1898 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

No. 11. MINING LAWS OF PENNSYLVANIA. cxxvkept ill a sate and available conditiuii and free from steam anddangerous gases, and all otlier obstructions, and if such opening isa shaft it shall be fitted with safe and convenient stairs with steps ofan average tread of ten inches and nine inches rise, not less than twofeet wide and to not exceed an angle of sixty degrees descent withlandings of not less than eighteen inches wide and four feet long,at easy and conveui(^nt distances: Provided, That the requirementsof this section shall not be applicable to stairways in use prior toJune thirtieth, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-live, whenin the judgment of the mine inspector, they are sufficiently safe andconvenient. And water coming from the surface or out of the stratain the shaft shall be conducted away by rings, casing or otherwiseand be prevented from falling upon persons who are ascending ordescending the stairway ofthe sliaft.Section G. Where any mine is operated by a shaft which exceedsseventy-five feet in vertical depth, the persons employed in said mineshall be lowered into and raised from said mine by means of machinery,and in any such mine the shaft, other than the main shaft,shall be supplied with safe and suitable machinery for hoisting andlowering persons, or with safe and convenient stairs for use in casesof emergency by persons employed in said mine: Provided, That anymine operated by two shafts, and where safe and suitable machineryis provided at both shafts for hoisting coal or persons, shall havesuflficiently complied with the requirements of this section.Section 7. At nnj mine, where one of the two openings requiredhereinbefore is a slope and is used as a traveling way, it shall nothave a greater angle of descent than twenty degrees and may be ofany depth.Section 8. The machinery used for lowering or raising the eniplo3^esinto or out of the mine and the stairs used for ingress oregress, shall be kept in a safe condition, and inspected once eachtwenty-four hours by a competent person employed for that purpose.And such machinery and the method of its inspection shall be approvedby the mine inspector of the district in which the mine issituated.ARTICLE III.Hoisting Machinery, Safety Catches, Signaling Apparatus, Et Cetera.Section 1.The operator or superintendent shall provide and maintain,from the top to bottom of every shaft where persons are raisedor lowered, a metal tube suitably adapted to the free passage ofsound througli which conversation may be held between persons aithe top and bottom of said shaft, and also a means of signaling fromthe top to the bottom thereof, and shall j)rovide every cage or gearcarriage used for hoisting or lowering persons wilh a sufficient over-