Reports of the Inspectors of Mines of the anthracite and bituminous ...

214 Keports of the Inspectors of Mines. [Off. Doc.
always be done so as to prevent it from swing-iug- in its ascent. In
company with Messrs. John L Williams and John J. Bradigan, I descended
the shaft and waited until two buckets liad l)een filled and
hoisted. I found that after practically bring-ing the bucket to rest about
four feet up from the bottom of shaft, it touched nothing- in being hoisted,
and I am of the opinion that the bucket not having been given the
proper time to "steady," w^as the cause of it striking the timber.
No. 15. Patrick Downey, a miner, aged forty -five years, was fatally burned
by an explosion of gas in Shenandoah City colliery, on the 6th day of
April, and died on the 15th. This colliery had been idle since the 24th
of December, 1890. Downey with the other workmen came to work on
the morning of the 5th, but his butty was absent. Mr. Brooks, the fire-
boss, met Downey and told him as his "butty " was not out, he could not
work, and also told him that there was gas in the breast in which he was
working and left him, to attend to other sections of the colliery under
his care. Downey, however, disobeyed the fire-boss, and went up to his
work and fired the gas. Four lives have been lost in my district this
year exactly under like circumstances, and the fire-bosses in each case
have contributed to these deaths, in not carrying out the provisions of
the law as set forth in rule 7, under the head of general rules, page 37.
The last clause of the rule reads as follows: " It shall be the duty of
the fire-boss to remain at the danger stations until relieved by some
one authorized by him, or the mine foreman, who shall stand guard until
said mine or part of mine shall be reported safe, and he shall not let any
person pass without permission from the fire-boss." So that it is not
enough on the part of the fire-boss to merely mark on the danger hoard
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gas " or to tell any man that there is gas in working place, but, to comply
wdth the law, he must stand guard or deputize some one to act for
him, so as to prevent any one passing to his work, and especially so when
he has detected gas in any of the working places.
No. 16. John Leigman, a miner, aged thirty-four years, was fatally
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burned by an explosion of gas at Primrose colliery, on the 6th day of
April and he died on the 11th. This man lost his life under circumstances
similar to Downey with this differcmce that Leigman, after going
up a certain distance in his breast, unscrewed the gauze from the cup of
his lamp.
No. 17. William Lesisky, laborer, aged twenty-eight years, was fatally
injured by a fall of slate, on the 13th day of April, and died on the 1st
day of August. This man was injured at North Mahanoy colliery, and
if the minor had timbered as he should have done, Lesisky would not
have lost his life, so far as that piece of slate is concerned.
No. 18. John Bodsnick, laborer, aged twenty-five years, was killed, on
the 27th day of April, by a fall of coal in Silverbrook colliery. The
miner was to blame in not timbering, and the foreman was also to blame
for not seeing that this gangway was timbered properly.