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Diagram Showing Why a Mlno Explosion' I in Reality a Number of Extremely Rapid, Succenlro Explosion. A Dynamite Charge "Backfire," Ex
ploding the Coal Gaa In the Chamber. Thta Explosion Creates a Violent Current of Air, Which Displaces More Coal Dust, Which Is Fired by the
Preceding Explosion. This Process IsRepeated with Deadly Rapidity Throughout thq Passage, Sometimes for Six and Seven Miles.
How the Little Birds Save
Hundreds of Lives Each Year by
Acting as Gas-Alarms in the
Poisoned Underground
c
ANAIUES savo about 800 hu
man Uvea a year. They are
tho -cnlof' rellanco of the
United. States.Bureau of Mfnos in tho
rescue of entombed coal miners
whenever a mlno disaster occurs.
During tho few years' they havo been
used In this work moro than 5,000
Uvea have bo6n saved through their
use
All coal mines aro full of coal dust.
Dust of any character that contains
carbon In certain forma wilt ex
plodo. Flour dust frequently causes
explosions In flour mills, but the ex.
plosions caused by coal dust aro per
haps tho most c&mmon examples of
this disastrous phenomenon.
For a lone; time miners rofuBQd to
bo convinced ' that coal dust would
explode. The mine disasters which
were cos-ting eevoral thousand lives
every year were attributed to other
pauses. Since the' rel menace of
the mines h&s been ascertained, how.
over. It hag been leM 'difficult to
(rain minora' how to proceed to pre
vent explosions and how' to act when
they occur.
Only anthracite coal dust explodes.
Such .explosions aro' caused by what
miners call "blowouts." A miner
drills a hole in a vein of coal and
tamps la tho charge, Tho explosion
which follows is expected to break
up the coal, but sometimes, instead
of tho coal breaking, it holds Arm.
Thoi disaster follows. The plug
flics out of the boring and Is followed
by a long tongue of flame that licks
into the cbal dust and causes tho ex
plosion. If the explosion wero confined to
the Immediate "vicinity In which It
occurs, the damage done" might be
Inconsiderable, but such, unfortu
nately la seldom the case. The ex
plosion usually develops & great wave
of air which stirs up tho coal dust
throughout the mine and starts a
series of explosions which may
travel through tho underground pas
sages for four or five miles, carrying
death to hundreds of workers and
destruction to thousands of dollars'
worth pt property.
After an explosion comes tho
deadly "coal damp" or "black damp,"
which rapidly brings death to every
living soul In the mines who escaped
tho forco of the original explosion.
To rescuo miners from tho after
perils of thoso explosions Is one of
tho principal functions of the United
Stales Bureau of Mines, which was
organized after tho terrlblo disaster
in the Monongah mine, In West Vir
ginia, in 1907, in which 350 men were
killed.
So effectively does this bureau
work that the average annual death
toil in the mining industry baa been
cut down from some 3,000 to 2,000,
or from seven men for every million
tons to 4.29 men for evory million
tons.
Without the canaries, however,
tills work of rescue would be prac
tically out of the question. At any
rate, It would not be nearly as effec
tive. When there is an explosion or a
cave-In at a coal mine and miners
aro entombed, word Is Immediately
sent to the Federal Bureau to rush
to the scene of the disaster one of
lis specially equipped life-saving rait
way cars. These cars are stationed
at various central points throughout
the country In the different coal re
gions. The car crew is assisted in
the recue work by a mine rescue
corps which is attached to every
mine. Each corps consists of six
men equipped with an oxygen hel
met resembling that worn byv deep
sea divers. This apparatus Includes
a tank strapped to tho back of the
rescuer carrying oxygen enough for
two hours and a cartridge of caustlo
soda strapped in front to take up the
poisonous gases from the breath ot
the wearer-
Upon arrival attthe 'mouth ot the
mine where a disaster baa occurred
the first thing the rescue, crew does
Is to look after the miners who have
managed to crawl to the surface, in
jured or otherwise, and. to admin
ister first aid. A part ot the life
saving crew attends to this particu
lar Ji- of Tfork while the others try
'MAHA
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I
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to penetrate tho mine In an effort to
reach tho unfortunates burled be
neath tho surface, many of whom
aro probably ovorcomo by tho fumes
of the deadly "coal damp." .,
It-would bo noxt to Impossible for
tho rescuers to go into the mlno and
drag individually to Ita mouth overy
miner who had boon caught in tho
rush ot coal gas throughout tho four
five mlles ot passageways involved
in the disaster.
As a matter of fact, there aro vnrl
ous points in-the passage waya where
tho air is pure, and if tho victim
Could bo (Jarggq'd'. to thorn thoro
would bo no noceaslly.lo carry tlietu
further.iThe:dlfllculty .which roacuq
parties Invariably encountered be
toro the Bureau ot Mines used canar
ies was in locating these puro-alr
spots, , their oxygon helmets which
'they- thomselyos wpro making It 1m
posslblo for thorn to observo tho dlf
ference. In. tho' character ot tho at
raWphere. ..
Tho loader of tho rescue party
however, is now equipped with an
ordinary brass bird cago in Which a
wldo-awako canary .hops.
This canary is kbpt in good humor
during tho trip to the mlno and
overy effort Is made to keop it ac
tive. Tho bird is taken into the talne
under tho over-Watchful oyeB of tho
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Using the Pulmotor to Restore a Victim of a Coal-Mine Ex
plosion Who Had Been Brought to the Surface Through
the Use of a Canary Life-Saver.
leader ot the rescue party. As long
as tho bird continues to chirp and
hop about in the cago the rescue
party continues on Its way.
Just as soon as the bird's activity
begins to waver, however, the prog
ress ot tho party is halted. The
leader tightens his helmet to make
sure that no breath ot the death'
carrying "coal damp" gels Into his
lungs. The fact that the canary be
gins to feel "wobbly" Is an indica
tion that the air la impure, and that
such victims as they find will have
to be carried to a point beyond the
one in question it they are to recover.
The party retraces Its steps slow
ly, carefully watching tho physical
condition of the bird in the cage,
until they reach a spot whero the
bird revives. Hero one of tho rescue
party is left with the bird to refresh
it with bis oxygen supply and to
await the return of the rest ot the
party with such victims as they may
be able to find.
The rescuers then proceed, minus
the bird, penetrating into the farth
est depths ot the mine, until they
come upon entombed workers, The
caught miners, usually unconscious,
are carried to tho point whero the
canary, again apparently perfectly
lively, lsstatloned with tho .rescuer
who had been left behind and such
other volunteer rescuers who by
this time have located the under
5UNDAY
J KA
iner enacetherimejQ
Passage-
ground haven of eatoty. The victims
are taken to the surface, whoro they
are taken in charge by the doctors
and first-aid corps attachod to the
ureau ot Mines, who apply the pul
motor, It necessary, to revlvo tho
Then the volunteer rescuers' rush
back to tho spot where tho canary
remains stationed and haul out? oue
by one, the miners brought to them
by the oxygon holmotod rescuers.
This work Is continued until tho res
cue crow Is satiafled that all ot the
miners have been taken out
It at any time In tho course ot the
rescue work the canary again gives
evidence of being affected by tho at
mosphore in tho mine, he Is moved
baok to a point where he revives.
When tho "Job" is finished, tho bird
goes back to tho mlno car to be
petted and kopt In good physical
condition until another catastrophe
brings In an emergency call for his
eervlcos.
Canaries wero chosen for this work
after other animalB wero found to be
lncapablo for it. At first the bureau
tried mice. It was found, -however,
after several experiments' that the
little creatures were too 'unreliable;
i h .- are atciined to bd sulky nt
times, oven when in good physical
t - .omt Ume the life savers
found their little mouse keeled over
In his caro when they had penetrated
copyright. 1011.
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of Ml
A Canary Which Has Been Overcome by
the Deadly Fumes in the Course of Rescues
Work1. The Bird Is Taken Back Through
the Underground Passages Until It Reaches
a Spot Where It Regains Consciousness, and
Thus Denotes the Safety of That Point.
Rescuers Attached to the U. S. Bureau of Mines Equipped with Oxygen-Helmets Which En
able Them to Enter Gas-Filled Mines.
only a few foot into the mlno, al
though by actual experiment it was
found that tho atmosphere was pure.
Tho mouse was Just sulky, and ita
sulklncss mado it useless for tho
purpoBO of the rescue party.
Tho canary, on tho other hand,
romalns, cheerful and active as long
oh his physical condition is sound.
All that ho requlros is pure air.
When Ancient Greece
THERE Is nothing now about the "Cabaret Graze." - Some ancient
Greek vases now prove that so long ago as tho time of Homer, -orte
thousand years B. C. the Greeks had their. cabarets and Indulged
in music and dancing at their meals, juBt like any of the most up-to-date
Now Yorkers.
In- fact, eating played a great rolo In the political life ot tho Greeks,
tor It was at tho tnblo that many ot the problems ot the Greeks were
solved, even while the more thoughtless Indulged' their palates or joined' .
In the slnglug and dancing. t '.'-."'
It was especially at tho nuptial feasts that the cabaret feature was i
most In evidence. Thoro was . something -.at tho religious, and symbolic
at the same tlmo In these nuptial feasts. There was first a 'sacrifice' to ,
tho gods and goddessos ot marriage: Zeus Telelos, Hera Tolela, Aphrodite, .
reitho and Artemis. . ; . ,
The dinner was spread in the home ot the father ot the bride. The .
tables were arranged in a special way, there being four tables tor. the
women and six for thp men. When all the guests were seated the
brldo was brought In, heavily veiled, and seated among thq women. -The :
fathor ot tne onao ana mo groom sai
Cabaret Performance Shown on an Ancient Greek Vai
by tho SUr Company. Great Britain Rig
When that Is denied him, he quickly
v-nm' . For theso reasons he was
selected as tho Very best subject for
this kind ot work, and the success
with which he has been used re
sulted in his being made a perma
nent and moat valuable addition to
the rescuo staff. -
There aro some 760,000 coal miners
engaged in tho mining Industry in
iacmK me nnac s hdis.
- tits Reserved.
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this country. Over 500,000,000 tons
of coal are produced annually. In
1907, beforo ihe Bureau ot Mines
took up the rescue Vork in mining
catastrophes, some 3,107 miners wero
killed, and- that was about the an
nual average. Now the annual toll
seldom exceeds 2,000.
In the bituminous mines most of
the disasters are caused by cave-Ins
Had the Cabaret Craze
During the banquet libations of wine were .poured out and songs in
' honor of "the marriage, called eplthalamia,,were sung; During the fes
tivities a boy, whose parents must both .be alive, circulated among the
guestB bearing a baakct'fllled. with bread-rolls, chanting, "I have fled all
evil; I have found the best.r , ' -
. TtnvwdB the end of the fea,st the bride waa unveiled, this being the
first time that the young woman had exposod'her face before men. Dane
;ing and 'singing ended the repast, all taking part In .the exercises. Even
. dcath-fpasts were held by. thq Greeks,, who (.celebrated -the departure of a
great personage for Hades by a feast, and; observed1 the anniversaries ot
his,, death In the same . way. .' " . .
' Cabaret Artists at a
,1
Taking a Canary
Life-Saver. Into
the Depths
of a CoaRline.
Pv Ohsprvinp the
Effect of the Atmosphere or
the Canary, the Rescuers Are
Enabled to Locate Havens of
Safety in Which to Bring
the Victims Rescued.
and explosions of gaB, but In the an
thracite mines coal dust explosions
are responsible for the greatest loss
of life and property.
In addition to tho use of the ca
naries, various other precautions
are now taken to minimize tho loss
resulting from such catastrophes.
There are at least two methods now
being generally employed In an ef
fort to prevent coal dust explosions;.
One of them involves the us"e ot
stone dust This dust is laid on
shelves,, from which it is raised' by
the air waves created' by tho explo-
sions. Disturbed In this way It
forms a sort of screen and'ln some
degree prevents the further spread
of the explosion.
The lise of the "humidifier" Is sim
ilarly rolled upon to some extent to
minimize the dangers ot the mines.
This apparatus consists of an elec
tric tan which converts steam Into
vapor. This vapor or fog Is carried
into the mine by air currents and
coats each particle ot coal dust with
dampness, making tho dust less
liable to explode.
But despite all that can be done 1n
a preventive way, coal dust explo
sions are bound to occur from time
to time, and the lives of tho miners
will still be dependent upon tho-little
canaries used In the work of
rescue.
Fashionable Greek Wedding.
I