File:Reports of the Inspectors of Mines of the anthracite coal regions of Pennsylvania for the year 1879 (1880) (14784082213).jpg

Identifier: reportsofinspect1879penn (find matches)
Title: Reports of the Inspectors of Mines of the anthracite coal regions of Pennsylvania for the year 1879
Year: 1880 (1880s)
Authors: Pennsylvania. Inspectors of Mines
Subjects: Anthracite coal Coal mines and mining
Publisher: (S.l. : s.n.)
Contributing Library: The University of Scranton Weinberg Memorial Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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during the night preceding the explosion. It isbut fair to state, however, that the mine superintendents assert that thefan was not stopped, and I am very willing to admit that they believe whatthey assert. But they must allow me to differ with them until they canexplain how the gas lodged there, in some other way. I was satisfied atonce that *the fan had been stopped, and I have learned since, from whollydisinterested parties, that such was the fact. Then, there must have beena motive for stopping the fan, and the motive is at hand and admitted, andis found in the fact that the shaft is wet, and that the night of January 8thwas very cold, hence the fan was stopped to stop the draft in the shaft,thus stopping the dripping water in the shaft from freezing on the buntonsand guides. This is still continually done by mine oflftcials, notwithstand-ing that I have repeatedly ordered the practice discontinued. But super-intendents and mine bosses refuse to follow my direction, and often pay
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0^ V>5 V ) Ex. Doc) Reports of tiie Inspectors of Mines. 173 the penalty of such refusal by just such accidents as the one under discus-sion. The victim of this accident was very imprudent in this respect,ignoring the plain requirements of the law as it suited his convenience.Then, when we notice that No. 7 shaft was the downcast for this currentof air, and that the difference in the elevation between No. 7 and No. 4shafts was onl)^ seven feet, we see at a glance that the natural currentwould be hardly perceptible, and it will be easy to understand how the gaslodged in those sharp angles approaching the foot of the upcast at No. 4shaft, when the fan was not running. It is verv plain that there was no earthly necessity for this explosion tooccur. If Peter P. Daley, or someone else, had not ordered the fan stop-ped no gas could have lodged there. If he had left his naked light on topof the shaft, as he should have done, and liad gone down to search for thegas with only a safety-lamp,

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