1900 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

Official Document, No. 11.
Fifth
Bituminous District.
(FAYETTE, SOMERSET AND BEDFORD COUNTIES.)
Uniontown, Pa. March 1, 1900.
Hon. James W. Latta, Secretary of Internal Affairs, Harrisburg, Pa.:
Sir: I have the honor to submit my annual report as Inspector of
.Mines for the Fifth Bituminous Districl for the year ending December
31, 1!M)0, in compliance with' seel ion 2, article X of the act of
Assembly approved May 15, 1893.
There has been an increase of 1,087,759, tons of coal produced this
year as compared with last; also an increase of 46,269 tons of coke
produced. There were ten fatal and fourteen non-fatal accidents
during the year fewer than occurred during the preceding year, or
forty-five as against fifty fatal, and fifty-six as against seventy non
fatal.
Twenty new mines have been opened during the year and none
abandoned, which makes a total in the district of 103. All of these
have been producing coal except three shaft mines, which reached
the coal seam during the last month of the year.
The condition of the mines upon the whole is very satisfactory;
where I had occasion to complain of unsatisfactory conditions,
prompt measures w 7 ere adopted to remedy and rectify them.
The number of visits required by law has not been made to each
mine, on account of the large increase in the number of new mines,
which makes it a physical impossibility to visit each mine once in
every three months. On an average one mine per day is the utmost
that can be inspected, even if there were no accidents to investigate,
or office work to perform. Hence as there are only seventy-eight
working days in a period of three months, and there are 103 mines
in the district, it is obvious that the Inspector cannot comply with
the requirements of law in this respect and if he is expected or required
to give four visits per year to each mine in the district, the
number of mines must necessarily be reduced.
The usual statistical tables accompany this report. All of which is
respectfully submitted.
CITAS. CONNOR,
Inspector of Fifth Bituminous District.
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