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

No. 12.] Sixth Anthracite District. 215
No. 19. Peter Smeltzer, a miner, ag-ed thirtj'-four years, was killed, on
the 5th day of May, at Packer No. 3 colliery. The colliery had been
idle for a few days, but some of the men had been allowed to work. At
the "fourth lift" five men g-ave the signal to be hoisted, and Smeltzer
with two other men were standing- at the second lift to be hoisted also,
and as the car was nearing the second lift Smeltzer called to those
coming- up to know if he and his companions could get in, getting- an
answer in the affirmative he gave the signal to stop, which the engineer
responded to. Smeltzer gave the signal again to hoist and got on the
spreader chains, and in adjusting his cans he overbalanced himself and
the carr an over him.
No. 20. John Medley, a miner, aged twenty-five years, was fatally
burned by powder, on the 25th day of May, at the Suffolk colliery, and
died in the Miners' hospital, on the 4th day of June. He was filling a
cartridge with his lamp on his hat and a spark from the lamp fell into the
powder keg which contained about twenty pounds of powder. I had
landed at the bottom of the slope and was met by Mr. Tasker, the foreman,
just as Medley was brought to the bottom.
No. 21. William James, slate picker, aged twenty years, was killed,
on the 29th day of May, by being caught in the breaker machinery at
Elmwood colliery. I visited the place of the accident and found the
machinery practically safe, fenced off, and any way by which those
working in this particular place in the breaker could be injured, would
be by climbing over, or reaching through the fencing.
No. 22. Michael Micko, a slate picker, aged about twenty-five years, was
killed, on the 1st day of Jv^ly, by being caught in the breaker machinery
at Turkey Eun colliery. On the 3d daj' of July I visited the place where
this man lost his life. It was in the same condition as when the accident
occurred. I came to the conclusion that Micko must have fainted
and his legs worked through under the bottom fence board, which was
only nine inches from the floor, thereby coming in contact with the
machinery.
No. 23. John McAndrew, a laborer, aged twenty-five years, was killed,
by a fall of top slate, on the 28th day of July, at East Bear Ridge colliery.
The miner was told by the assistant foreman to either take the top
slate down or stand props, he did neither, and at the inquest the assist-
ant foreman swore he must have made a mistake when he told me that
he had told the miner that the top was bad, and that he must either
prop or take down what was loose, showing distinctly that this man
wanted to hide the miner behind something else than the truth
No. 24. George Bell, a miner, aged twenty-seven years, was killed, on
the 1st day of August, by a fall of coal at Glendon collery. He was
"robbing back" the top bench of the vein which was left up until the
breast had been finished, and in doing so a light "skip "was taken from
the pillar. I made an examination of the breast on the 3d and expressed