Show COAL DUST EXPLOSIONS The Method of Prevention Adopted nt Cnstlo Gate A lengthy introduction to this portion of the report sets forth the great diversity of opinion among authorities as to the j I part played by coal dust in colliery explosion ex-plosion some holding that in the absence i ab-sence of fire damp coal dust is explosive while others maintain that in the absence i i of fire damp coal dust is comparatively harmless I I After having experimented with several unsuccessful methods to use water sprays and other devices to lay the dust in the Castle Gate mine Professor James T i Gardiner suggested the use of steam and water which developed the spray fully delineated in n drawing accompanying the report This is made by placing stand pipes at distances of about 200 feet apart These stand pipes reach about half way between the floor and the roof and on top is a oneeighth inch pet cock allowing the water to escape vertically On the water emerging from this pet cock it is struck in a horizontal direction by steam escaping from a cock of the same size and under 30 pounds pressure The force of the steam drives the water into avery a-very fine spray Two years after the in troduction of the steam and water sprays with four times the amount of ground opened the mine is in a thoroughly wet condition so much so that it is impossi ble to find a handful of dust in the mine which is not saturated with water n Wood pulp is also used in the tamping of shots in the Castle Gate mine and the shots are fired by electricity |