Show I Mine Disasters Will Cease When e Science Creates December Summer 4 I At A YS hAPPEN IN INTER VINTER i What the Federal Government Is Doing to Prevent tl I. I Them i ID the fact tact ever evor impress itself itself r DID upon you that tho the great reat mine I In Inthe disasters nearly always occur I the winter time Peculiar thing k t but It Is true There There must bo be some explanation for tor It some cause use d of or it possibly through a R knowledge e of ot the tho cause CRuse a cure This Is the train of or thought that the government Eo investigators investigators gators have ha been following for forms the hat past few tew months and the that the they have reached read like a romance w milestones toward the and loom big ble as accomplishment of tho the object for which tho the Inquiry Is lit ma made the made the tho saving savins annually anti an an- c. c of thousands of human 11 cs lives ti i They wont went Into tho the mines mine and exam examined exam I S f t. t J ined the conditions found to exist 1 tt They The examined all aJl the atmospheres and i gases and dusts that they In the mines They captured them and took J. J them out of ot tho the mine where the they could he analyzed The They even e wont so o far tar as to reproduce them tham m in quantities quantitIes quantities ties and experiment with them In all aJI manner of ot conditions chamber great explosive was Rae built It was meant to represent a mine and In It were to be brought r. r about all aU the conditions that had been c. found to exist In the mine mines an and the acts that had hind precipitated the explosives di disasters were to be tried out in the explosives cs chamber chambor A given gas Kas found in a given given cn mine was placed ii In the chamber and dynamite was set sot off oft Inside of or it and the tho gas was waR exploded The same name thingS thing thinK S was done dono with the coal coni dust This was wasa a matter of at Importance for tor old olet operators opera opera- operators operators opera opera- tors had maintained that coal coni dust did not explode and In n man many mines no i precaution was tal taken en against It Jt Yet In tho explosives chamber th 1 coal dust nearly blow blew the vents off otC o of ot It St It exploded readily and easily an and d upon all occasions it was definitely established established as RR a dangerous explosive and the conclusion was drawn that It was the mysterious cause of or great numbers numbers num num- bers bars of ot unexplained disasters Thorn There had been some operators who had all along laid the tho danger danKer to coal dust and these had attempted to keep this dust down by sprinkling their mines Tho The government experts tried the same scheme by Introducing coal dust into their explosives station sprinkling It as did the operators and again testing it for tor explosiveness It j still FUJI exploded as merrl merrily as before The sprinkling had not accomplished tho the trick Th Then n was the humidifier installed Afan A Afan Afan fan con constantly tant sent a current of ot stir air through the tho explosives chamber In the tho roams nn ua nv i If ft in fA sent through the mine i Into i this current rr v nt was s introduced steam urn anti tho the air drank dranit up the steam and became be be- be- be camo came moist It filled the tho chamber The dynamite was set off oft In tho the chamber and end no explosion took tool place The Tho coat cou dust condition with regard to explosiveness seemed to have havo been overcome O Then followed the study of or the air In Sn the mines with re regard ard to moisture One of ot the fir first t discoveries mado made was that the air went into tho the mine mille at a temperature of 01 30 degrees or less during during dur dur- ing the winter It came camo out at a 0 temperature temperature temperature temper temper- of or 45 degrees or more It is a well known scientific fact tact that as stir all becomes warm It takes up moisture Warm air under the same conditions other than temperature will win hold vastly J. J more moro water than will cold air As As 1 a matter of 01 fact tact it was discovered ered i that tho the air r coming out of the tho mine under examination was waa much more morn or heavily charged with moisture than was vas that going In It got sot tho the mol moisture ture out of ot tho the mine raffle In this particular Paso ra a o tho the air was drinking up and carryIng carrying carry- carry in Ing away 5 tons of oC moisture each cia day from this mine At the rate of 50 tons tonsa R n day tay It would take no great time to tomake tomake make matte that mine as os dr dry as a bone This thing thinE had actual actually happened The argument was offered that there was v water In t the tho io mine and that theair the theair air would naturally lly tako take Its supply of ot moisture from the water and that the body of 01 tho the mine would not necessarily suffer It was conclusively shown however that the particles of 01 air drink up the moisture from that with which the they como come In contact Where the they touched tho the surface of 01 the water they would consume consumo it and where the they came camo camoIn In contact with the tho face race of 01 the tho coal the they would drink up what little they thoy found there thele There was little water r surface exposed and much coal surface sur sur- face In this way tho the tendency of ot the cold airs of or the winter to tako take on moisture In Sn warning Is shown to dry out the mines When dry the tho dust naturally natural flies to a greater reater extent Sprinkling has lots been found ineffective for tor it can I roach reach hut but tho surface of tho the coal cannot cannot cannot can can- not penetrate to a great mass that is to bo ho tumbled down for tor Instance and cannot reach the tho particles that arc are floating in the air and which furnish the real danger The mine fills up with coal dust In the winter Something in tho the opera- opera tion n of or the mine such as the tho setting tUn off oft of 01 a n. blast causes It to explode and the great reat tragedy has occurred In tho the summer the air is warm and moist when n It enters tho the mine It takes tales on no additional moisture and tho the mine Is left eU damp Thorn There Is a less lees tendency on the part of 01 the coal cOBI to become dust and when whon the dust particles In tho the air come como in to contact with the moisture It contains they settle again to the ground Explosions from coal dust rarely rare Occur ln In n th the summertime on this account occur Having f in shown honn that that explosions rare rarely summer tho the logical conclusion produced ls is pro that lf Sf in summer the tho wintertime conditions explosions can be y r would 1 not occur at that season This Is tho the s big discovery that promises to revolutionize r the tho mini mining with i relation to Its protection protection of or its work workers rs This mummer condition need J apply only V. V to the necessity ot of the of moisture In the air The Tho mIne need not be made bu but t It must be made moist The Tho government go experts exports have havo shown how this mn may be b brought about They brought have ha brought it about In st t the tho explosives s chamber bor and the tho result has been immunity im Im- from coal dust explosions explosion there thero Into the stream of 01 air that the tho fan ran sends Into that chamber a Jet let of or steam Mi has 1 been cn Introduced The Tho quan quan- it of ot steam necessary for the tho pur- pur 1050 1080 In nd Ju i Is known and ad that amount 1 a 8 fed i Into nto tho the air current That current current cur- cur rent absorbs the steam as you 1 0 havo seen tho the air take up the steam that crimes Jmes c from tho the escape pi pipe po of at an n en- en gine The TIle air Is 18 moist from having lone done so O. O The moisture is carried Into the chamber or 01 Into the mine and ever every Individual particle of or dust is captured and a 0 corresponding p particle of or moisture is laced on It wh which ch sot sot- mine ties tics It St Tho rho mine is made safe At all an mines there is a a. vass- vass vast amount i. i of or escape steam from all the tho the engines This steam sir can be readily caught and led lod to the ventilating shaft Elhart were the tho fans tans are aro putting in the air and re released ro- ro leased Into that current of ot air The process is simple dimple and Inexpensive The discovery like all an great ones Is also simple pimple yet yot it means added safety to tho the hundreds of ot thousands of or men who spend their lives underground round and whose present position Is la fraught with terrible ble risk Yet the world has waited on the tho s. s United United States to find simple things s out Abroad over every known care caro Is IB taken to A safeguard tho the miners and scientists t have havo studied these problems for tor hundreds of or years cars yet et the coal lust dust danger and Its prevention alt a awaited d American originality for tor Its solution The Tho experiment station at Pittsburg came camo into existence on only last laRt July pet ot it has arrived at this and other vItal vi vital vI- vI tal conclusions in this short hort time I There is 18 need of ot ingenuity and action on tho the part of the tho Americans for tor so o reckless aro are they of human life lIfo that tho the coal mines mincH aro are killing three times as UI man many men per thousand cm employed as aa as are arc those of ot most of or the European countries in the last IS years CarH men have given up liP their lives s In the mines of ot this countr country The number is 18 constantly on n the tho Increase e. e and the ra rapidity ra- ra of or that 1 e Increase ma may be 00 shown by Y the appalling statement that twice tab 44 b r s r f ti 1 4 or Coven rn ll ce C Cps ps d R 1 ezz b OrneE PJ as many men are annually so 80 killed now as In 1896 In all European coal pro producing countries the output has Increased greatly during tho the past la t ten years ears but the number of oC deaths per pel 1000 miners has decreased This decrease has been bem largely larsel due to the tho effect of or mining legislation in those countries for tor tho the safeguarding and protection of 01 the lives of 01 the workmen and has hns been made mado possible b by governmental o action In establishing testing stations forthe for tor forthe the tha studying of or problems relative e to safety in mining including the use of or I explosives The Tho United States has been very cry slow alow In taking any action and the has multiplied accord- accord tn I Belgium maintains tho the most thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- equipped testing station In the world and for a number of or years ears has carried out extensive experiments to to devise means to prevent accident and I to increase the safety of or the tho workers in In the i mines I le Ti The success e or of ij these I experiments will be better realized I l when it is stated slated that at tho the beginning I of or the investigations the number of or ormen men killed each year car for tor each 1000 employed was 3 32 or very vcr nearly nearh as aM I now shown for tor the United States while at present it is less than third one of or that number The Tho same sante opportunity I Inow 1 now lies before tho the United States and I similar action should result in tho the saving sav sav- ing log of or two out of ot three of or the men now being killed sav-I sav Considered in regard to tho the number of ff deaths per 1000 men employed the United States occupies a H less leu favorable position than an any other of oC the coal- coal producing countries more than three times tines as great Areat a per cent being killed as In n some European countries that are much less Jess favored by natural con con- In regard to deaths per ler million mil mu- lion tons lons of ot coal mined tho the United States not only occupies a position worse than that of or most European countries but is also showing an in increase increase increase in- in crease in the rate whereas every other country Is showing a decrease But now that she In is threatening to get started tho the United States has tho originality and Ingenuity to beat them all aJl The tendency of ot tho the government to put lt its house in order In that respect shows greater strength every overy da day and the fact that the dl disasters asters occur In tho the winter time lime when Congress Is In session is a n spur to action and for tor that reason renson at nt any rate rato should be praised for fOI timeliness In the meantime mean mean- time a little Jet of or steam turned Into the tho air current may help to brim g about tropical conditions In the tho mines even en when Jack Frost is abroad above ground |