1898 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

No. 11. FOURTH ANTHRACITE DISTRICT. 107away from all fires as inucb as possible—this is true of all explosives."Do not leave cartridges exposed after thawing, as they freezeagain rapidly. They may be carried to where they are to be usedin a box. Cover cartridges with sawdust or manure to retain heat.''It appears to be impossible to prevent the ignition of blowers ingaseous places where blasting is necessary, but the possibility ofdoing so is greatly reduced by using safety lamps exclusively andusing high explosives for blasting, and exploding them by electricbattery and not by S(]uibs.To extinguish burning blowers or gas feeders, compressed air isvery elTective; so is water under a high pressur(\ In a large numberof the gaseous mines a line of pipe is laid in each gangway withwater in readiness to ai)ply in case of fire. (3ther mines have a line ofpipe for compressed air ready to apply from a hose incase of feedersigniting; both means are very effective and are the meansi ofpreventing many disastrous fires. When a fire becomes so extensivethat it cannot be fought by applying water from hose, orwlK're explosive gases accumulate and explode, making ittoo dangciousfor men to work, one of two methods is adopted. Either theworldugs should be filled with water, or have the air shut oft" andthe workings filled with incombustible gases.To fill a ]niue with water is both expensive and damaging to themine. The action of the water causes the bottom to heave and theto]( to fall, so that in most castas the mine is practically closed, andin many instances, owing to inclosed gases, the water has failed tocover the fire, and it is found to be burning after the water is takenot.t. Fires have been extinguished by shutting off the air from themine, or from a section of the mine, in which the fire was burning.The gases generated by the burning of coal or wood, and carburettedhydrogen, when unmixed with air, are non-combustible, and if amine or a part of a mine is ettectively isolated from the air and filledwith non-combustible gases, such as carbonic acid, nitrogen, andcarburetted hydrogen unmixed with air, a fire cannot burn. Wherethe latter method can be etfectively ai>plied it is the cheapest andleast damaging, but in nearly all instances the operator has beentoo iini)atient to give the time necessary for it to be effective, andhas resorted to Hooding with water and finally finding that it requiresfully as much time and much more expense to put the mine in conditionto work again.Annual Examination of Applicants for Mine ForenuHi and AssistantMine Foreman Certificates.The annual examination of applicants for mini^ foi-eman and as^sistantmine foreman certificates was held at the Fnion Street .-cliool