1900 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

x ANNUAL, REPORT OP THE Off. Doc.
investigations were made of all the fatal and the serious non-fatal
accidents. There were 1,720 inspections made of the Bituminous
mines, and all of the fatal and serious non-fatal accidents were
investigated, showing that the inspectors were diligent in
charge of their duties.
the dis
• Some of the mines were inspected as frequently as once a month,
while others were inspected but once during the year, but all were
inspected according to their needs. It is possible that in isolated
cases men were not supplied with a sufficient volume of air, but these
cases were few as compared with the majority of the employes, who
were supplied with adequate ventilation; this must be carefully
looked after, as at least 85 per cent, of the persons employed in the
Anthracite, and about 70 per cent, of those in the Bituminous mines
are employed in mines generating explosive gas, consequently ventilation
must be ample and properly conducted, otherwise the mines
could not be worked.
Together with inspecting mines,
investigating accidents, attending
inquests, attending court in cases of violations of the mine laws,
there are other details to be looked after, which are known only to
those directly interested.
Under the provisions of the act of Assembly, approved May 2, 1899,
the Department of Internal Affairs is allotted each year 2,000 copies
of the reports of the Bureau of Mines. In the anthracite coal region
there are 82 general and assistant superintendents, and 1,634 mine
foremen and assistants. In the Bituminous region there are 598
general and assistant superintendents, and 1,170 mine foremen and
assistants, making an aggregate of 3,484 persons directly in charge
of mining operations in the coal fields of Pennsylvania.
In addition
to this large number there are mining engineers in charge of collieries,
and all of these, together with the superintendents and foremen,
should be supplied with reports of
the Bureau of Mines each
year. It seems to be eminently proper that the operators should
also receive copies, and there are many thousands of intelligent
miners who would appreciate being supplied with these reports.
The demand from libraries and institutions that have schools of mining
engineering connected with them, is very great, and requests are
constantly being received from the chiefs of the mining departments
of other states and other countries for these reports. England, Scotland,
Wales, France, Germany, Belgium, and even far away Australia
and New Zealand have made requests. The newspapers of the
State also make frequent applications, so that the 2,000 copies now
received are entirely inadequate to supply the demand, and I most
respectfully urge that the allotment be increased to 5,000.
Under the act of February 20, 1895, provision was made that the
laws relating to the mining of coal should be printed annually in
the report of the Bureau of Mines, but as frequent applications are