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

Official Document, No. ]0.
Sixth Anthracite District
(SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.)
Slu'iiaiulojili, Ta., Feb. 11), 1898.
Hon. .lames W. Latta, Secretary of Internal Affairs:
Sir: As re«iuired by section nine, article two, of the act of June,
ISUl. I have the honor of herewith submitting to you my annual
report of the Sixth anthracite coal district for the year 18!)7.
The rei)ort shows an increase of six fatal and a decrease of twentysix
non-fatal accidents during the year, as compared with 1896.
also shows the increase in the number of employes to be seventy-seven
and a decrease in the production of coal of 45,580 tons.
As to the causes of so many fatal and non-fatal accidents, it must be
quite apparent to the skillful miner that at least nine-tenths of them
are the result of inexperience and recklessness. The law is mandatory
to the extent that the operator shall provide for the safety of his
workmen, and I do not hesitate to state that this is practically carried
out, yet the number of accidents is increasing and we can look
for no improvement unless the men are taught to detect the dangers
incident to mining coal, when they present themselves, and at the
same time be able to determine how to avert them.
It is a fact that the general condition of the collieries in the sixth
district is being yearly improved, and it is also apparent that the
coal companies are making a
general effort looking to the end that
The lives of their workmen can be best protected.
In further commenting on the accidents wiiich occurred in and
about the collieries in this district during the year 1897, there has
not been an unusual calamity resulting in the loss of more than
two lives at one time, yet I am forced to say that some of the officials
do not put forth the projjcr efforts they should to avert at least
some of the accidents, for it has been my experience that some mine
foremen are rather impressed with the idea that the miner having
been «iiialitied by the Miners' Board of Examiners he himself is
responsible for his safety, so far as the actual cutting of coal is
concerned. A mine foreman cannot be expected to supervise the
a( tual mining of coal in all of his mine ojxMiings. Yet accidents have
occurred duiing the year where the mine forenmn was to some ex-
11—10—97
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