Report of the Bureau of Mines of the Department of Internal Affairs of ...

No 10. FOURTH ANTHRACITE DISTRICT. 93
matter how safe they may appear; so that dangerous points would be
discovered and could be secured. Timber is furnished freely at all
the mines and it is sent in to them m required lengths, so that rarely is
there cause to take any risks for the want of material to make places
as safe as prop[»ing or timbering can make them.
Six fatal and 41 serious non-fatal accidents were caused in various
VNiiys by hauling of mine cars in the mines. The victims of this class
of accidents are mostly young men and bo3s who are employed as
headmen or footmen on slopes and planes, and runners, drivers and
door tenders. All these classes of employes have more or less to do
with the moving of the mine cars, and the work is unavoidably dangi-rous.
Young men and boys are active and are naturally inclined to be
almost reckless even in dangerous situations. They jump on and
off moving Ciirs, coui)le and uncouph; cars when moving, ride sitting
on the bumpv rs with tlieir feet sliding on the rail and on front end
of cars, run along side of moving cars on narrow passageways where
if they should stumble, slip or fall it is imj)ossible for them to
escape being caught by the wheels. They will run alongside of a
swiftly moving car to put a sprag in a wheel and to do a number of
olher foolish things.
The nature of their work is such that much of this must be done
in order to execute the required work. All this is done in narrow
and frequently low passages with no light but that of the lamp on
their hat, or perhaps a safet}^ lamp in their hand, and where swift
currents of air are passing which are likely to extinguish their light,
and it is surprising that they escape so well. They are diligent,
quick in their movements and rarely complain if ample room is
not pi'ovided for them. Where it is practicable room is made at
h'ast on one side, but lumps of coal fall from the cars and pieces of
fallen rock or pieces of timber or boards frequently get in the way,
which are a source of danger to the boys when doing their work.
Occasional!}' a man going to meet a trip of cars, turns on the wrong
side and is crushed between a car and rib. Sometimes they lose
their light and cannot see which is the safe side and take the wrong
one and are caught and injured. The only way to reduce this
CJass of casualties is to enforce good discipline and prevent the boys
fi-om taking risks, and to provide wide, clean passages for the haulage
wa.ys.
Footmen are sometimes injured when failing to get out of the way
of runaway cars at foot of slopes and planes. Safety holes are
provided for them to stay in while the cars are being hoisted, but they
seldom use them, and then only to run in when they hear a runaway
car coming. Sometimes one fails to reach it and is caught and in-
jured.-