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

No. 12.
1
Seventh Bituminous District. 467
Soloman Gimter, miner, was killed by a fall of slate in the Jumbo
mine on June 27. The deceased was blasting- down and loading- the coal
after it was undermined by the coal cutting- machine, and he had been
warned of his danger by a fellow miner not more than five minutes be-
fore he was killed, to whom he said that he would either take the loose
slate down or set a prop to support it, but he failed to heed the warning
and act promptly and forfeited his life through his own neglect.
Patrick Mullhern, miner, was killed by fall of slate in Ocean No. 2
mine on July 10. This man was considered a very careful miner and his
room in general bore evidence of care and skill, but on this occasion he
was too venturesome in working under the loose slate, seeing that he had
been warned of the danger shortly before the accident by a miner workingnear
him. The same person who warned him found him under the slate
shortly afterwards.
Stephen Robertson, miner, was killed by fall of slate in the Venture
mine on July 18. The size of slate which fell upon him was 1.5' X 1X6'
and three of its sides was intersected by free slips, two only of Avhich
could be seen, probably the man had not examined the slate carefully
or he would have set sufficient props under it to protect himself. The
accident occurred several hours before any one knew of it, and in all proba-
bility the man lived for some time after the slate fell upon him, but he
was an exemplary young man, much respected, and his untimely death
was much reg-retted by all who knew him.
Richard Hurley, mule driver, was run down and killed by loaded coal
cars in the Boon mine on August 21. This man was hauling the coal
from the main change parting- to the pit mouth ; he usually hauled a trip
of twelve cars, and a short distance from the pit mouth the mule was de-
tached from the trip, but before the mule was detached the cars were given
sufficient momentum to carry them forward to the outside on a descend-
ing grade. The driver and mule passing out ahead of the moving- trip, a
few feet outside from the point where the mule was detached from the
trip, the cross-timbers supporting the roof were rather low, being- about
4| feet high and 5 feet Avide, and from an examination of the place it
would appear that the man struck his head against the low timbers
and fell in front of the trip which ran over him, inflicting- injuries
which caused his death in a few hours. There was a space made on the
side of the road at the point where the mule was detached from the cars
for the driver and mule to pass into, clear of trip, but it was seldom used
for that purpose, the driver preferring to ran the risk of passing- out in
advance of the moving cars and the mine-boss allowed him to do so
without restraint. I suggested that the roadway be made hig-her and
wider so as to prevent further accidents, which has since been done, but
with considerable difficulty and expense on account of the roadway beingopened
through old workings.
John Connell, miner, was killed at the Enterprise mine on October 8,