1898 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

34 REPORT Oy THE BITREAU OF MINES. Off. Doc.accidents occiiired, making a total of 18.1 during tlie year, being adfcrease of 27 fatal and an increase of 5 nonfatal as compared ^vitli1897.The number of tons of coal i)roduced per life lost was 177,20;"), and29,709 tons per fatal and non-fatal accident. These figures make afavorable comparison with the ones of pr-evious years.Looking back oyer the accidents from the years 1892 to1898 incinsiye,I find that The number of accidents for each year will varybetween 182 and 22fi,being an average of 208 per year.The total accidents as returned are as follows:Year.1892, 2141893, 2101894, 1821895, 2261896, 2001897, 2071898, 185Total Accidents.Average, 203Comparing the average with the number of accidents which occi7rredduring any one year, I find that the above table shows thetotal number each year to be nearly the same, although the dangersto life and limb are continually increasing.If we apply the same metliod of comparison to the fatal accidentsOTi\\, it will be shown that they vary much more from the average.The fatal accidents for the years 1892 to 1898 will vary between 31and 58, and the number of tons produced i)er life lost between 103,-200 and 182,228. It will be admitted that it is difficult to strike anaverage between figures liaving such a wide margin of ditt'ei-ence.We are confined to the period of years taken, as the districtexisted in its present form or bounded by the same lines only since1892. From the foregoing I (•onroduce(l])er life lost, aud not by the total number of accidents, ('ileumstances only, deteniiiue the class to which an accident slinll belong;for instance, if a fall of roof occurs in the face of a working place,striking the miner on the leg fi-actui*ing the limb, it will b(^ classednon-fatal. If ihe same fall struck the victim on a vital s])ot it wonhl