Salt Lake Telegram | 1930-10-24 | Page 16 | Inexcusable Disaster

In Inexcusable ui Di Disaster Dister ater j I s Ii rH rm HE sacrifice of more t than an l lives lives' es' es in inI I tOo p n coal oa mine disaster r represents preSents bf o c f the worst dis disasters of history 11 TWO hundred fatalities was the terrible toll foll of- of of utah's worst coal oal mine explosion at at Scofield fi ld May 1 f 1900 The Castle Castl G Gate je disH disaster dis dis- dis- dis aster after H i May 8 f 1924 to took k i 71 li livesY lives es I Y But this weeks week's calamity in Germany eclipses u Utah's tah tragedies It I tO tb- tb the killing of miners in West yest Virginia in in- 19 1907 7 and the s sacrifice of 23 the same year in Pennsylvania Ger- Ger t toll about the same as the coal 9 bai 1 miners vho who perished at Cherry Ill III in 1909 and the at Dawson N. N M. M in 1 But comparisons do not lessen the horror oft oK this present day disaster j 1 if The fact looms up that Germanys Germany's tragic coal al mine min explosion was undoubtedly edly without justification Science has 1115 so improved upon meth methods ds of coal mining that there is scant excuse for any g gas gs s explosions Whenever a coal mine disaster takes place you can sa say almost with certa certainty lly that t criminal negligence of some kind was to bl blame me for it When mines are properly in inspected inspected in- in p and are Ire following rigid safety ty Ineas mea measures Inea- Inea s r res s there shouldn't be any trouble what- what e eyer i j Therefore the German disaster is an in indictment indictment indictment in- in of mine officials Someone was c careless The tragedy becomes hideous in inc c contemplation of this fact More Mor than 2200 lives ar are being wasted i in the United States each year in coal mine accidents This enormous toll is s out of rea rca son If It can be lessened when every every mine is employing rigid scientific precautions