1900 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

Official Document, No. 11.
First Bituminous District.
ALLEGHENY, FAYETTE, GREENE, WASHINGTON AND WESTMORE-
MORELAND COUNTIES.
Monongahela, Pa., February 28, 1901.
Hon. James W. Latta, Secretary of Internal Affairs:
Sir: In compliance with an act of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania,
entitled "An act relating to bituminous coal mines and
providing for the lives, health, safety and welfare of persons employed
therein," approved May 15, 1893, I hereby present my annual
report as Inspector of Mines for the First Bituminous coal district
for the year ending December 31, 1900.
The total number of accidents reported as having occurred in the
district was 182, of which 38 were fatal.
The number wives left widows was 20, and of orphans 40.
Decrease in the number of fatal accidents as compared with that
of 1899, six. Increase of non-fatal accidents over that of the previous
year, thirty.
5, were not of a serious character.
Quite a number of these, as will be seen by Table
Total production of coal during 1899, tons, 9,295,646
Total production of coal during 1900, tons, 8,654,376
Decrease for 1900 from that of 1899, tons, 641,270
The cause of the decreased coal production was, in a great measure,
due to the low stage of water which prevailed in the Monongahela
river during the months of July, August, September, October, November
and December, which prevented some of the mines located
along that stream from being worked to their full capacity.
In order to have uniformity in the make-up of the permanent
Danger Signals and at the same time to prevent any person passing
the same through ignorance of their nature, I issued the following
circular to the mine foremen, the directions of which, I am pleased
to state, are being complied with:
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