Salt Lake Telegram | 1924-03-09 | Page 1 | Monoxide Gas Grimly Feared Manley Says

MONOXIDE GAS FEARED M MANLEY NLEY SAYS Mine Expert Tells of Conditions Conditions Con Con- Coni i and Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Circum Circum- stances Attendant on onU I U Underground Disasters Cf B B. B P t. t Manley fanley of ot th they the Carbon Fuel company company- an expert ln coal mining mi ml- ning who has been In several mine disasters Isas Isa's ers but who whorls g reticent r to tal talk about them ha has also aided in rescue parties in mine disasters and of ot these he talks In regard to to the catastrophe at Castlegate he hes s said ld that extreme precautions were were taken In coal mines against an ac accum accumulation ac- ac cum lati n of ot dust a and d that it was not essential that gas be a contributing contributing con- con factor Ant Am r explosion that T. T lave have in mind said Mr Manley Saturday night was the one at Delagua Colo The mine ine had been working a number years and an explosIon explosion explosion sion occurred killing eighty men I was with the party endeavoring to aid the entombed men MONOXIDE GAS This catastrophe had its inception in a firo fire in a trapdoor between two opposing air currents This flame being fanned to w R great heat on account of ot e extreme draft extracted the most dangerous and explosive gas encountered in coal mining which Is monoxide Is monoxide gas or damp This Tills This carbon monoxide was distilled from the wall of at coal It will support combustion and in it itself Itself It- It self is combustible As this was raised to a combustible dryness it enlarged and widened this area until until un un- til tn the n of ot gas reached such a degree that it made its own explosion In this mine in Its long period of ot operation no explosive gas had ever been found J Eighteen men were saved and ana were found four days afterward Another case was that of ot Stockville Stock Stock- ville villI Colo Cob a 00 amine mine that I ma many times and one of ot the Continued on page 5 50 MO MONOXIDE N OXIDE GAS Continued from page paJe 1 1 oldest If not the oldest in the h state tate t lea leae e explosive In i Its entire history no or encountered n nor fad naC ga gas was ever ever ver like powder explosives any operations Inthe In Inthe been used in mining operations two thus eliminating the property In feared of ot the features most to be coal mining DUE TO SHORT CIRCUIT Yet in this mine an explosion eta men occurred In which fifty six fifty oc occasioned occasioned oc- oc explosion was were killed The Tho of an the tho derailment by electric locomotive and trip of ot cars bringing the trolley wire Into contact contact contact con con- tact with the Iron of ot the ch car causing causing caus caus- ing an electric arc which Ignited lilted by the dust thrown Into suspension sudden stopping and colliding or ot from which Ignition was distilled distilled dis dis- cars tilled the deadly carrion carDOn monoxide None of the men were saves In In mine mino explosions after atter sufficient sufficient u dent heat has been generated g to bring about this distillation it is dot of or sufficiently high Nigh temperature to dry out the dust which Is kept moistened and in as RS near a plastic state Is as possible but it is overcome by heat generated by explosion p originative of ot carton carbon monoxide FIRE ALWAYS FEARED The danger that that Is most feared after atter an explosion is the presence of ot fire and It is for this reason that the entire area of ot the mine is in a chaotic condition I I have been in most of ot the mines of ot Utah and have hav e never seen greater precautionary measures for tor safety than in the Utah properties I leave have been familiar with the Castlegate Castlegate Cas- Cas mine since it was opened and conditions to my observation were well cared for and protective measures were extremely pronounced pronounced pronounced pro pro- for tor clean ventilation and against dust accumulations It would be one of 0 the last mines where an explosion of this nature should have o occurred In so far as mine Inspection Is concerned I regard John Crawford the state coal mine inspector of Utah a a most capable man who always al always always al- al ways Insists that precautions even those In excess of ot lawful requirements requirements requirements require require- ments are carried tor forward ward throughout through through- out all the mines of ot the state About the disasters that I have been in In collieries I cannot talk After a a. fellow has been blown up and has had to face death In a number of ot ways in disasters in mines he does not care to talk about them