o of black powder dynamite dynamite dynamite dyna dyna- mite and other explosives of ot a character character character char char- acter dangerous to use use In coal mining It is believed ed by bureau engineers that nearly one half of ot the explosions would be pr prevented v I If It safety lamps or permissible electriC electric elec elec- lamps were used even In so-called so nongaseous mines It Is thought that over third one-third of ot all aU the tho explosions In fn Inthis Inthis this country would bo be prevented It Is observed b by the field en engineers of tho tiro bureau that the unexpected presence of ot gas gos Is a most important factor In tho the starting of mine ox- ox In man many a so-called so nongaseous nongaseous non- non gaseous mine gas Issued In small feeders feeders feeders feed feed- ers at the face faco In fn somo some part of ot the mine as a ama matter ter of or dall dally daily occurrence yet open lights are arc used In such a mine Is particularly a source of ot dan danger er in those Alabama and Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Okla Okla- homa mines in which much firedamp Is la found Also there are arc man many mines doubtless more th than tha-n A halt half lt of the mines In the United antra t in to which small bodies of gas are arc occasionally reported yet et these mines are rated as nongaseous nongaseous non- non gast gaseous ous and open lights arc are freel freely used despite the fact that a a. considerable consid erable crable proportion of ot the explosions have hi occurred d In n Just such mines through the Ignition of a n. pocket of ot gas b by v name long flame explosives or by an open lI ight n t. t I I Vigilance tI Not R Relaxed Comparatively few of tho the coal mines of or th the countr country are frankly acknowledged acknowledged ed edged ed to b. bt gal gaseous ous and singularly enough h since the bureaus bureau's work was Inaugurated In 1908 only a sl single glo explosion ex- ex disaster has occurred in a mine Ill in n which lamps lamp were being used prior to an nn explosion Tho The reason for tor greater Immunity from explosions in mines that are arc ordinarily ordinarily ordinarily or or- considered dan dangerous crous because c cor of or the tho presence of firedamp is that greater reater caro care Is taken In Jn all respects Vh Vigilance IB is not relaxed open lights and tho the use of ot matches is forbidden permissible explosives aro are exclusively used and the ventilation at tho the workIng working work- work In Ing pla places at the face tace Is carefully maintain maintained l. l Mr Rice outlines In n his report a series of so-called so rock dust barriers aa nB a means of stopping explosions that havo started These barriers consist of ot s filled with stone atOne dust and placed at certain points in to tho the mine I The Idea Is that the force of ot an explosion explosion explosion ex ex- will raise tho the stone stano dust Into a cloud and as ns thero theio Is nothing In the stone dust lust to burn the explosion will willbe willbe willbe be choked and smothered Mr Ir Rice who refers to these devices aa as secondary secondary second second- ar ary safeguards has already tried th them m out with success in the bureaus bureau's experimental mine and the they have havo been patented for tor tho the b benefit neUt of ot tho the mining public |