Show B bureau u r e a u of mines D data a t a the act establishing a bureau of mines in the department of the interior approved may 16 1910 became effective july 1 As originally approved the law contemplated the transfer of the entire technologic branch of the united states geological survey the mine accident investigations fuel investigations structural materials investigation the entire personnel property and equipment to the bureau of mines but the sundry civil appropriation act approved june 25 amended the law to such an exten that the structural materials investigations including the personnel and equipment of these investigations went to the bureau of standards department of commerce and labor carrying out the spirit and intent of the law so amended the secretary of the interior has transferred to the bureau of mines the investigation of mine accidents and fuels together with the personnel and equipment of these investigations and has transferred to the bureau of standards the structural materials investigations and the employed emp loyes of the technologic branch of the survey engaged in these investigations the fully equipped testing station at pittsburg also goes to the bureau of mines the bureau of mines therefore includes the mine accidents and fuel investigations for which an appropriation of was made by congress the total appropriations for the bureau including salaries rent and expenses of removal amount to the work of the bureau of mines for the first year will be a continuation and expansion of the work carried on by the technologic branch of the geological survey the law in itself provides for a variety of other problems that properly belong to the bureau of mines and which should eventually be undertaken such as methods of mining and metallurgical processes but these activities will be deferred for the most part until congress gives additional authorization in the shape of adequate appropriations the spirit of the debates in congress both on the bureau of mines legislation and on the appropriation items emphasized the desire to regard the mine accidents investigations as urgent and this will be the feature of the work in all was appropriated for mine accident investigations of this sum under the general plans approved by the secretary of the interior is to be spent on the rescue stations for housing nine stations 34 for equipping eight new stations lons and for additional equipment for five existing stations the allotment for the investigation of explosives is for electricity in mining appliances for preventing mine accidents examination and codification of mining laws and other technologic investigations ore treatment etc for the analyzing and testing of the coals aig ores and other mineral fuel substances belonging to or for the use of the united states was appropriated of this amount will be spent in the chemical and physical investigation of fuels in the inspection of government fuel purchase in fuel efficiency investigations in lignite and peat investigations and in bri investigations the mine accident investigations which have been transferred from the geological survey to the bureau of mines were first authorized in the legislative appropriation act of may 22 1908 carrying for this purpose an appropriation of this was followed by a similar appropriation carried in the act for the sundry civil expenses of the government for 1910 A mine expert ment station was established in pittsburg during 1908 at which since that time investigations of explosives coal gas dust electricity and other possible causes of mine explosions have been continually under way the mining engineering field force of the geological survey has already made decided progress in the study of underground mining conditions and methods practically all of the coal mines in which mine explosions have occurred during the last two years have been carefully examined the gases coke and dust have been analyzed at the laboratory at pittsburg and every effort has been made to determine the of various mixtures of gas and air in the presence of shots of different types of explosives considerable pro progress gres has also been made in the investigation of explosives used in coal mining and the conditions under which they may be used with least risk manufacturers have submitted many explosives for test at the station and a considerable portion of them passed and have been classified among the permissible explosives the investigations and educational work in connection with the use of artificial breathing and other types of mine rescue equipment the so called oxygen helmets have not only been useful in developing a more satisfactory use of such equipment in the examination of mine explosions but also better methods for using this equipment in mine rescue work the fuel investigations under the geological survey and which are transferred to the bureau of mines have already resulted in a better realization throughout the country as to the value of fuels one result of this work is that nearly all of the fuel now purchased by the federal government Is bought on specifications and subject to test by the fuel division or purchased after examination made of the coal supplied by the mines from which coal is delivered to the government the publications of the survey relating to mine and fuel investigations those prepared by the technologic branch will in the future be distributed by the bureau of mines the publications relating to structural materials will continue to be distributed by the geological survey the last of the bulletins cl CE C E the technologic branch to be published by the survey will be issued from the government printing office about august 1 this bulletin relates to the of coal dust and was prepared by G S rice with war chapters by J C frazer axel larsen frank haas and carl scholz the first of the bureau of mines bulletins the volatile matter of coal by H C porter and F K will be published in the next few months then will follow coal analyses by N W lord and J S burrows final data regarding steam tests by L P north dakota lignite as a boiler fuel by D T randall and henry kreisinger elsinger Kr producer gas tests in 1905 1907 by R H fernald the coke industry as related to the foundry by richard coals for illuminating gas by A H white and perry barker and petroleum for combustion under steam boilers by 1 I C allen alien these publications when issued can be obtained by addressing the director of the bureau of mines washington D C |