ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINES. In the report of last year we made a prediction concerning accidents for this year as follows: "We are fearful, however, that the current year will not reduce the number of accidents, as there has been introduced in our State within the last few months, many miners foreign to and so unfamiliar with our methods of mining, and the character and nature of our coal, that many accidents are anticipated as the result." This prediction has been fulfilled, as 33% of the entire number of fatal accidents that occurred, happened to late importations of Alabama negroes brought to this State to take the place of striking miners. Many others met non-fatal accidents. When a strike occurs, the operator, in his effort to keep the mine in operation, or for the purpose of defeating the strikers, or for both reasons combined, too often permits the employment of a class of men that " booger" up a mine, cause accidents and bring about much trouble and uneasiness, simply because, as a rule, they are not reliable or practical miners, but on the other hand, a reckless, indifferent and totally unworthy set, as may be evidenced in their disposition to defeat fellow-laborers, no matter how just the miner's claim and act may be. There are more than enough miners to do all the work in mines that may be offered within the limits of the State, and no difficulty would be experienced in securing a full complement of practical and worthy miners at any time. The situation could be greatly improved for the operator and miner, if some legislation or understanding between operator and miner could be arrived at, by which a man, before entering a mine as a miner, should be made to establish the fact that he had served an apprenticeship at mining, and that an apprentice or helper be permitted to engage in work under the supervision of a practical miner, and do only such work as may be suitable for the inexperienced. There is a looseness connected with this feature of coal mining not permitted in other lines of business. In almost all other kinds of trade, men are employed because of their fitness and qualification to perform understandingly the work given them to do; and if miners were paid by the day instead of by the bushel or ton, how long would it be until the present character, capacity and class of mployed in the mines would be revolutionized? Then, if upon business proposition, it is expedient to employ only the practi cal and worthy miner, why is it that the life, health, safety and comfort of the man who has spent a life-time in the mines, has not a proper and first claim to having placed about him the necessary safeguards that his situation demands? As it is, the practical, steady and cautious miner may be ever so careful, using his best judgment, arrived at by years of experience, in keeping his room in a workable and safe condition, is allowed to be blown into eternity without the slightest warning, by the ignorance and carelessness of some tramp, who has been given an adjoining room to work. There is, also, much to be feared from that class of miners becoming more and more numerous in our State, who represent the lowest, most degraded and vilest classes of all Europe, who have flocked to the mines in the eastern states, with the understanding that prices paid for mining were so good, backed by the flattering reason why in the interest of the miner-the prices would be maintained, only to find that in the face of all this, prices have steadily declined, and at last reached such figures that even they could not stand the reduction, and they are now seeking the coal-fields of the west. Gradually, the old and the native miner who does possess good morals, a love of country and wholesome regard for law and order, is giving place to this new importation, altogether void of the virtues mentioned in the others. It does seem that indifference to the great evil in store for us will prevail, until every mining camp harboring them will be cursed and blighted by a moral leprosy that cannot be cured. AUDRAIN COUNTY. John J. Burge. a young man 17 years af age, who was a miner, while working with his brothers, was killed Dec. 1, 1893, in the mine of the Vandalia Coal Co. The coroner's verdict was, "that the deceased came to his death by his own negligence." The accident was caused by a fall of slate in the roadway of his room. It appears that the deceased, at the time of the accident, was taking up bottom for road in his room, and that while so engaged, pulled out a prop that was holding up the loose slate. BARTON COUNTY. Albert C. Cole, a miner employed at the Wear Cole Co. mine, was killed by a fall of rock April 11, 1894. The deceased had worked in the room continuously from the start to the point reached at the time of the accident, which was 100 feet in. The room was well timbered; the pieces of rock that fell came from between two slips right at the face of his working place. It was an accident, pure and simple, and was something entirely unforeseen by either the deceased or the company. Coroner decided an inquest unnecessary. BATES COUNTY. C. N. Butts, a miner, but also a partner in the operation of the F. A. Raney & Co.'s mine, was killed January 2, 1894, by a fall of roof. Mr. Butts was 34 years of age, and a married man. At the time of the accident deceased was in the act of setting a prop, when a piece of the soapstone-roof fell upon him. The coroner after visiting the mine and learning the facts, deemed the holding of an inquest unnecessary. Cyrus Summers, a miner working for J. W. Flansburg & Son, met with a fatal accident January 6, 1894. The deceased was evidently not a practical miner, for from what we can learn he was working a room on an entry driven off from a strip-pit, from which it will be seen that he was working a place necessarily treacherous. In addition to this, he was working his room without using sufficient number of props, although props were found on the entry at the mouth of the room. The operators notified this office, but against their better judgment were prevailed upon not to send for a coroner, as they were informed it was necessary to secure the wishes of the friends of the deceased. The law expressly states it as the duty of an operator in case of a fatal accident, to wire the Mine Inspector, and notify the coroner, and if latter be prevented from any cause, any justice of the peace of the county shall be called on to take the place of the coroner. JACKSON COUNTY. Frank Duggins, Jerry Fuller, Eugene Parker and W. Sattler were killed by an explosion March 2, 1894, at the mine of the Kansas City Clay & Coal Co.; and at same time and place, from same cause, Steve Terry and O. L. D. Wilson were injured. For details see testimony before coroner's jury, and the article by the Inspector of Mines on the explosion and following the account of accidents by counties. Be it remembered, that an inquest held in the coroner's office in the county court-house, Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, commencing on the 3d day of March, 1894, at the hour of 10 a. m., and ending March 6, 1891, at the hour of 4 p. m., over the bodies of Thomas Duggins and Eugene Parker, whose death was due to an explosion in Brush creek coal mine, March 2, 1894, about 3 p. m. Inquest conducted by Doctor John M. Longsdale, Corner, Jackson county, Missouri [assisted by Mr. Charles Evans, State Mine Inspector of the State of Missouri, who came purposely from Jefferson City to assist in the examination]. The following proceedings were bad, to wit: After the jury had been sworn and viewed the bodies, the coroner introduced the following evidence: James Blair was the first witness called, who, after having first been duly sworn, testified as follows: Q. What is your full name? A. James Blair is my full name. Q. Where do you reside, Mr. Blair? A. In Kansas City. Q. What street and number? A. 2902 Highland avenue. Q. What is your business, Mr. Blair? A. Mining business is my business. Q. Been following the mining business a good while? A. Yes, sir, I have been following it quite a good while. Q. Have you held the capacity as mine boss? A. Yes, sir, I have. Q. Who do you operate for at the present time, if anybody? A. For the Kansas City Ciay and Coal company, at the present time. Q. Were you operating for them last Friday, the day this accident occurred that resulted in the death of two men out at your mine? A. Yes, sir, I was out there at the time. Q. It is your business to stay out there? A. Yes, sir. Q Present at the time Duggins and Parker were killed? A. Yes, sir; I was not right there where they were at the time they were killed; I was present at the mine. Q. Mr. Blair, you may just go on and tell the jury in your way, all that you know in regard to this accident, speaking slowly and distinctly, ao that the jury and stenographer can hear you. A. Well, the first thing that I knew about the accident occurring, the first that warned me of anything happening-I didn't know then that anything had happened the first thing I heard was the report. I didn't think it had hurt anyone. I was on top at the time. As soon as I heard it I ran to the shaft, and just as soon as I got there I hallooed down and asked where that gas went off, and they hallooed back that it went off in the northwest. I then went right down to the engine room, just as quick as I could, and got the safety lamp, and went down with the lamp directly; when I got the lamp I started down; when I got to the bottom I found some men at the bottom; I don't know just who all they were. I then asked some of them where the explosion occurred, and I think that some of them said that it occurred in the south entry. I went to the south side and went as far as I possibly could. I met a door and there 1 met some men coming up to this entry; I went on as far as I could until the after-damp got so bad that it was impossible for me to go any further; it got terribly bad in there. Before this, on my way in I had met a man groaning; he was lying there groaning; me and some other party that was there helped to pick him up and took him out to a place of safety, and then we afterward took him up out of the mine. I then went on further in there. I had during all this time the safety-lamp with me; that is the only kind of a lamp that I could take and use with me down there at that time. All the while I was pushing on, the after-damp kept getting worse and worse: it got so after while that I thought that I would not be able to go any further, but by putting my hand over my nose and mouth, I was able to push on a little further; I had to come back again, but I didn't get much further; the after-damp became too bad, and I seen that it was beginning to overcome. After I seen that I would not be able to go on any further, I crawled back the best that I could, and then I went to see if any stopping had been blowed out; I found the stopping blowed out, so we could drive the air in the empty current— the stopping. It was then that we thought that we could go further in, and we started to try it again the best we could; this time we had better success than we did at first, and this time we got in to the place where we found Parker; we found him lying there dead on his back in the roadway. I told the men to get things ready so that we could take him out as quick as possible; by this time there was three or four men behind me, who had followed me in the last time that I made the effort. I told them to get him out just as quick as they could; I don't know who the men were that were following behind me; I didn't have time to see who they were then; I told them to go back and get a car just as quick as they could, so that we could take the body of Mr. Parker out of there; they instantly turned back to get the car to take Mr. Parker's body out, and while they started back to the car, I went to pushing on again, further into the mine; I went just a little bit farther on from where we found the dead body of Mr. Parker lying, and I found another body lying there. By that time I didn't know how many were in there; I began to suspect that there were more further back, but by that time they had got back with the car that I had sent them after, and I began asking about who else might be in there, and a man, that was there by the name of McAlister, said that these two men were the only men that were missing, and i then asked him if he was sure about that, and be said he was sure that they were the only ones. loaded the two men on the car, and they took them up out of the mine. go any further just at that time, as I didn't think there was any use of it. about all I know of the accident. We then I didn't Q. Who was the second body that you found in there? A. The first man that I found was Mr. Parker, and the second man that I found was Mr. Thomas Duggins. I would have went on further in to see if any one else was there, but Mr. McAlister he says that they were the only two men that was missing, and I then ask him if he was sure that they were the only two, and he said that he was, and í said, well, if I was not sure those were the only two men that was missing, I would go further in after I found the second body; I began to suspicion that quite a number of them had been killed--everything was so excited when I first started down, that it was impossible to tell who was up and who was down; Mr. McAlister he came in afterward. We took the men to the cage on the car and then put them on the cage and took them up out of the mine. Before I came up I left men down there to see that everybody that was in the mine got out all right, and to see that no one else was down there, but they were sure that everyone that was in there was out. I was pretty sure myself, then that there was no one else left down there, and I then came out myself. Q. You are the superintendent or foreman of that mine? |