OCR Text |
Show TO PREVENT MINE EXPLOSIONS. Moved by the series of great disasters in the' coal mining regions last winter, and with.no other ! desire than to prevent a recurrence of the frightful loss of life and property which inevitably accompanies accom-panies explosions of gas in the mines, the II. C. Frick Coke company of Pittsburg has promulgated some new rules for the government of employes and the operation of the mines of the company. Many of these rules are of a technical nature and provide . for the use of safety lamps in all parts of mines in which gas is known to exist only in one part, the (dampening of all. portions of minesknown to be dusty, and other things which by their nature can apply only to coal mines. The public, of course, is not particularly interested in the rules made by a private corporation for the management of its properties prop-erties or employes, their interest being in the results accomplished in the prevention of accidents, the methods employed to be in strict compliance with the state laws, yet somewhat left to the discretion of the company. However, there is one rule in the recent re-cent promulgation which carries a general interest, and is one of the most significant features of the new order of things. It is a rule against the use of intoxicating liquors li-quors by the miners. The company no doubt knows what it is about. The officials whose duty it is to study the conditions condi-tions of the mining properties, to arrive at def-. inite conclusions as to the cause of mine disasters and supply the remedy, have placed a ban qn the use of intoxicating drink. The inference is that whisky or beer has been the cause of some of the t mine horrors which shocked the nation during the past winter. The new rule provides for. the dismissal of a miner who becomes intoxicated while off duty and shows up the following day incapacitated for work. The mere fact that he is off duty when drinking, therefore, is not a valid excuse and will. not be accepted. ac-cepted. The company has also notified all the miners that it will not knowingly employ miners who are given .to the habit of drinking on or off duty, nor will it retain such miners in its employ. Comment is hardly necessary- Several railroads have announced their intention to employ only total abstainers; thousands of mercantile establishments throughout the country will retain no drinkers on their payrolls; some saloon proprietors even want none but blue ribboners behind the bar. Xow comes a large mining company with total abstinence as a qualification for holding a job in the underground workings. Surely the day is near when honorable employment will depend on leaving strong drink alone. |