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

178 Reports of the Inspectors of Mines. [No. 10,
which had been driven through the pillars and breasts. They had fired
two blasts the night previous, before leaving work, and on returning in
the morning they were disappointed that the blasts did not do the desired
execution. The deceased commenced to bar the loose coal, while his la-
borer was loading a car, when a flag of slate, about ten inches thick, fell
on the car and he removed to the other side of the gangway, when a second
flag fell. He stood meditating for a few minutes, when he advanced
about ten feet from the car, when the third and fatal flag fell, resulting as
above. He was said to be a practical miner at such work, and had done a
great deal of it.
Accident No. 21 on the list, Neal Gallagher, aged 45, was instantly killed
by a fall of coal in tunnel No. 9, located in Panther Creek valley, Novem-
ber 10, 1877. The deceased was working in a gangway that was driven to
connect with another gangway. When the two gangways were within
twenty feet of being through, they drove a small hole on the lower side
for the purpose of draining the dip gangway, instead of bailing the water,
which they were obliged to do before the hole was through ; and when they
commenced to widen out the hole, to connect both headings, or gangway's,
a lump of coal, from the upper side, fell on the deceased, resulting as above
stated. The mine boss gave the men orders the day previous, to stand
center-props, and instead of standing them as they should be (close to the
coal on the pitch,) they left a space of about four feet from the coal on the
pitch to the center-props, when the props could be utilized for the support
of the coal on the pitch as well as that for the roof.
Accident No. 23 on the list, Michael McCann, was instantly killed by a
fall of coal at No. 5 East Sugar Loaf colliery, November 26, 1877. The de-
ceased's partner stated that they had fired a shot in the top coal some time
previous, which did not do the required execution. They worked uncon-
cernedly on the face, leaving the disturbed coal by the shot remain with-
out securing it, and at the same time working right under it. In order to
avoid danger, a " buggy " hole had been driven through the pillar from
the adjoining breast, at a point to enter the face of the breast in which he
was killed. And further, for their safety, they were allowed two breasts,
that when they blasted in the one, they could load coal in the other.
Accident No. 24 on the list, Hopkin Richards, miner, aged 57, injured
at Cross Creek colliery, July 23, and died July 28. The deceased was an
old man, who had been sick with asthma for about nine months, and had
only begun to work again in the mines a few days before the accident
happened. ' He was barring down the dividing slate in his breast, and
being exhausted he sat down to rest and take breath. During the interval,
the piece which he had been barring fell, breaking the small bone at the
ankle. It is presumed that the accident to this person is not attributable
to the cause of his death, as it is evident that such a trivial accident to a
man of younger years would have been of little consequence.