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

Ex. Doc] Reports of the Inspectors of Mines. 93
It is claimed that the fact of his working in danger himself, is positive
evidence that he does not " knowingly' " neglect or refuse to keep the roof
of his working place properly propped and timbered. Such deep logic is
beyond my comprehension, and I cannot agree with it. If a vainer knoivs
the roof of his working place to be dangerous, and neglects to stand pi*ops
under it, he knoivingly neglects ; and his working under it, knowing it to
be dangerous, is criminal, for the law intends to defend such insane par-
ties from endangering even their own lives.
And again, if a mine boss tells a miner that the roof of his working
place is dangerous, and orders him to stand props under it, he must know
it to be dangerous, and if he refuses to obey the order, he ^^ knoivingly re-
fuses to keep the roof of his working place properly propped and timbered,"
and this is what the law makes a misdemeanor, punishable by
imprisonment and fine. The law comes in to protect the miner's life and
limb against his own negligence, and no man has a right to endanger even
his own life in this manner, any more than he has a right to take poison.
In cases of this kind in England, where a miner is injured by his own vio-
lation of the " Mine Regulation Act," as soon as he recovers, he is prose-
cuted for his negligence, and punishable for it, as if it were some other
person that was injured. I would hesitate some in going to this extreme ;
but where the neglect and carelessness of a miner I'esults in the death of,
or serious injury to his laborer, or any person other than himsell', I am
firmly of the opinion that he sliould be held to a strict accountability.
One great reason why so many accidents occur from "falls of roof," and
" falls of coal," is, that we have hundreds of men employed in our mines as
miners who are wholly incompetent, and entirely unfit to have charge of a
working place. This class cannot detect dangerous roof unless it is very
dangerous, and cannot stand a prop pi'operly, nor judge of the amount
of powder necessary to blast out the coal. My attention was lately called
to a party of this class, consisting of two miners, (?) who were working
together, and who had just fired a blast in their chamber, when one of
them went forward to see what execution the blast had done. On reach-
ing near the face of the chamber, he called out to his partner, "• Mike !
two props are down ! and faith the car is ofl" the track ! and be jabers the
road is broke! and divil the bit of coal at all, at all " ! ! The coal had
been blown into the gob by an overcharge of powder, leaving only the
damage above described as the result of the blast. In cases like this, the
men get wild ;
they rush in to re-stand the props, without giving a moment's
thought to the condition of the roof; they have no coal down to load the
next car, and, in their excitement, they are killed or injured by the roof
falling upon them. And if they happen to be entirely out of coal, they
frequently let the props lay where they fall, and rush for a drill to put in
another hole as soon as possible ; and perhaps they will let the props lay
there for the balance of the day, and the roof falls, killing their laborers,
perhaps, after they have gone home.