Reports of the Inspectors of Mines of the anthracite coal regions of ...

88 Reports of the Inspectors of Mines. [No. 10,
LUZERNE AND CARBON COUNTIES.
EASTERN DISTRICT.
To His Excellency John F. Hartranft,
Oovernor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Sir: Pursuant to the requirements of the twenty-second section of an
act, entitled "An act providing for the health and safety of persons employed
in coal mines," approved March 3, 18Y0, I herewith submit my
second annual report as inspector of coal mines for this district, for the
year ending December 31, 187*7.
I have prepared the information I have to give relative to the fatal and
non-fatal accidents in tabulated form ; and I have also given the details
attending, and the circumstances leading to, all the fatal accidents and some
of the non-fatal ones, at considerable length. I have done this, hoping that
all parties interested will read them and toke warning, so that they may not
be overtaken with the sad fate of their unfortunate fellow-workmen, who
have undoubtedly fallen victims to their own inexcusable negligence and
recklessness.
The number of deaths from accident, during 1871, is 40, which is 4 less
than for 1876; the number of persons injured is 174, an increase of 54
over the number for 1876. Many of these, however, are slight injuries,
and would not have been reported in former years. Thenumber of widows
for last year is 29, with 134 orphans. The number of tons of coal mined
for each life lost, in 1876, was 110,511, and for 1877 the ratio was 120,205
tons for each life lost, the total production for last year being 4,808,208
tons, and 4,862,512 tons in 1876.
Table No. 1 contains a condensed statement relative to the fatal accidents.
Table No. 2 contains the same relative to accidents not proving fatal.
Table No. 3 gives the number of persons killed and injured for six years,
and the causes of the same, together with the number of widows and orphans
for each year for the same period. Table No. 4 gives the number
of tons of coal produced for five years, commencing with 1872 and omit-
ting 1873, for want of data, number of persons employed, number of tons
of coal mined for each person killed and for each person injured, and the
number of persons employed for each life lost. Table No. 5 gives the
amount of coal mined, number of kegs of powder used, number of daj's
worked, number of persons employed inside and outside, number of tons
of coal mined for each person employed, for each person killed, and for