1900 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

No. 11 SECOND BITUMINOUS DISTRICT. 351
employed therein, and we consider it our duty to make a decision in
accordance with the opinion a» stated above, which decision is
rendered under articles 4 and 14 of the act of Assembly approved
May 15, 1893. In order to comply with the law, ventilation much
more powerful than that now in use should be provided. We also
deem it advisable to remind you that the number of persons employed
in the mine should be reduced until the matter complained of
is remedied.
riease take action on this decision at once and oblige,
Yours respectfully,
C. B. ROSS,
Inspector Second District.
HENRY LOUTTIT,
Inspector First District.
JAMES BLICK,
Inspector Seventh District.
Mr. Humphrey appealed from this decision to the court of quarter
sessions, and the court after hearing the evidence and arguments
of counsel, entered the following decree, viz: "And now, April 28th,"
the court after hearing the evidence of the witnesses, offered on
behalf of the Mine Inspector® and the Westmoreland Coal Company,
and after due consideration of the same, do now order and decree
that the Mine Inspectors had just cause for rendering a decision
against the Westmoreland Coal Company, because of the insufficient
distribution of air through its mines at Export. But the
court does not sustain the decision of the Mine Inspectors as made,
and from which said decision the said Westmoreland Coal Company
has appealed, in which they require at least 150,000 cubic feet
of air to be circulated throughout the said entire mine per minute,
and in which they decide that the said Westmoreland Coal Company
must provide more powerful machinery for the purpose of causing
proper ventilation, and the court now decides and decrees that the
said Westmoreland Coal Company shall without unnecessary delay,
adopt and use proper methods and appliances for the purpose of
drawing out of said mine at the fan 150,000 cubic feet of air per
minute, so that GO per cent, of said volume of air may be circulated
through the mine at -its different workings, allowing 60,000 cubic
feet of air per minute for waste, and the purpose of this decree, with
respect to said maximum volume of air, is only to obtain said minimum
volume for circulation through the mine® and in the event of
a reduction of waste of said 60,000 cubic feet of air, then a cones
ponding reduction in the maximum volume may be permitted; saving
and keeping, however, the said volume of 90,000 cubic feet per
minute for circulation at all the workings throughout the mine.