1898 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

178 REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF MINES. Off. Doc.jS'umber of fatal accidents inside, 47iS^nmbtT of non-fatal accidents inside 55Number of fatal accidents outside, 7Number of non-fatal accidejits outside, 17Number of wives left widows, 23Number of children left fatherless, 80Number of kegs of pow^der used, 132,752Number of pounds of dynamite used, 352.87(5Number of horses and mules, 2,125Number of steam boilers, 940Number of i>umi)s,Capacity in gallons per minute, 235,420Number of steam engines of all classes 465Total horse power, . . . : 28,862Nu]nber of electric dynamos, 1Voltage, 107Number of air compressors 21Number of air locomotives, 228GRemarks on Fatal Accidents.^\hile this report shows 26 per cent, fewer fatal accidents for theyeai- as compared with 18t»7, yet nmny of them should not have occuried.The grim reaper death is always an unwelcome visitoruLder any conditions, and especially so when one is killed while engagedat any description of service. For the purpose of showingbow 32, oi' tiraily (JO jier cent, of the fatal accidents occurred. I have,during the year, carefully noted the causes, and 1 trust sullicientlyintelligently to show to those acquainted with the details of anthracitecoal mining, who are responsible for the 32 deaths, and numberthem as they aic reported on Table No. 4.No. 3. Edward C. Davis, a miner, working in SiMiaiidoali (Mty colliery,fatally injured January 5 and died on the 12th.DaviM volujitaiily assumed the duty of running a car out of abreast, in the absence of the regular car runner, who was runninga ( ar ont of a neighboring breast, and in doing so, got on the wrongsi(i(^ of car to put the sprags in the wheels and was S(]ueezed betweenihe cai- and timber leg. The cause of his death was said by the attj'udingj)hysiciaii lo have bern appendicitis.No. 4. I'atrick Larkin, a miner working in Packer No. 4 colliei-y,killed 11th of January. He had fired a shot in a breast and afterwaiting a short time returned to dress off. The shot, however, didnot dis])lace the coal, and he commt'ucc^d to pick and bar out theshattered surroundings when a fall took ])lace killing him. The]tro]t('r and safe method wonld ha\'e been to drill another hole andblast the coal down.