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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND LABOR
BULLETIN
OF THE
BUREAU OF LABOR
No. 90—SEPTEMBER, 1910
ISSUED EVERY OTHER MONTH
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1910
CO N TEN TS.
Fatal accidents in coal mining, b y Frederick L. Hoffman:
Page.
Introduction............................................................................................................ 437-446
The fatal-accident rate......................................................................................... 446-452
The causes of fatal accidents............................................................................... 453-462
Falls of coal or roof........................................................................................ 455-457
Mine cars..............................................................................................................
457
Explosions....................................................................................................... 457,458
Miscellaneous mine a ccid en ts................................................................... 458,459
Principal causes of fatal accidents, b y coal fie ld s ................................ 459-462
The fatal-accident rate due to principal causes............................................... 462-481
Falls of coal or roof........................................................................................ 463-465
Shaft accidents............................................................................................... 465,466
Mine cars.............................................................................................................
466
Outside cars........................................................................................................
467
Motors............................................................................................................... 467,468
Explosions of gas or dust.............................................................................. 468-474
Explosions of powder or dynamite............................................................. 474-476
Asphyxiation......................................................................................................
476
Mining machinery......................................................................................... 476,477
Mules....................................................................................................................
477
Electrocution.........................................................................
477-480
Miscellaneous mine accidents.................................................................... 480,481
Statistical analysis of 2,660 fatal mine accidents in the United States
during 1908.......................................................................................................... 481-486
Descriptive analysis of fatal accidents in Illinois, 1904 to 1908.................. 486-557
Statistical analysis of fatal accidents in West Virginia, 1899 to 1908 ........ 557-577
The fatal-accident rate in Pennsylvania, b y occupations............................ 577-609
An estimate of the total loss of life in coal mines of North Am erica........ 609,610
The use of explosives in m in es............................................................................610-612
Chronological account of the principal mine disasters in North A m erica .. 612-614
Summary...................................................................................................................615-622
Appendix (29 tables)............................................................................................ 623-671
Bibliography.......................................................................................................... 671-674
Recent action relating to employers1 liability and workmen’ s compensation, by
Lindley D. Clark, A. M., LL. M.:
Nature and liability and compensation systems............................................. 675,676
Federal employers r liability law ........................................................................ 676,677
Statutes providing insurance.............................................................................. 677,678
Statutes providing for compensation................................................................. 678-680
Proposed federal legislation.....................................................................................
680
United States Workmen’s Compensation Commission.................................. 680-683
Attitude of state legislatures toward the compensation system.................. 683-688
Massachusetts.................................................................................................. 684,685
Illinois.............................................................................................................. 685,686
Connecticut.........................................................................................................
686
Wisconsin............................................................................................................
686
Minnesota and New Y ork................................................................................
687
New Jersey and Ohio.................................................................................... 687,688
Conferences of commissions.....................................................................................
688
Minnesota b ill......................................................................................................... 689,690
Wisconsin b ill......................................................................................................... 690-692
New York statutes.....................................................................................................
693
Report of New Y ork com m ission..................................................................... 693-698
Economic reasons for a compensation system ........................................ 693-697
Attitude of employers and em ployees..........................................................
697
Conclusions of the New York commission............................................... 697,698
h i
IV
CONTENTS.
Becent action relating to employers9 liability and workmen’ s compensation, b y Page*
Lindley D. Clark, A. M., L L . M.— Concluded.
Action b y employers and association of employers and of workmen......... 698-702
United States Steel Corporation.....................................................................
699
International Harvester Company............................................................. 699,700
National associations of employers............................................................. 700,701
National Civic Federation...............................................................................
701
American Federation of Labor.................................................................... 701,702
Legal principles in volved.................................................................................... 702-707
Statutes.................................................................................................................... 707-714
Essential features of a compensation law; Chicago conference of November,
1910.............................................................................................................................. 716-717
Summary of foreign workmen’ s compensation acts................................................ 719-748
Cost of employers’ liability and workmen’ s compensation insurance, b y Miles M.
D aw son ........................................................................................................................ 749-831
Austria...................................................................................................................... 752-759
Belgium .......................................................................................................................
760
Denmark.................................................................................................................. 760-765
Finland.................................................................................................................... 765-768
France...................................................................................................................... 769-773
Germany.................................................................................................................. 774-783
Great Britain------1................................................................................................. 784-792
Ita ly.......................................................................................................................... 792-794
Netherlands............................................................................................... 1........... 794-797
Norway..................................................................................................................... 797-801
Sweden..................................................................................................................... 802-809
Switzerland.....................................................................
810-815
Canada...................................................................................................................... 815-818
New Y ork................................................................................................................ 819-823
United States.......................................................................................................... 824-831
Decisions of courts affecting labor:
Decisions under statute law................................................................................ 832-855
Em ployer and employee—interference with relation— enticement—
construction of statute ( Abingdon M ills Co. v. Grogan)................... 832, 833
Employers’ liabilty—actions for injuries causing death—rights of
alien beneficiaries ( Cetofonte v. Camden Coke Co.) ............................ 833,834
Employers’ liability—contracts between Pullman company and rail
way company—waiver of employee’s rights (San A ntonio and Aransas
Pass R y. Co. v. Tracy) ...................................................................................
835
Employers’ liability—fellow-servant law— common carriers— consti
tutionality of statute ( Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Ry. Co. v.
Westby).......................................................................................................... 836,837
Employers’ liability—inspection of factories—violations of statutes—
defenses—construction {Caspar v. Lew in)............................................. 837-848
Employers’ liability—railroad companies—hazards—construction of
statute— constitutionality— classification ( Louisville and Nashville
R. R. Co. v. M elto n )............................................................................... 848-852
Employers’ liability—railroad companies—hazards—repair work—
constitutionality of statute [Swoboda v. Union Pacific Railroad C o.). 852-854
Laundries—registration—police regulations—constitutionality (D is
trict o f Columbia v. Shong L ee)....................................................................
854
Payment of wages—semimonthly pay day for railroad employees—
constitutionality of statute (New York Central and Hudson River
R . R . Co. v. W illiam s)............................................................................... 854,855
Decisions under common law.............................................................................. 855-866
Blacklisting— conspiracy—evidence (Rhodes v. Granby Cotton M ills). 855-857
Em ployer and employee—interference with relation—conspiracy to
destroy trade (Globe and Rutgers Fire Insurance Co. v. Firem en's
Fund Fire Insurance C o.)......................................................................... 857-859
Employers’ liability—fellow-servants—association theory (Louisville
Ry. Co. v.JSibbiti)..................................................................................... 859-861
Employers’ liability—safe place—low bridge over railroad track—
rules— defenses (W est v. Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Ry. C o .).. 861-863
Interference with contract of employment—procuring discharge—
damages (Ruddy v. United Association o f Journeymen Plum bers, etc.,
Local N o. U )............................................................................................... 864,865
Labor organizations—closed-shop agreements—legality (Kissam v.
United States Printing Co. o f Ohio et a l.; M ills et al. v. Sam e)........ 865,866
B U L L E T IN
OF THE
BUREAU
No. 90.
OF
LABOR.
WASHINGTON.
Septem ber,
1910.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINING.
B Y FR ED ERICK L . H O F F M A N .
INTRODUCTION.
The actual dangers of coal mining have been quite fully within
the understanding o f mankind from the very beginning o f the
industry, but the accurate determination o f the relative degree of
occupational risk demands careful inquiry and the scientific analysis
of the statistical and related facts. Explosions, causing the death
of many underground employees at one time, attract world-wide at
tention, but they tend to emphasize only a single important aspect
o f the whole subject o f mining casualties, the exceptional risk in
gaseous mines, overshadowing by contrast the normal and consid
erable occupational risk inherent in all underground work. The
measure o f the risk to mine workers inherent or casually inci
dental to coal mining, is determined, as a rule and with the least
chance o f serious error, upon the basis o f the number o f men at
work, but under certain conditions the relative amount o f coal mined
will indicate the risk exposure with at least approximate accuracy.
The ratio determined by this method is limited, however, in useful
ness to comparisons with mine experience in other coal fields and other
coal-producing countries. In either case special caution is necessary
in the use o f all rates and ratios, because o f the inherent variable
ness in mining operations, which arises out of essentially different
methods o f mining, shorter or longer hours of labor, strikes and
other disturbances, curtailed production or idle times, and, finally,
fundamental differences in the age, race, nativity, and occupation
distribution o f the mining population.
Without entering upon an extended discussion o f the chance o f
error in the use o f these statistical factors, which affect the accuracy
437
438
B U LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
o f all rates and ratios measuring the personal risk in mining, it
may be said that they are not sufficient, as a rule, to invalidate gen
eral conclusions based upon large mining areas or periods o f suffi
cient length. Errors and inaccuracies in statistical inquiries o f this
kind tend to equalize themselves, although there remains the need
o f great caution at all times in the advancing o f conclusions or infer
ences from more or less insufficient statistical material. For this
reason a minute analysis of the available information seems neither
called for nor advisable, and the present inquiry is therefore limited
to a presentation o f facts and conclusions which may safely be ac
cepted as approximately correct.
This article, in its essentials, is limited to the decade ending with
1908, except in the case o f supplementary tables and the returns for a
few States, for which the annual reports are for other than calendar
years. The information in practically all cases is derived from the
official reports o f state mine inspectors, amplified by correspondence
and occasional references to the reports o f the United States Geolog
ical Survey on “ Coal Production,” for recent years. This article, for
reasons o f statistical accuracy, is limited to fatal accidents, since the
official returns o f nonfatal injuries are o f extremely doubtful value.
The data do not in all cases, and rarely in the totals, correspond to the
annual tabulations o f coal-mining accidents by the United States
Geological Survey in the case o f States making returns for other than
calendar years. The differences, or discrepancies, are, however, not
o f material importance for the present purpose.
Heretofore no complete analysis has ever been made o f coal-mining
casualties in the United States, with a full consideration o f all the
essential elements o f the industry, and the present inquiry is only a
first, and not wholly satisfactory, attempt to present the fundamental
facts in the form o f a connected summary, suggestive o f further in
vestigation into matters of detail. The magnitude of the undertaking
will be appreciated when it is stated that no two mining States make
statistical reports exactly alike and that there are often material dis
crepancies in the official returns o f the same States for different years.
It will also be found that the reports for different mining districts
vary in accuracy and completeness and that the totals are often not in
conformity with the published summary for the year. It is obvious
that under these circumstances no entirely accurate or complete
analysis is possible, but an attempt is made here to present all the
essential aspects o f the fatal-accident problem in the light o f the
most conclusive data at present obtainable.
In 1908, according to the returns o f the United States Geological
Survey, the number o f men employed in coal mining was 690,438,
against 680,492 in 1907. O f the number at work in 1908, 516,264, or
74.8 per cent, were employed in bituminous mining and 174,174 in
439
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
the mining o f anthracite coal.(°) The number employed in lignite,
shale, and semibituminous or semianthracite coal mining is not
accurately known. In 1907 the miners worked on an average 231
days, against only 195 days in 1908. There was, therefore, an addi
tion o f 36 days’ risk exposure in 1907 compared with 1908. Differ
ences o f this kind can not be allowed for in the present state o f our
statistical knowledge. I f it were possible to obtain for coal mining,
as well as for all other dangerous industries, trustworthy returns of
the aggregate number of days’ labor paid for, it would be possible to
reduce the same to a standard working year of 300 days o f 10 hours
each, for example, in the same manner as is now done by German
employers’ insurance institutions and by some o f the employers’ lia
bility insurance companies. If, however, this method o f calculation
o f risk exposure were employed in coal mining alone, there are no
corresponding data for other industries, such as railways, naviga
tion, iron and steel manufactures, etc. For the present purpose,
therefore, the time factor must be ignored. For reasons o f statistical
accuracy this, o f course, is a matter o f regret, for, obviously, an
exposure to risk during only 200 days a year may result in an actual
casualty occurrence by probably one-third less than when the expo
sure is 300 days or more, and the difference must be approximately
proportionate to the amount o f employment o f variable length. For
these reasons mining engineers and supervising officials prefer to cal
culate or determine the personal risk factor in mining upon the basis
o f the annual production, and the differential result o f the two
methods is set forth in the following comparison, derived from the
report o f the United States Geological Survey for 1908.
C O M PA R A TIV E F A T A L IT Y R A TE S AN D R A TIO S IN COAL M IN IN G , 1907 AN D 1908.
[C om piled from M ineral R esources o f the U nited S tates, 1908, P art II, p. 55 .]
Year.
1907.......................................................................
1908.......................................................................
Lives lost
Accident
per
death
Average Number
Tons
of
coal
1,000,000
number of of men
rate per
tons of
employees. killed. 1,000 em produced.
coal
ployees.
mined.
680.492
690,438
3,125
2,450
4.86
3.60
480,363,424
415.842,698
6.51
5.89
The foregoing comparison brings out clearly the conflicting results
o f different methods o f ascertaining the accident liability in mines.
It is apparent that wide variations in the number o f days worked
per annum must affect the accident rate more or less in proportion
®Mineral Resources o f the United States, 1908, Pt. II, p. 39.
Survey, W ashington, 1909.
U. S. Geological
440
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
to the time o f employment, but the amount o f idleness would have to
be quite considerable to materially impair the accuracy o f the fatality
rate as determined by the usual method. In the above comparison
there is a difference of 36 days, and if this is allowed for by reducing
the two years to a common basis o f 300 working days, the result
ing rates are 5.96 and 5,46 per 1,000. The actual difference in the
rates for 1907 and 1908, as determined by the usual method, is 1.26
per 1,000, or 35 per cent, while the corrected fatality rates show a
difference o f only 0.50 per 1,000, or 9.2 per cent. This difference
corresponds quite closely to the result obtained by comparing the
fatalities per million tons o f coal mined. While, apparently, the cor
rected rates are more trustworthy than the rates determined by the
usual method, it must be taken into consideration that the employ
ment statistics have, in all probability, a very considerable degree of
inaccuracy, on account o f the fact that there are no uniform rules for
determining the number o f days worked in the different States and at
different times. In view o f this element o f uncertainty and the lim
ited extent to which information is available for correcting the fatal
ity rates for variations in working time, as well as the very great
amount o f work involved in any attempt to make such corrections,
it seems necessary at the present time to confine comparisons o f coal
mining fatalities to rates calculated according to the usual methods.
The effect o f variations in working time would be more pronounced
in the case o f nonfatal accidents, which, however, for reasons pre
viously stated, have not been considered in this investigation.
Finally, there is the element o f uncertainty in the returns o f work
ing time o f miners working by contract and local variations in the
permissible working time per day, which in the anthracite region o f
Pennsylvania is limited to nine hours. In the bituminous region of
Pennsylvania during 1907 and 1908, according to the statistics o f the
United States Geological Survey, the working time was distributed
as shown in the following table:
NUM BER AN D PE R CENT O F MEN W ORKIN G SP E C IF IE D HOURS PE R D AY IN
B ITU M IN O U S COAL M IN ES, 1907 AN D 1908.
(C om piled from M ineral R esources o f the U nited S tates, 1908, P t. II, p. 43 .)
Men working specified hours per day.
Hours per day.
1907.
Number.
1908.
Per cent.
Number.
Per cent.
8..................................................................................................
9..................................................................................................
10................................................................................................
AU other....................................................................................
303,232
54,948
115,775
38,397
59.2
10.7
22.6
7.5
314,756
55,278
125,998
19,489
61.1
10.7
24.4
3.8
Total................................................................................
512,352
100.0
515,521
100.0
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
441
The differences in working hours from year to year are also hardly
sufficient to have a really important bearing upon the degree o f fatal
accident occurrence, although it would be desirable, o f course, to have
a full statement o f the actual hours of work, so that an exact compar
ison could be made o f the true risk exposure as measured by time.
Moreover, it is not to be questioned that as a general principle of
human mortality and the nature of physical and mental fatigue that
the shorter the hours of work in laborious employments the less will
be the true accident liability, fatal or otherwise.
Possibly more serious are the actual errors which underlie the com
pilation o f the average number o f men employed. It is impossible
to state by what method some o f these so-called official averages are
arrived at. In some cases it is quite possible that the number o f
employees on a given date has been taken as the average for the year;
in others it would seem that the different names on the pay roll have
been assumed to represent the “ average ” number employed, selfevident as this error obviously is. The correct “ average,” o f course,
is to add the number o f persons employed each day and divide by
the number o f days the mines have actually been in operation, and
hardly any other method would seem satisfactory as a substitute,
although the addition o f the number employed at the beginning or
end o f each month, divided by the number o f months for which the
returns are made, will give an average sufficiently accurate for all
ordinary statistical purposes. In this case, also, the fact must not be
overlooked that the number o f fatal accidents in coal mining is rarely
as much as 5 per 1,000 of men employed per annum, so that an error
in the average number employed is o f much less statistical signifi
cance than an error of even a few deaths in the number officially
reported as having been killed in mining during the year. To illus
trate, if the average number of men employed in 1908 had been
returned as 650,000 instead o f 690,000, a difference o f 40,000 in num
ber and o f 5.8 in per cent, the rate per 1,000 would only have been
changed from 3.60 to 3.77. Errors o f this kind have a tendency to
balance themselves in the course of years, but a willful omission o f
deaths or deliberate overstatements o f the number employed, it is
needless to say, can not be too seriously condemned.
Occasionally a labor trouble o f state or nation wide magnitude
seriously disturbs the normal conditions o f mine work, so much so
as to impair materially general calculations o f fatal accident fre
quency upon the basis o f the average number exposed to risk one
year. The effect o f such strikes is sometimes less in the case o f the
actual days’ labor lost than in the average number o f days lost per
man, as illustrated by the experience o f 1902, when 200,452 men went
out on strike, losing 16,672,217 days’ labor, or an average o f 83 days
per man, against 372,343 men who went on strike in 1906 with a loss
442
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
o f 19,201,348 days o f labor, or an average o f 51.5 days per man.(«)
In 1907 the loss was 14 days and in 1908 it was 38 days per man on
strike in bituminous mines, but, o f course, to determine the true effect
o f labor disturbance on the whole mining population would require
different methods o f statistical calculation than are in general use
in the United States or Canada. For the present purpose it has, there
fore, not been feasible to take the effect of strikes upon the risk expo
sure into consideration in the calculation o f the fatality rates which
are to follow.
There exists, no doubt, a fairly well-defined relation between the
average coal production per man per day and the relative degree o f
risk to fatal accident occurrence. The probability o f some such rela
tion has been insisted upon by foreign writers on fatal accidents in
American mines, and not without some conclusive evidence that the
pressure and driving force back o f the American miner is, in part,
responsible for at least a fair proportion o f the fatal accidents in our
mines. The statistics o f the United States Geological Survey show
that the average production per man in 1908 varied from 340.8 tons
per annum for Oklahoma (or 1.98 tons per day) to 793.9 for W yo
ming (or 3.66 tons per d a y ).(*&) That there is not, however, an exact
relation between the average annual production and the average daily
production is made clear by the returns for some o f the States, as,
for illustration, for West Virginia, which has the highest average
daily tonnage (and, it may be said here, also the highest average
fatal accident rate in 1908), but only the second highest rate o f
annual production per man employed (736.8 tons). ^ Decided varia
tions are met with in the considerable fluctuations for individual
years and in both the anthracite and bituminous coal fields. There
has been in the anthracite field a gradual rise in the average produc
tion o f coal per man employed o f from 1.85 tons in 1890 to 2.39
tons in 1908, but in some years the production has been still higher,
as, for illustration, in 1899, when it attained to 2.50 tons. In the
bituminous fields the average production per man has increased from
2.56 tons in 1890 to 3.34 in 1908, having attained a maximum point o f
3.36 in 1906. ( c) In a measure, of course, this increased production is
the result o f the increasing use o f coal-cutting machinery and o f other
labor-saving methods. The relation o f work pressure to accident
occurrence, particularly in falls o f roof and slate, will be sub
sequently brought out in its proper place.
The method by which coal is mined varies widely in the different
States and at different periods o f time. No factor has been o f
a M ineral Resources o f the United States, 1908, Pt. II, p. 47.
Survey, W ashington, 1909.
6 Idem, p. 45.
0 Idem, p. 41.
U. S. Geological
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
443
greater significance in this respect than the introduction o f coal
mining machinery. The percentage o f bituminous coal mined by
machinery is constantly increasing, and within five years there has
been an increase from 28.80 per cent in 1904 to 37.52 per cent in
1908. (°) In some o f the States, however, the progress has been much
more rapid, while in others, probably because of the opening o f
seams not suitable for machine mining, there has been 'a relative
decrease in machine production. The largest relative degree o f
machine use is in Ohio, where 75.37 per cent o f all the coal mined in
the State in 1908 was mined by machines, against 57.31 per cent
mined by this method in 1904. How far, i f at all, there may be a
direct relation between machine mining and accident occurrence it is
impossible to state with accuracy at the present time. Out o f 11,569
coal-mining machines in use in 1908 it is reported by the United
States Geological Survey that 6,380 were pick machines, 4,992 chainbreast machines, and 197 were long-wall machines. (h) The vast
economic importance o f coal-cutting machines is indicated by the
fact that against 545 machines in use in 1891, cutting or “ produc
ing ” 6,211,732 tons o f coal, the number in use in 1908 was 11,569,
cutting or producing 123,183,334 tons, or 37.52 per cent o f the total
bituminous product for that year.(c)
Mining methods vary, necessarily, according to the nature and
character o f the coal beds, the depth o f mines, and more or less
according to local customs and usages. There are no statistics for
the United States which give all the necessary information for a full
understanding o f the conditions under which coal mining is carried
on at the present time, but the data for the State o f Illinois are sug
gestive o f the method in the statistical presentation o f these facts
which should be followed in its essentials by the different coal-pro
ducing States. Through the cooperation o f the state geological survey
and the state mine inspectors (there is no chief inspector o f mines in
Illinois) the geologic seams o f coal worked in each mine have been
carefully determined and tabulated, so that it is possible—with some
difficulty, o f course, but it can be done—to coordinate the accident
risk to the different coal-bearing strata o f the State. (d) Thus, for
illustration, the most important coal-bearing strata is geologic seam
No. 6, which is mined in 353 out o f 922 mines in the State and in 29
counties, producing 29,759,180 tons out o f a total production of
49,272,452 tons. The next most important coal-bearing strata is seam*5
a M ineral Resources o f the United States, 1908, Pt. II, p. 50. U. S. G eological
Survey, W ashington, 1909.
5 Idem, p. 48.
c Idem, p. 51.
d Twenty-seventh Annual Coal Report o f the Illinois Bureau o f Labor Sta
tistics, 1908, p. 145.
444
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
No. 5, which is mined in 255 mines in 16 counties, producing 11,473,392
tons. The third most important seam is No. 2, which is mined in 167
mines in 22 counties, producing 5,654,924 tons, so that these three
seams at the present time constitute practically the entire coal-pro
ducing sources o f the State. Changes in coal-producing seams, in
creasing depth o f mines, and alterations in the physical character of
the seams can be traced with admirable completeness by this method
o f statistical presentation from year to year.
The manner o f working the coal seams o f the State is also pre
sented in complete form in the coal statistics o f Illinois. In 1908,
out o f 922 producing mines, 862, or 93.5 per cent, were worked
on the pillar-and-room plan, 51 on the long-wall plan, and 9 by
stripping. O f the 51 mines worked on the long-wall plan, which,
it is hardly necessary to say, presents essentially different work
ing conditions and mining hazards than the pillar-and-room method,
43 were located in coal seam No. 2. To this interesting informa
tion it is possible to add a complete statement o f the character
o f the openings, which vary considerably in the bituminous-coal
fields, and it is shown that out o f 922 producing mines 620 were
entered by shafts, 105 by slopes, and 197 by drifts. A ll o f this in
formation is available for each individual mine, so that a thorough
study o f the relation of casualties to the physical and geological facts
o f the industry is possible, but no such extensive analysis has been
feasible in the present investigation, which aims rather to present
the essential facts of fatal coal-mining accidents for the coal-mining
area o f the United States as a whole and in certain essential details
for particular mining States.
The method o f coal mining and the incidence o f risk in mining
operations is, as has previously been pointed out, conditioned by the
nature and character o f the coal areas, which are briefly described by
Mr. Marius R. Campbell in his report to the National Commission
on the Conservation o f Natural Resources, and as quoted in part in
the report o f the United States Geological Survey on the production
o f coal for 1908, as follows :( a)
(1)
The eastern province, which includes all o f the bituminous
areas o f the Appalachian region; the Atlantic coast region, which
includes the Triassic fields near Richmond and the Deep and Dan
rivers fields o f North Carolina, and also the anthracite region o f
Pennsylvania. (2) The Gulf province, which includes the lignite
fields o f Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.
(3) The interior province, which includes all the bituminous areas
o f the Mississippi Valley region and the coal fields o f Michigan.
This province is subdivided into the eastern region, which embraces
the coal fields o f Illinois, Indiana, and western Kentucky; the west« Mineral Resources o f the United States, 1908, Pt. II, p. 27.
Survey, W ashington, 1909.
U. S. G eological
445
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G,
ern region, which includes the fields o f Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska,
Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma; and the southwestern region,
which includes the coal fields o f Texas. The Michigan fields are
designated as the northern region o f the interior province. (4) The
northern, or Great Plains, province, which includes the lignite areas
o f North and South Dakota and the bituminous and subbituminous
areas o f northeastern W yoming and northern and eastern Montana.
(5) The Rocky Mountain province, which includes the coal fields o f
the portions or Montana and Wyoming which are in the mountainous
districts o f those States, and all the coal fields o f Utah, Colorado,
and New Mexico. (6) The Pacific coast province, which includes all
o f the coal fields in California, Oregon, and Washington.
The estimated area, together with the number o f persons employed,
the annual production, and the estimated available coal supply, are
given in the following table, which has also been abstracted from the
report referred to:
A R E A OF COAL F IE LD S, E STIM A T E D A V A IL A B L E SU PPLY OF COAL, NUM BER
OF EM PLO YEES, AN D PRODU CTION IN 1908.
[C om piled from M ineral R esources o f the U nited States, 1908, P art I I .]
Coal field.
Area
(square
m iles).
Estimated
available supply
(short tons).
Production
(short tons).
Average
number
of em
ployees.
ANTHRACITE.
Pennsylvania...........................................................
Colorado and New M exico......................................
480
29
16,970,000,000
00
83,268,754
41,658
174,174
00
Total...............................................................
509
616,970,000,000
83,310,412
6174,174
Eastern province—Atlantic coast region:
Virginia..............................................................
North Carolina...................................................
150
60
199,285,000
BITUMINOUS.
00
00
<0
00
Total...............................................................
210
Eastern province—Appalachian region:
Pennsylvania....................................................
Ohio...................................................................
Maryland...........................................................
Virginia..............................................................
West Virginia....................................................
Eastern Kentucky............................................
Tennessee...........................................................
Georgia...............................................................
Alabama.............................................................
14,200
12,660
455
1,750
17,000
10,270
4,400
167
8,430
109.629.000.000
85.249.000. 000
7,816,000,000
*22,408,000,000
149.285.000.
67.703.000. 000
25.530.000. 000
920,500,000
68.639.000. 000
117,179,527
26,270,639
4,377,093
*4,259,042
000
41,897,843
/ 4,446,433
6,199,171
264,822
11,604,593
165,961
47,407
6,079
*6,208
56,861
9 16,996
11,812
670
19,197
331,191
d
199,285,000
Total...............................................................
69,332
537,179,500,000
216,499,163
Interior province—Northern region: Michigan—
Interior province—Eastern region:
Ttidiftna...............................................................
Western Kentucky...........................................
Illinois................................................................
11,000
11,976,500,000
1,835,019
4,247
6,500
6,400
35,600
43.911.000. 000
36.126.000. 000
238,960,000,000
12,314,890
6 5,800,120
47,659,690
18,380
68,035
Total...............................................................
48,500
318,997,000,000
65,774,700
86,415
Included in bituminous.
6 Not including Colorado and New M exico.
t Included in Appalachian region.
d Not including estimated supply in Virginia included in Appalachian region.
* Including Atlantic coast region of Virginia.
/ Reported as 4,171,181 by state inspector of mines.
o Including those in western Kentucky; reported by state inspector of mines as 8,826.
fcReported as 5,634,596 by state inspector of mines.
* Included with those in eastern Kentucky.
a
446
BU LLETIN OF T H E BUREAU OF LABOR.
A R E A OF COAL F IE LD S, ESTIM ATED A V A ILA B L E SU P PL Y OF COAL, NUM BER OF
EM PLOYEES, AND PRODU CTION IN 1908—Concluded.
Area
(square
m iles).
Coal field.
Estimated
available supply
> (short tons).
Production
(short tons).
Average
number
of em
ployees.
bituminous—concluded.
Interior province—Western and Southwestern
regions:
Iowa....................................................................
Missouri..............................................................
Kansas...............................................................
Arkansas............................................................
Oklahoma..........................................................
Texas..................................................................
12,560
16,700
3,100
1,684
10,000
10,200
28.937.000. 000
39.849.000. 000
6.876.000. 000
1.848.000. 000
79,213,800,000
30.975.000. 000
Total................................................................
54,244
187,698,800,000
R ocky Mountain and northern, or Great Plains,
provinces:
Arizona...............................................................
North Dakota....................................................
Montana.............................................................
South Dakota....................................................
W yom ing...........................................................
Utiah..... .............................................................
Colorado.............................................................
New M exico.......................................................
Idaho..................................................................
30
31,240
34,067
2,000
20,568
13,130
10,105
13,331
200
60,000,000
499,995,350,000
303.020.000.
10,000,000,000
423.960.000.
196.427.000. 000
o 371,587,000,000
a 163,743,000,000
599,951,000
7,161,310
3,317,315
6,245,508
2,078,357
2,948,116
1,895,377
16,021
8,988
13,916
5,337
8,651
4,400
23,645,983
57,313
320,742
000
1,920,190
631
3,146
5,489,902
000
1,846,792
9,621,153
2,440,099
5,429
6,915
2,664
<*14,523
<*3,448
24
Total................................................................
124,671
1,969,392,301,000
21,644,307
31,351
Pacific coast province and Alaska:
Washington........................................................
Oregon...............................................................
California and Alaska....................................
1,100
230
500
19,931,000,000
997.200.000
992.425.000
3,024,943
86,259
21,862
5,484
214
49
Total...............................................................
1,830
21,920,625,000
3,133,064
5,747
Total production, including colliery consumption. *310,296
3,064,334,011,000
415,842,698
690,438
a Including anthracite.
* N ot including 192,510 square miles of which little is known, but which may contain workable coal.
THE FATAL-ACCIDENT RATE.
The present article gives, in as full detail as the data available in
the official reports o f the state mine inspectors and amplified by
correspondence permit, the elements o f fatal coal-mining casualties
in North America during the 20-year period ending with 1908. In
the aggregate the investigation deals with 9,422,902 persons em
ployed in coal mining exposed to risk o f death one year, or an annual
average o f 471,145 employees for the 20-year period. Among this
number there occurred, as far as officially reported, 29,293 fatal
accidents, or an average o f 1,465 per annum, resulting in a fatality
rate o f 3.11 per 1,000. I f the decade ending with 1906 is separately
considered, it appears that the average fatality rate was 3.13 per
1,000, which compares with the corresponding rates for the principal
coal-mining countries o f the world, as follows:
447
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
COM PARISON OF FA TA L-A C C ID E N T R A TE S IN COAL M IN IN G COU N TRIES FOR
TH E PE R IO D 1897 TO 1906.
Country.
North Am erica..............................................................................................
Japan (1902-1906)...........................................................................................
Russia, Finland (1901-1903)..........................................................................
V ictoria..........................................................................................................
New South W ales___ ...................................................................................
Prussia...........................................................................................................
France............................................................................................................
New Zealand..................................................................................................
Austria............................................................................................................
United Kingdom ...........................................................................................
Queensland....................................................................................................
Belgium..........................................................................................................
India (1898-1906)............................................................................................
Fatal accidents.
Total number of
employees
Rate per
at work Number. 1,000 em
one year.
ployees.
5,179,343
438,259
330,147
7,902
124,940
4,389,174
1,629,177
27,268
1,186,510
7,973,031
11,714
1,322,516
790,070
16,273
1,355
805
18
267
9,327
2,944
37
1,599
10,319
14
1,401
676
3.13
3.09
2.44
2.28
2.14
2.13
1.81
1.36
1.35
1.29
1.20
1.06
.86
According to this comparison, which, o f course, is subject to the
criticism o f possible defects in the statistical information, the risk
o f fatal accident in the coal mines o f North America is decidedly
more serious than in any other important coal field o f the world.
Considering the constant growth o f the mining industry on this con
tinent, an increase measured by an enhanced output in the United
States alone, from 253,741,192 tons in 1899 to 415,842,698 tons
in 1908, (°) or 64 per cent, the excess in the mining fatality rate
is plainly a matter of most serious national concern. (b)
As shown in the following table, the accident rate for the North
American coal mines has gradually increased from an average o f
2.66 per 1,000 during the first 5 years o f the 20-year period to 3.58
per 1,000 during the last.
° M ineral Resources o f the United States, 1908, Pt. II, p. 25. U. S. Geological
Survey, W ashington, 1909.
6 F or an extended discussion o f the com parative fatality rate in Am erican
and foreign coal mines, see the Engineering and M ining Journal, Decem ber 19,
1908, w hich contains in detail the fatality rates fo r all o f the principal coalproducing countries o f the world. It is shown that the fatality rate in the fiveyear period ending w ith 1901, as com pared w ith the five years ending w ith
1906, decreased in the coal mines o f the United Kingdom from 1.31 to 1.28, in
Prussia from 2.41 to 1.91, and in Belgium from 1.12 to 1.00 per 1,000 men
employed. In contrast, the corresponding rates fo r the United States increased
from 2.91 to 3.31.
448
BU LLETIN OP T H E BUBEAU OF LABOR.
SUM M ARY OP T H E F A T A L A C C ID E N TS IN T H E COAL M IN ES OF NORTH A M ER IC A ,
1889 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Year.
Average
number of
employees. Number. Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
1890 ....
1891 ....
1892 ....
1893 ....
1894 ....
1895 ....
1896 ....
1897 ....
1898 ....
1899 ....
1900 ....
1901 ....
1902........
1903 ....
1904 ....
1905 ....
1906 ....
1907 ....
1908 ....
278,361
300,044
325,565
342,406
382,848
392,364
402,369
409,320
407,493
405,177
420,111
461,859
492,129
528,686
574,210
606,496
641,044
656,486
683,725
712,209
681
852
952
880
969
956
1,053
1,123
947
1,049
1,249
1,501
1,579
1,837
1,815
2,018
2,178
2,093
2,838
2,723
2.45
2.84
2.92
2.57
2.53
2.44
2.62
2.74
2.32
2.59
2.97
3.25
3.21
3.47
3.16
3.33
3.40
3.19
4.15
3.82
1889-1908
9,422,902
29,293
3.11
The fluctuations in the rates from year to year are shown to have
been considerable. The maximum was attained in 1907, when the
rate reached 4.15 per 1,000, against a minimum o f 2.32 in 1897. Kates
above the average for the whole period prevailed during each o f the
last 9 years. During the first 11 years the rate never attained to 3 per
1,000 per annum; during the last 9 years it has never fallen below
this point. There is no parallel for this anomaly in the coal-mining
history o f any other country in the world. In occasional years the
rate, because o f a particularly disastrous accident, has been excessive
in other lands, but in none o f the principal coal-producing countries
o f the world does the fatality rate tend persistently upward, and in
not one does the rate persistently exceed 3 per 1,000 per annum.
Whatever may be the cause o f this condition in American coal min
ing, the fact can not be controverted that by every test of statistical
analysis the fatality rate in the North American coal fields is de
cidedly above the corresponding average for the other principal coalproducing countries o f the world. (a)
The true elements o f risk in coal mining in North America are
not, however, fully disclosed by the returns for the coal field as a
whole. When the facts are considered by particular coal areas, still
more startling contrasts are brought to light. In view o f the consid
er F or an instructive comparison o f the fatal-accident rates in the United
States and Belgium during a period o f years, indicating the upward tendency
o f the accident rate in the United States and the dow nw ard tendency o f the
rate in Belgium, see Engineering and Mining Journal, September 10,1910.
449
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
erable employment of negro labor in southern coal-mining areas,,
which may possibly have a bearing upon the fatality rate, it has
seemed advisable for the present purpose to subdivide the Appa
lachian coal fields into north and south. Nova Scotia also has been
considered separately from the remainder o f the eastern area, on
account o f possible material differences in the physical character o f
the coal seams, etc. To avoid too many subdivisions it has seemed
unnecessary to consider the anthracite regions separately from the
bituminous o f Pennsylvania, but the facts are given in full detail in
Table X X I Y o f the appendix.
In brief, the average fatality rates of the different coal areas o f
North America as arranged for the present purpose have been as
follow s:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE IN COAL M IN ES OF NORTH AM ERICA, BY GEOGRAPH
IC A L SECTIONS FOR T H E PE R IO D 1889 TO 1908.
Geographical section.
Fatal accidents.
Total num
ber of em
ployees at
1,000
work one Number. Per
employ
year.
ees.
Pacific coast (a) ..............................................................................................
Western (&).....................................................................................................
Southern (c )...................................................................................................
North central (d )...........................................................................................
West central ( €) ~ ...........................................................................................
East central ( / ) ............................................................................................
Northeastern (9) ...........................................................................................
Eastern (J1) .....................................................................................................
137,343
226,734
1,037,553
23,356
067,223
1,220,341
153,453
5,956,899
961
1,451
4,563
68
1,662
2,745
447
17,396
7.00
6.40
4.40
2.91
2.40
2.2S
2.91
2.92
T o ta l...................................................................................................
9,422,902
29,293
3.11
Washington and British Columbia.
&Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.
c Alabama, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
d Michigan.
e Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri.
/ Western Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana.
o Nova Scotia.
h Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
a
Against an average fatality rate o f 3.11 per 1,000 for the entire
coal field o f North America, it is here shown that the rate varied
between 2.25 as a minimum for the east central coal fields (western
Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana) and 7 per 1,000 for the far western
coal area (Washington and British Columbia). The returns are not
entirely complete for some o f the smaller mining States for the
earlier years, when no trustworthy records were kept, probably on
account o f very limited production. The next two tables will show
the fatality rate in detail for each o f the eight coal fields and for
each o f the 20 years ending with 1908 except for the States for
which complete returns are not available. Additional details o f the
number employed and the number o f deaths each year are given in
full in Table X X I Y o f the appendix.
62717°—No. 90— 10----- 2
450
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
FATAL-ACCIDENT RATES IN THE COAL MINES OF NORTH AMERICA, BY GEO
GRAPHICAL SECTIONS, 1889 TO 1908.
Fatal accident rates per 1,000 employees—
East North East
West North South West Pacific
ern
eastern central central central
ern
ern
coast
section. section. section. section. section. section. section. section. Total.
Year.
(«)
(*)
1889.........................................
1890.........................................
1891.........................................
1892.........................................
1893.........................................
1894.........................................
1895.........................................
1896.........................................
1897.........................................
1898.........................................
1899.........................................
1900.........................................
1901.........................................
1902.........................................
1903.........................................
1904.........................................
1905.........................................
1906.........................................
1907.........................................
1908.........................................
2.61
2.69
3.17
2.50
2.48
2.37
2.44
2.74
2.30
2.53
2.96
2.59
2.95
2.59
3.02
3.42
3.27
2.99
4.12
3.33
1.55
25.17
.52
1.89
.34
2.41
1.55
1.33
1.35
1.56
3.39
3.17
1.83
2.36
2.79
1.63
1,86
2.31
2.89
3.02
1889-1908.................................
2.92
2.91
(* )
( c)
(*)
1.52
1.63
1.77
1.76
1.97
1.82
2.02
2.22
1.93
2.10
2.10
2.25
2.16
1.98
3.09
2.52
3.02
2.29
2.42
2.47
2.78
1.57
2.25
2.59
2.31
2.43
1.59
2.13
1.87
2.33
2.27
2.70
2.58
4.11
2.78
2.21
2.41
2.72
3.07
2.34
V *
2.25
2.49
( /)
00
(h)
6.11
3.26
4.24
2.54
2.58
2.16
2.83
2.43
1.94
1.44
2.35
3.52
2.38
3.10
2.46
4.22
2.69
2.79
3.52
3.07
3.57
3.85
6.00
3.40
3.26
5.03
4.92
6.18
8.49
4.04
2.27
4.40
4.49
6.11
2.91
4.96
8.82
4.94
3.40
5.52
23.45
6.27
7.45
4.32
7.56
4.50
6.39
7.43
4.97
4.85
10.49
4.41
8.56
7.82
3.13
2.47
2.53
7.90
6.05
14.66
20.71
7.33
7.48
2.66
3.62
5.59
3.76
2.91
4.40
6.40
7.00
$
o
(0
(<)
( f)
(*’)
(<)
(t)
(<>
(0
2.45
2.84
2.92
2.57
2.53
2.44
2.62
2.74
2.32
2.59
2.97
3.25
3.21
3.47
3.16
3.33
3.40
3.19
4.15
3.82
3.11
a Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
b Nova Scotia.
c Western Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana.
<*Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri.
« Michigan.
/Alabama, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee,, and West Virginia.
0 Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.
h Washington and British Columbia.
1 Data
not available.
The foregoing table requires no extended comment. It brings
out the startling fact that in some o f the coal fields o f North America
the fatality rate due to mining casualties is almost as high as the
general death rate from all causes among males o f corresponding
age at work under normal conditions o f industry. The death rate
o f occupied males insured with workmen’s benefit insurance institu
tions, as reported in the Twenty-third Annual Report of the Commis
sioner o f Labor for 1908, was only 6.7 per 1,000. (°) The death rate
o f workers insured with the Leipzig (Germany) Local Sick Fund,
including all classes o f labor o f both sexes, was 8.2 per 1,000. (h)
The United States census data for 1900 ( c) show that the average
mortality rate for all occupied males aged 15 to 64 was only 10.6 per
1,000, while for miners and quarrymen the death rate was 8.05 per
1,000; but this latter rate is chiefly for the miners in the eastern coal
fields and for a year when the fatality rate was 8.25 per 1,000 against
4.15 in 1907 and 3.82 in 1908. A fatality rate o f from 6 to 7 per 1,000
is extremely high, so high, indeed, that it challenges public attention
as one o f the most extraordinary evidences o f life waste in a particu-*5
0 Twenty-third Annual Report o f the Commissioner o f Labor, 1908, p. 424.
5 Krankheits- und Sterblichkeitsverhaltnisse in der Ortskrankenkasse fur Leip*
zig und Umgegend.
c Report on Vital Statistics, Pt. I, Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
451
lar branch o f industry. But it may be laid down as a fundamental
principle o f industrial hygiene that all fatality rates above 1.5 per
1,000 must be considered excessive, since under normal conditions of
industry the fatal accident rate, including casualties o f all kinds,
rarely exceeds 1 per 1,000. (a) Averages for a period o f years are
more conclusive for the purpose o f determining the accident risk than
rates for single years, but it is decidedly significant that in some
years the rate in some o f the coal fields o f North America should
have reached 23.45 and 25.17 per 1,000.
How far these variations in coal-mining fatality rates are the result
of geological or other inherent factors and conditions can not be dis
cussed here.(&) No doubt some such relation exists, and particularly
in the case o f very gaseous or dusty mines, in which the coal dust
itself is the cause o f disastrous explosions, as, for illustration, in the
State o f West Virginia, but a discussion o f these underlying causes
falls more properly within the scope o f applied geology, industrial
chemistry, and mining engineering. Nor does it seem necessary for
the present purpose to discuss at length the returns in detail for the
different States, since the fluctuations from year to year would be
required to be explained by a full discussion o f individual accident
occurrences o f more than ordinary significance. Such a discussion
would be a most interesting and valuable contribution to our knowl
edge, but to enlarge upon this class o f facts would preclude more
adequate consideration o f the more determining elements o f mining
experience throughout the country as a whole. For an intelligent
annual discussion of fatal accidents in American coal mines the most
useful would be a full descriptive account o f each death from ac
cident reported, with a full explanation o f all the circumstances,
including maps and diagrams o f the working place, which may have
a bearing upon the underlying causes or conditions responsible for
its occurrence. The material now available is especially defective on
account o f the diversity in the official reports and the indifference on
the part o f many mine inspectors to some o f the most significant
labor factors, such as mining experience, age, nativity, or race, etc.
a Mortality Statistics, 1908, U. S. Census, p. 75.
6 The geologic formation of the various coal fields of the United States is
fully discussed in a number o f descriptive geologic folios published by the
United States Geological Survey. Typical folios are for the Brownsville-Connellsville area of Pennsylvania (No. 94), the Raleigh area o f West Virginia
(No. 77), and the Atoka area o f the Indian Territory [Oklahoma] (No. 79).
Part II of the annual “ Contributions to Economic Geology,” issued by the same
authority, contains a large amount of information useful to the student o f mine
accidents in their relation to the geology o f particular coal fields.
452
BULLETIN OF THE BUBEAU OF LABOB.
In brief, however, the result o f the present inquiry, with reference
to several States, may be summarized as follow s:
F A TA L-A C C ID E N T R A TE S IN COAL M INES OF NORTH A M ER IC A , BY
AND PROVINCES, FOR THE P E RIO D 1889 TO 1908.
State or Province.
Western Kentucky.....................................
Missouri.......................................................
Maryland.....................................................
Eastern Kentucky.....................................
Ohio.............................................................
Iowa.............................................................
Kansas.........................................................
Indiana........................................................
Illinois.........................................................
Pennsylvania (bituminous)......................
Nova Scotia.................................................
Fatalaccident
rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
State or Province.
1.60 Michigan...................................................
1.72 Pennsylvania (anthracite).......................
1.77 Tennessee...................................................
1.89 Alabama....................................................
2.14 *West Virginia............................................
2.15 Oklahoma...............................................
2.31 Colorado.....................................................
2.32 Washington...............................................
2.33 British Columbia..................•....................
2.71 New Mexico...............................................
2.91 Utah...........................................................
STATES
Fatalaccident
rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
2.91
3.30
4.38
4 . 55
4.64
5.07
5.51
6.76
7.23
7.23
11.67
This table is extremely suggestive. The fluctuations in rates of
accident frequency range from an average o f 1.60 for western Keatucky to 11.67 for Utah. A careful examination o f Table X X I V
o f the appendix brings out the fact that some o f the extremely
high rates are primarily due to accidents o f exceptional serious
ness, but, on the whole, it may be said that the States with low
- averages have generally had a favorable experience from year to
year, while the States with high averages have frequently had a
disastrous experience. The States may be grouped into two divi
sions—first, all those having an average rate o f less than 3 per
1,000 per annum, and, second, those which experienced a rate of
3 or more per annum, and it will be found on careful examination o f
the detailed tables that only occasionally have the rates in the
former exceeded 3 per 1,000 in any one year, while the rates in
the 10 States with an average above 3 per 1,000 have rarely gone
below this rate, which, by every standard o f mining experience
throughout the world, must be considered extremely high. Or, to be
specific, out o f 219 individual years contained in the collective mine
experience o f States with an average of less than 3 per 1,000, the
rate for individual years exceeded this average in 24 years, and the
excess occurred chiefly in those States which include the more dan
gerous mining areas—that is, Pennsylvania (bituminous), Nova
Scotia, and Michigan. In the case of the States with an average
rate o f 3 or more per 1,000 it is shown that there were only 46
individual instances when the rate was less than 3 per 1,000, out o f a
total o f 174 years o f coal-mining activity.
FATAL, ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
453
TH E CAUSES OF FATAL ACCIDENTS.
The causes o f fatal accidents in coal mining are almost as varied
as the circumstances which give rise to them. Many fatal accidents
arise, without doubt, from negligence, indifference, or extraneous
accidental circumstances, not inherent in the nature of coal mining as
such. The large majority o f accidents, however, are properly to be
called such, in the general acceptance o f the term, and while the under
lying cause may (as is often the case) be the so-called carelessness o f the
miners or other mine employees, it is a great injustice to bring a
charge o f willful indifference to life and safety o f limb against those
working under the most trying conditions which can possibly sur
round the industrial activity o f mankind. Crude as the classification
o f causes, or so-called causes, o f coal mining accidents is, the facts
in the mass indicate, at least with approximate accuracy, the probable
underlying conditions responsible for the occurrence o f calamities
o f this kind. Every death o f a mine worker represents a most seri
ous economic and social loss to the community, measured financially
by the dependence o f survivors, widows, orphans, and other relatives,
on the one hand, and the destruction of slowly acquired labor effi
ciency on the other. In full recognition of the seriousness o f the
whole labor problem in coal mining, as implied by the risk o f the
occupation, it is difficult to understand how lightly some mine in
spectors regard their duty and how superficially in some States the
whole subject is considered from the standpoint o f public interest
and public policy.
No full account is rendered o f the fatal accidents and their o c c u r
rence in many o f the States. No full inquiry is made into all the
surroundings and antecedent causation o f many o f the ordinary
everyday casualties, which end in death, or serious injury often
worse than death. It has not been possible, after a most pains
taking effort extending over many years, to secure a full account of
all the fatal accidents which have ocurred in the different mining
States. Some mining States, like California, have not even a mining
bureau charged with the duty o f collecting accident statistics, and
in others the publication o f the required statistics is often delayed
so long that when finally made available the best opportunity for
their practical use has passed. The analysis o f fatal accidents,
according to causes, is, therefore, limited to a 10-year period for all
the States from which the information could be obtained, but for
some the data are not for an uninterrupted 10-year period, since the
data could not be secured either by correspondence or otherwise. For
the present purpose this defect is not a serious obstacle to the attain
ment o f a reasonable degree o f statistical accuracy and completeness,
and in the aggregate the analysis by causes includes 18,346 deaths
454
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
out of the 29,293 deaths included in the 20-year table for the d if
ferent coal-producing States, Territories, and Provinces o f North
America.
A discussion o f the causes o f coal-mining fatalities proceeds, as a
rule, upon the basis o f the percentage distribution o f the deaths due
to casualties o f different kinds. Obviously, such a method is open
to serious criticism, since the presence, or absence, o f special causes
may result in an abnormal distribution o f casualties from specified
causes without inherent evidence that such casualties from particular
causes are really o f rare or common occurrence. However, this
method has the advantage o f simplicity, and when used in connec
tion with the known fatality rate from all causes it is often suffi
ciently accurate for the end in view. For, it may be held that it is,
after all, o f the greatest practical importance to determine the most
common cause o f accident occurrence, and this fact, o f course, is more
clearly brought out by the percentage distribution o f casualties by
causes than by the ratio from specified causes to coal production, or
upon the basis o f the number o f men exposed to risk o f death one
year. Both methods have their value, though for different purposes,
in inquiries o f this kind and they will both be made use of in the
present effort to determine the approximate fatal accident risk in
coal mining in North America.
The 18,346 fatal accidents for which the information is available
were distributed, by principal causes, as follow s:
PE R CENT OF F A T A L ACCIDEN TS IN COAL M IN ES OF NORTH A M E R IC A DUE TO
EACH CAUSE DURING A 10-YEAR PERIO D.
Fatal accidents.
Cause.
Number. Per cent
of total.
Fall of coal...........................................................................................................................
Fall of roof, slate, etc..........................................................................................................
Falling into shafts...............................................................................................................
Falling into slopes, manways, etc.....................................................................................
Mine cars.............................................................................................................................
Outside cars........................................................................................................................
Motors..................................................................................................................................
Explosions:
Dust or gas....................................................................................................................
Powder or dynamite....................................................................................................
Blast..............................................................................................................................
Other, not specified....................................................................................................
Mining machinery..............................................................................................................
Mules...................................................................................................................................
Asphyxiation......................................................................................................................
Electrocution......................................................................................................................
Miscellaneous......................................................................................................................
2,722
5,828
369
125
2,204
470
30
14.8
31.8
2.0
.7
12.0
2.6
.2
2,571
968
793
292
332
73
271
193
1,105
14.0
5.3
4.3
1.6
1.8
.4
1.6
1.0
6.0
Total..........................................................................................................................
18,346
100.0
It must be admitted that an analysis of this kind is not free from
error in matters o f detail. The method o f classification by causes
differs in the various coal-mining States and often in the several
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
455
mining districts o f a single State. The descriptive accounts of acci
dents, when reexamined and retabulated, often yield results which
differ more or less from the tabular presentations in the annual
reports o f the mine inspectors of the several States. The terms used
in mining are not of precisely the same meaning in different coal
fields, and often, no doubt, the reports are made by mine officials who
fill out the required forms in a perfunctory manner. This criticism,
however, applies more to the minor causes than to the leading causes,
which are o f such a nature that the liability to serious error is small.
FALLS OF COAL OR ROOF.
In the present analysis out o f 18,346 fatal accidents, 2,722 were
due to fall o f coal and 5,828 were due to fall o f roof, rock, or slate,
etc. For general purposes it is rather immaterial whether the acci
dent is due to one or the other o f these causes, or to both combined,
but when the facts are stated in their relation to the probable degree
o f safety in working different kinds of coal fields, seams of varying
degrees o f thickness, etc., accuracy in the descriptive account o f the
fatal accidents is of considerable practical importance. Combining
the two classes o f casualties, as being more or less equivalent terms,
it appears that o f all the fatalities 46.6 per cent were the result of
conditions inherent in all coal-mining operations. This average is
for the coal fields o f North America as a whole, and wide divergencies
from the average will presently be pointed out in the case o f the
several coal fields and the separate States. The average is the result
o f accumulated experience both in time and area, and while for some
o f the States the returns are for shorter periods than a 10-year period,
the available facts for each State are fully indicated in Table X X I I I
o f the appendix.
Accidents due to fall o f coal or roof are, therefore, by far the most
important single and well-defined group o f fatal accidents in coal
mining, and this is true not only for the United States, but for most
o f the other coal fields throughout the world. Exceptional disasters,
due to gas or dust explosion, causing a great loss of life in a single
year, must necessarily disturb the percentage distribution o f the sev
eral causes responsible for coal-mining fatalities, but normally the
percentage o f deaths from fall of coal or roof will not vary much
from year to year. The occurrence o f a very disastrous accident in
West Virginia in 1907, for illustration, resulted in a marked decrease
in the percentage of deaths from falls o f coal, roof, etc., although the
number and proportion o f deaths from this cause remained about the
same as in the previous year. According to the reports of the United
456
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
States Geological Survey for 1907 and 1908, fatal accidents due to
falls o f coal or roof were distributed as follows :(a)
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS IN COAL M IN ING IN T H E U N ITED STATE S DUE TO F A L L S
O F C O A L O R R O O F , 1907 A N D 1908.
Year.
1907...................................................................................................
1908..................................................................................................
of
All fatali Falls
coal or
ties.
roof.
3,125
2,450
1,122
1,080
Rate per
Percent. 1,000 em
ployees.
35.9
44.1
1.65
1.56
This table illustrates and emphasizes the very serious statistical
error which may invalidate conclusions based upon percentages alone.
The table shows an increase in the proportion o f deaths from falls
o f coal or roof to have taken place in 1908 compared with 1907; but,
in fact, in proportion to the average number o f men exposed to risk
o f death the fatality rate for deaths from fall of coal or roof de
creased from 1.65 in 1907 to 1.56 in 1908.
As has previously been said, both methods o f statistical analysis
have their use, provided they are employed with due caution and a
full knowledge o f all the facts which have a bearing upon the ques
tion under consideration. The liability to error is diminished in
proportion as the subject is considered from the broadest possible
standpoint and rather as an approximation to the truth than as a
statement entitled to the claim o f scientific accuracy. No such claim
can rightfully be made for any o f the statistical information relating
to coal mining in North America at the present day, but, on the
whole, it may safely be assumed that the available data for this
country conform favorably in accuracy and detail to the correspond
ing information for the other coal-producing countries of the world.
The table o f principal causes may therefore be relied upon as a trust
worthy presentation o f the true facts for the coal fields o f North
America, as far as these facts are known at the present time, and the
conclusion is fully warranted that the most important and determin
ing cause in coal-mining fatalities is fall of coal or o f roof, rock, and
slate, as the case may be, singly or in combination with each other.
This cause, or group o f causes, then, is by far the most important
element in coal mining as regards the safety o f mine laborers. The
deaths do not occur in the mass, but they take place from day to
day, singly, or, at most, a few at a time,(*6) but in the aggregate they
mount up to from one-third to one-half o f all the coal-mining fatal
ities during the year. Occasionally a fearful calamity will cause a
0 Mineral Resources o f tlie United States, 1908, Pt. II, p. 56. I T . S. Geological
Survey, Washington, 1909.
6 This, of course, does not apply to “ cave-in ” accidents, which may cause a
large loss o f life at one time. See Report o f the Department o f Mines o f Penn
sylvania, 1896, p. 79.
457
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINING.
great loss o f life by a single accident, but when the casualties are con
sidered in the mass and with a due regard to length o f time in mine
experience it will invariably be found that no other single cause or
combination o f causes is responsible for as great a loss o f life in coal
mining as falls o f coal and roof or slate and rock, as the case may be.
MINE CARS.
In the preceding tabular summary of causes (p. 454) one o f the
most important causes of coal-mine fatalities is mine cars. In the
aggregate o f casualties at present under consideration there were 2,204
deaths from this cause, or 12 per cent of the total. The proportion
must naturally vary according to the motive power employed, and the
degrees o f variation in this respect will be fully brought out in subse
quent tables in which the facts are given in detail for the different
coal areas and the separate coal-mining States. Combining the
deaths from mine cars and the deaths from falls o f coal or roof, it
is shown that out of the total number o f fatal accidents from all
causes, given as 18,346, as many as 10,754, or 58.6 per cent, were due
to these two particular groups o f causes. In some o f the coal fields
and in some o f the States this proportion will be found to be much
greater, so that it may be stated as a broad conclusion, sustained by
a whole decade o f American coal-mining experience, that primarily
and chiefly the causes responsible for fatal accidents in coal mining
are falls o f coal, rock, and roof and fatal injuries caused by mine cars.
EXPLOSIONS.
Explosions due to gas or dust, or both, caused 2,571 deaths, or 14
per cent o f the whole. There is the possibility o f error in a return
o f this kind in that the closely related mortality from explosions of
powder, dynamite, and blasts, or explosions “ other ” and “ not speci
fied” may include deaths which should properly be charged to ex
plosions due to gas or dust or both. When these are considered to
gether, it appears that out o f the total o f 18,346, in addition to the
2,571 deaths resulting from gas and dust explosion, there were 968
deaths from explosions o f powder and dynamite, 793 from explosions
o f blasts (which, o f course, is practically the same thing), and 292
from other explosions not specified, a total o f 4,624, or 25.2 per cent.
Comparing this total with the aggregate o f deaths due to falls o f
coal, roof, and rock, it appears that the result is as follow s:
C O M PA R A TIV E
M O R TA L IT Y
FROM P R IN C IP A L CAUSES IN
NORTH AM ERICA.
COAL M INING
Cause.
Deaths.
IN
Percent.
Fall of coal, roof, and rock ................................................................................................
Gas and dust explosions and the handling or use ©^explosives....................................
All other causes..................................................................................................................
8,550
4,624
5,172
46.6
25.2
28.2
Total.........................................................................................................................
18,346
100.0
458
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
When, therefore, all proper allowance is made for a possible
erroneous classification, it appears that fatalities due to falls o f coal,
roof, and rock far outnumber the corresponding fatalities caused by
explosions due to gas or dust, or the use, handling, transportation,
and storage o f explosives o f all kinds.
MISCELLANEOUS MINE ACCIDENTS.
The foregoing three principal causes, or groups o f causes, account
in the aggregate mortality experience for 83.8 per cent o f the fatal
accidents from all causes. Among the most important of the minor
causes come, first, the accidents due to falling into shafts, slopes, man
ways, etc. Accidents o f this kind are due to a large variety o f causes,
the exact nature o f which can be fully understood only after a careful
study o f a large number o f individual cases. Badly guarded shafts
and openings are probably responsible for the majority, but many o f
the deaths are due to falling out o f the hoisting cages, or to falls
while climbing in or out o f the shaft when the hoisting apparatus is
not working or while climbing in and out o f mine shafts not provided
with hoisting apparatus, etc. Falls into shafts separately account
for 2 per cent o f the total number o f acidents, and falls into slopes,
manways, etc., account for 0.7 per cent additional.
Outside car accidents caused 470 deaths, or 2.6 per cent o f the total.
This is the principal cause o f accidents outside o f mines, or over
ground, as separate and distinct from accidents underground. Many,
i f not most, of the other overground accidents are included under
“ miscellaneous ” causes, which comprehend a total mortality o f
1,105, or 6 per cent o f the total. For some o f the States returns
in more detail are available and these will be considered later.
Manifestly specific details are o f particular importance in an inquiry
o f this kind, for large aggregates tend rather to obscure the true
underlying conditions responsible for the occurrence o f fatal acci
dents in coal-mining operations. However, when the statistical
analysis is carried too far the actual numbers often become so small
as not to warrant safe conclusions. “ Mining machinery ” is a
rather indefinite term, but largely inclusive o f coal-cutting ma
chines causing fatal accidents due to mechanical causes. There is
otherwise no considerable amount o f working machinery, generally
so called, underground. Boiler explosions occur occasionally, but in
the present analysis deaths resulting from these are not separately
accounted for. Perhaps the deaths from “ motors ” should have
been included in the total o f deaths from machinery, since the motors
may be such as operate the coal punchers, or coal-cutting machines,
or electric motors employed in underground haulage. Deaths from
this group o f causes numbered 30, or 0.2 per cent o f the total. While
electric haulage is gradually replacing mules used for haulage pur
459
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
poses underground, a large number of mules are still employed, but
the deaths caused by the kicks o f these animals, or otherwise in con
nection with the handling, driving, etc., of the same, number only
73, or 0.4 per cent. The two remaining specific causes are asphyxia
tion and electrocution. The former caused 271 deaths, or 1.5 per cent
o f the total, and the latter 193, or 1 per cent. Both o f these are im
portant causes, which for their full understanding require to be con
sidered in detail, as disclosed by a careful consideration o f a sufficient
number o f individual cases.
PRINCIPAL CAUSES OP FATAL ACCIDENTS BY COAL FIELDS.
The relative proportion o f principal causes naturally varies widely,
according to the geological character o f the coal fields, the method o f
mining, the presence o f dust or dangerous gases, the use o f coal-cut
ting machinery, compressed air and electricity, etc. In the table
which follows a comparison is made of the distribution o f principal
causes in the different coal fields, amplified in the appendix by tables
for the several coal-mining States. It would carry the present analysis
too far to discuss the variations in causes, as determined by the
percentage basis in detail, since they will be further considered on the
basis o f the exposed to risk o f death one year for the several States.
(See Table X X I I I o f the appendix.)
P E R CENT OF F A T A L ACCIDEN TS IN TH E COAL M INES OF NORTH A M E R IC A
DUE TO EACH CAUSE DURING A TEN -YEAR PERIO D, BY GE O G R A PH IC A L
SECTIONS.
Per cent of fatal accidents due to each specified cause in—
Cause.
Falling of coal.......................................
Falling of roof, slate, etc......................
Falling into shafts................................
Falling into slopes, manways, etc___
Mine cars..............................................
Outside cars..........................................
Motors...................................................
Explosions:
Dust or gas.....................................
Dynamite or powder.....................
Blast...............................................
Other, not specified......................
Mining machinery...............................
Mules....................................................
Asphyxiation.......................................
Electrocution.......................................
Miscellaneous........................................
East North East
West South West Pacific North
eastern central central
ern
ern
ern
coast Amer
section. section. section. section. section. section. section. ica.
10.6
38.8
2.0
1.0
12.9
3.8
.2
21.2
20.8
2.4
2.9
20.4
2.1
.4
36.9
8.9
3.9
27.6
16.9
3.2
12.0
29.7
1.0
12.3
1.7
.3
7.9
.6
10.7
.7
11.2
2.6
4.3
.2
2.4
.5
1.9
1.2
6.4
11.0
2.4
2.1
8.2
4.9
11.1
9.0
.2
1.2
.3
1.0
.5
7.8
7.3
11.1
11.1
4.2
.7
.3
2.2
.6
6.3
6.1
11.3
37.7
.9
.4
11.0
.3
.2
9.4
18.3
.7
1.0
10.5
.3
.1
14.8
31.8
2.0
.7
12.0
2.6
.2
33.2
5.3
.8
.2
1.0
.3
.1
1.4
3.6
8.9
20.5
3.3
.3
.5
.2
1.9
.9
1.7
15.5
1.5
1.7
28.4
.6
.8
.7
10.5
14.0
5.3
4.3
1.6
1.8
.4
1.5
1.0
6.0
SUMMARY.
Falling of coal, roof, etc......................
Falling into openings......................... .
Mins cars, railroad, and other trans
portation agencies.............................
Explosions............................................
49.4
3.0
42.0
5.3
45.8
3.9
44.5
3.2
41.7
1.0
49.0
1.3
27.7
1.7
46.6
2.7
16.9
18.3
22.9
15.5
14.3
25.2
8.5
33.7
11.4
39.5
11.5
33.0
10.9
47.1
14.8
25.2
All causes...................................
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
460
BULLETIN OE THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
The table is self-explanatory and requires no extended analysis.
It is shown, for illustration, that in the eastern section (Maryland,
Ohio, and Pennsylvania) falls o f coal caused 10.6 per cent and falls
o f roof, rock, slate, etc., 38.8 per cent, a total o f 49.4 per cent, against
21.2 per cent o f deaths from fall o f coal and 20.8 per cent o f deaths
from fall o f roof, slate, etc., in the northeastern section (Nova Scotia).
The highest percentage proportion o f deaths caused by fall o f coal
occurred in the east central section, or 36.9 per cent, while the lowest
occurred in the Pacific coast section, or 9.4 per cent. The highest
percentage o f deaths caused by falls o f roof, slate, etc., occurred in
the eastern section (Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania), or 38.8 per
cent, while the lowest occurred in the east central section, or 8.9 per
cent. Unquestionably, some o f these differences are the result o f
variations in the method of reporting the causes, but the differences
are too pronounced to be solely due to this possible source of error.
When combined the results, in order o f relative importance, are as
follow s:
T E R CEXT OF D E A T H S FROM F A LL S OF COAL AN D OF ROOF, SLATE, ROCK,
ETC., IN COAL M IN ES OF NORTH AM ERICA, BY GE O G R A PH IC A L SECTIONS.
Per cent of deaths
due to—
Section.
Total.
Falls of
coal.
Eastern..............................................................................................................
Western..............................................................................................................
East central.......................................................................................................
West central......................................................................................................
Northeastern.....................................................................................................
Southern............................................................................................................
Pacific coast......................................................................................................
Total........................................................................................................
10.6
11.3
36.9
27.6
21.2
12.0
9 .4
Falls of
roof, etc.
j
1
!
i1
j|
14.8 j!
Ii
38.8
37.7
8.9
16.9
20.8
29.7
18.3
49.4
49.0
45.8
44.5
42.0
41.7
27.7
31.8 j
46.6
There is evidently no very definite or even approximately welldefined relation between the degree of frequency of occurrence of
these two closely allied and often identical causes. The most marked
opposite conditions are shown to have prevailed in two coal fields
not greatly different in geological characteristics or general mining
methods; that is, the eastern (Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania)
and the east central section (Illinois and Indiana). In the former,,
fall o f coal caused 10.6 per cent, against 36.9 per cent in the latter,
so that the combined totals of 49.4 and 45.8 per cent do not vary ma
terially. It may therefore be assumed as a reasonable probability
that the two causes are often inclusive of each other, and that for sta
tistical purposes they should be considered as a group, more or less
similar in the underlying causes, conditions, and methods of mining
responsible for their occurrence.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
461
The summary table (p. 459) brings out the local significance o f
other causes, which in some cases even exceed in importance the
fatality rate from fall of coal, roof, etc. Explosions due to gas or dust
or the use, storage, etc., o f explosives caused the largest proportionate,
mortality on the Pacific coast section, or 47.1 per cent. Arranged in
the order o f importance, the fatality percentage due to this group of
causes was 39.5 per cent in the southern coal fields, 33.7 per cent in the
west central section, 33 per cent in the western section, 25.2 per
cent in the east central section, 18.3 per cent in the eastern section,
and only 15.5 per cent in the northeastern section. The extremes in
the casual occurrence o f fatalities due to explosions, as would natu
rally be expected, were therefore o f a wider range, or from 47.1 per
cent to 15.5 per cent, against a range o f from 49.4 per cent to 27.7
per cent for fatalities caused by falling of coal, roof, etc.
“ Falling into openings” considered as a group caused 2.7 per
cent o f all the fatal accidents in the whole coal area, but the propor
tion varied between only 1 per cent in the southern section to 5.3
per cent in the northeastern. The differences are chiefly due to the
fact that there are few deep mines or vertical mine openings in the
southern coal fields, where most o f the coal is mined by horizontal
slopes, tunnels, etc., while in the central coal fields o f Pennsylvania,
for illustration, practically all the mining is by shaft. The liability to
death on account o f falling into openings is therefore largely gov
erned by the methods of mining, which vary widely, according to the
nature o f the coal beds of the several States.
Fatal accidents caused by mine cars, railroad, and other trans*,
portation or hauling agencies varied from an average o f 14.8 per
cent for the North American coal fields as a whole to 22.9 per cent
for the northeastern coal fields and 8.5 per cent for the west central
sectipn. These proportions are also governed largely by local con
ditions, mining methods, etc., which require to be determined by
special inquiry and a thorough analysis of a large number o f indi
vidual cases. The summary table gives the available information in
detail, but, as previously explained, the facts must be considered with
great caution and always with a due regard to the geological charac
teristics o f the different coal fields and local variations in methods of
mining, labor supply, use of coal-cutting machinery, electricity, etc.
A further consideration of the causes o f fatal accidents in coal
mining is made possible, at least for some o f the States for which
the facts are made public in more detail. As far as practicable, in
the tables for the several States, all the essential facts contained in
the annual reports o f the state mine inspectors have been considered,
which explains why for some States much more detailed returns are
available than for others. The practical value o f this analysis will
462
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
be better understood when it is stated that heretofore the United
States Geological Survey has given the details o f causes of fatal
accidents in only 3 specific groups, while in some o f the tables in the
appendix to this study the facts are given in detail in 21 groups.
The practical value o f the tabular analysis of coal-mining accident^
provided the facts by causes are sufficiently numerous, is, of course, in
exact proportion to the detailed grouping o f individual but welldefined specific causes responsible for coal-mining casualties. Much
would be gained by uniformity in the method of tabulation by causes,
but efforts in this direction should insist rather upon a comprehensive
tabular analysis than upon condensation.^)
The importance o f details is best illustrated by specific causes of
modern significance, such as deaths due to mining machinery, elec
tricity, boiler explosions, etc. (For further details o f the causes o f
accidents by States, see Table X X I I I of the appendix.)
TH E FATAL-ACCIDENT RATE DUE TO PRIN CIPAL CAUSES.
The rate of fatal accidents by principal causes determines with
scientific accuracy the degree o f risk exposure to particular hazard in
mining experience. The following table is identical with the table
on page 454, previously discussed, except that for each cause the rate
per 10,000 exposed to risk has been calculated, instead o f the percent
age distribution o f causes, as in the former table. Since the number
o f some o f the causes is small, it has seemed best to use 10,000 em
ployees exposed to "risk one year, instead o f the usual basis o f 1,000.
The table is based upon a risk exposure o f 5,459,436 mine workers for
one year and 18,346 fatal accidents occurring in the coal fields o f
North America during the decade ending with 1908, or a part thereof,
since the returns for some o f the States are not complete. The rates
for individual coal-mining States and the details for the different
coal areas, by number o f casualties and the rate per 10,000, will be
found in Table X X I I I o f the appendix.
a For suggestions for improving coal-mining accident statistics, see Engineer
ing and Mining Journal, June 2, 1900, and subsequent issues. Among the more
important works on the causes o f coal mining accidents are Mining Accidents
and their Prevention, by Sir Frederick Augustus Abel, New York, 18S9; Explo
sions in Coal Mines, by W. N. and J. B. Atkinson, London, 1886; Essays on the
Prevention of Explosions and Accidents in Coal Mines, by Creswick, Galloway,
and Hopton, London, 1874; Elements o f Mining and Quarrying, by C. Le Neve
Foster, London, 1908; and Practical Coal Mining, by T. H. Cockin, New York,
1909.
463
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE IN TH E COAL M IN ES OF NORTH A M ERICA DURING A
TEN -YEAR PERIO D, BY CAUSES.
Fatal accidents.
Cause.
Number.
Rate per
10,000
employ
ees.
Fall of coal...........................................................................................................................
Fall of roof, slate, etc..........................................................................................................
Falling into shaits...............................................................................................................
Falling into slopes, manways, etc.....................................................................................
Mine cars.............................................................................................................................
Outside cars........................................................................................................................
Motors..................................................................................................................................
Explosions:
Dust or gas............................................................... ...................................................
Powder or dynamite...................................................................................................
Blast.............................................................................................................................
Other, not specified......................................................................................................
Mining machinery..............................................................................................................
Mules...................................................................................................................................
Asphyxiation......................................................................................................................
Electrocution......................................................................................................................
Miscellaneous......................................................................................................................
2,722
5,828
339
125
2,204
470
30
4.99
10.68
.68
.23
4.04
.80
.05
2,571
968
793
292
332
73
271
193
1,105
4.71
1.77
1.45
.53
.61
.13
.50
.35
2.02
Total..........................................................................................................................
18,346
33.60
The average fatality rate for the North American coal field, accord
ing to this table, was 33.6 per 10,000, or 3.36 per 1,000 o f persons
employed one year.
FALLS OF COAL OB BOOF.
The average fatality rates by principal causes during the ten-year
period 1899 to 1908, as given in the above table, may be considered
the standard by which the relative frequency of accident occurrence
in the different coal fields and coal-mining States can be measured.
The standard rate of accident occurrence due to fall of coal and roof,
slate, etc., combined was 15.67 per 10,000, but, as brought out by the
following comparison, the degree o f risk varies considerably in the
different coal fields.
F A TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S IN COAL M INING DUE TO F A L L S O F C O A L , R O O F ,
S L A T E , E T C ., DURING A TE N -YE A R PERIOD.
Section.
Western................................................................................................................................................
Southern...............................................................................................................................................
Pacific coast..........................................................................................................................................
S tand ard or average r a t e ...............................................................................................................
Eastern.................................................................................................................................................
East central..........................................................................................................................................
W est central..........................................................................................................................................
Northeastern.........................................................................................................................................
Rate per
10,000 em
ployees.
34.08
21.57
21.13
15.67
15.33
11. €8
11. C6
10.44
This comparison is o f very considerable practical significance. For
the first time, the true rate o f risk from a particular cause in mining
464
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
operations is here precisely determined by a method which has the
sanction o f statistical science, and the result is startling, indeed.
The table brings out the fact that in some o f the coal fields the
fatality rate due to a single group of related causes; that is, fall of
coal and roof, slate, etc., is as high, or higher, than the normal fatality
rate due to all causes in most o f the coal-mining States and Provinces
o f North America. Even the standard rate, o f 15.67 per 10,000, or
1.57 per 1,000, is extremely high, higher, in fact, than the normal
fatality rate due to all causes in the United Kingdom, Austria, and
Belgium. In the far western coal area the rate has been 34.08 per
10,000, or higher than the fatality rate due to all causes for the whole
American coal field. The southern, Pacific coast, and western coal
areas all have decidedly higher average rates for this group o f causes
than the North American coal fields as a whole, while the northeast
ern, the east central, west central, and eastern sections experienced
fatality rates due to fall o f coal and roof below the standard, but in
the last-named area the rate was very close to the average, so that
with the exception o f the northeastern and the central sections the
fatality rate due to fall of coal and roof, slate, etc., must be considered
high, and in some cases extremely high for the entire coal field of
North America.
The variations in fatality rates due to fall o f coal and roof for the
different coal-mining States are, o f course, much greater, but they
can not be fully discussed here. By reference to Table X X I I I of the
appendix the facts for each State are made available in the most
convenient manner, but the extremely high rates for some o f the
States may be briefly referred to. In Colorado the rate reached 35.15
per 10,000 out o f a total rate, from all causes of accidents, o f 55.99, or
62.8 per cent. In New Mexico the fatality rate due to fall of coal and
roof was still higher, attaining to 40.48 per 10,000 out of a total rate
for all causes o f 72.69, or 55.7 per cent. In Utah more favorable
conditions prevailed, but the rate reached 21.56 per 10,000 out of a
total o f 133.25, or 16.2 per cent. These rates admirably illustrate the
danger o f reasoning exclusively from a percentage distribution o f
causes; for, while the fatality rate due to fall of coal and roof in Utah
is considerably above the standard (15.67), it is only 16.2 per cent of
the deaths from all causes, and thus apparently lower. This apparent
contradiction is due to the fact that a very disastrous explosion
occurred in Utah- in 1900, which increased the proportion o f deaths
due to this cause to 73.5 per cent o f the whole number. It is evident
that for an accurate understanding o f the causes o f coal-mining
casualties, the rate o f accidents by cause is required in place o f the
percentage distribution, but it is equally true that for many practi
cal reasons, particularly such as govern in considerations of pre-
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
465
ventive measures, the percentage distribution, as emphasizing the
actually most important cause, is very useful; in fact, quite indis
pensable.
SHAFT ACCIDENTS.
The standard fatality rate for the coal fields o f North America
from shaft accidents or falls into shafts, manways, slopes, etc., was
0.91 per 10,000 employed. This cause is, therefore, apparently not
o f great numerical significance, as only 494 deaths were caused in this
manner, although it is safe to assume that a considerable number of
these accidents were preventable. The variations in rates in the
different coal fields is shown in the following table:
F A TA L-A C C ID E N T RA TE S IN COAL M INING IN NORTH A M ERICA DUE TO S H A F T
A C C ID E N T S , FOR TH E PE RIO D 1899 TO 1908.
Section.
Southern...............................
West central.........................
Western................................
S tandard or average rate
Eastern.................................
East central..........................
Pacific coast..........................
Northeastern........................
Rate per
10,000 em
ployees.
0.53
.8 3
.9 1
.95
1.C0
1.28
1.32
The range in rates is from 0.53 in the southern coal fields to 1.32
per 10,000 in the northeastern coal area. O f course, the liability to
falls into shafts, as has previously been said, is in proportion to the
number o f employees in mines with vertical shaft entrance, and the
proportion o f such accidents is naturally lowest in coal fields with flat
seams above sea level entered by tunnels, drifts, or slopes. The term
“ shaft accidents,” it should be explained, is not one o f precise mean
ing in some o f the mine inspectors’ reports, and it is not clear whether
deaths due to objects falling into shafts have always been included
(as they should have been) or whether they have been grouped under
miscellaneous. The importance o f this suggestion is made clear by
reference to Table X X I I I o f the appendix, in which the details are
given for the State o f Illinois. In that table it is shown that there
were 46 deaths due to employees falling into shafts, equivalent to a
rate o f 0.87 per 10,000; 53 deaths due to objects falling into shafts,
equivalent to a rate o f 1 per 10,000; 13 deaths due to falling o f other
miscellaneous objects, or 0.25 per 10,000; and, finally* 47 deaths due
to cage accidents, or 0.89 per 10,000. When these four groups are
combined, it is brought out that shaft accidents proper caused 159
fatalities, or nearly as many as mine cars, which caused 175 deaths.
Calculated upon the basis o f every 10,000 persons employed, the
fatality rate for Illinois due to all shaft accidents was 3.01 per 10,000.
62717°— No. 90— 10------3
466
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
which contrasts with an average for the coal fields o f North America
of 0.91. But the excessive shaft accident rate for Illinois is by no
means an exception. In Indiana the combined rate was 2.87, for
Oklahoma 8.11, for Iowa 2.18, for Nova Scotia 2.64, and for Wash
ington 3.99 per 10,000. Accidents of this kind constitute, there
fore, quite an important factor in the fatality rates of certain
States, and it may be assumed that if the returns were everywhere
accurate and complete the true fatality rates due to shaft and cage
accidents o f all kinds would be higher than the rates as officially
returned and given in the above table and in Table X X I I I o f the
appendix. (a)
MINE CABS.
Mine cars caused 2,204 fatal accidents in the North American coal
fields during the decade ending with 1908, out of a total of 18,346
accidents from all causes. The standard or average fatality rate due
to mine cars was 4.04 per 10,000 employees, but the rates vary con
siderably in the different coal areas, as shown by the following table:
F A TA L-A C C ID E N T R A T E S IN COAL M INING IN NORTH A M E R IC A DUE TO M IN E
C A R S , FOR T H E PE R IO D 1899 TO 1908.
Section.
West central..........................................................................................................................................
East central...........................................................................................................................................
Eastern..................................................................................................................................................
S ta n d ard or average r a te ................................................................................................................
Northeastern.........................................................................................................................................
Southern................................................................................................................................................
Western.................................................................................................................................................
Pacific coast..........................................................................................................................................
; Rate per
10,000 em
ployees.
2.05
3.13
3.99
4.0 4
5.07
5.52
7.67
8.01
The mine car fatality rate ranges from a minimum of 2.05 per
10,000 for the west-central section to 8.01 per 10,000 for the Pacific
coast section. Mine equipment, o f course, has a bearing upon the
degree o f accident occurrence, but how far this is the case can not
be determined by the brief account rendered in most of the official
reports on accidents o f this class. Eiding on loaded cars contrary to
orders is probably one o f the chief reasons for the difference, and
another probable reason is in the better discipline and control of mine
labor in the Eastern States compared with the South and West.
Among the States and Provinces, with rates o f mine car fatalities
much above the average, reference may be made to British Columbia
with a rate o f 7.63; Colorado, 7.01; Oklahoma, 7.26; Utah, 8.33;
Washington, 8.37; and West Virginia, 6.18 per 10,000.
0 See also the Report o f the Committee appointed by the Royal Commission
on Mines to Inquire into the Causes o f and Means of Preventing Accidents
from Falls of Ground, Underground Haulage and in Shafts; Parliamentary
paper Cd. 4821, London, 1909.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
467
OUTSIDE CARS.
Outside ear accidents caused 470 deaths in coal-mining operations
in North America during the period under consideration, or 2.6 per
cent o f the fatalities due to all causes. In proportion to the number
employed the standard or average fatality rate due to this cause was
0.86 per 10,000. Since practically all of these accidents occur to out
side employees they should perhaps have been calculated with ref
erence to outside employments only, but the necessary information as
to the number of outside employees is not available for the North
American coal fields as a whole. The statistics for Pennsylvania
prove conclusively that most of the fatalities due to outside cars
have occurred to outside employees. As brought out in the subse
quent discussion o f the fatal accident rate by occupations, the rate
o f outside car accidents to underground employees in Pennsylvania
was 6.8 per 10,000 for the anthracite coal field and 8.9 per 10,000
for the bituminous coal field. In the anthracite coal fields 88.2 per
cent o f outside accidents were due to outside cars, and in the
bituminous coal field 45.9 per cent.
The term “ outside cars,” as used in mining statistics, is, however, of
a rather indefinite meaning, at least for some o f the coal areas, and
there are strong reasons to believe that in some o f the States this class
o f accidents is combined with “ mine car ” accidents, which have been
previously discussed. Most of the outside car accidents in the con
solidated table have been reported from Pennsylvania and the eastcentral section, and it is, therefore, very doubtful whether the rates
for other coal fields and coal-mining States can be accepted as ac
curate. F or some o f the States no outside accidents at all have been
separately returned, although it is a practical certainty that such
accidents have occurred. For this reason a discussion of the fatality
rates by States wrould obviously be o f no practical value. It may be
emphasized here, however, that the risk factor due to outside cars is,
undoubtedly, one which demands serious consideration.
MOTORS.
Motors caused a total o f 30 fatal accidents in the coal fields o f
North America during the period under consideration, or 0.2 per cent
o f the casualties due to all causes. The standard or average fatality
rate due to motors was 0.05 per 10,000 employed, the rate having been
highest in the western section, where it reached 0.14 per 10,000, and
zero in the west central section, for which no fatalities o f this kind
w^ere officially reported. It is very doubtful whether all the fatal
accidents due to motors used in mines have been properly classified
as such, and it may reasonably be supposed, considering the rapid
increase in the use o f electric motor power in mining, that more
deaths have occurred than have been officially reported, or properly
468
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
classified. Granting probable defects in the returns, it is surprising
to find that the fatality rate due to motors should be as low as 0.06
per 10,000 in the eastern coal field, which comprehends the States o f
Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. In Illinois, for illustration, out
o f 1,391 fatal accidents only 4, or 0.08 per 10,000 employed, were
officially ascribed to motors, while in Ohio 19 out o f 1,027, or 0.47
per 10,000 employed, were attributed to this cause. No deaths due
to motors were officially reported as having occurred in the coal
mines o f Pennsylvania, which, no doubt, is partly due to errors in
classification. For these reasons, it would serve no practical purpose
to discuss the fatality rates due to motors in the different coal areas
and coal mining States, but the self-evident defect in coal mining
statistics clearly brings out the necessity o f a uniform classification
o f causes to be agreed upon by the mining officials o f the different
States.
EXPLOSIONS OF GAS OB DUST.
Statistical defects are inherent in all classification, but they can be
materially reduced by a critical examination o f individual returns.
O f no group o f causes is this more true than o f gas and dust explo
sions, explosions of dynamite and powder, blasts, etc. There are
practical difficulties to be overcome which at times will baffle even the
most skilled, for cause and effect will often be confused, and it will
occasionally occur that the true but insignificant cause of a coal
mining accident is overshadowed by the disastrous effect. A can of
powder explodes and results in a subsequent gas and dust explosion
with a considerable loss of life. Should such an explosion be classi
fied under explosives or explosions? Or, a naked light ignites fire
damp and causes a small gas explosion, ivhich results in the explosion
o f an underground powder magazine, with disastrous results to life.
Should such an accident be classified as gas explosion, or as a powder
explosion ? A compromise is necessary in such cases, but it would be
o f great value if definite rules governed in the statistical classification.
It is due to these differences in the determination o f the true cause
that so many apparent errors and contradictions occur in coal-min
ing accident statistics and without a definite understanding among
the different mine officials, a decided improvement can not be ex
pected for many years to come.
As classified in Table X X I I I o f the appendix, there have been 2,571
fatal accidents due to gas and dust explosions in the coal fields o f North
America during the period under consideration, or 14 per cent o f the
fatalities due to all causes. The standard or average rate o f accident
frequency was 4.71 per 10,000, against 4.04 for mine cars and 1.77
for deaths due to explosions o f powder or dynamite. Gas and dust
explosions, therefore, are among the most important causes o f mining
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
469
fatalities and their geographical distribution is a matter o f particular
importance.
The variations in rates in the different coal fields are shown in the
following table:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S IN COAL M IN ING IN NORTH A M ER IC A DUE TO G A S
O R D U S T E X P L O S IO N , FOR T H E P E RIO D 1899 TO 1908.
Section.
Southern...............................
Pacific coast..........................
Western................................
S tandard or average rate
Eastern.................................
Northeastern........................
West central.........................
East central..........................
Rate per
10,000 em
ployees.
17.17
11.85
6.22
4 .7 1
3.48
2.73
1 . XJA
1.25
The variation in rates ranges from a minimum o f 1.25 per 10,000
for the east-central section to 17.17 for the southern section. The
wide range is due primarily and largely to fundamental differences
in the character and depth o f the coal beds in the several coal areas,
wThich are brought out in a striking manner by reference to the
tables for the different coal-mining States. Gas and dust explosions
have been combined, because of the fact that dust explosions per se
are probably extremely rare in coal mines, while dust explosions
caused by previous gas explosions are quite common, and particu
larly so in some o f the States o f the southern and Pacific coast fields.
Coal dust, as a factor in mine explosions, has only been regarded
as such within very recent years, after a number of particularly
serious disasters, in which there could be no doubt that what had
been a gas explosion in its inception had subsequently become an
explosion of coal dust. There is probably no more serious question
to-day in many o f our mining States than the increasing danger
o f dust explosions, due possibly to the use o f coal-mining machinery
and to other causes which, as yet, are not fully understood. The
subject o f dust explosion is too complex to be discussed in this
place, (a) but it may be pointed out that measures o f prevention ina The most important recent contribution to the subject is Bulletin 425 of
the United States Geological Survey, on “ The Explosibility o f Coal-dust,”
Washington, D. C., 1910. This bulletin includes a very complete bibliography.
Reference should also be had to Bulletin 383 of the United States Geological
Survey, on “ Notes on Explosive Mine Gases and Dust,” by R. T. Chamberlin,
1909. Among other important recent contributions reference should be had to
an article on “ The Dust Problem in Coal Mines,” by Joseph Virgin, Engineer
ing. and Mining Journal, October 9, 1909; “ Coal-dust as a Factor in Mine Ex
plosions,” by Henry M. Penn, Engineering and Mining Journal, July 4, 1908;
“ Equipment for the Prevention of Mine Explosions, with Special Reference to
470
BULLETIN OF THE BUBEAU OF LABOR.
elude the sprinkling o f dry mines previous to the setting off o f blasts,
as perhaps the only effective method o f precaution. It has been ob
jected to this method, however, that sprinkling favors the spread of
ankylostomiasis, with its well-known serious consequences to the
miner’s health. The sprinkling or spraying o f dry mines is made
obligatory in most European countries, and it can only be a question
o f time when this preventive will be insisted upon in the United
States; but strong objections are made to the practice, which must be
overcome by education and the perfection o f sprinkling or spraying
methods, as yet quite crude and often ineffective. (a)
The dust factor is clearly recognized in Alabama, where the acci
dent rate due to gas explosions, officially returned as such, was only
1.98 per 10,000, while the rate for dust explosions was 8.67, or a com
bined rate o f 10.65. No dust explosions have been officially reported
as such from British Columbia, but the rate for explosions o f gas
alone was 7.85 per 10,000, or nearly twice the standard or average rate
for the coal fields o f North America. For Colorado the rate has not
been particularly excessive, or 2.96 for gas explosions and 1.38 for
dust. For Illinois dust explosions have not been separately returned,
and the rate for gas explosions was only 1.34. Since 1909, however,
the disastrous explosion at Cherry, 111., has furnished lamentable
evidence o f the inherent uncertainty in all calculations of this kind.
Normally, however, the risk o f gas or dust explosion in Illinois is
below the standard. The fatality rate due to gas explosions in
Indiana has also been very low, while for Oklahoma it has been
extremely high, or 10.02 per 10,000. The rates have been low in Iowa
and Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri. In New Mexico
the gas-explosion rate Tvas 2.18 per 10,000 and the dust-explosion rate
6.53, or a combined rate of 8.71 against a standard rate of 4.71. The
rate was below the average in Nova Scotia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania
anthracite, but above the average in Pennsylvania bituminous mines.
In the Pennsylvania anthracite coal field the rate from gas and dust
explosions combined was 2.13 per 10,000, while for the bituminous
coal field the comparative rate was 5.23. These rates are insignificant
compared with the rate for Tennessee, which was 0.21 for gas exploDust,” by Wilber F. Meyers, Engineering and Mining Journal, February 22,
1908; “ Coal-dust as a Dangerous Element in Mining,” article by H. C. Hovey,
American Journal o f Science, volume 122, page 18; “ The Dust Danger,” by
W. H. Pickering, Engineering and Mining Journal, May 12, 1906; “ English Ex
periments in Coal-dust Explosions,” Scientific American Supplement No. 1450,
October 17, 1903; Argument that coal-dust is not explosive, by Wm. M. Page,
an open letter to the mine operators of West Virginia, Engineering and Mining
Journal, December 5, 1908.
a For a full discussion of the whole problem of coal-dust explosions, the prevenion of coal dust and its removal, methods and cost of watering or sprinkling,
etc., see Second Report o f the Royal Commission on Mines, p. 82. London, 1909.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
471
sion and 22.45 for dust explosion, or 22.66 per 10,000 for the two
causes combined.
For Utah the recorded fatality rate due to gas explosion was only
0.49 and for dust explosion 0.98 per 10,000, but this very low rate
would be changed into an extremely high rate if the great disaster
o f May 1, 1900, at the Winter Quarters mine, officially classified as
due to a powder explosion, (a) had been classified as a gas and dust
explosion, which under a given interpretation of the evidence was
probably the true cause. The fatality rate due to gas explosions
has been very high in Washington, or 10.25 for gas explosion, 4.60
for explosions due to “ afterdamp ” and 0.84 for explosions due to
white damp, a combined total o f 15.69 per 10,000. For West Virginia
the returns do not separate dust explosions from fatalities due to the
use o f explosives, but when the known facts o f the most serious ex
plosion which has occurred in that State are taken into consideration,
it may safely be asserted that the risk of gas and dust explosions
in West Virginia is decidedly above the average for the North
American coal fields as a whole.
The cause and prevention o f gas and dust explosions involve so
many complex technical considerations that they can not be discussed
here, but the. following extract from the Thirteenth Biennial Beport
o f the Chief Mine Inspector of Colorado is o f practical interest in
connection with the preceding discussion:
A ll coal beds are more or less charged with occluded gases of
various kinds, which are injurious to health if breathed in certain
quantities and for any length o f time. As soon as the air enters a
mine, it begins to take up these gases as they issue forth from the
pores in the coal, and the percentage o f impregnation o f the air
naturally increases all along its course until the outlet is reached.
The air is further contaminated by noxious gases generated by the
breathing o f men and mules, by the burning o f lights, by the com
bustion o f powder, and the decomposition of matter through various
sources. It is then very obvious how necessary it is to keep a copious
supply o f fresh air continuously traveling through a mine.(&)
The danger o f gas explosion is largely increased by poor or defec
tive methods o f ventilation. An adequate air supply is not only
required as a safeguard against the accumulation of dangerous gases,
but is a prerequisite to the maintenance o f the health o f miners and
animals employed underground. The economic aspects of proper
a Report o f the state coal mine inspector o f Utah for 1900, p. 65 et seq.
h For a full discussion of the whole subject of mine air in its relation to mine
explosions and health in mines, see the Investigation of Mine Air, by Foster &
Haldane, London, 1905. This work includes as an appendix a discussion o f the
effects o f carbonic oxide in connection with an underground fire at Snaefell
mine, which occurred in May, 1897, also Statements Concerning the Sensations,
Symptoms, and After-Effects o f Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, by Dr. C. Le Neve
Foster.
472
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
mine ventilation have been discussed in the same report of the chief
mine inspector o f Colorado, as follow s:
From many years o f practical experience in the various branches
o f underground work and under different conditions o f sanitation, I
feel safe in stating that the strength, speed, and durability of men
working under extremely unfavorable conditions o f ventilation are
impaired to an extent that their normal working capacities are
reduced on an average o f at least 20 per cent. For example, assum
ing a mine, operating under extremely adverse circumstances and
having a daily output o f 1,000 tons and requiring an average of 50
company men, including drivers, timbermen, track layers, and labor
ers, at $3 per day, to haul coal and keep the mine in working order.
Then if the output is kept up when 20 per cent o f the efficiency of
the employees is lost, due to poor ventilation, it can readily be seen
that by transforming such a mine into one with first-class ventila
tion, the change would be accompanied by a reduction in the expense
o f operating equal to the advantages gained by the improvement.
Par. 1. By raising the normal capacity o f the men from 80 to 100
per cent by virtue o f an improvement in the air, then evidently the
total amount o f work done by the 50 company men in handling 1,000
tons per day could be performed with equal ease and greater comfort
by 40 men. The reduction alone o f 10 men at $3 each would be a clear
gain o f $30 per day to the operator.
Par. 2. This same rule applies also to the miners. With an increase
o f working power at a ratio o f 8 to 10, the earning capacity o f the
miners would be correspondingly raised and the working area o f the
mine wrould be proportionately reduced, and still the same daily out
put could be maintained. Therefore, with the limitation o f the work
ing territory and increased efficiency, the amount o f trackage and
timbering to keep up would be cut down, the rooms would be driven
and the pillars extracted in shorter time and before the roof reached
an advanced stage o f deterioration as well as the decay of timber.
The air courses would be shortened, and consequently fewer stoppings
to cqnstruct, and the friction against the air and leakages lessened,
further diminishing the number o f company men needed for the main
tenance o f the workings. This, together with the increased preserva
tion o f materials resulting from the concentration o f area, would be
followed by a marked reduction in the cost o f operating.
Par. 3. Moreover, the lives o f mules would be prolonged and the
number required to do the work lessened, and, as stated before, the
crumbling and falling o f roof and sides would be checked and the life
o f the timber lengthened throughout the mine. These are important
features o f economy, as the amount o f repairing would be curtailed
and the number o f company men could be further lowered, besides the
danger o f accidents due to the unavoidable deteriorating condition o f
roof and the decay o f timber would be largely eliminated.
Far. 4. In a misty mine atmosphere the men can not see or hear
warnings o f danger as quickly, and they are not as lively to get out o f
the way when it approaches; therefore accidents are more frequent
under such conditions than when the air is clear and good. Then,
inasmuch as poor ventilation is a factor productive of accidents in
this manner, it inevitably adds to the cost of production, regardless
whether the accidents are unavoidable or are caused through the negli
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
473
gence o f the officials, and thereby subject to indemnity. When a man
is injured the output suffers a setback; besides, the company is de
prived for a time of one man’s services until he recovers. I f an
employee is killed the mine is usually idle two or three days, which
fact incurs a loss to the mine of the fixed charges or regular running
expenses paid in wages for engineers, pumpmen, timbermen, clerical
force, and the cost o f operating steam plants, feed for stock, etc., all
o f which have to be kept up just the same as when the mine is running.
Inadequate ventilation and defective conduction of the air currents
are the causes which bring about gas explosions. O f course it is
possible for a part, or parts of even a well-ventilated mine to be
invaded by dangerous accumulations of explosive gas through unfore
seen occurrences which would impede or cut off the air current and an
explosion ensues. The additional expense thrown upon the mine own
ers through explosions is sometimes enormous and often exceeds the
cost o f equipment and maintaining a first-class system o f ventilation
through the whole life o f a property. The extent of the extra cost
thus incurred, and not considering the indemnities companies are
liable to in case o f neglect, is dependent upon the degree of damage to
the mine, the time the daily tonnage is cut off, the extra force o f com
pany men and the amount o f material needed to reopen and restore it
to normal condition. It is very often under such circumstances that
many of the best men leave camp and months and sometimes years
elapse before the mine is restored to its former standard.
Poor ventilation breeds contempt and a general dissatisfaction
among the men. It creates hard feelings between the employees and
the officials and invites agitation and strikes.
Summing up the various items and discarding the heavy expenses
under paragraph 4, we find the following difference in the cost of
operating, when a mine is changed from the poorest condition of
sanitation to the best:
(1) Due to the first reduction in number of company men________________ $30
(2) Due to saving material and reduction of company men through con
centration of work_________________________________________________
4
(3) Due to limitation of work in attending roof and timber and using
fewer mules________________________________________________________
6
Total saving per day_____________________________________________
40
A property containing 640 acres with a 5-foot bed of coal, if
properly mined, would yield 4,680,000 tons. To mine this at the rate
of 1,000 tons per day would require 4,680 days, or , about 15 years
working full time, excepting Sundays and holidays. Therefore, a
careless mode of operating, as illustrated in the foregoing statement,
would incur an extra expenditure upon the company of $12,480 per
year, or a total loss of $187,200 during the life o f the mine.
The above figures show the difference in results between the two
extreme limits, but I want it further understood that a mine con
ducted upon any o f the various grades o f sanitation below the first
class is economically affected in its percentage under par. For
instance, mines having a sanitary condition 50 and 75 per cent below
the perfect mark would suffer to the extent o f $20 to $30 per day,
respectively, etc. Therefore, admitting that the above figures and
statements are correct and which any practical mining man must
474
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
concede, it is conclusive that a mine official who permits such
unhealthy conditions to prevail on the plea of economy is grossly
ignorant and robs his master of legitimate profits at the expense of the
health and life o f the employees under him as well as neglecting the
preservation of the property.
These observations fully confirm the conclusion arrived at after an
analysis o f the statistical evidence, that the whole subject o f mine
explosions due to gas or dust requires to be dealt with in a thoroughly
scientific manner. (®) The tendency, fortunately, is in this direction
and at no time has expert judgment been as generally applied to mine
management as to-day. What is true in this respect o f gas and dust
explosions is equally true o f fatalities resulting from the accidental
explosion o f powder, dynamite, premature blasts, missed shots, etc.
Perhaps no class o f accidents illustrates more forcibly the want o f
discipline, training, and successful mine experience than safety in
the use o f explosives, and it may be laid down as a first principle in
all mine management that accidents due to this group o f causes will
be in almost exact proportion to the skill and intelligence o f the labor
employed.
EXPLOSIONS OF POWDER OR DYNAMITE.
Explosions o f dynamite, or powder and blasts, including miscel
laneous accidents o f this nature, caused a fatality rate in the North
American coal fields of 3.75 per 10,000 employed, or 11.2 per cent of
the deaths from all causes. Accidents due to powder or dynamite
only caused a standard or average fatality rate of 1.77, o f blasts
(chiefly premature explosions) 1.45, and miscellaneous causes of this
nature 0.53 per 10,000 employed. Accidents due to powder and dyna
mite explosions are not separated in the returns and it is quite prob
able that common blasting powder is not always clearly distinguished
from high explosives, which probably are, sometimes at least, classi
fied as “ powder ” explosions. The fatality rate from these causes is
high and naturally there are wide variations in the rates for the d if
ferent coal fields. The table which follows shows the fatality rate
due to explosives for the different coal fields in the order of their
importance, compared with the standard average of 3.75 for the
North American coal fields as a whole.
a See the special report o f the Chief Inspector of Mines on the Explosion at
Washington “ Glebe ” Colliery, February 20, 190S; Parliamentary Paper Cd.,
4183, London, 1908. See also Bulletin 425 of the United States Geological Sur
vey on Explosibility o f Coal Dust, by George S. Rice, Washington, 1910, which
includes a bibliography on coal dust as a cause of colliery explosions.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINING.
475-
F A TA L-A C C ID E N T R A TE S IN COAL M IN ING IN NORTH AM ER IC A D I E TO
E X P L O S I V E S , FOR T H E PE RIO D 1809 TO 1908.
Section.
Pacific coast..........................................................................................................................................
Western................................................................................................................................................
West central.........................................................................................................................................
East central..........................................................................................................................................
S tandard or average ra te ...............................................................................................................
Southern............................................................................................................................................
Eastern.................................................................................................................................................
Northeastern.......................................................................................................................................
Rales
per
10,000
em
ployed.
24.55
16.52
6.91
5.17
3.7 5
3.27
2.19
1.11
As has been pointed out in the discussion o f fatalities due to gas
and dust explosion, the classification of accidents by causes is often
of doubtful accuracy, and it is quite probable that this in part
explains the extremely high rate for the Pacific coast section. In
a general way, however, the rates conform to mining experience and
well-known differences in methods and usage. The rate of con
sumption o f explosives in mining in the Western States is undoubt
edly higher than in the more conservative and economical mining
methods o f the Eastern States. The range in the fatality rates is
from 1.11 in the northeastern section (Nova Scotia) to 24.55 per
10,000 for the Pacific coast States. The rates for the several States
emphasize the importance o f the suggestion that all returns of acci
dents due to “ explosives ” require to be used with great caution. In
British Columbia, for illustration, “ explosions due to causes un
known ” caused a fatality rate of 44.25 per 10,000, or of 47.9 per cent
o f the fatalities due to all causes, while explosions of powder and dy
namite, specified as such, caused a rate o f only 1.09. In Colorado the
combined fatality rate due to explosions was 4.64, but of these 2.27
was ascribed to fire damp, 1.38 to premature shots, 0.59 to delayed
shots, 0.30 to explosions o f powder, and 0.10 to explosions o f lamps.
In Illinois the combined rate was 5.08, but of this 2.09 was due to
explosions o f blasts, 1.21 to explosions of powder, 1.08 to flying coal
after blasts or explosions, 0.62 to blown-out shots, and 0.02 to ex
plosions o f dynamite, and the same rate due to explosion o f gasoline
torch. Still more varied have been the reported causes o f explosions
in Indiana, where the combined rate was 6.40 per 10,000, o f which
1.47 was due to the explosion o f powder, 1.40 to delayed shots, 0.87
to premature shots, 0.60 to “ windy shots,” 0.53 to “ explosions o f
smoke ” ( ? ) , 0.40 to explosion o f shots through pillars, 0.33 to fire
damp, and the remainder o f 0.80 to miscellaneous causes. In Okla
homa the combined rate was 21.42, of which 8.81 was due to shot
firing, 3.63 to windy shots, 3.28 to explosions o f dynamite, 2.25 to
explosions not specified, 2.07 to explosions o f powder, and 1.21 to
476
BULLETIN OE THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
“ returning too soon,” to shots, etc. These illustrations bring out the
varied causes o f mine fatalities resulting from the use of explo
sives.^) The details for the several States are given in full in
Table X X I I I o f the appendix.
ASPHYXIATION,
Deaths from asphyxiation are separately returned in many States,
aside from the deaths due to gas asphyxiation, as the result o f gas
and dust explosions. Deaths o f this nature are quite common, as
the result o f careless exposure to powder and dynamite fumes, as
well as to mine gases, and in the aggregate 271 such deaths have been
reported in a total o f 18,346 deaths from all causes in the coal fields
o f North America. The standard or average fatality rate has been
0.50 per 10,000, while the proportion o f these accidents to the deaths
from all causes was 1.5 per cent. The rate has been highest in the
western section, or 1.31, in the Pacific coast section 0.64, in the eastern
section and in the west-central section 0.59. Practically no accidents
o f this nature were specifically reported for the southern coal fields
and none for the northeastern (Nova Scotia). In the east-central
section the rate was only 0.26. It is practically certain that the rates
for this cause for some o f the States at least are untrustworthy.
With few exceptions the fatalities are the result o f reckless exposure,
but no definite conclusion will be possible until the returns discrim
inate between asphyxiation due to gas and deaths from this cause
due to asphyxiation by powder or dynamite, smoke, drowning, etc.
MINING MACHINERY.
Mining machinery caused 332 deaths in the coal fields o f North
America, out o f a total mortality of 18,346 from all causes, or 1.8 per
cent. The standard or average fatality rate due to this cause was
0.61 per 10,000, having been highest in the northeastern section, or
1.52, and lowest in the west-central section, or 0.19. The term
“ accidents by mining machinery ” is indefinite, but probably includes
deaths caused by coal-cutting machines, screens, in breakers, by
shafting or gearing, etc. Definite conclusions would not be war
ranted until the returns are made in more detail, as is now the case
in some o f the States. Most of the deaths due to machinery are due
to exposure to unguarded machines, particularly at conveyors,
screens, gearings, etc. Proper safeguards, which have been in use
in European countries for many years, would make many such
a In this connection reference may be made to a very useful publication by the
United States Geological Survey, entitled A Primer on Explosives for Coal
Miners, Washington, D. C., 1910, and to the List of Permissible Explosives, pub
lished by the same authority.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
477
accidents impossible. As yet the requirements in the several States
for protective devices on machinery in motion are very defective, and
the laws are often not complied with.
MULES.
The use o f mules in underground mining is still very common,
although mechanical haulage is gradually taking the place o f animal
traction. There were 73 deaths caused by mules, but it is quite prob
able that the number was larger, if deaths indirectly caused by mules,
such as squeezes against mine walls, car accidents due to cantankerous
animals, etc., had been included, as seems not to have been the case.
The fatality rate due to this cause was 0.13 per 10,000, the rate hav
ing been highest in the eastern section, or 0.16, where relatively the
largest number of mules are employed. Outside o f the eastern sec
tion this cause is not o f material importance. Deaths o f this nature
are due chiefly to mule kicks, run-over accidents, boys being acci
dentally crushed between mules and mine walls, or cars, etc. Except
for the employment of experienced drivers and passageways of suffi
cient width, there are few safety precautions which experience can
suggest that are likely to be effective.
ELECTROCUTION.
The introduction of electricity into mining operations underground
has considerably increased the liability to fatal accidents. (®) The
uses o f electricity in mining include all the essentials o f mine opera
tions, from coal cutting, rock drilling, hoisting and haulage, to light
ing, pumping, and the driving o f ventilating fans. Electricity has
replaced a large number of mules and horses, with a corresponding
decrease in the number of boys employed as drivers. Electricity has
gradually replaced compressed air as a motive power for operating
coal-cutting machines, with a resulting increase in the accident lia
bility o f the workmen. Accidents due to electricity have been o f
common occurrence, although relatively the proportion o f officially
reported fatal accidents due to electricity has not been large. An
electric spark may be the cause o f a serious explosion, which, how
ever, would be recorded as due to gas or dust, since most i f not all
o f the deaths would be due to gas asphyxiation or the resulting fall*3
0
®The subject is fully discussed in a Special Report of the Census Office;
Mines and Quarries 1902, Chap III, which deals with electricity in mines. In
this connection reference may also be had to “ The Safe Use o f Electricity in
Coal Mining,” by Sydney F. Walker, Engineering and Mining Journal, October
30, 1909; “ Electricity in Modern Coal Mining,” by Harvey J. Nelms, same
publication, December 5,1908; “ Is the Electric Current Safe in Coal Mines? ” by
Rush N. Hosier, idem, July 4, 1908; “ The German Investigations to Determine
the Dangers from Electric Appliances in Coal Mines,” idem, April 9, 1898.
478
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
o f roof, or otherwise, but rarely to the direct effect o f electricity
itself. It needs no extended knowledge o f the dangers o f electricity
and the ever-present possibility o f defective insulation to contradict
the returns for the last 10 years, according to which there have only
been 193 deaths due to “ electrocution,” which, o f course, means the
direct effect o f electric shock. The most serious danger is not from
electric shock, but electric sparks igniting dangerous gases or dust,
and this risk may materially increase if electric shot firing comes
ijito common use. The standard or average fatality rate due to
“ electrocution ” has been 0.35 per 10,000, but this rate does not ac
curately measure the accident risk due to electricity in mining oper
ations. The fatality rate has been highest in the southern section, or
0.72, in the western section 0.62, and 0.53 in the Pacific Coast section,
while it has been only 0.12 in the east-central section, 0.16 in the
west-central section, and 0.36 in the eastern section. The rate, how
ever, has been considerably higher in some o f the States, and, among
others, 1.22 in Alabama, 0.79 in Colorado, 1.04 in Oklahoma, 0.98 in
Ohio, 0.56 in the Pennsylvania bituminous mines, 0.83 in Tennessee,
and 1.05 in Washington. No deaths due to electricity were specific
ally reported in the summary o f causes in British Columbia, nor in
Iowa, Kansas, and a few other States. For the anthracite coal field of
Pennsylvania the rate was only 0.03, and for Illinois 0.09 per 10,000
employed. These rates must therefore be accepted with great cau
tion, for they are obviously an understatement o f the facts, which
can only be fully determined by a complete analysis o f the individual
returns for all the States for a period o f years. Electrical accidents
are no doubt occasionally classified with miscellaneous causes, which is
unavoidable in the absence o f a uniform classification o f the causes
o f mine accidents in the different States. As conclusive evidence o f
the serious risk involved in the extensive use o f electricity in under
ground mining the following is quoted from the report o f the chief
inspector o f coal mines for Pennsylvania, who in his report for 1901
said:
Electricity is one cause o f fatalities in the bituminous mines (7
having lost their lives through it during 1901) that so far has not
proved fatal to any person in the anthracite mines. Electricity in
various forms has been the cause o f many deaths in the soft-coal
mines, either from the men coming in contact with the electric trolley
wTire, or with the electric wire that carries the power to the electric
cutting machines.' In my opinion, separate traveling ways should be
provided for the workmen when the haulage is done by electricity,
unless the wires can be raised to a distance o f at least 6 feet from the
rail, and even then there should be sufficient room for passing on the
main haulage roads at all points, as men can not always reach the
“ safety holes” in time. In every case where electric machines are
used for cutting coal, the wires should be made absolutely safe, as
men in the hurry o f their work forget about the “ deadly wire,” touch
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
479
it, and all is over, and the report follows, “ Killed by an electric
shock.” Humanity demands protection for the workingmen from
this most deadly agent recently introduced and employed in coal
mines. I hope the time will come when “ compressed air,” “ liquid
air,” or some other agent will supplant electricity in coal mines.
In gaseous mines, electric cutting machines or other electric motors
should never be permitted in use, as otherwise sooner or later they
will be the cause o f a great catastrophe.
It is impossible to say how far electricity has been the responsible
cause for some o f the great mining calamities of recent years, but it
is an entirely safe assumption that some of the disastrous gas explo
sions have been due to gas or dust ignited by electric sparks. At least
the same question has been raised in England, and according to an
extended discussion of this subject in the Engineering and Mining
Journal o f May 21, 1910, on 64The use o f electricity in British coal
mines,” it was said that—
During the last 12 months or more the use o f electricity in mines
has attracted a great deal of attention in the United Kingdom. In
the present circumstances, it may be said there is a feeling o f appre
hension in many quarters, and the suspicion that this power has
played an important part in some recent disasters is gaining ground.
It is not so much that electricity in itself as a power has been blamed,
although among some o f the miners’ organizations there has been a
mild agitation in favor of Parliament being called upon to enforce
the removal o f electricity from dry and dusty mines. The outcome
o f such a procedure would simply be the strengthening o f legislation
in such a manner as to insure that the electrical apparatus installed
in the mines would be of a greatly improved quality, which would
insure greater safety.
The same article contains a quotation from an address by Mr. Rob
ert Nelson before the Institute of Mining Engineers, which reads in
part as follow s:
A coal mine is the last place in the world where ill-designed elec
trical apparatus should be used. The risk of employing inferior
material is too great to be run. The best advice should, therefore, be
obtained on the design of an installation and on the purchase of appa
ratus. Later the most careful and competent supervision is required
during progress of the work, but given due attention to these impor
tant matters successful operation in the future is much simplified. A
daily test o f the operation o f all automatically opened circuits is
advisable; but a complete test as regards the proper working and
insulation o f all parts should be made at least every three months,
and the results recorded for future reference. It is also advisable
that the danger o f touching current-carrying apparatus, such as
cables and motors, should be pointed out from time to time to all the
workmen employed in the mine, or in some way kept constantly
before them.
It is made evident by these warnings on the part o f competent
mining engineers that the risk resulting from the introduction o f
480
BULLETIN OF TITE BUREAU OF LABOR.
electricity into mines has materially increased the underground
hazard, and that the true risk is unquestionably greater than the
apparent risk, is measured by the recorded fatality rate due to “ elec
trocution.” The increasing importance o f electrical risk in mining is
made evident by the declared purpose and object of the recently
established Institute o f Electrical Mining Engineers in England,
which sets forth that—
The purposes for which the institute is established, are:
1. To consider means for minimizing the risk attending the appli
cation o f electricity to the industry o f mining and to promote the
adoption o f approved methods and devices tending to increase safety.
2. To promote the general advancement of electrical science in its
applications to the industry o f mining; to facilitate the exchange o f
information and ideas on this subject among the members o f the
institute and otherwise; and generally, to extend the experience, in
crease the efficiency, and elevate the status o f those engaged in such
applications.
In briefly commenting upon these principles o f the new organiza
tion, the president, Mr. William Maurice, an experienced mine man
ager, said:
Who is there among you who can not recall accidents and narrow
escapes from accidents by the dozen, almost every one o f which had
its origin in some form o f neglect or carelessness? In fact (and it is
an indisputable fact, lying at the root of the whole problem o f the
safe use o f electricity in mines) accidents do not happen at all on
account o f some mysterious and incalculable property o f electricity,
but simply and solely for want o f order, cleanliness, and common
care. Merely a little elementary technical knowledge, if associated
with intelligent application, would work wonders in the prevention
o f accidents. A t many collieries there are dynamo attendants, motor
drivers, wiremen, and others associated with electrical plants who
have had no technical training. They have, in fact, picked up all
they know in course o f the performance o f their work.
Thus, in its final analysis, it is largely a question o f efficient labor
and adequate skilled supervision, by means o f which the risk due to
electricity in mining can be reduced, but not done away with. The
whole subject will be further inquired into by a special departmental
committee, which will consider the working o f existing rules for the
use o f electricity in British mines and what amendments are neces
sary to reduce the risk to a minimum. In view o f what has been said
by the chief mine inspector of Pennsylvania, the subject evidently
demands similar public consideration in this country.
MISCELLANEOUS MINE ACCIDENTS.
Miscellaneous accidents in coal mines constitute 6 per cent of the
18,346 fatalities included in these statistics. The standard or average
fatality rate for this group was 2.02 per 10,000, an item sufficiently
481
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINING.
large to demand a more explicit statement of the facts It is often the
case that the so-called miscellaneous accidents are largely o f the kind
that fall within the preventable class, but the mining statistics at
present afford no opportunity to deal with this group in sufficient de
tail to determine the exact causes responsible for their occurrence. In
some o f the States the proportion is much larger than the average*
and among others, in Alabama, 17.4 per cent were classed as miscel
laneous, or 8.67 per 10,000. In British Columbia the proportion was
7.1 per cent, but in Colorado only 0.5 per cent, and in Illinois 0.2
per cent, so that it may safely be asserted that the difficulties o f
exact classification are not insuperable. The facts regarding mis
cellaneous accidents for each State are given in Table X X I I I o f
the appendix.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF 2,660 FATAL MINE ACCIDENTS IN TH E
UNITED STATES DURING 1908.
During 1908 there occurred 2,660 fatal accidents in coal mining
in the United States for which more or less complete information is
available regarding the cause, age, race or nativity, conjugal condi
tion, dependence, and length o f mine service, which constitute the
elements o f every statistical inquiry into the subject of coal-mining
casualties. Not all of this information is available for each accident
on account o f the regrettable dissimilarity in the returns, but all the
facts officially returned are condensed in the analysis which follows
and the statistical tables included in the appendix. The ages o f the
killed, for illustration, are given in only 2,269 accidents out of the
2,660 included in the present investigation, but the difference in
numbers, o f course, does not impair the value of the age distribution
as given below:
PERSONS
K IL L E D
IN
COAL M INING IN TH E
DEA TH , 1908.
UN ITED
STATES,
AT
A g e a t d e a th .
N um ber.
an d 14 y ea rs.
t o 19 y e a r s . .
to 24 y e a r s ..
to 29 y e a r s ..
t o 3 4 y e a r s . .,
to 39 y e a r s ..
to 44 y e a r s ...
t o 49 y e a r s . . .
AGE
P e rso n s k ille d .
P e r s o n s k ille d .
A g e a t d e a th .
13
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
BY
10
232
415
447
331
300
209
145
P er cent
o f t o t a l.
0 .4
1 0 .2
1 8 .3
1 9 .7
1 4 .6
1 3 .2
9 .2
6 .4
N um ber.
50
55
60
65
70
75
Per ce n t
o f to ta l.
t o 5 4 y e a r s .......................................
t o 59 y e a r s .......................................
t o 6 4 y e a r s .......................................
t o 6 9 y e a r s .......................................
t o 7 4 y e a r s .......................................
y e a r s a n d o v e r .............................
92
52
19
12
4
1
4 .1
2 .3 :
.8
.5
.2 .
.1
T o t a l ............................................
2 ,2 6 9
1 0 0 .0
It is extremely significant that there should have been 10 deaths
at ages under 15 and 282 deaths at so early an age as 15 to 19
during the course o f a single year. Similar information has not
62717°— No. 90—10----- 1
482
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
heretofore been made public and the table is therefore a most useful
contribution to the problem of child labor in its relation to child
life. (a) The details of age distribution, by single years, are given in
Table I o f the appendix, but it may here be stated that of the age
group 15 to 19 there were 13 deaths at age 15, 34 at age 16, 38 at age
17, 58 at age 18, and 89 at age 19. Unfortunately the number em
ployed at these ages is not known, but the facts stated suggest the
necessity o f a full return o f persons employed in coal mining by
single years o f life at ages under 21. Such a return is called for by
the highest considerations o f public policy as a necessary basis for
the calculation of the true fatality rate among young persons em
ployed in a decidedly dangerous industry. Errors in age returns are
common, but they tend to equalize themselves in the age groups
adopted for the present purpose, so that the preceding table may be
safely accepted as an approximation to the truth. The table brings
out the fact that coal-mining fatalities occur most frequently in the
age period when life has its highest economic value and when the
resulting loss to the community is most serious in the form of de
pendent widows and orphans, on the one hand, and the absolute loss
o f slowly acquired labor efficiency on the other. O f the 2,269 deaths
at specified ages, 56.7 per cent occurred between the ages 25 and 44,
while 13.6 per cent o f the deaths occurred at ages 45 to 64, inclusive,
and 0.8 per cent at ages 65 and over.
The age distribution of the killed naturally varies considerably
in the different employments. The average age at death for all
occupations was 31.8 years, but the average has been as lowr as 18.1
years for trappers, and as high as 33.6 years for miners. The de
tails, by occupations, are given in Table I I o f the appendix. The
table is o f considerable interest, in that it brings out the manysided character o f coal mining as carried on under varying condi
tions throughout the nation, and while some o f the names of occupa-*1
6
a The following account is from the Annual Report o f the Mine Inspector for
Maryland, for the year ending May 1, 1910, p. 16:
“ John Hogan, a miner, aged 14 years, residing with his parents at Frostburg,
was killed instantly by a fall o f roof composed o f rock and coal at mine No. 10,
Tyson, o f the Consolidation Coal Company, near Eckhart, on November 22,
1909. This boy was working with his father in a room where the roof had to
be shot down for height on the roadside. The system generally practiced in this
kind of work is the miner puts up what is called breakers before he shoots; in
this case this was not done and from the effects o f the powder from the last
shot, which loosened the roof all over the place, which was 21 feet wide and
16 feet from the last prop to the face, made the place unsafe and in no condi
tion to work under. They were working near the face when the roof fell,
injuring the father and killing the son. It was very sad to see such a bright
little life crushed out in such a manner. John was well liked by all his little
friends/'
483
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
tions are probably the equivalents of other occupation titles, they
are given as returned in the official reports to avoid a possible errone
ous interpretation. For the more important occupations the number
o f deaths, the years o f life, and the average ages at death are sum
marized in the table below:
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS IN COAL M IN ING IN TH E U N ITED STATES, BY P R IN C IP A L
OCCUPATIONS AND AV E R AG E AGE A T DEA TH , 1008.
O c c u p a t io n .
N um ber
k il le d .
T o ta l
years
o f life .
A verage
age at
d e a th
(y e a rs).
D r i v e r s ................................................................................................................................................................
L o a d e r s ...............................................................................................................................................................
M a c h in e r u n n e r s .........................................................................................................................................
M in e r s ..................................................................................................................................................................
M in e la b o r e r s ......................................................................................................................... .*.....................
S h o t f ir e r s ........................................................................................................................................................
T r a p p e r s ...........................................................................................................................................................
139
134
52
1 ,1 3 3
228
28
2G
3 ,2 7 1
4 ,2 3 9
1 ,6 5 0
3 8 ,0 3 9
6 ,8 8 8
1 ,0 3 2
471
2 3 .5
3 1 .6
3 1 .7
3 3 .6
3 0 .2
3 6 .9
1 8 .1
A l l o c c u p a t io n s ..............................................................................................................................
2 ,2 6 9
7 2 ,2 5 4
3 1 .8
According to this table the 2,269 men killed whose ages were known
had lived a total of 72,254 years, or an average of 31.8 years. Since
the termination o f life was caused by accident instead of by natural
causes, it is a reasonable supposition that but for the accidents the
duration o f life would not have fallen materially below the normal.
At 32 years o f age the normal expectation by the most recent English
life tables (there being no corresponding life tables for the United
States) is 31.51 years. I f this number of years is multiplied by the
number o f accidents (2,660), which includes the 391 accidents to
persons whose ages were not stated, but who were presumably of the
same average age, the net loss in years o f life as the result of fatal ac
cidents in coal mining occurring during the year 1908 may be con
servatively estimated at 84,000. Assuming that the average age
at commencing wTork was 15, the men killed lived on an average not
quite 17 years subsequent to their entry into the mining industry. At
age 15 the normal expectation o f life by the most recent English
life tables is 45.21 years, so that the amount of not realized lifetime
is represented by 28.41 years for the individual and 75,500 years for
the 2,660 deaths reported during 1908. In other words, the curtailed
average lifetime as the result o f coal-mining fatalities is o f most seri
ous economic and social significance. I f the facts were clearly real
ized, it would be difficult, indeed, to induce young men to enter so per
ilous a vocation, e x cep t as an inevitable alternative as a matter of selfsupport. The waste as measured in years of human life implies a
very material destruction o f national wealth. Although it is not
possible to assign a definite monetary value to a human life, it requires
no discussion to sustain the view that the loss involved in the destruc
tion of human life as the result o f coal-mining casualties is absolute
484
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
and represents a destruction of national wealth o f the highest poten
tial value in the form of trained human energy.
The causes o f accidents by occupation in detail are given in Table
I I I o f the appendix. O f the 2,GG0 fatal accidents 229, or 8.G per cent,
were due to falls of coal and 90G, or 34.1 per cent, to falls of roof,
rock, or slate. When these twTo causes are combined, it appears that
nearly one-half the entire number o f fatalities were the result of a
single group o f clearly defined causes and conditions. The facts are
summarized in the table below, which is self-explanatory and requires
no extended consideration:
CAUSES OF F A TA L ACCIDEN TS IN COAL M INING IN T H E U N ITED STATES, 1908.
F a t a l ac c id e n t s .
C au se.
N um ber.
P er cent
o f t o t a l.
F a l l s o f c o a l ............................................................................................................................................ , ..............................
F a l l s o f r o o f, r o c k , a n d s l a t e ........................................................................................................................................
F a l l s i n t o s h a f t s ....................................................................................................................................................................
F a l l s in t o s l o p e ......................................................................................................................................................................
M in e c a r s ....................................................................................................................................................................................
O u t s i d e c a r s .............................................................................................................................................................................
E x p lo s io n s :
G a s a n d d u s t .................................................................................................................................................................
P o w d e r a n d d y n a m i t e ...........................................................................................................................................
B l a s t .....................................................................................................................................................................................
B o i l e r s .................................................................................................................................................................................
M a c h i n e r y .................................................................................................................................................................................
M u l e s .............................................................................................................................................................................................
A s p h y x i a t i o n ..........................................................................................................................................................................
E l e c t r i c i t y .................................................................................................................................................................................
M is c e lla n e o u s ..........................................................................................................................................................................
229
906
70
5
32 6
60
8 .6
3 4 .1
2 .6
.2
1 2 .2
2 .3
636*
61
133
7
58
9
32
55
73
2 3 .9
2 .3
5 .0
.3
2 .2
.3
1 .2
2 .1
2 .7
T o t a l ................................................................................................................................................................................
2 ,6 6 0
1 0 0 .0
The length of mining experience, using that term as inclusive of
any employment in connection with mining operations, is not specif
ically returned in most o f the official reports, but only for West V ir
ginia and Tennessee. The information is, therefore, limited to 588
fatal accidents occurring during 1908 in the two States named, and
the facts are set forth in convenient form in the table below, while
details for individual occupations are given in Table IV of the
appendix:
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS IN COAL M IN ING IN W EST V IR G IN IA AND T E N N E SSE E , BY
DU RATIO N OF M INE E XP E R IE N C E , 1908.
F a t a l a c c id e n ts .
D u r a t i o n o f m i n e e x p e r ie n c e .
N um ber.
U n d e r 3 m o n t h s ....................................................................................................................................................................
3 a n d u n d e r . 6 m o n t h s .......................................................................................................................................................
6 a n d u n d e r 12 m o n t h s ....................................................................................................................................................
1 a n d u n d e r 5 y e a r s ............................................................................................................................................................
5 a n d u n d e r 10 y e a r s ..........................................................................................................................................................
1 0 a n d u n d e r 15 y e a r s .......................................................................................................................................................
15 a n d u n d e r 2 0 y e a r s .......................................................................................................................................................
2 0 vears and over. . ________________________ ______ __________ ________ __________________
Total_______________
P e r c e n t,
o f t o t a l.
33
28
51
255
154
43
13
11
5 .6
4 .8
8 .7
4 3 .3
2 6 .2
7 .3
2 .2
1 .9
588
1 0 0 .0
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
485
According to the foregoing table there were 33 deaths out of the
588, or 5.6 per cent, of men who had been less than 3 months at
work. The number o f men killed with less than 1 year o f mine
experience was 112, or 19.1 per cent of the total, which it is safe
to assume is rather out of proportion to the corresponding number
employed. It is significant that there should have been 43 deaths o f
men who had been at work from 10 to 14 years, and 13 deaths o f men
with from 15 to 19 years of mine experience, and 11 deaths o f men
with 20 or more years’ experience. It is therefore clearly proven that
mine experience, even of considerable length, is not necessarily a
protective factor, although it is quite probable that in proportion to
the number employed the fatality rate is relatively less among men
with long experience than among those with short experience. The
difference naturally results from successful adaptation to conditions
o f life involving unusual hazards and fatal consequences of negligence
not common to those who work under conditions with which they are
more or less familiar. It is a matter o f regret that the duration of
mine experience should not be stated in the returns o f the mine in
spectors o f other States than West Virginia and Tennessee.
The social aspects o f coal-mining fatalities are emphasized in the
conjugal condition of the persons killed and the number o f children
left fatherless. The returns are not entirely explicit or conclusive,
for it is not clear whether the widowed are included among the single
or the married, nor whether the children were of a dependent age or
not. In the case o f many miners o f mature age it is obvious that the
children are no longer dependent upon the family, and it would,
therefore, be a hazardous guess to estimate the resulting social burden
involved in the support o f all the children reported in the official
returns. It would be o f material value if the ages o f the children
Avere required to be stated, for it would then be possible to calculate
the social burden implied in their support. According to German
data the average age o f children made dependent through coal
mining casualties was 8 years, so that the average duration o f their
dependence to an age o f complete self-support may be placed at 10
years. There is, unfortunately, no corresponding information for
this country. According to the official returns as given in de
tail in Table V of the appendix, there were 1,233 wives made
widows and 2,421 children were made fatherless. I f allowance
is made for defective returns, it is quite probable that the actual num
ber o f wives made widows through coal-mining accident fatalities
was not less than 1,300, and that the number o f orphans or fatherless
children was not less than 2,500 during the year 1908. O f this num
ber it is safe to assume that 2,000 were under 15 years o f age, in view
of the fact that the average age o f miners killed was about 32 years.
There are no data by which it is possible to calculate the social de
486
BULLETIN OP THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
pendence resulting from coal-mining accidents, but it is self-evident
that in probably the large majority o f cases the wives made widows
were compelled to seek their own support, mostly in an humble
capacity, while the support o f the children was partly at least shared
by others, to their own social or economic disadvantage. A fixed
family income, be it what it may, can not be suddenly terminated
without serious social and economic consequences, and it is a safe
inference that in many cases these consequences are deplorable from
the moral, physical, and economic points o f view.
DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF FATAL ACCIDENTS IN ILLINOIS, 1904 TO 1908.
Even the most complete tabular analysis o f coal-mining accidents
can not possibly disclose the many and varied circumstances under
which such accidents take place. The brief descriptive accounts of
fatalities which are usually included in the annual reports of mine
inspectors rarely do more than emphasize the general features o f such
occurrences. No complete account o f fatal mine accidents in North
America in any one year has been rendered, although the utility of
such an analysis can not be questioned. For the present purpose it
has only been possible to make such an analysis o f the deaths occur
ring in the coal mines o f Illinois during the 5 years ending with
June 30, 1908. It has been customary for a number of years to
include in the coal statistics o f that State, as published by the bureau
o f labor statistics, a reasonably full account o f each death, and in the
following discussion the facts are presented in exactly the same form
as they have been officially made public, except that the occupations,
or causes, have been grouped and that only the more significant and
suggestive cases are dealt with in detail. It would, manifestly,
serve no practical purpose to give separately all of the many deaths
due to fall o f coal or slate, etc., most of which are reported in identical
language, and rarely with a full account of the surrounding circum
stances. There is, indeed, much that is suggestive o f neglect to inquire
into all the facts and conditions, more or less contributing to these
numerous occurrences, which are disposed o f with the simple official
statement that “ John Smith, miner, age 40, married, was killed
instantly by falling rock.” Considering that casualties o f this kind
constituted 47.1 per cent of the coal-mining fatalities in the State
o f Illinois during 1908, it would seem a matter o f the utmost im
portance that all the facts having a direct or remote bearing upon
the occurrence should be inquired into and given in full in the
annual report.
During the 5 years ending with June 30, 1908, there occurred in
the State o f Illinois 859 fatal accidents in coal mining, distributed
by principal causes, as follow s:
487
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
F A T A L A C CIDEN TS IN COAL M INING IN IL LIN O IS, BY CAUSES, FOR TH E PE RIO D
1904 TO 1908.
F a t a l a c c id e n t s .
C au se.
N um ber.
P er cen t
o f t o t a l.
P e r 1 0 ,0 0 0
em
p lo y e e s .
F a l l i n g c o a l ......................................................................................................................................................
F a l l i n g r o o f, s la t e , e t c .............................................................................................................................
F a l l i n g d o w n s h a f t ...............................'....................................................................................................
M in e c a r s ...........................................................................................................................................................
O u t s i d e c a r s ....................................................................................................................................................
E x p lo s io n s :
G a s o r d u s t ............................................................................................................................................
P o w d e r o r d y n a m i t e ......................................................................................................................
B l a s t ...........................................................................................................................................................
B o i l e r ..........................................................................................................................................................
M a c h i n e r y ........................................................................................................................................................
A s p h y x i a t i o n ................................................................................................................................................
E l e c t r o c u t i o n .................................................................................................................................................
M is c e lla n e o u s .................................................................................................................................................
209
196
67
116
19
2 4 .3
2 2 .8
6 .6
1 3 .5
2 .2
6 .6 6
6 .2 5
1 .8 2
3 .7 0
.6 1
64
47
105
2
16
9
4
15
7 .5
5 .5
1 2 .2
.2
1 .9
1 .1
.5
1 .7
2 .0 4
1 .5 0
3 .3 5
.0 6
.5 1
.2 9
.1 3
.4 8
T o t a l ......................................................................................................................................................
859
1 0 0 .0
2 7 .3 7
The deaths have been classified primarily with reference to the
causes responsible for their occurrence, but these do not always cor
respond, it would seem, to the final classification adopted by the labor
bureau, which may have been based upon a more complete knowledge,
as is indicated in the brief summary account to which such a report
must necessarily be limited. The accounts vary in value, chiefly
according to the several mining districts, and while they are admir
able in concise presentation o f essential facts in some cases, they are
woefully lacking in material detail in others. The facts as set forth
in the illustrative cases cited throw much light upon the causes as
well as the economic and social aspects of coal-mining casualties, in
cluding the problem of individual or corporation responsibility and
the related ones o f employers’ liability, workmen’s compensation,
community responsibility, and social dependence.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO MINERS.
During the 5 years ending with 1908, according to the annual
reports o f the mine inspector o f Illinois, there were 859 fatal acci
dents, o f which 518, or 60.3 per cent, were deaths o f miners. The
descriptive returns o f industrial casualties do not exactly conform
to this number, but quite possibly the number reported in the statis
tical tables was increased by subsequent returns aside from the acci
dents described in more or less detail. Out o f 423 fatal accidents to
miners described in detail, 246, or 58.2 per cent, were due to fall of
rock, clod, or slate, and of these the following are more or less typical
o f the conditions under which these accidents take place in the coal
mining industry o f the State o f Illinois.
488
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
F A T A L
A C C ID E N T S
TO
M IN E R S
D U E
TO
G EN ER AL
CAU SES.
December 31, 1904. John Wendel, miner, aged 24 years, single, was severely
injured by a fall of rock on his roadway, 45 feet from the face of his working
place in the No. 5 mine of the Braceville Coal Company, Braceville, Grundy
County. Deceased had quit work about 3 o’clock p. m., and was going out
when a large rock fell on him. He was conveyed to his home, where he died
about 6 o’clock the same day.
August 31, 1905. Frank Hellstrom, miner, aged 42 years, married, was
killed instantly by falling roof at the face of his working place in the Coal
Valley Mining Company’s shaft No. 2, Sherrard, Mercer County. Deceased
was working alone in the mine and was in the act of mining out the heel
of a shot when a large mass o f the roof fell from between mud slips in the
roof, crushing him through the body, with the result as stated. The rock
that fell on him would weigh about 1J tons. He leaves a widow and 6
children.
November 1, 1905. Konstantine Andreyewski, miner, aged 55 years, em
ployed at the Gallatin Coal Company’s mine, Nashville, was killed by falling
rock at the face of his room while loading a car o f coal. He leaves a widow
and 6 children. All the children except one can provide for themselves.
November 2, 1905. George Moss, miner, aged 26 years, married, had his
spine broken in the Spangler & Jones mine, Danville, Vermilion County. A
piece of rock had slipped through between two bars; the bars not being
properly propped were spread apart, letting the rock fall on him. He died in
St. Elizabeth Hospital, Danville, November 24, 1905, leaving a widow and 2
children.
March 28, 1908. Charles Condon, miner, aged 38 years, married, employed
at the mine of the Willis Coal and Mining Company, Percy. Deceased was
loading coal in a cross cut when a piece of white top slate broke loose, falling
and crushing him. The slate was next to the last cross bar. The fall was
caused by a slip running on the rib, which did not show until after the fall
had occurred. He leaves a widow and 6 children.
Accidents o f this character are apparently the direct result o f
dangers inherent in the industry, which it will always be more or less
difficult to guard against, but it is self-evident that in most, if not
all, o f these cases, no special precautions were adopted to protect the
men against the inherent risk in the employment, as well as against
their own carelessness, indifference, ignorance, or foolhardiness. No
such precautions as are in general use in the Courrieres mines of
France, as the most effective safeguards against fall o f roof, are in
use in the mines o f Illinois, although there would seem to be no
valid reason against their adoption. ( a)
The next group, of eight fatalities, furnishes definite evidence o f a
deliberate disregard o f warnings or orders on the part of the miners,
but it must be taken into consideration that the miners themselves
could not be heard in their own defense, and since the warnings or
orders were not in written form and preserved as a matter o f proof
and record, it is at least an open question as to how far the men were
really aware o f the actual risk or danger inherent in the work which
was required to be done and which they were not prevented from
a For a full discussion o f the method employed by the Courrieres Coal Mining
Company to bring about a reduction in the fatalities due to fall o f roof, see
Mines and Quarries: General Report and Statistics for 1899, Pt. II. Home
Office, London, 1900.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
489
doing, regardless of the risk, or danger, known to the supervising
officer, foreman, etc.
F A T A L
A C C ID E N T S
OF
S P E C IA L
R IS K ,
OF
P A R T IC U L A R
TO
M IN E R S ,
OR
D IS R E G A R D
IN V O L V IN G
OF
V O L U N T A R Y
W A R N IN G S
A N D
ORDERS
A S S U M P T IO N
S U G G E S T IV E
P R E C A U T IO N S .
August 11, 1905. Charles Lebby, miner, aged 32 years, married, employed at
the mine of the Chicago and Marion Coal Company, Marion, Williamson County,
was loading coal under a piece o f slate that had been marked “ danger ” by the
mine examiner. Deceased had been trying to get it down, but failed, and went
on loading his car, when the piece o f slate fell on him, killing him instantly.
Props were in the room and he could have put them under the slate, but failed
to do so. He leaves a widow and 4 children.
November 10, 1905. Adrin Rodgers, miner, aged 40 years, single, a native of
Belgium, was killed by falling rock at the face of his room in the Dering Coal
Company’s mine No. 2, Westville, Vermilion County. I inspected this mine
November 2, and found it in a dangerous condition, needing additional props
set to support the roof. I called the attention of this man at that time to the
dangerous condition, and stopped him from loading any more coal until he had
set timbers opposite in the side room and also at the working face. I also
called the attention of the mine manager to the condition of this room, and
gave him orders not to allow the men to load any more coal until the props
were set. I was called back to the mine on the 10th o f November and found
the props had been set opposite the side room, but only three props had been
set in the room since my previous visit.
May 25, 1906. Howard Hunter, miner, aged 61 years, single, employed at the
St. Louis and Big Muddy Coal Company, Dewmaine, Williamson County, was
killed by falling slate while loading his car. Pie had been notified to keep out
until the place had been timbered, but paid no attention and went to work.
He was injured internally and died the same day.
July 14, 1906. Harvey Dunning, miner, aged 24 years, single, employed at
the O’Gara Coal Company’s mine No. 6, located 2 miles south o f Harrisburg,
was killed by falling rock in room No. 4, third east entry off o f the north. The
rock was 20 feet long, 12 feet wide, and about 5 feet thick at the thickest place.
Instructions had been given by the mine manager about 1 hour before the acci
dent to set props under the r o o f; deceased promised to do so, but failed to do as
instructed.
January 31, 1907. Joseph W. Zeigler, miner and operator, aged 27 years, single,
was killed instantly by falling roof at the face of his working room in Zeigler
Brothers’ local mine, about 3 miles from Coal Valley, Rock Island County.
Deceased and his brother operated a local mine. They employed no help what
ever, mining, hoisting, and selling the coal themselves. This brother was at
work in his room. He knew the roof was dangerous and had evidently, as he
supposed, thoroughly secured the same by propping. A large slab, 12 feet long,
3 feet wide, and an average thickness o f fully 3 inches, suddenly fell, crushing
him underneath. He was dead when found by his brother, about 10 minutes
after the roof fell.
May 27, 1907. Richard D. Lewis, miner, aged 46 years, single, and employed
by the Carterville and Big Muddy Coal Company, was working in room No. 2,
east entry on the north side o f the shaft. About 3.30 p. m. he was supposed
to be preparing a shot, when a piece o f slate fell from the roof, striking him
on the back of the head, killing him instantly; the piece o f slate was about 3 by
4 feet in size and 2 inches thick. This was a draw piece o f slate, and the
deceased was warned about it in the morning and told*to take it down, and
said he would, but neglected to do so, when it fell upon him.
December 21, 1907. Charles Morton, miner, aged 42 years, married, working
in the mine of the Vivian Collieries Company, Greenridge, Macoupin County,
was engaged, and had been for some time, trying to pull a rock down at the
face of his room ; failing to bring it down, he went to work under the rock, after
being repeatedly told not to do so; the result was that the rock fell on him,
killing him instantly. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
June 23, 190S. Thomas White, miner, aged 28 years, married, was killed
instantly by being struck on the head by a heavy fall of roof at the face of his
490
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
working place in the No. 2 mine operated by the S t Paul Coal Company, at
Cherry, Bureau County. Deceased was an experienced miner. He was em
ployed in driving the eighth south entry in the mine, and was in the act of
building up a loaded car with lumps of coal when suddenly a large mass of
roof fell, striking him on the head and crushing him against the side o f the pit
car. He had been notified of the dangerous condition of the roof by the assist
ant mine manager about an hour previous to the accident, but had evidently
neglected to make it safe at the proper time. He leaves a widow and 3 children.
The voluntary assumption o f known risk does not necessarily
imply foolhardy indifference to danger or ignorance o f the danger
itself. One o f the killed was a man 61 years o f age, who had been
notified to keep out o f his working place, but the warning may have
been given in a perfunctory manner, and the man assumed the risk as
a matter o f course, which the employing company permitted him
to do.
In mining operations employing a large number o f foreigners it is
a matter o f common occurrence that the miner does not understand
the orders or warnings given by an English-speaking foreman. The
following case precisely illustrates accidents o f this kin d:
February 1, 1905. John Kochin, miner, aged 28 years, single, was killed in the
Tallula Coal Company’s mine, Tallula, Menard County, by a fall o f rock while
working in his room. Deceased had been notified by both the mine manager and
pit committee of the dangerous condition o f the roof in his room, and had been
advised to keep out until the timbermen had secured it. Kochin wras an
Austrian, and did not understand the English language nor comprehend the
warnings given to him.
The great importance o f a full understanding o f all the warnings
and orders given to the men at work requires no argument. It is selfevident that where any considerable number o f non-English-speaking
men are employed the orders and warnings should be given in the
language which they understand, as well as that all special rules
framed for their guidance and the essential provisions o f the mining
laws o f the State should be made public in the language o f the labor
class employed.
The next case is a rather interesting one, emphasizing the impor
tance not only o f mine experience, but o f extreme care and caution
on the part o f men who for some years or even months may have been
following other vocations.
October 30, 1905. John Green, miner, aged 59 years, married, was killed by
tailing slate in the coal mine at Salisbury, Sangamon County. It was the first
day that deceased had worked in a mine for many years. He leaves a widow
and 11 children.
The miner is not only exposed to the risk inherent in the mining
operation, as such, but also in resulting duties which at times become
acts o f heroism and self-sacrifice in rescue work. The following case
is one in which a man was killed while employed in putting out a
mine fire, and such accidents are by no means rare:
October 10,. 1903. Charles Nierman, miner, aged 30 years, married, employed
in the Centralia Mining and Manufacturing Company’s mine No. 2, Centralia,
Marion County. Deceased, with others, was engaged in putting out a fire that
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
491
had occurred in the m ine; the heat from the fire made the roof dangerous, part
of it gave way, injuring Nierman seriously, from the effects of which he died
the following day. He leaves a widow and 3 children.
It will be argued in many such cases that the miner knew better
or that he failed to employ ordinary or customary methods of mining,
which, i f they had been followed, would have effectually protected his
life. This may sometimes be true in the case o f men o f long expe
rience and advanced in years, but more often the men killed are young
and without the proper experience to afford them the necessary
amount o f protection. Whether a man did or did not do what he
ought to have done is also often a matter of mere conjecture, and since
the chief witness to the facts is dead the opinions or conclusions o f
others must be accepted with caution. The penalty of failure to
employ safeguards at hand, with disastrous results, is emphasized in
the case given below:
June 23, 190S. Louis Hosnak, miner, aged 23 years, single, employed by the
O’Gara Coal Company at mine No. 1, located 3 miles north o f Harrisburg, Saline
County, was killed yesterday while working in No. 8 room on fourth east entry
off of the main south entry. A piece of slate 14 feet by 16 feet and 6 inches
thick fell on him. He had props and cap pieces in his room, and, had he placed
them properly, the accident probably would not have occurred.
Aside from ignorance o f mining methods or indifference to the
employment o f recognized safety precautions, it is occasionally the
case that the injury sustained is considered unimportant, or that
medical aid is declined as too expensive, or that necessary surgical
operations are not resorted to, and, as shown in the following case,
with fatal results:
June 20, 1906. Louis Gallo, miner, aged 40 years, married, had his leg broken
by falling rock at the face o f his working place, in the No. 7 mine of the Wil
mington Star Mining Company, Coal City, Grundy County. Gallo was conveyed
to his home, where the physician in charge stated that his leg would have to be
amputated, but Gallo would not consent to have his leg taken off. He died the
next* morning.
In many cases the injury sustained is at first of small importance.
The injured miner is able to return home, or he is removed to a hos
pital, where good treatment and surgical skill preserve his life for a
considerable length o f time. Death ultimately results from the acci
dent, which in the official record o f casualties is recorded as one of
severe injury. It is impossible, o f course, to constantly correct the
records o f previous years in consequence of a subsequent report
(which is rare) to the mine employer that the accident, after all,
resulted fatally. The two accidents next described illustrate this
difficulty, which is inherent in the official reporting o f all mine acci
dents, and which warrants the conclusion that the true mortality is
larger than the reported:
October 30, 1905. Michael Valavinies, miner, aged 38 years, married, was
severely bruised on the back by falling roof at the face of his working place in
the Spring Valley Coal Company’s shaft No. 2, Spring Valley, Bureau County.
Deceased was mining in his room when a fall of roof took place, striking him
492
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
on tlie back and seriously bruising liim. The injury was such that no thought
was entertained that it would have a fatal termination, but he failed to rally,
and other complications setting in, as a result o f the injury, he died two months
after the accident. He leaves a widow and 1 child in some foreign country,
probably Russia.
January 15, 1907. Andres Jenco, miner, aged 40 years, married, was seri
ously injured by falling rock at the face o f his working room in No. 6 mine
of the Rraceville Coal Company, Braceville, Grundy County. He was taken
to the hospital in Joliet, where he died 18 days after the accident. He leaves
a widow and 1 child.
The foregoing accidents were all caused by fall o f rock, “ clod,” or
slate—that is, the material forming the so-called “ roof ” o f the mine.
In very thick seams the “ roof ” may be solid coal, but this is seldom
the case in Illinois. Falls o f coal, however, occur at the breast,
partly because o f the necessary operation of “ undercutting,” partly
after blasts, or otherwise. The number o f accidents o f this kind
described in the Illinois report is 51, or 12.1 per cent, of the 423
descriptive accidents from all causes. The following are typical
illustrations o f fatalities of this kind:
F A T A L
A C C ID E N T S
TO
M IN E R S
D U E
TO
F A L L
OF
CO AL.
August .10, 1904. Joseph Ferrari, miner, aged 41 years, was severely crushed
on the head and body by a fall o f coal at the face o f his working room in the
Illinois Third Vein Coal Company’s mine No. 1, Ladd, Bureau County. De
ceased was working with his partner and was in the act o f taking down a fall
o f coal when a large mass weighing about 2 tons came down suddenly, crushing
him against the pack wall or building. He died from the injuries sustained 48
hours after the accident. He leaves a widow and 4 children in Italy.
November 28, 1904. Mike Hartor, miner, aged 55 years, married, employed
in the Newbent Coal Company’s mine, Pana, Christian County, was instantly
killed by falling coal. Deceased was engaged in mining or undercutting the
coal in his working place. He had undercut the coal to a depth o f seven feet,
but had failed to put in sufficient sprags as supports, part o f the coal fell,
striking him and breaking his neck. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
February 27, 1905. Lolli Telespero, miner, aged 44 years, married, was
killed instantly by a fall o f coal at the face of his working place in shaft No. 1
o f the Spring Valley Coal Company, Spring Valley, Bureau County. Deceased
was in his regular working place and in the act o f cutting a sprag to let down
the coal when a large mass o f coal and roof suddenly fell, crushing his head.
The mass of coal and roof that fell would weigh about 1 ton. He leaves a
widow and 6 children.
November 6, 1905. Joseph Bocian, miner, aged 38 years, married, was killed
instantly by falling coal at the face o f his working place in Spring Valley shaft
No. 1, Spring Valley, Bureau County. Deceased, with a partner, was at work
and had a large fall of coal prepared by undermining. Bocian had removed
the sprags to let the coal down. It did not come as soon as he expected, and
he was preparing to make a wedge hole to wedge the coal down when it fell
suddenly, and he was caught between the falling coal and a standing prop,
crushing his breast and body. He was dead when extricated. He leaves a
widow and 2 children.
July 30,1906. August Commiant, miner, aged 45 years, married, was severely
crushed through the body by falling coal at the face o f his working room in
the Spring Valley Coal Company’s mine No. 4 at Seatonville, Bureau County,
He died from the injuries March 27, 1907, nearly 8 months after the accident.
He leaves a widow and 5 children dependent.
December 29,1906. Anton Towrosa, miner, aged 29 years, single, was severely
crushed through the abdomen by falling coal at the face of his working room
in the Spring Valley Coal Company’s mine No. 2, Spring Valley, Bureau County.
Deceased was in the act of lying down, undermining the coal, when a large
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
493
mass, that would weigh about 1,500 pounds, suddenly fell, crushing him through
the abdomen, from the effects o f which he died 20 hours after the accident.
Neglect to properly sprag up the coal may be given as the cause o f this accident.
February 16, 1907. George Zinkis, miner, aged 50 years, married, had his
leg broken and otherwise severely crushed by falling coal at the face of his
working room in the Spring Valley Coal Company’s mine No. 2, Spring Valley,
Bureau County. Deceased, with a partner, was engaged in taking down coal
and throwing it out to the roadhead. While so engaged, a mass of coal, about
half a ton, suddenly fell, breaking his leg and bruising him generally. His
injuries were not considered serious at the time, but, according to the opinion
of the attending physician, the shock to the system and a naturally weak
heart combined caused his death 4£ days after the accident. He leaves a
widow, no children.
June 4, 1907. Lewis Hart, miner, aged 58 years, married, was found dead
under some coal at the face of his room in the mine o f the Penwell Coal
Company, Pana, Christian County. Deceased and his partner had left the
room to secure some rails and ties for tracking when, on their way out, Hart
suddenly turned and went into his room. When his partner returned, having
been away not more than 10 minutes, he found deceased under the coal. It
was what is termed a standing shot and deceased knew that it was very dan
gerous. He leaves a widow and 4 grown children.
The general remarks and conclusions regarding fatal accidents to
miners due to falls of rocks or slate, apply as well to falls of coal.
It is evident that in many cases well-understood safety precautions
were disregarded and that haste in mining methods, hurry to complete
the work, anxiety to increase the individual output, were the immedi
ate causes o f the accidents, although the larger responsibility for the
occurrence manifestly rests with the managers and the supervising
officials. A very suggestive accident is reported in one of the above
group, in which death did not occur until 8 months after the
occurrence. In most of the coal mining States an accident of this
kind would not be reported in the fatalities at all.
The dangers of mining include practically every activity compre
hended under that term, though, of course, to a varying degree.
It has been shown by the fatality table for the State o f Illinois that
during the decade ending with 1908 accidents due to fall of coal
and rock or slate caused 12.15 deaths per 10,000 employees, but it is not clear whether the rate included deaths due to “ flying coal,”
as the after effects of explosions, shots, or blasts. Such accidents
properly belong to the group o f fatalities due to explosions, or the
handling o f explosives, shot firing, etc., and they will be so con
sidered further on. Fatal accidents due to persons falling into
shafts require to be differentiated from accidents due to objects fall
ing into shafts, which o f course are due to entirely different causes.
During the 10 years ending with 1908 out of 1,391 deaths from all
causes in Illinois, 46 were deaths due to persons falling into shafts,
53 due to objects falling into shafts, 13 to the other causes in this
group, and 47 to cage accidents. These totals, o f course, include all
occupations, while the accidents at present under consideration in
clude miners only, for a period of 5 years.
494
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
The descriptive accounts o f fatal accidents to miners, due to falling
into shafts, include 7 cases, which, on account of their peculiar nature,
are all given in detail, as follow s:
F A T A L
A C C ID E N T S
TO
M IN E R S
D U E
TO
FA LL S
IN T O
SH A F T S.
September 3, 1903. Lou Boden, miner, aged 53 years, married, employed by
the Royal Coal Company, Belleville, St. Clair County, to retimber a part o f the
escapement shaft. The fan house and part o f the timber in the shaft were
burned out by a fire. To retimber part o f the shaft that was burned, two scaf
folds were built down in the shaft; while at work on the top, one of the up
per parts o f the shaft, which was not secured, gave away, breaking down the
scaffolds, while Boden and his partner were at work. Deceased fell to the
bottom of the shaft, killing him instantly. His partner, Tom Davis, w^as badly
injured. The depth o f the shaft is 180 feet. He leaves a widow and 5 children.
September 16, 1903. Seb. Romagnolis, miner, aged 19 years, single, was killed
instantly by falling down the shaft o f the Chicago, Wilmington and Vermillion
Coal Company No. 1 mine, South Wilmington, Grundy County. Deceased with
3 other men were on the cage coming out o f the sh a ft; when about 30 feet from
the lower landing, deceased let loose of the handle bar, turning round, presum
ably to get off at the lower landing, when he fell to one side o f the shaft, the
cage passing him, he fell to the bottom, a distance o f 165 feet.
December 24, 1903. Nicholas Alberson, miner, o f Princeville, Peoria County,
was severely crushed by falling down the shaft, 124 feet, at the Wyoming Coal
Company’s mine, located at Wyoming, Stark County. Deceased came from
Princeville to Wyoming on a visit. He was not an employee o f the Wyoming
Coal Company. He went to the mine to visit the engineer and others employed
there with whom he was acquainted. He walked to the doors at the ground
landing, and opening the south door deliberately stepped into the south cage
way and fell to the bottom of the shaft. He was conscious when brought to the
surface, and stated that he wTas going into the engine room. He died from the
injuries 1 hour after being brought from the mine.
January 18, 1904. Ed. Maloney, miner, aged 30 years, single, employed in
Donk Brothers Coal and Coke Company’s mine No. 2, Collinsville, Madison
County, was killed by falling down the sh aft; he was found early in the morn
ing at the bottom of the shaft.
March 31, 1904. Anton Zolinas, miner, aged 28 years, single, was killed by
falling into the sump or cage seat at mine No. 3, operated by the Spring Valley
Coal Company, Spring Valley, Bureau County. It is customary at the Spring
Valley mines for all miners to be out o f the mine at 4.30 p. m. About that time
a blacksmith went to the bottom of the shaft to repair a water pipe. Shortly
before 6 o’clock deceased came from the inside workings to the shaft bottom,
but could not be hoisted because o f repairs being made there. He was advised
to go to the escape shaft, about 300 feet from the main shaft, in which there
is a good stairway. He left the bottom o f the main shaft seemingly for the
purpose of going to the escape sh a ft; this was the last seen o f him alive. On
the following day he was reported missing from his boarding house. A search
ing party was organized at once, going into the mine. They failed to find him
in his working place; when they returned to the shaft bottom they found his
dinner bucket in the north cage seat and his dead body in the south one. It
seemed evident that the deceased had returned to the main shaft after the
blacksmith had gone and that he had attempted to climb up the buntons, as
the marks of his hands and feet could be traced for a distance o f about 75 feet
up the shaft where, in all probability, he had slipped, falling to the bottom. It
may be added that the sump or cage seat is about 10 feet deep, as double
decked cages are in use at this mine.
February 21, 1906. Andrew Skalgia, miner, aged 38 years, single, employed
by the Shoal Creek Coal Company, Panama, Montgomery County, was killed.
Deceased wras at his boarding place, having worked that day. and had volun
teered to take lunch to a fellow-boarder who had remained in the mine to work
an extra shift. Skalgia went with lunch in hand into the engine room and
asked the engineer for a cage, stating for what purpose, also telling the engi
neer that he would ring three bells when he was ready. Just at that time the
engineer received a signal from below that men wanted to come up and pro
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
495
ceeded to hoist them. In the meantime, Skalgia had walked to the shaft and
while the cages were in motion rang three bells to the engineer and walked into
the shaft, falling onto the descending cage about 400 feet below. He was killed
instantly.
June 24, 1907. Jacob Black, miner, aged 38 years, married, employed by the
Jordan Coal Company,
miles northeast of Fairmount, Vermilion County,
where the company is sinking a new mine. The pump which was placed at the
water lodgement, about 40 feet from the bottom o f the shaft, got out of order;
deceased went to repair the pump and fell from the platform to the bottom,
killed him instantly. He leaves a widow and 6 children.
A ll o f these accidents are so fully described that they require no
extended comment or further explanation. The first o f the above
accidents gives proof o f gross negligence in hot properly securing the
scaffolding upon which the men were at work, and which is but too
common a cause o f fatalities in building operations outside o f mines,
as well as in connection with work in shaft construction or repairs.
The second accident o f the above group should, perhaps, be considered
a cage accident, but the facts are not fully enough explained to make
it clear whether the accident was due to neglect to provide the proper
safety precautions. Many shafts at the different levels are apparently
not provided with proper safety gates, or protective bars, and acci
dents occur which are, unquestionably, the direct result of indifference
to well-known safety devices which make such accidents in well-con
ducted mines a practical impossibility.
An extremely distressing accident o f this kind occurred in the
third Illinois coal district on June 29, 1906, causing the loss o f 4
lives, including 3 miners. A full account o f this accident is given
below:
June 29, 1906. August Muesner, miner, aged 30 years, m arried; Joe Dewasme,
miner, aged 36 years, married; Cameo Fancon, miner, aged 35 years, married;
and Andrew Mitchell, boss driver, aged 31 years, married, were killed by the
breaking of a scaffold about 75 feet from the top of the hoisting shaft of the
Roanoke Coal and Mining Company’s mine, Roanoke, W oodford County.
The result of this accident is that four wives are made widows and eight
children are left fatherless.
Andrew Mitchell, who was the mule boss, and the other men, all practical
miners, were working on the night shift as sinkers, enlarging the hoisting
shaft; the enlargement o f the shaft had been completed. At the time o f the
accident they were engaged straightening several of the timbers which had
slipped from their places; to enable the men to do this work they had erected
two scaffolds, about 10 to 15 feet apart, on the opposite side o f the shaft from
that in which the cage was used. They were using only one cage. About 9
o’clock p. m. Mitchell, Fancon, and Muesner came up on a car o f dirt, which
they had loaded on the cage, leaving Dewasme on the scaffold; the purpose of
the upper scaffold and platform was to prevent falling material injuring the
men while at work on the lower platform.
At 9.10 p. m. the regular night shift o f the mine got on the cage and were
lowered a distance of 7 feet, when the three sinkers named got on the top of
the cage (the top o f the cage being flat) and were lowered down the shaft to
their work. The engineer had received no instructions to stop at either o f the
scaffolds or platform s; he, however, slowed up as the cage approached the first
platform; this platform was all right when the cage passed, as Patrick Bren
nan, the mine examiner, who was on the cage, spoke to Dewasme, who had been
left on the platform to work while the three had gone up to unload the car o f
dirt upon which they had been conveyed on the cage to the top o f the shaft.
The cage went down the shaft until it was about 70 feet below the lower plat
496
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR,
form or scaffold, when the engineer received a signal o f “ one bell ” to stop the
cage, which he did; a few moments after stopping he received the signal o f
4‘ two bells,” and lowered the cage to the bottom. While the cage was stopped,
about 70 feet below where the men had been working, the men on the cage
heard something fall down the shaft on the opposite side, but did not know
what it w a s; they called up to the sinkers but received no answer. On reaching
the bottom the men who had gone down on the cage went to the sump at the
bottom o f the shaft to investigate, and they made the statement that they
found nothing to indicate that anything out of the ordinary had taken place,
and they went to their work in different parts o f the mine.
The next shift of sinkers were to report for work at 11 p. m. Charles Priller,
one of the men on this shift, went to the shaft at 10.40 p. m. and was informed
by the engineer that the cage had been at the lower landing since about 9.40
p. m. Four workmen, named Priller, Adhern, Fourit, and Fancon, got on the
cage at the lower landing and went down the shaft to the first scaffold or plat
form, and found it gone; they were then lowered to the place where the second
or lower scaffold had been and found only two boards o f it remaining. They
were then lowered to the bottom of the shaft, where they met the night fore
man, Alphonse Dourlain, and inquired o f him where the sinkers were, and he
said he did not know. Michael Proctor, the mine manager, was sent for, and
search for the bodies was made. The bodies o f the four men were found in the
sump, at the bottom of the shaft, which was 16 feet deep and filled with
water. After making an examination o f the shaft and the places where the
scaffolds had been, I am o f the opinion that the upper scaffolding had become
weakened by the slipping o f the timbers on which it was built, and that when
the three men jumped from the top of the cage, while the cage was in motion, to
the platform, the momentum o f the three, with their combined weight and that
of Dewasme, who was on this scaffold, was more than it could bear, and
that it gave way, carrying with it the men and the lower platform to the bot
tom o f the shaft, a distance of 420 feet. It is evident that the falling timber
and men reached the bottom of the shaft before the cage, and that, when the
men on the cage called up to the sinkers at the time the cage stopped about 75
feet below the platform, they were lying lifeless in the sump at the bottom o f
the shaft; also that what the men on the cage heard falling was the noise
made by the four men as they fell to the bottom of the shaft.
It is rather difficult to differentiate shaft accidents of this kind
from cage accidents proper, o f which the following are typical illus
trations out o f 11 which have been specifically described in the official
reports for the 5 years ending with 1908:
F A T A L
A C C ID E N T S
TO
M IN E R S
D U E
TO
CAGE
A C C ID E N T S .
October 19, 1904. Joseph Benedetti, miner, aged 35 years, single, and Louis
Paganessi, miner, aged 40 years, married, were both killed instantly by being
struck with the descending cage while attempting to climb to the top o f the
main shaft o f the Marquette Coal Company, Marquette, Bureau County. The 2
men who lost their lives by this accident were Italians, and had been in the
employ o f the company about 6 weeks. It is customary for the men to come
out of the mine from 4 to 4.30 o’clock, but these 2 men did not come out this
day until about 6 o’clock. On their way to the bottom o f the shaft they passed
some workmen making repairs on the roadway and were informed by them to
wait a short time and they would have company, as one o f their number was
going up the shaft for something that was needed on the repairs being made.
They paid no attention to this advice, probably because o f their ignorance o f the
English language, but passed on to the bottom o f the main shaft, passing on
their way the opening which led to the escapement in which was a proper stair
way. Without notifying the engineer by signal they commenced climbing the
buntons in the main shaft, and wThen about 140 feet from the bottom the engi
neer, not knowing anyone was making such an attempt, ran the east cage down
to take the water out o f the cylinders, as a party intended going dow n; he felt
a slight resistance or jar to the descending cage at a certain point about
140 feet from the bottom. It was at this point the men, in all probability, were
struck and hurled to the bottom. Their bodies were found about an hour later
in the sump or cage seat at the bottom o f the shaft. Paganessi leaves a widow
and 1 child in Italy.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
497
December 9, 1904. Anton Sgro, miner, aged 30 years, single, was killed in
stantly by falling down tbe No. 1 shaft o f the Chicago, Wilmington and Vermil
ion Coal Company, South Wilmington, Grundy County. The accident occurred
about 6.45 a. m. The engineer was letting down the men, 9 in number, they
getting on the cage at the lower landing; when they were down about 30 feet
the engineer suddenly reversed the engine, hoisting them to the top at a very
high speed; the cage being self-dumping, the men were thrown out at the top ;
unfortunately 1 fell down the shaft, the other 8 were more or less injured.
April 12, 1905. M. L. Kearns, miner, aged 66 years, married, received a
severe jar by the cage, on which he was coming up the shaft, dropping about
30 feet to the bottom, in Ed. Donahue’s local mine, near Sheffield, Bureau
County. Deceased and another miner were coming up the shaft, which is 75
feet deep and operated by horsepower; the descending cage stuck in the shaft,
and the gin-horse kept going; this caused the rope on the drum to drop down
on the spindle, and the ascending cage, on which the men were, dropped slowly
to the bottom of the shaft, injuring the foot and leg o f Kearns; the other man
on the cage was not injured. Kearns did not seem badly hurt, but in about 6
days pneumonia set in, and he died 10 days after the accident. The opinion of
a physician was that the shakeup to the system by the cage dropping was a
potent factor in setting up the pneumonia; therefore this is given as a fatal
accident, due to injuries received in a coal mine. He leaves a widow but no
minor children.
May 21, 1905. Joseph Dynjewic, miner, aged 21 years, single, was killed in
the Maplewood Coal Company’s mine No. 2, Farmington, Fulton County. One
of the drivers, being desirous o f laying off from work in the afternoon, the
deceased was employed to drive a mule the rest of the day. He made one trip
on the west side, bringing the loaded cars to the bottom o f the shaft. The mule,
in turning out of the track, turned to the rightinstead o f the left. Dynjewic
got in front o f the cars and attempted to stop them, but was pushed under the
descending cage, which killed him.
January 26, 1906. Ludwig Kelner, miner, aged 46 years, married, was in
stantly killed in the Acme shaft o f the Acme Coal Company, Streator, Lasalle
County. The engineer was letting the men down in the morning; deceased and
7 other men were on the cage; the engineer lost control o f his engine, letting the
men down very fa s t; when the cage struck the bottom he reversed the engine;
the cage was raised about 6 feet; the head o f the deceased struck against the
door, breaking his neck. None o f the other men were injured. He leaves a
widow and 2 children.
August 29, 1906. Angelo Correll, miner, aged 32 years, married, employed by
the Carterville District Coal Company, was instantly killed. The eager had his
usual number of men on the cage and rang for the engineer to hoist; just as
the cage was leaving the bottom the deceased came running past those who
were waiting for the next cage to come out, and leaped on the cage; he was
caught between the cage and the casing o f the shaft, crushing his head. He
leaves a widow and 3 children.
September 10, 1906. Charles Hooly, miner, aged 38 years, single, and Charles
Pap, miner, aged 41 years, married, were both killed by falling down the shaft
at the Mount Pulaski mine, operated by the Mutual Coal Company. The engi
neer fainted and fell on the lever, his weight reversed the engine, and caused
the cage on which the men were riding to go to the pulley; the men seeing the
danger jumped from the cage, falling down the shaft a distance o f about 360
feet. Pap leaves a widow and 4 children.
December 22, 1906. A very deplorable accident occurred at the Breese Tren
ton Mining Company’s mine at Breese, Clinton County, Saturday morning,
December 22, 1906, whereby 6 men lost their lives when descending on the cage
to their working places. All o f the men were miners. The cage fell down the
shaft 300 feet, killing all of the men almost instantly, breaking legs, arms, and
crushing their bodies horribly. The unfortunate men w ere:
August Foppe, miner, aged 32 years, married, leaving a widow and 1 child.
Nay Middeke, aged 45 years, miner, married, leaving a widow and 9 children.
Frank Zeherer, miner, aged 39 years, married, leaving a widow and 3 children.
New Holtmann, miner, age not given, married, leaving a widow and 4 chil
dren.
Walter Schaffner, miner, aged 30 years, married, leaving a widow and 2
children.
Herman Schleper, miner, aged 52 years, married, leaving a widow.
62717°— No. 90— 10------ 5
498
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
A ll o f these accidents are particularly suggestive of the true acci
dent risk inherent in mining operations. It is impossible to foresee
or foretell in many cases what a man may do or to determine after
wards why he did what was apparently contrary to the rules and
common sense. The fact remains that miners, including men of
years o f experience, will take chances or risks, and without fatal
consequences in so many cases, that the assumption o f apparently
needless risk becomes almost a habit o f life. Men like miners, who
are continually surrounded by dangers, simply could not do their
work effectually i f they were constantly conscious o f the perils that
surround them. Only upon this ground can it be explained why
such an accident as the first o f the above could happen; but it will
be noticed that the two men who lost their lives were ignorant of the
English language, which is rather a trite cause for their indifference
to advice. In simple truth, they did not know, or at least did not
comprehend, the real danger involved in the climbing o f the shaft,
and they paid for their ignorance with their lives.
Other cage accidents involve the most serious responsibility of
hoisting engineers. In English experience, during 1898-1907, to
which wre have no corresponding data, out o f 768 fatal shaft acci
dents 202 occurred while the men were ascending or descending, or
26.8 per cent o f the whole. (a) Accidents o f this kind are rarely due
to identically the same cause, and each requires to be separately in
vestigated, and with great care. Accidents such as the second of
the above group involve technical considerations which can only be
dealt with properly by experienced mine managers and mining engi
neers. Mining methods, however, have advanced sufficiently far to
warrant the opinion that such an accident as is there described could
be made practically impossible by proper safety devices. The same
is true o f the fifth accident, where the engineer lost control of his
engine, and o f the seventh, where the engineer fainted and fell on the
lever, reversing the engine, etc. Effective safety precautions could
have prevented the third accident, but it is rather doubtful if this
would hold true for the fourth and the sixth. The worst accident
was the last, which involved the loss o f 6 miners’ lives and made 6
women widows and 19 children fatherless. How the accident oc
curred, what the surrounding circumstances were, whether it could
have been prevented, or who was held responsible, is not made clear
by the brief account, which has been given exactly as contained in
the official report for 1906. Surely, an accident o f this kind, involv
ing the most vital element o f mining practice—that is, safety in the
transportation o f men into and out of the mine— demands, as a
aReport of a committee appointed by the Royal Commission on Mines to In
quire into the Causes of and Means o f Preventing Accidents from Falls of
Ground, Underground Haulage, and in Shafts. Cd. 4821, London, 1909, p. 3.
499
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
matter o f public concern, that all the facts having a bearing on the
occurrence should at least be published, so that they may at least con
tribute to the perfecting of methods and means by which similar
accidents may in the future be made impossible.
Underground haulage, or coal transportation from the breast to
the surface, requires the use o f mine cars which are propelled chiefly
by mules or electric motors. In Illinois in 1908 there were 88 coal
mines in operation using mechanical traction other than cables,
chiefly electric, but including 4 compressed air and 3 gasoline mo
tors. There were 32 mines using cable transportation and 283 mines
using mules, and finally, 4 mines using hand power. By tonnage
the distribution o f hauling methods was as follow s:
HA U LA GE M ETHODS IN IL LIN O IS COAL M INES, 1908.
Haulage method.
Number Tons of coal
of mines transported.
using.
Percent
of
total.
Motors........................................................................................................
Cables..........................................................................................................
Mules........................................................................................................
Hand...........................................................................................................
88
32
283
4
19,024,665
3,273,753
25,482,634
28,678
39.8
6.8
53.3
.1
Total..................................................................................................
407
47,809,730
100.0
The kind o f motive power must necessarily vary the personal acci
dent liability, but the facts are not conclusive as to whether one or
the other form o f haulage is decidedly the more dangerous. During
the 5 years ending with 1908 the official report gave details o f 14
fatal accidents to miners, due to mine cars, chiefly run-over casualties
or crushed between cars and walls. Riding on loaded cars is for
bidden, but miners often disobey the rule, as shown in the third
o f the specimen illustrations of accidents o f this kind given below:
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS TO M IN E R S DUE TO M IN E CARS.
October 31, 1903. Three men were killed in an accident in the Newsam
Company mine at Farmington, Fulton County: Myron McKann, Ernest Ander
son, and Jack Williams. The men were riding in a pit car drawn by a mule.
In making a turn near a switch the car jumped the track and ran into the side
of the entry, knocking down a prop, thus letting down a portion of the roof on
the men. McKann and Anderson were instantly killed and Williams died a half
hour later. McKann leaves a widow and 5 children; Williams, a widow and 2
children; Anderson was a single man.
March 17, 1904. Gust Erricson, miner, aged 58 years, married, in the employ
of the McLean County Coal Company, Bloomington, McLean County, was almost
instantly killed by being run over by empty pit cars. In this mine there is tailrope haulage, and for a distance o f 3,000 or 4,000 feet there is a double track,
with a separate rope for each track. Erricson, having finished his day’s work,
had started to walk to the shaft bottom; on his way he was overtaken by
the loaded trip, in the middle o f which was an empty car in which some men
were riding to the bottom. It appeared from the evidence at the coroner’s in
quest that Erricson attempted to get into that car when he was struck by the
empty trip, which was passing on its way inside, and knocked under the cars.
He died in ten or fifteen minutes after being taken from under the cars. He
leaves a widow and 4 grown children.
500
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
December 18, 1905. Wesley Batson, miner, aged 43 years, married, was
employed at the Pittenger & Davis No. 3 mine, Centralia, Marion County. De
ceased was riding on top of a loaded truck and was caught between the load
and the roof, receiving injuries from which he died December 21, 1905. He
leaves a widow and 4 children.
January 4, 1906. James Winning, miner, aged 66 years, married, employed
at the Hafer Washed Coal Company, Carter ville, Williamson County, was walk
ing toward the bottom o f the sh aft; a driver was going in with a trip of cars,
having his back to the mule, guiding the cars over a switch. Deceased did not
notice the driver coming, and the cars struck him on the right side. He died 12
hours after the accident, and leaves a widow and 11 children.
March 23, 1907. John Grushalla, miner, aged 56 years, married, was fatally
injured by being run over by a trip o f cars in mine No. 2 o f the Superior Coai
Company at Benld, Macoupin County. He had finished his day’s work and was
waiting, with others, to be hoisted to the top, when a trip o f cars was sent to
the bottom. Deceased started across the track just at the time the trip arrived
and was knocked down and under the cars. He died that night. He leaves a
widow and 5 children.
April 8, 1907. Ricardo Milani, miner, aged 41 years, married, was killed
instantly by having his head crushed between loaded pit cars in the Illinois
Third Vein Coal Company’s mine No. 1, Ladd, Bureau County. This accident
took place about 7.15 a. m., when the miners were leaving the shaft bottom to go
to their working places. Deceased, in passing along between the full and empty
tracks on the shaft parting, met a driver with a three-mule team and a trip of
loaded cars coming out. Instead o f getting on the empty track and out o f the
way, he got on the full track and was caught between the loaded trip o f cars
coming out and a trip of loaded cars standing on the shaft parting. He leaves
a widow and 3 children in Italy.
January 16, 1908. Ben Grosso, miner and extra driver, aged 19 years, single,
was killed instantly by being crushed between loaded pit cars and the side of
the entry in the No. 3 mine o f the Spring Valley Coal Company, Spring Valley,
Bureau County. Deceased was engaged as an extra driver at the time of
the accident. The day o f the accident he was driving a mule in the thir
teenth north, off the main west entry; he was longer in coming to the parting
with his loaded trip than usual; another driver who was waiting at the parting
for him to come out went inside to look for him ; this driver found the mule
and trip o f two loaded pit cars, and a short distance beyond found the body o f
Grosso lying partially on the track, dead. There were no witnesses to the acci
dent, and it can only be assumed that he fell or was knocked from his seat on
the loaded pit car and caught between the cars and side o f the entry.
In considering accidents o f this kind it is necessary to take into
account the actual condition underground and the important fact
that the “ breast ” o f the mine, or the working place o f the mine, is
often a considerable distance from the shaft. This explains why men
often persist in riding on the loaded cars, contrary to rules, since it
is only the loaded cars that return to the shaft, where they are hoisted
to the surface. It is also quite often the case that the haulage roads
are too narrow to permit o f the safe passage o f a miner between mov
ing cars, and in the darkness or semidarkness confusion is natural and
often followed by fatal results. Car accidents underground are not
so essentially different from car accidents on the surface, except that
they are probably more common in the case o f drivers o f mules or
motors than o f railroad engineers. The accidents given in detail are
self-explanatory, but the facts are deserving o f careful study as an
aid to preventive efforts which shall make such occurrences more or
less impossible. Strict supervision o f underground haulage by ex
perienced men, instead o f a let-alone policy, and the strict enforce
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
501
ment o f the rules prohibiting riding on loaded cars will aid ma
terially toward this end. It may also be said that many accidents
are the result o f poor equipment, defective railroad switches, frogs,
etc., while others are due to the absence o f effective signaling ap
paratus, double tracks where feasible, etc. Considering the large
loss o f life due to car accidents underground, causing 116 deaths,
in Illinois during the 5 years ending with 1908, out o f 859 fatalities
due to all causes, or 13.5 per cent, the subject demands more qualified
attention than has heretofore been given to it.
In the handling and use o f large quantities o f explosives a consider
able risk is incurred, even on the part o f the most careful o f mine
employees. The explosives risk, for reasons which can not be fully
discussed here, has always been rather high, and, as shown by Table
X X I I I o f the appendix, the rate of fatalities due to this group o f
causes has been 5.02 for Illinois during the decade ending with 1908
against 3.75 for all the coal fields o f North America. The quantity
o f powder and dynamite used in coal mining in Illinois is relatively
very large. In 1908, in 702 mines with 59,943 men, 1,328,454 kegs
o f powder wTere used to produce 45,172,171 tons o f coal, or 23.51
kegs per man, or 32.28 tons-of coal were produced per keg of powder
consumed. In some o f the coal-mining districts the proportion,
however, was very much higher, and particularly so in the fourth*
where only 10.42 tons o f coal were produced to every keg o f
powder used. The tendency has been distinctly toward a dispropor
tionate increase in the use o f powder, as measured by a ratio of
40.71 tons o f coal produced per keg in 1900 against 35.02 tons in 1904
and 32.28 tons in 1908. Merely from an economic point o f view the
subject is deserving o f attention, since the aggregate cost o f the
powder used in 1908 was $2,324,795, or $38.78 per person em
ployed.^) In commenting upon the excessive use o f powder in
Illinois mines, it was said in the Twenty-third Annual Report on
the Statistics o f Coal for 1904 that—
According to the table of classified causes, one-half of the fatal and
nonfatal accidents resulted from falling coal and rock. It is impos
sible to determine the per cent of accidents listed under this head,
due to the use o f powder, although the majority o f them accrue in
the districts where the method of blasting off the solid prevails.
Whatever the causes, whether they result from the lack of knowledge
in the preparation of blasts, the drilling of dead holes, the adultera
tion o f explosives, the accumulation of dust on the roadways, blast
ing off the solid, or the indifference or carelessness o f men accustomed
to the dangers o f the miners’ occupation, the death rate particularly
is entirely too high and some other measures should be tried to reduce
it. It was hoped the law passed by the last general assembly, limit
ing the quantity of powder to be used in any one blast, would dimin0 Twent3'-seventli Annual Coal Report o f the Illinois Bureau o f Labor Sta
tistics, 1908, p. 110.
502
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
ish the fatalities heretofore due to that source. The law has been in
force nearly 2 years and the number of fatal accidents, instead of
diminishing, has, in fact, increased. Either its requirements have
not been observed by the miners or the facts are strangely out of
joint with our expectations. O f the several propositions that have
been offered, two are worthy of some consideration. The first, pro
posed by representatives of the coal operators, is that the present runof-mine" system be abolished and the miners required to undercut or
shear the coal. T o require that all coal be undermined would, to a
very great extent, dispense with the necessity for powder and natur
ally avoid the accidents due to the use of explosives; and that regard
less o f whether the present system o f paying for mining coal is to be
continued or not. The objections urged to this plan are tw ofold:
First, that the mine-run system o f this State is provided for by con
tract presumably satisfactory to both interests and which, under its
terms, will continue to operate until the 31st of March, 1906, and sec
ond, the low rate o f mining fixed by the same contract, was made pos
sible in consequence o f the general and recognized practice o f blasting
off the solid. I f the interest o f the mine operators in the cause of re
ducing accidents, is strong enough and sincere enough to warrant a
return to the methods o f the pick miners, and their employment
favored in preference to that o f the coal “ butcher,” then they must be
prepared to concede a substantial advance in the mining rate fixed
for the thicker seams.
On the other hand the miners, or many o f them, think the number
o f accidents would be materially lessened through the enactment o f
a law requiring the employment, at the company’s expense, of men
to be known as shot firers, whose duties would be, after the miners had
quit work for the day, to visit each working place and discharge such
shots as in their judgment should be fired. It is obvious that under
this plan, whatever explosions might occur, only the lives of the firers
would be exposed and imperiled, and their number would not exceed
four in the larger class o f mines. So terrific has been the force devel
oped from blown-out shots that some of our most competent and
experienced inspectors assert that under certain circumstances they
would not be surprised to learn at any time o f scores of men being
killed as the result of an improper blast. Another evident point in
favor o f this plan is that it would tend to educate men in the use of
explosives and in the proper preparation of shots. The miner who
drilled a hole dead or located it in such a manner that the powder
had no possible chance of doing the work expected of it, would be
punished in the most effective way by having no coal to load the fol
lowing morning. He could profitably put in the day learning the
forgotten art o f pick mining or change the location o f the shots. The
law, if one is passed, should be explicit in delegating to the shot firer
the discretion and authority o f firing or not, according as his judg
ment suggested the propriety or safety o f doing so. The anticipated
objection to this plan on the part o f the employers would be that o f
requiring them to pay for that class o f labor. It is claimed by those
who favor this method that financially the operators would be the
gainers, that there is from 20 to 30 minutes lost every day by miners
and company men on account o f the present general practice of
shooting at or about quitting time. I f this contention can be sus
tained the saving o f nearly half an hour’s time during every work
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
503
ing day would more than compensate the operators for the additional
expense incurred on account of the employment of shot firers. While
the employment o f shot firers would no doubt materially reduce the
number o f fatalities resulting from explosions, the precaution o f the
miners, where coal is blasted off the solid, should go further and
require the shot firers to prepare as well as discharge the blast. By
thus divorcing the workmen from all connection with explosives the
cause o f accidents from that source would be entirely removed, while
it would reduce to a minimum the dangers to which the shot firers are
necessarily exposed. The immediate necessity for doing something
to reduce or prevent the occurrence o f accidents is everywhere ap
parent and it is the result, more than the medium, through which it is
hoped to reach it that is most desired. (a)
After calling attention to the fact that 1,027,373 kegs o f powder
were used in Illinois coal mining during 1906, and that the amount
o f coal produced to powder used had been 33.25 tons per keg, the
report states: ( b)
Where the mining is done exclusively by machines the product per
keg was 101 tons. In the powder-using mines, where machines are
not employed, the product was 27 tons to the keg. These figures can
not be construed in any other light than a criticism, either o f the
qualification o f the men now employed in the mines, or as a rebuke
to their work methods. It requires no further inquiry to condemn
any system o f mining necessitating the use of powder where the actual
results, as in this case, yield but a fraction over 1 ton to every pound
o f powder burned. These facts, regrettable as they are, fully confirm
and justify, in the interest o f life, the necessity for and the wisdom
o f that provision o f a recent law requiring that all employees shall
be out o f the mines during the process of blasting.
In the face o f such a situation, the merest consideration for human
welfare demands that an unskilled hand should not be permitted to
touch a deadly explosive where the life of an innocent person may be
involved. Instead o f removing any of the safeguards, which recent
legislation has placed about the mine workers, it will in the future
be necessary, unless a different and better qualified class o f men be
employed, to absolutely prohibit them from handling or being in any
way connected with dangerous explosives. Under the present prac
tice the only lives endangered are those of the shot firers. While the
law leaves much to their discretion in the matter o f shots that ought
not to be fired, they are in many instances forced to take chances, and
the death roll among that' class since the new regulations became
effective indicate with what fatal results. The provisions of the law,
that not to exceed a certain amount o f powder shall be used in any
one blast, have been persistently disregarded by careless, indifferent,
and incompetent men. As the person now designated as shot firer
has no means o f determining the quantity of powder in a blast, par
ticularly where fuse is used, his life is in peril every time he lights a
shot.
« Twenty-third Annual Coal Report of the Illinois Bureau o f Labor Sta
tistics, 1904, pp. 2, 3.
6 Twenty-fifth Annual Coal Report o f the Illinois Bureau of Labor Statistics,
1900, p. xvi.
504
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
The only effective way of avoiding such contingencies, thereby sav
ing the lives o f the shot firers, is to absolutely divorce the present
class o f miners from all contact with powder or other explosives.
This plan contemplates the employment o f a corps o f practical men
in each mine where coal is blasted off the solid, men specially trained
in that line o f work, with a thorough knowledge o f the power which
explosives o f all kinds exert, whose duty it would be to drill, prepare,
and explode all blasts. This system would leave to the so-called
miners the work chiefly o f loading coal, a task for which only most
o f them are adapted. Nothing short o f a plan o f this kind will solve
the problems which the situation presents. It is a useless waste o f
valuable time enacting laws requiring that only so much powder shall
be used, that drill holes shall be made at a certain angle from the free
face o f the coal, etc. These are terms that only those educated in the
business understand, and but very few o f that class are now in the
mines. Such regulations might be effective if made for the guidance
o f intelligent men specially fitted for that work, but not otherwise.
Objections to the plan here suggested, which is, in fact, but an exten
sion and completion of the present system o f shot firing, may be
urged on the ground o f expense, and that whether the operator, the
miner, or botn contribute to meet it. A sufficient reply to such an
argument if founded on facts would be that the saving of life is
a consideration more important than the saving o f dollars. The
work o f drilling holes and preparing shots would add considerably
to the present duties o f the shot firers, and consequently require the
employment o f more men, probably three times the number now em
ployed in that connection. Would this necessarily mean more ex
pense ? The purpose o f the plan is not alone to save life through the
more careful and intelligent preparation o f shots, but also to avoid
the loss consequent upon the burning o f so much unnecessary pow
der. This report shows that 1,027,373 kegs o f powder, equal to
13,000 tons, were burned in the mines this year, being an increase
o f nearly 90,000 kegs over 1905. Powder at prevailing prices sells
for $1.75 per keg o f 25 pounds. According to this calculation,
the miners paid in 1906 for powder alone nearly $1,800,000. Much
o f this property, representing great value, was practically wasted in
the hands o f incompetent men. It is entirely safe to state that fully
one-half o f the powder used was burned not in making, but in
destroying coal. I f the use o f powder in the hands o f trained men
could perform double the work, as we think it would, then under the
present practice the direct money loss to the miners was equal to
$900,000, saying nothing o f the loss sustained by the mining plant
and the consuming public, accruing from the production o f an in
ferior quality o f coal. Instead o f an additional expense, under the
plan proposed the saving effected would prove the best financial
investment the mining industry could make.
In continuation o f this discussion in a later report it is said
that : ( a)
More than one-third of the entire tonnage was cut by machines.
Notwithstanding an unfavorable machine mining rate the quantity
aTwenty-seventh
Annual Coal Report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1908,
pp. 2 and 3.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
505
o f coal secured through the use o f machines continues to steadily
increase. Naturally with an increased machine tonnage the quantity
o f powder used in blasting would decrease proportionately. The
figures show the reverse to be true, and that while the machine ton
nage for this year compared with last increased 719,969 tons there
was an increase o f 66,544 kegs in the quantity o f powder consumed,
or an average o f 84 tons of coal to each keg o f powder.
The coal miners attribute the increase to the fact that powder is
cheaper than formerly and therefore inferior in strength. The
powder companies insist that there has been no change either in the
composition o f the product or in the process o f its manufacture. It
would seem unnecessary to seriously consider either o f these claims,
but where the facts show that it requires the consumption in solid
shooting mines o f nearly 1 pound o f powder for every ton o f coal
produced, the results can not be considered in any other way than as
a condemnation o f existing methods. In the thick coal seams of the
State, furnishing 78.8 per cent of the total product used, and the
ratio will continue to increase, powder or spme other explosive
equally powerful will be necessary in the process o f extracting coal,
whether it is undercut before shooting or not. The question therefore
resolves itself to the simple proposition whether, having in view the
conservation o f life and property, we shall continue to commit to
incompetent and careless hands the use o f dangerous explosives or
provide, either by statute or mutual agreement, that only men spe
cially educated and trained for such work shall be employed whose
exclusive duty it shall be to drill holes, charge, and fire the same. In
commenting on this question in the 1906 coal report, in which such a
plan was recommended, reference was made to the great and unnec
essary expense entailed in the present promiscuous use o f powder.
On the assumption that fully one-half of the powder consumed was
practically wasted, a loss that could be avoided under the proposed
plan, in addition to the saving of lives and the production o f a better
quality o f coal, it was estimated that nearly $1,000,000 could be saved
annually to the miners.
So terrific have been some o f the explosions in our coal mines that
had they occurred while the usual complement o f men were at work
not a single life would have been spared. It was the consideration of
such a possibility that induced the legislature to create the shotfirers law effective July 1, 1905. That law was and is subject to
the fair criticism that it transferred the responsibility from the man
who prepared the improper shot to the man whose duty it now is to
fire the shot. The friends o f that law could do no other than admit
the truth and force o f such an objection, but in answer thereto set up
the justifiable plea that if the lives o f the men had to be sacrificed in
such work it was the part of wisdom to expose the least number
possible to the deadly fury of the blast.
Taking the years from 1908 to 1908, inclusive, three years preced
ing and three years succeeding the enactment o f the shot-firers
law, it is found that the loss of life directly due to the use of powder
is nearly 40 per cent less diiring the three-year period that the law
has been in operation, during which time there has been a very
material increase both in the tonnage and in the number o f men
employed. It was the intention o f the law to protect the shot firer in
his refusal to fire shots which in his judgment were dangerous.
506
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
The foregoing extended extracts clearly emphasize the dangerous
nature o f mine work in Illinois, and the statistical tables from year
to year show the resulting loss o f life. Among the 423 descriptive
accounts o f fatal accidents to miners in Illinois during the 5 years
ending with 1908, there were 24 which were the direct result of
powder or dynamite explosions, 11 were the result o f premature
blasts, 23 the result o f defective methods o f shot firing, and 18 deaths
were caused by flying coal after explosions, a total o f 76 deaths, or 18
per cent o f the whole number attributed to the use and handling o f
explosives. To a considerable extent the different groups are really
identical, since it is next to impossible, if indeed proper, to differ
entiate between shot-firing accidents, as such, and deaths resulting
from flying coal, or undue exposure to the immediate effects of blasts.
The same is true o f premature blasts, and it is only by a careful study
o f individual cases that light is thrown upon the nature and surround
ing conditions o f accidents o f this kind. The following are descrip
tive cases o f fatal accidents to miners due to powder explosions, most
o f which were apparently not directly related to shot firing or
blasting:
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS TO M IN E R S DUE TO POWDER EXPLOSION S.
August 21, 1903. Alfred Stockton, miner, aged 32 years, married, was killed
at the Higbee Coal Company’s mine located at Princeville, Peoria County.
Deceased fired a shot which ignited two kegs o f blasting powder. The deceased,
who was responsible for the accident, died after lingering in agony for over 24
hours. He was working in a room next to his brother W illiam ; after he had
fired the shot he noticed that his keg of powder had not been put in the powder
box, and before he had time to reach the keg the shot in his room exploded. It
proved to be a windy shot, which overturned the keg, spilling the powder on the
roadway. The flame from the shot fired his keg o f powder, which in turn over
turned his brother William’ s box, containing a keg o f powder that had been
opened, firing it also. William Stockton was very badly burned, but is expected
to recover. Since writing the above he is again working in the mine. Deceased
leaves a widow and 3 children.
May 11, 1904. This date records the terrible explosion o f powder in the mine
of the Big Muddy Coal and Iron Company, Herrin, Williamson County. Four
men were instantly killed, as follow s: Richard Raines, driver, aged 34 years,
married, leaves a widow and 2 children; John Miller, driver, aged 22 years,
single; Fred Selberg, pumpman, aged 24 years, married, leaves a widow and
1 child; Evan Williams, driver, aged 21 years, single. Eighteen other em
ployees were more or less severely injured by this explosion, 6 o f whom died,
as follow s: May 16, Sherid Busch, miner, aged 29 years, married, leaves a
widow and 4 children; John Swafford, miner, aged 40 years, married, leaves
a widow and 4 children; Carlo Lualdi, miner, aged 29 years, single. May 25,
Thomas Green, driver, aged 36 years, married, leaves a widow and 3 chil
dren; Louis Branco, miner, aged 29 years, married, leaves a widow and 2
children, and May 26, William Stagner, miner, aged 24 years, married, leaves a
widow. In addition to the 10 men here enumerated as meeting death by this
explosion, 12 others were so severely injured that they were not able to return
to work July 1, 1904.
In explanation of the causes leading up to this explosion, it would seem that
there was a lack o f proper precaution in sending powder into the mine. It was
the custom at this mine, up to the time o f the explosion, for a driver to take
the powder that was to be used by the men in the mine, into the mine in the
mine cars and deliver it to the miners, a limited time being given to the driver
to reach the inside workings before turning on the electric current. On this
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
507
fatal morning a driver started with 6 kegs of powder in his e a r; with him were
1 or 2 other drivers. It is supposed that the car ran into the wire, which
was dow n; the cause of the explosion, however, can only be conjectured, as the
drivers who were in the car were instantly killed. It is understood that the
company at once took up the matter of damages with the widows and other
representatives of the men who were killed or injured, and have made liberal
settlements with all with one exception.
The seven following accidents were caused by the explosion of SO kegs of
powder in the mine of the Johnston City and Big Muddy Coal and Mining Com
pany, located at Johnston City, Williamson County, at about 11.30 a. m. January
29, 1907.
The practice of handling powder and delivering it at the mine was as fol
low s: The miners order the powder at the office; these orders are given to
the teamster, who hauls the powder from the powder house and delivers it
at the top of the shaft; the powder is then loaded into a mine car and sent
down the sh aft; from the bottom o f the shaft the powder is taken north 120 feet
where the main east and west entries are turned off o f the north entry. Three
men were employed at the time o f the explosion unloading the powder from
the mine car and placing it north of the tracks for distribution; one o f these
men was in the car handing the powder to another man outside o f the car;
this man then passed the kegs to the third man to be placed where the different
drivers would get the powder at this point, and take it into the miners who
had ordered powder for that day. I am o f the opinion that the explosion was
due to the rough handling o f the kegs o f powder when taken from the mine
car and to where the powder is placed, which is 12 feet from the car and 6
feet 6 inches from the north rail. There was no coal dust nor fire damp near
the point o f the explosion; Frank Meagher was handing the kegs of powder
out o f the car to Jess Davis, Davis in turn handing the kegs to Martin Lawry,
who was placing them in the place as described.
Following are the names, ages, occupation, etc., o f the seven m en:
George Patterson, bottom laborer, aged 26 years, single, living at Johnston
City, died at 11 p. m., January 30, 1907.
Martin Lawry, driver, aged 25 years, married, living at Johnston City, died
at 10 p. m., January 29, 1907, and leaves a widow and one child.
Jess Davis, driver, aged 25 years, married, living at Johnston City, died at
3.30 p. m., January 29, 1907, and leaves a widow and one child.
Romulus Fenrenboker, driver, aged 20 years, single, living at Johnston City,
was instantly killed.
Claus Morse, eager, aged 46 years, widower, living at Galatia, died January
31, 1907, leaving one child.
Phelix Toner, bottom laborer, aged 27 years, married, living at Murphysboro,
died at 9 p. m., January 29, 1907, and leaves a widow and one child.
Frank Meagher, flagman, aged 17 years, single, living at Johnston City, died
at 4 p. m., January 29, 1907.
July 1, 1907. Louis Cologna and August Genette, miners, were killed by an
explosion o f powder and Joseph Welsh severely injured in the Consolidated
Coal Company’s No. 17 mine near Collinsville, in St. Clair County; and Edward
Evans, a boy 12 years of age, was scalded to death at the Bessemer Washed Coal
Company’s mine at White Oak, St. Clair County, October 9, 1907. On Saturday
night, June 29, 1907, Joseph Genette and Joseph Yadra, two miners, from Glen
Carbon, Madison County, went to the No. 17 mine of the Consolidated Coal
Company, going down the stairway o f the escapement shaft and into the work
ing place o f Louis Cologna and August Genette (which was the face o f the main
north entry) ; they opened the powder box belonging to Cologna and Genette,
which contained parts o f two kegs o f powder, and fixed up an infernal machine,
consisting o f a double-barreled pistol, with wires attached to the trigger o f the
pistol, and so connected to the lid of the box that when the lid was lifted the
pistol would explode and set off the powder. On Monday morning, July 1,
1907, Louis Cologna and August Genette, in company with Joseph Welsh, went
into the mine to go to work. As soon as they got within 100 feet o f the work
ing face, where the powder box was standing, Louis Cologna started to open the
powder box. He had lifted the lid about one-quarter distance up when an explo
sion occurred, throwing all three men to the ground; Cologna and Genette were
severely burned; Cologna died at noon the same d a y ; Genette died July 4, 1907;
Joseph Welsh is yet alive, but will not be able to work as a miner again.
508
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
Through the good services of the city marshals o f Glen Carbon and Collins
ville and the State’s attorney of St. Clair and Madison counties, Joseph Genette,
a cousin of August Genette, was arrested for the crim e; he afterwards con
fessed that Joseph Yadra and himself had planned the infernal machine which
killed Louis Cologna and August Genette and severely injured Joseph Welsh.
Joseph Genette and Joseph Yadra are now both serving life terms in the state
prison for the crime.
As regards the death o f the boy, Edward Evans, his brother, Roy Evans, was
night engineer at the White Oak mine; the boy was
inthe boiler room;his
brother, Roy Evans, was standing on a box working
atthe feed pipe of the
boiler with a wrench; the feed pipe bursted and the boy, standing near it, was
scalded to death. Roy Evans, the engineer, was also severely scalded.
August 2, 1905. Eli Davidson, miner, aged 63 years, single, and William
Corwin, miner, aged 22 years, married, were both killed by an explosion o f
powder in the Carlinville Coal Company’s mine, Carlinville, Macoupin County.
Davidson was putting powder into a keg from a can when a spark from his
lamp fell into the powder, causing an explosion which killed Davidson in
stantly, and injuring Corwin so badly that he died August 13, following. It
is evident that Davidson had his light on his head while he was handling
the powder, and doubtless knew that he was violating the mining law in not
hanging his light at least 5 feet away, and in such
aposition that theair
current could not convey the sparks to the powder. I mention this that
others may take warning. Corwin leaves a widow and 1 child.
July 5, 1907. Wenzell Ludzka, miner, aged 28 years, married, was killed in a
mine of the Citizens Coal Mining Company, Sangamon County. Deceased was
in the act o f taking powder out o f his kegs when a spark from his lamp ignited
the powder, the explosion causing his death. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
September 28, 1907. John Adamities, miner, aged 32 years, married, lost his
life in the. mine o f the Illinois Midland Coal Company, Springfield. Deceased
stuck his pick into a keg o f powder to open it; the powder was ignited and
exploded, burning him to death. He leaves a widow and 4 children.
October 28, 1907. Valentine Lepusbetz, miner, aged 36 years, married, was
killed under very strange conditions in the mine of the Citizens Coal Mining
Company at Lincoln. In my investigation o f this case it was found that the
shot firer had begun firing the shots in the mine 1 hour before the proper firing
time, and while the miners were still in the mine. In questioning Oscar Menzel,
the shot firer, in regard to the cause of Lepusbetz’s death, he said that the man
came out onto the entry and asked him for a squib to light his shot; that he
gave Lepusbetz a squib; that afterwards he went into the man’s room, after the
shot had exploded, and found deceased lying on the gob with the back of his
head fractured. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
March 5, 1908. Louis Montibo, miner, aged 31 years, married, was killed by
the explosion of a keg o f powder. Deceased was preparing the powder for a
shot; he filled 1 cartridge and stood it against the rib, his lamp lying on the
bottom about 4 feet from him ; the cartridge that was against the rib fell over
toward the lamp, connecting the powder with the flame o f the lamp, which in
turn exploded the keg o f powder in the hands o f deceased, burning him so
that he died a few hours afterwards. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
A ll o f these accidents and many others occurring under practically
identical conditions are extremely instructive. The direct cause o f
the accident in most cases was “ a spark from a lighted lamp fell into
a powder barrel,” resulting in an explosion, with fatal consequences.
It would seem needless for one to fill cartridges underground by the
dim light o f an open miner’s lamp, but it seems to be a common prac
tice, though, as stated above, in violation of the mining laws. How far
accidents o f this kind are preventable is an open question, although it
would seem that the shot-firing law should effectually safeguard
underground workers against accidents of the kind here described.
That this is not accomplished is made clear in the account given above
o f the case which occurred on October 28, 1907.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
509
Quite different are the conditions and circumstances under which
premature blasts take place with fatal results to the workmen under
ground. O f 12 accidents described in more or less detail in the
report for the 5 years ending with 1908, the following may be con
sidered typical cases;
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS TO M IN E R S DUE TO P R E M A T U R E BLASTS.
May 14, 1907. Eugene Lenzi, miner, aged 42 years, married, was severely
burned by the explosion of powder in the No. 6 mine of the Braceville Coal
Company, Braceville, Grundy County. Deceased was preparing to fire a shot
and found his blasting barrel was clogged. After filing off a small piece o f
the barrel he inserted and lighted a squib, which failed to pass through the
barrel. He then inserted a second squib and thought that it had passed through
the barrel. After this preparation he commenced to fasten the barrel to the
cartridge, when the powder ignited, burning him severely about the face and
body. It is supposed that a spark was hanging fire in the barrel, which caused
the powder to ignite. He was taken to the hospital in Joliet, where he died
8 days after the accident. Deceased leaves a widow and 5 children.
October 31, 1903. Ivy Murdock, miner, aged 29 years, married, was severely
burned by powder and bruised by coal flying from a premature blast in Moore
and Wahlstrom’s local mine, located near Coal Valley, Rock Island County.
Deceased had charged a drill hole with loose powder, and was in the act o f
ramming it to the back o f the hole with an iron scraper; it is assumed the
scraper struck a piece of sulphur, which generated a spark, igniting the powder
and the explosion followed. The heel of the shot was blown off by the ex
plosion, and the coal flying therefrom struck the deceased, bruising him severely
on his head and body. He died from the injuries received 6 hours after the
accident. Two other miners were in the room visiting with Murdock at the
time o f the explosion; one was severely and the other one slightly burned. De
ceased leaves a widow and 3 children.
January 12,1904. Charles Westerfield, miner, aged 21 years, single, was killed
instantly by being struck on the head and body by coal flying from a premature
blast in the Wyoming Coal Company’s mine, Wyoming, Stark County. The
deceased, with his brother, were working in a room; they had drilled a hole
about 5 feet in depth and had charged it with powder, and had commenced
to tamp the blast; they had about 2 or 3 inches of tamping on the powder when
the explosion took place. A copper needle and copper-tipped tamping bar were
used in accordance with law. Just how this accident could take place under the
conditions stated at the inquest is quite difficult to determine. The brother
of the deceased was severely injured.
June 7, 1906. John Roach, miner, aged 55 years, married, was severely
injured by coal flying from a premature blast in Cook & Rohr’s local mine,
located near Alexis, Warren County. Deceased was working in partnership with
his son, a young man about 17 years of age, and according to the son’s state
ment they had prepared a blast, tamped the hole, and his father had some diffi
culty in igniting the match to the squib. He had tried to do so two or three
times and failed. He held his lamp under the match when the blast suddenly
exploded. The loose coal flying therefrom struck him on the left side, break
ing his thigh and injuring him internally. He died from the injuries received
12 hours later. Deceased and two other miners were all that were employed in
the mine. He leaves a widow and 6 minor children, 3 o f whom, however, can
scarcely be classed as dependents.
December 8, 1907. Edward Joiner, miner, aged 34 years, married, employed
at the mine of the Franklin County Collieries Company, Sesser, was fatally
injured. The miners were double shifting entry work and had four shots pre
pared, three in the face and one on the right hand rib, to shoot skip off. The
four shots had been lighted, three with fuse and one with squib. Deceased and
others had gone to the mouth o f the entry, and thinking that all the shots had
been heard to explode returned to see what the shots had accomplished. When
Joiner got opposite a skip shot it exploded, blowing him against the rib, break
ing his leg, and bruising him so badly that he died 4 days later. He leaves a
widow and 1 child.
510
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
O f these accidents the first two precisely illustrate a danger diffi
cult to guard against, even on the part o f cautious miners with years
o f mine experience. The danger is simply inherent in the work, as
such, and in fact due more or less to factors beyond the understand
ing or control o f even the most experienced workmen. This can
hardly be said o f the last two, in which a considerable and self-evident
risk was voluntarily assumed by miners with years o f experience.
How far rules and regulations can guard against accidents of this
kind is a question for mine managers and mine inspectors to decide,
but apparently the matter is one left largely to individual judgment,
however'poorly equipped the miner may be to arrive at a safe esti
mate o f the risk incurred by acting upon his own best understanding
in matters o f this kind.
Practically identical with the fatal results in most cases o f prema
ture blasts are deaths due to flying coal after explosions. In both
class o f accidents the men returned too early to the breast o f the mine,
naturally anxious to finish the day’s work without needless delay.
Deaths caused by flying coal are common in case o f premature blasts,
but the following are typical illustrations selected out o f 22 specific
ally reported in detail in the official reports for the 5 years ending
with 1908. A ll o f these accidents, except one, occurred previous to
1908:
F A T A L A C CIDEN TS TO M IN E R S DUE TO F L Y IN G COAL A FTE R BLASTS.
October 13, 1903. George Faust, miner, aged 19 years, single, employed in
the Ruby Coal Company’s mine, Caseyville, St. Clair County, was killed by
flying coal from a shot which he had fired. He was standing behind a pillar for
safety; the shot blew through the pillar.
April 25, 1904. Adolph Crizzati, miner, aged 24 years, married, was instantly
killed in the north side mine o f the Chicago-Carterville Coal Company, Herrin,
Williamson County. Deceased had fired a shot which he evidently thought had
exploded, as he had returned to investigate; when within about 18 feet o f his
working place the shot went off, the flying coal striking him about the head
and body. He leaves a widow.
February 11, 1905. Alexander Capron, miner, aged 30 years, married, em
ployed in the mine o f the Assumption Coal and Mining Company, Assumption,
Christian County, was instantly killed on the right-hand side o f his working
place by a fall o f rock about 3 p. m. This was an accident that could not
have been foreseen or guarded against, as there was a slip in the roof which*
lay outwards from the face o f the coal, the mine being worked long wall, and
as soon as the coal was taken down the rock, which was about 10 feet long,
4 feet wide, and 2\ feet thick, fell between the coal face and the building,
catching Capron, crushing out his life. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
June 28, 1905. A. B. Moore, miner, aged 36 years, married, was killed in
stantly by being struck on the head with coal flying from a blast in the Alden
Coal Company’s mine No. 2, Wanlock, Mercer County. Deceased, with his
partner, was driving an entry north; coming toward them from the south was
a room, to be used as an air course when connection was made. These places
had come so close together that the mine manager, fearing that one or the
other might blow through, had given orders to the miner driving south not
to fire his shots, but leave them ready, and company men would fire them after
quitting time. The last-named miner disregarded the orders and agreed with
deceased to give him due notice before lighting his shot; the intervening coal
had become so thin that they could talk to each other. Both parties prepared
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
511
their shots; the miner driving south gave the usual signal that he was going
to light his shot, and did so. The flame from his shot evidently exploded the
powder in the hole coming from the opposite direction, tearing off the heel
o f the shot in the entry, and coal flying therefrom struck deceased. He leaves
a widow and 1 child.
March 29, 1906. Elisha Bean, miner, aged 45 years, married, employed at
the Shoal Creek Coal Company’s mine at Panama, Montgomery County, was
instantly killed by coal flying from a shot that he had just lighted. It is sup
posed that the squib was defective, because he had not moved away w^hen the
shot went off. He leaves a widow and 3 children.
May 13, 1908. Joseph Macke, miner, aged 35 years, married, was fatally
injured by flying co a l; died July 22, 1908. Deceased was working with George
Ehret, who was killed by a premature blast, when coal flying from the blast
that killed Ehret struck him, bruising him very severely. He was at work
loading a mine car when the flying coal struck him. He leaves a widow and
2 children.
The circumstances in accidents of this kind vary, but they would
appear to be chiefly the result o f needless exposure or needless as
sumption o f risk. Pillars of insufficient size account for quite a
number o f accidents, as illustrated in the first of the above accidents;
erroneous asumption of what has taken place accounts for others,
and some, as shown in the third case, evidently could not have been
foreseen. A lack o f discipline is brought out in the fourth case, in
which it is admitted that spoken orders had been disregarded, and, no
doubt, indifference to rules and regulations accounts for many acci
dents o f this kind. There is probably much truth in the charge, fre
quently made, that a poor quality of powder and fuse are responsible
for a number o f these accidents, as in the fifth case, where it is
brought out that the squib was at least supposed to be defective.
Shot firing is one of the most responsible duties of the miners in
coal fields in which shot firers are not specifically required to be em
ployed by law. The Illinois law to this effect became effective July
1, 1905, and it is claimed that as a result accidents due to defective
shot firing, or reckless exposure to the effects o f premature blasts,
etc., have decreased among the miners o f that State. There have
been 23 fatal accidents due to shot firing o f miners in Illinois during
the 5 years ending with 1908, and o f these a number o f typical cases
are given below. O f the number reported in detail in the report, 4
occurred subsequent to the passage of the shot-firing act.
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS TO M IN E R S , DUE TO SH O T F IR IN G .
July 15, 1903. Harry Mills, sr., miner, aged 62 years, widower, was killed at
tbe Ubben Coal Company’s mine, Pekin, Tazewell County. Deceased was return
ing to his room to fire a second shot; at the same time William Houtts fired a
shot in a crosscut, in the adjoining room, which blew through the pillar just
as Mills was opposite the shot. His neck, arms, and legs were broken. He
leaves 2 orphan children.
August 7, 1903. Henry Herpine, aged 37 years, married, was killed instantly
in the Kolb Coal Company’s mine No. 1, Mascoutah, St. Clair County. He was
in the act of charging a hole, and was pushing the powder back with a scraper.
In doing so tbe scraper struck a sulphur, causing sparks, which ignited the
powder; an explosion occurred with the result as stated. He leaves a widow
and 4 children.
512
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
March 3, 1904. George O. Sherer, miner, aged 25 years, single, employed in the
Pittenger & Davis mine No. 3, Centralia, Marion County, was preparing to
charge a shot; the cartridge lodged halfway in the hole; in trying to cut it
with an iron drill, to make it free, the drill caused a spark which ignited the
powder, the explosion injuring him. He died March 11, 1904.
March 22, 1904. T. G. Kelley, miner, aged 40 years, married, was killed at
the East Peoria Coal Company’s mine, located at East Peoria, Tazewell County.
Kelley had prepared 2 shots in his room, one of which had exploded, but the other
hung fire; after waiting a short time he asked another miner, Doering, to go
into the room with him to light the shot; as they entered the room they ob
served the burning fuse, Kelley ran to seize it with the intention o f pulling it
o u t; just at that moment the shot exploded, killing Kelley and burning Doering.
Deceased leaves a widow and 3 children.
June 21, 1904. Robert Edwards, miner, aged 50 years, married, employed by
the Kellyville Coal Company at mine No. 2, Kellyville, Vermilion County, was
instantly killed by the explosion o f powder while attempting to force the charge
back that had stuck in the drill hole; he used an iron tamping bar, which
evidently produced a spark, igniting the powder. He leaves a widow and 2
children.
August 1, 1904. Benjamin Clina, miner, aged 17 years, single, was severely
burned and bruised by an explosion o f powder in the'Alden Coal Company’s mine
No. 4, located near Viola, Mercer County. Deceased was working in partner
ship with his grandfather. On the Saturday evening previous a blast had been
prepared, but missed fire or failed to explode; the first act o f the young man
Monday morning following was to commence drilling out the missed shot, using
a common steel pointed churn drill. When the work had progressed far enough
to reach the powder, the drill undoubtedly struck a piece o f sulphur on the
side o f the drill h ole; this generated a spark and an explosion as a matter o f
course followed, burning him severely on the face, breast, and arms. The force
of the explosion threw him 10 or 12 feet across the room, breaking his leg and
otherwise severely bruising him. He died from the injuries received 12 hours
after the accident.
August 28, 1905. Erastus Bridges, miner, aged 58 years, married, working
in the Green Ridge Coal Company’s mine at Green Ridge, Macoupin County,
was drilling out a missed shot (in violation o f the mining law) when for some
cause the shot exploded, killing him instantly. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
January 12, 1907. Louis Phillippi, miner, aged 29 years, married, was killed
instantly while in the act o f drilling out a shot which he thought was a wet
hole, as water was running out of the blasting barrel. This shot had been
tamped the day before. Deceased was using a churn drill, which must have
struck a piece o f sulphur, igniting the powder. This accident occurred in the
mine o f the Duquoin Coal Company, Duquoin. He leaves a widow.
October 22, 1907. Joseph Claybrook, miner, aged 63 years, married, employed
at the Majestic Coal and Coke Company’s mine, Duquoin. Deceased was pre
paring a shot for the shot firers, and in some way caused an explosion, burning
his face and bruising him with flying coal. He died about a week after the
accident. He leaves a widow and 3 children.
March 10, 1908. Walter Schlebo, miner, aged 28 years, single, employed in
the mine of the Tilden Coal Company, Tilden. Deceased was taking tamping
out of a shot and thought he had it all out. His partner ran a churn drill
into the hole when the shot exploded. The men were removing the tamping
for the reason that the shot had failed to explode, when the squib was placed
by the shot firers it was found that the hole had not been properly tamped.
Schlebo was blown on top o f a pit car, standing near, and fatally injured in
the chest and abdomen.
A considerable number o f cases have been included in this group,
in view o f the unusual importance o f accidents o f this kind, and the
varying conditions under which they may take place. They include
full accounts o f unusual occurrences, as well as o f cases which are
more or less typical. It is made evident that many of the men killed
could not possibly have been aware of the risk assumed in their
efforts to drill out missed shots, or in performing duties which are
properly the function o f experienced shot firers. Drilling out un
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
513
used shots, as emphasized in the seventh o f the above cases, is in vio
lation o f the mining laws, but such violations appear to have been
common previous to the passing of the shot-firers’ law o f 1905. The
serious risk inherent in the placing and firing of shots is now limited
to a single responsible individual, the shot firer, but, as will subse
quently be shown, a large number of fatal accidents occur among this
class o f labor, so that it may still be considered an open question
whether the actual results o f the act have been as beneficial as
anticipated.
Fatal accidents due to gas, or gas and dust, explosions are com
paratively rare in Illinois, but, possibly, the statistical information
regarding the true number o f accidents of this nature is inconclu
sive, as the result o f defective methods of classification. According
to a table o f fatal accidents by causes, (a) there have only been 43 casu
alties due to fire damp or black and white damp in the State of Illinois
during a period o f 21 years, but it is evident that quite a number of
deaths due to these causes have been included in the group o f blasts
and explosions. In any event, the great accident o f 1905 at Ziegler,
which caused the death o f 53 men, was due to a gas explosion, or, more
properly, a gas and dust explosion, but this accident is included in
the group o f deaths due to blasts and explosions, although only
deaths caused by explosives should be so classified. Errors of this
kind in classification are quite common in the tabular analysis o f mine
inspectors’ reports, to the evident disadvantage o f a clear under
standing o f the facts reported upon. The great disaster at Cherry,
111., on November 13, 1909, which caused the loss o f 266 lives, was
due to a gas and dust explosion combined, and there are strong rea
sons for believing that as the result of an increasing use o f machines
and electricity, as well as increasing depth of mines, such explosions
will be more general in the future than they have been in the past.
During the 5 years ending with 1908 there have only been 7
deaths o f miners specifically reported as due to gas explosions, or
asphyxiations, and these are all given below in detail, as extracted
from the annual reports. It will be noted that 3 o f the deaths
occurred in 1908.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO MINERS AS THE RESULT OF GAS EXPLOSIONS OR
ASPHYXIATIONS.
August 5,1904. William Sloan, miner, aged 19 years, single, was killed in the
Wilmington and Springfield Coal Company’s mine, Springfield, Sangamon
County, by suffocation. He went back on shots previously fired and was over
come by the smoke and gases from the shots.
September 6, 1906. Harry Hall, miner, aged 39, married, employed by the
Lake Creek Coal Company, was fatally burned. His death was caused by the
0 Twenty-seventh Annual Coal Report of the Illinois Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics, 1908, p. 150.
62717°—No. 90—10-----6
514
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOE.
ignition of gas in the entry where he was engaged in cutting down a standing
shot; the fall caused a draft that brought the gas down on the light, which was
sitting on the ground. He was burned so severely that he died 3 days after
wards. He leaves a wridow and 2 children.
October 27, 1906. Richard Spezia, miner, aged 30 years, married, employed
by the Chicago and Carterville Coal Company at mine “A,” was killed by an
explosion of fire damp in the first east entry on south side o f the shaft. He
leaves a widow and 2 children.
September 7, 1907. Four men were killed this date. There was a gas ex
plosion in the Dering Coal Company’s No. 11 mine, West Frankfort. The night
shift was putting in a stopping to close off a body o f gas and was working
under the directions of a certified mine manager; the stopping was nearly com
pleted, causing the gas to back up against the decreasing current of a ir; the
gas was ignited by the lamp o f one o f the party, burning 22 men, o f whom the
following 4 men died from the effect of the burns, all being Italians: Joe
Caruso, miner, aged 21, single; Peter Gigole, miner, aged 18, single; Joe Perconi, miner, aged 36 years, married; he leaves a widow and 4 children; B.
Trimcoeli, miner, aged 22 years, single. Eighteen others were burned more or
less severely, all of whom except 5 left West Frankfort. I was therefore unable
to secure their names and the time lost resulting from the burns endured.
January 11, 1908. James Cousart, miner, aged 27 years, married, employed
at mine No. 4 of the O’Gara Coal Company, Harrisburg, Saline County, was
fatally burned by igniting the gas in his working place in the No. 12 west entry.
Both Cousart and his partner were warned o f the presence o f gas on the morn
ing of the accident. They removed the board bearing the examiner’s mark on
the morning o f the accident, and supposed they had brushed all the gas out
before going to work. A fter loading one car, Cousart’s partner, H. Clark,
lighted the gas, which fatally burned Cousart; Clark was not burned at all, on
account of his lying down. Deceased leaves a widow and 2 children.
January 25, 1908. August Henri, miner, aged 32 years, married, working in
the Stonington Coal Company’s mine at Stonington, Christian County. De
ceased was severely burned by an explosion o f gas and died from the effects 2
days later. He was sent by the mine manager with a naked light to clear
away some slate in a room known to contain 7 feet o f gas overhead. He leaves
a widow.
February 12, 1908. Jasper Nealan, aged 50 years, single, miner, employed at
the National Mining Company’s mine, Eldorado, Saline County, was, with two
other men, opening up a fire that had been sealed u p ; two o f the men had safety
lamps. Nealan went in after them with an open lamp; when he reached the
first open crosscut the gas from the lighted lamp exploded, blowing him against
the rib, fracturing his skull.
It is evident that the groupings o f deaths due to gas inhalation or
explosion require to differentiate between gases or vapors resulting
from the use o f explosives and true eases o f mine gas inhalation and
deaths caused by the explosion o f such gases and o f such gases in
combination with coal dust. The first o f the above accidents em
phasizes the risk o f undue exposure to gases or vapors resulting from
the use o f explosives, while the second and fifth are typical cases of
gas burns as the result o f the accidental ignition of mine gas. The
third and fourth are true cases o f fire-damp explosion.
The sixth accident in this group is typical o f a curious disregard
o f warnings and a more or less open violation o f the mining laws.
It has been difficult in all mining States to enforce the use o f locked
safety lamps in gaseous mines, and particularly so in supposed-to-be
gaseous mines, as brought out in the description o f the seventh case.
That two men, making use o f known safety precautions, should have
had their lives placed in jeopardy by a foolhardy indifference to an
apparent danger is only one o f the many evidences that the lives o f
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
515
the best men are menaced by the recklessness, ignorance, and indiffer
ence o f the worst. But that the men are not alone at fault in this
respect is made clear by numerous individual cases, where fire bosses
failed to do their duty or give proper warning or insist upon the
men keeping out o f dangerous parts of mines, known to them to be
gaseous as the result o f personal inspection. Even more serious is
the fault o f coal mining companies in this respect. The Ziegler
explosion, which occurred on April 3, 1905, may properly be referred
to in this discussion o f accidents due to gas explosions. Among the
killed were a district mine inspector and a mine examiner. Next to
a serious accident in 1883, causing the loss o f 69 men in consequence
o f the flooding o f a mine, the Ziegler disaster was the greatest in the
history o f the State previous to the calamity at Cherry in 1909.
The joint report o f the state mining board and the state mine in
spector upon the Ziegler disaster, dated April 20, 1905, reads in part
as follows :( a)
W e find that the mine had not been legally examined since March
23, 1905. Under the mining law in force in this State, every mine
must be examined every morning before the men are permitted to
enter the mine, the examination to be made by a duly qualified per
son, whose ability to perform such duties are certified to by the state
mining board. This requirement was not observed during the period
herein stated.
We also find that the mine has been operated in violation o f the
mining laws, in not having the crosscuts made at the proper dis
tance, which is 60 feet apart.
On entry C, 225 feet south o f the second west entry, is located a
powder room, the dimensions o f which are approximately 7 feet high,
10 feet wide, and 20 feet deep, in which the officials o f the company
state that 43 kegs o f powder, 1J boxes o f masurite (which is a low
grade o f dynamite), also a quantity o f detonating caps, the number
unknown, all o f which had been exploded.
Having this powder and explosives stored in the mine is in viola
tion o f the mining law.
From a statement made by the officials o f the company, in which
they say the fan was stopped at 11.30 p. m. March 31, 1905, at which
time all o f the men were called out o f the mine, owing to the ventila
tion being cut off and the mine generating marsh gas.
When the fan was stopped they depended upon the three air com
pressors to produce ventilation, which was not sufficient to ventilate
the mine.
Notwithstanding the above condition, the men were permitted to
enter the mine Saturday night, Sunday night, and Monday morning,
and at 7.10 a. m. April 3,1905, the explosion occurred.
The fan was again started at 5.30 p. m. on the same day, before the
rescuing party entered the mine.
® Twenty-fourth Annual Coal Report of the Illinois Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics, 1905, p. 3 et seq.
516
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
W e are o f the opinion that the amount o f air furnished by the
three air compressors was not sufficient to ventilate the mine, but was
sufficient to render the marsh gas explosive.
To make the facts as clear as possible, the following is quoted
from the report o f the state mine inspector o f the third district, who
examined the mine after the explosion. After referring to the com
pany’s book o f record, showing that the mine examiner had reported
the presence o f explosive gases between September 1, 1904, and
March 25, 1905, it is stated that no examination o f the mine had
been made since that date, which was in violation o f the following
section o f the mining law of the State:
S e c tio n 8 (par. g ). It shall be unlawful for the operator o f any
mine to employ, or suffer to serve as mine examiner, any person who
does not hold a certificate o f competency issued by the state mining
board: P r o v id e d , That anyone holding a mine manager’s certificate
may serve as mine examiner.
Mr. Thomas Carraher, a noncertificate man, made the examination
March 23 and 24, and report book shows no examination March 25
and 26. Mr. Mike Canfield made the examination for March 27 and
March 31, 1905. He is not a certificated mine examiner or mine
manager.
The mine, in fact, was filled with dangerous and explosive gases,
and so much so in places that the work o f restoring the mine to a
working condition would have been long delayed but for the use of
rescue apparatus, the practical value o f which is referred to by the
inspector as follow s:
The company having two Vajen-Bader head protectors which had
never been used, I put one on and entered the poisoned atmosphere of
No. 1 entry and succeeded in taking down the brattice, thereby allow
ing the fresh air to enter at No. 3 entry and drive out the gases from
Nos. 1 and 2 entries. This could not have been accomplished without
a head protector.
After giving in detail an account o f the quantity o f explosives
stored in the mine, contrary to the law, reference is made to section 20
o f the mining law, which reads:
No blasting powder or other explosives shall be stored in any coal
mine, and no workman shall have at any time more than one 25pound keg o f black powder in the mine, nor more than 3 pounds o f
high explosives.
The fact that the gas explosion caused a powder explosion was no
doubt the reason why this accident was classified with casualties due
to blasts and explosions, although it is clear that the original cause
was a gas explosion and not a powder explosion.
There would seem to have been no doubt in the minds o f those who
officially inquired into the disaster that the direct cause was defective
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
517
or interrupted ventilation, permitting of the accumulation of ex
plosive gases, which, if the ventilating fans had been in proper opera
tion, would probably have been removed from the mines. That the
ventilation was not in conformity to section 19 o f the mining law is
held to have been the case in the opinion of the examining inspector
o f the third district, who reports :( a)
I found that the ventilating fan had been stopped at 11.30 p. m.
Friday, March 31, 1905, at which time one of the mining officials
gave instructions to call out all the men from the mine, owing to
the ventilation being cut off. The compressors were at work at the
time o f stopping the fan and were depended upon to produce ventila
tion from 11.30 p. m. March 31 to April 3, the morning o f the ex
plosion. The three compressors were expected to ventilate this mine,
having no less than 1,786,000 cubic feet o f space in entries and rooms
opened up in which 47 men and 5 mules were working. The cata
logue capacity o f these compressors is given as 1,200 cubic feet o f
free air per minute. Taking this as a basis, we have for the three
compressors 3,600 cubic feet o f air per minute.
Section 19 o f the mining law states that throughout every coal
mine there shall be maintained currents of fresh air sufficient for
the health and safety o f all men and animals employed therein, and
such ventilation shall be produced by fan or some other artificial
means.
The fan being stopped, the men were permitted to enter the mine on
Saturday and Sunday night, and again on Monday morning, the
day o f the explosion, without the mine having been examined by any
one. This is shown by the inspector’s book. The quantity o f com
pressed air produced at the working face was not sufficient to produce
a lawful amount o f ventilation for the men and mules in the mine at
the time o f the explosion.
This official report, which has not been successfully contradicted,
concludes with the following statement in regard to the management
o f the operating company, responsible for the safety o f the m en:(a)
In conclusion, I am of the opinion that the explosive gas in the
third east crosscut from entry B to entry A, known to the miners as
the stone heading, was ignited accidentally by a common miners’
lamp (an open lamp), in possession o f one o f the 17 men who had
gone there to work, as all of these men had naked lamps.
This mine had been operated up to the time o f the explosion in
violation o f the mining laws.
In a separate report, made by a qualified mining and ventilating
engineer, Mr. J. G. Massie, to the governor of the State, occurs the
significant statement that—
This mine is laid out for the adoption o f the best system of ventila
tion now known to the science of mining, but the ventilation applied
to this system is the oldest and most primitive known to mining.
® Twenty-fourth Annual Coal Report o f the Illinois Bureau o f Labor Statistics,
1905, p. 3 et seq.
518
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
And further (°) —
Now, the facts briefly stated, as I believe, are: There were 41 kegs
o f powder in the powder rooms, below ground, and about 150 men
on the two shifts, and it is only fair to assume that there were not
less than 75 kegs of powder at the faces o f the working places; that
is to say, half a keg for each man. This wTould be 116 kegs of powder
in all. Now, the fan stopped from Friday evening until the time of
the explosion, so the ventilating current was also stopped, and all the
air that went into the mine was sent in through the two-inch pipes
to 7 dead ends; just barely sufficient to prepare an explosive mixture
o f the most violent nature. The mine was known to generate fire
damp. This their report book shows. It also shows the mine was
not examined Saturday or Monday. The result— a magazine ready
for the flame to set it off. There were two separate and distinct ex
plosions from 2 to 3 seconds apart. The first was the gas and the
powder at the working faces, the second the 41 kegs in the powder
room; the first explosion burst the kegs and set them off; the first
explosion was the most violent; it went up the air shaft; the second
went up the hoisting shaft, that being the line o f least resistance. I
further believe the mine manager is the man who ignited the gas, he
having been found about 75 feet further in advance o f the workmen.
I asked the general manager why he took such desperate chances, or
words to that effect. He replied, that at every step since the mine
had been started the state inspector o f mines had been consulted, and
all their work had the stamp o f approval o f the State. I asked him
i f he could produce that evidence, i f called upon to do so, and he
replied that he could. The facts herein stated are self evident.
Finally, all the facts and official evidence were summarized in a
report by the secretary o f the bureau o f labor, which incidentally
throws much light upon the then existing labor conditions in the
third district, reading in part as follows : ( 6)
The reports made by the different investigators are substantially the
same. As to the cause o f the explosion, all agree in attributing it to
gas. That the mine was being operated in violation of the plain
provisions o f the mining law of this State no one seriously disputes.
The records kept by the company itself show that the mine generated
gas; furthermore, that certain daily examinations were made by
employees who did not have the certificate authorizing them to per
form such work, and that for several days just preceding the explo
sion the mine had not been examined at all. Upon the strength of
this testimony the attorney-general o f the State secured several indict
ments against the company and its agents. The verdict of the cor
oner’s jury sought to exonerate the company by holding that the
disaster was due to a powder explosion, thus indicating a criminal
purpose to blow up the mine. Considering the special precautions
the company had taken to protect its property, this conclusion re
flected upon the integrity o f the jurymen and invited the suspicion
that the men conducting the inquest had been selected for the pur-
aTwenty-fourth Annual Coal Report of the Illinois Bureau o f Labor Sta
tistics, 1905, p. 10.
6 Idem, p. 11.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
519
pose o f shielding the company. There was certainly no evidence to
warrant such a finding. To support such a theory it would be
necessary for the jury to suppose that certain men wTere willing, in
their desire to destroy the property o f the company, to sacrifice their
own lives. This imposes too heavy a tax on human credulity. To
fully understand this phase of the case and the occasion for such a
verdict, the explanation should be made that for 9 months preceding the
explosion the company had been engaged in a bitter'conflict with the
miners’ union. While the initial cause o f the trouble was a disagree
ment over the scale rate for that mine, following a change from day
work to a tonnage basis, this was later lost sight o f in the apparent
determination o f the company to defy and defeat the union. Mr.
Joseph Leiter, the owner, a man o f most positive character, denied
the right o f the union to interfere in any way with the management
o f his property. Having decided upon this course and appreciating
the power and influence o f the miners’ unions, he immediately pre
pared for a siege. A stockade was constructed and men heavily
guarded were stationed around the premises. On the top o f the tall
tower a rapid-firing gun was placed; also a searchlight, by means o f
which objects moving in the night could be seen within a radius of
several miles. The method o f protection was so complete as to make
it impossible for anyone to approach within a reasonable distance of
the property without being subject to the closest scrutiny. I f the
person was properly identified and vouched for he was permitted to
enter. Notwithstanding this system o f espionage the company’s
officials are represented as contending that some time during the
night preceding the explosion some maliciously disposed people
eluded the guards, scaled the stockade, descended the mine, and
exploded the powder magazine. It would seem that a mere statement
o f the facts is sufficient to disprove such a contention without at
tempting any argument to further expose the patent weakness of
such a defense. The fact that a jury, in the absence of any investiga
tion, would lend the influence o f its verdict to a statement of that
kind testifies not so much to the unreliable character o f such agencies
as to the strong local control exercised by the company’s officials in a
community o f that kind.
The investigation and reports o f the several experts who were
detailed to examine the premises are notably clear, strong, and
unanimous in the opinion that the explosion was the result o f gas,
which, on account o f the impaired condition of the ventilating appa
ratus, had been allowed to accumulate in excessively dangerous
quantities. While the judgment o f the investigators is that the
powder stored in the magazine and at other places in the mine inten
sified the power o f the explosion, the increased damage from that
source must have been comparatively slight. The exploding o f 40
or more kegs o f powder in the face o f such force would have no more
effect than the throwing o f a splinter into a raging furnace or the pop
o f a firecracker in the roar o f a cannon.
It is unfortunate that official inquiries into mining disasters in
America have not been made with the thoroughness and the aid o f
scientific ability characteristic o f the reports made upon mine dis
asters in England and the continent o f Europe. Such a fearful loss
520
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
o f life should at least have its compensation in resulting contribu
tions to the science o f mine management, so that the true cause o f
such disasters may be better understood with resulting measures and
means for their prevention in the future. It may be argued that all
that requires to be known in regard to such accidents is practically
a matter o f record, but that view is shallow and opposed to the
scientific character o f the present age. In any event, all the im
portant facts which have a relation to the occurrence of fatal and
serious accidents in mining should be ascertained*with impartial and
scientific accuracy, so that the true cause and responsibility for the
occurrence may be precisely determined.
Aside from the fatal accidents to miners which have been described
in detail, only a few more require consideration. Electrical accidents
have not been common in the coal mines o f Illinois, and only three
such cases have been described in detail in the reports for the five
years ending with 1908. Electricity in mining is a factor o f in
creasing importance, but properly installed, electric power need not
necessarily increase the actual risk, although it can not be doubted
that in practice such an increase has taken place. It is evident
that underground installation requires even more careful supervision
than electrical installment generally, and indeed the whole subject of
electricity in mining deserves to be more carefully considered in its
relation to the safety o f the men than has heretofore been the case. In
1902 the Census Office reported (a) that 309 bituminous coal mines in
the United States used electricity to the extent o f 68,139 horsepower,
but since that date there must have been a large increase in the appli
cation o f electricity to mining proper—that is, drilling, coal-cutting,
haulage, hoisting, electric shot firing, lighting, pumping, ventilating,
etc. Considering the extensive use o f electric currents, it is remark
able that the number o f fatal accidents to miners should actually have
been so small. In ten years ending with 1908 there have only been
five deaths from the direct effect of electricity in the coal mines of
Illinois, out of a total o f 1,391 deaths, or 0.09 per 10,000, of employees.
In the whole coal field of North America there have only been 193
deaths officially recorded due to electricity, out of a total o f 18,346
deaths from all causes, or at the rate o f 0.35 per 10,000 employed. In
detail the three fatal electrical accidents to miners in Illinois have
been as follow s:
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO MINERS DUE TO ELECTRICITY.
January 8, 1904. John Frew, miner, aged 26 years, single, employed at the
mine o f the Green view Coal Company, Green view, Menard County, was killed
while passing over the electric motor. He had finished his day’s work and was
on his way to the bottom o f the shaft, and stopped for a while on the main entry
parting until the motor had finished switching; by some means unknown his
a Special Reports o f the Census Office: Mines and Quarries 1902, p. 146.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
521
neck came in contact with the live wire and tlie sliock killed him. The state
ment that electric generators having only 250 voltage will not kill is disproved
by this fatal accident, which took place l i miles from the generator, showing
that at that distance where the voltage would be less than 250 the shock proved
fatal.
May 30, 1905. William Johnson, miner, aged 27 years, single, employed at
the mine of the Greenview Coal Company, Greenview, Menard County, was killed
while riding on an electric motor, coming in contact with the wire. He had
finished his day’s work and was riding to the bottom of the shaft.
October 27, 1905. James Gray, miner, aged 27 years, single, employed in mine
No. 1 o f the Illinois Collieries Company, at Yirdin, Macoupin County, was load
ing a car on an entry where electric wires were strung and hanging within
18 inches of the side o f the car. Deceased, in topping the car on the side where
the wires were, is supposed to have touched them, as he fell dead into the entry.
These accidents are fully explained in the descriptive accounts and
there is nothing exceptional about them which differentiates electrical
accidents in mining from such accidents generally. Evidently ex
treme care is necessary in insulating wires carrying electrical currents
underground, since the voltage may run as high as 3,000 and in damp
mines the insulating material is easily destroyed. A departmental
committee o f the British home office, in reporting upon the use o f
electricity in mining,(a) properly call attention to the necessity that
“ the electrical plant should always be considered as a source o f
potential danger, and this emphasizes the need o f thoroughly qualified
supervision o f all electrical installations underground by a competent
person.”
Two very curious fatal accidents occurred in Illinois coal mining,
both during the year 1907 and in the eighth district, due to the slip
ping o f a crowbar in the act o f prying down the coal. The accidents
are briefly described as follow s:
January 12, 1907. Natal Mental, miner, aged 19 years, single, was killed,
being struck by a crowbar, in the Prairie Coal Company’s mine near O’Fallon,
St. Clair County. He was taking down top coal with the bar, when it slipped,
striking him. He was injured internally and died from the effects January 16.
May 28, 1907. James Gussach, miner, aged 47 years, married, was fatally
injured by being struck by a crowbar from which he died June 1, 1907.
Deceased was in the act o f taking down top coal when the bar swung around,
striking him and injuring him internally. He was employed in the Mount
Olive and Staunton Coal Company’s No. 1 mine, near Staunton, Madison
County. He leaves a widow and 4 children.
These accidents bring out the incidental dangers o f a miner’s life,
which by its nature involves the exposure to innumerable unknown
risks, which no experience can foresee and no wisdom or mechanical
devices can entirely prevent. An accident like the following may
occur only once in many years, but the implication is the same, o f an
element o f risk which it will always be impossible to guard against
with absolute certainty.
January 25, 1905. Peter Greff, miner, aged 30 years, married, was Injured
by falling over a prop in an old and abandoned room in the Illinois Colleries
Company’s mine No. 5, Girard, Macoupin County. He died the next day. He
leaves a widow and 1 child.
a Report o f the Departmental Committee on the use o f electricity in mines.
Pari, paper Cd., 1916. London, 1904.
522
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
It requires no additional proof to demonstrate the serious risk to
human life in coal mining operations as the industry is conducted
in the coal fields of North America. While the illustrations derived
from the experience of the State of Illinois are not wholly applicable
to the conditions in all the coal fields and coal-mining States, it is safe
to assume that on the whole the most important dangers are clearly
emphasized in the cases cited as more or less typical and suggestive of
the true underlying causes. The occupation o f the miner is, o f course,
only one o f many employments underground indispensable to coal
mining operations. So numerous are these occupations that consid
eration o f all in full detail would unduly enlarge the scope o f the pres
ent inquiry. An analysis o f the 859 fatal accidents occurring in the
State o f Illinois during 1901 to 1908 discloses the fact that these
accidents occurred among 41 different occupations but not all of
these can be specifically dealt with. In other States the number of
specific occupations is even larger than in the State of Illinois, and
reference may be had to Table X o f the appendix for the occupations
o f the killed in the State o f West Virginia.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO DRIVERS IN MINES.
Out o f 859 mine workers killed in Illinois during 1904 to 1908, it
appears that 96, or 11.2 per cent, were drivers of mine cars. As has
been pointed out in the discussion o f fatal accidents to miners, mine
cars are a source o f considerable risk, even to those who are not em
ployed in their operation, and it is probably safe to assume that the
introduction o f electric motors has increased this hazard to the
miners, the drivers, and other underground workmen. During the
21 years ending with 1908 it is recorded that 218 fatal pit-car acci
dents have occurred in Illinois, or 10.4 per cent of the total number o f
fatal casualties, but the large majority o f these accidents have been
deaths o f drivers. The descriptive accounts for the 5 years ending
with 1908 include 71 fatal accidents to drivers, o f which over half,
or 41, were deaths from falls in front o f mine cars. Accidents of this
kind are due to various causes, but they all have this in common, that
the driver was so insecurely seated, or placed, that an unaccustomed
jar or unexpected stop caused a loss of balance, with fatal results.
The following are typical accidents o f this nature, and common
not only to the coal fields o f Illinois, but to the coal fields o f all the
other States:
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO DRIVERS DUE TO FALLS IN FRONT OF CARS.
March 1, 1905. Frank Romesburg, driver, aged 27 years, married, was
severely crushed by falling in front o f a trip of loaded pit cars, in the Empire
Coal Company’s mine No. 3, Gilchrist, Mercer County. Deceased was coming
out of the main north entry with a trip o f six loaded pit cars,•riding on the
tail chain and drawbar of the front car—a customary but very dangerous
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
523
proceeding— when by some means he lost his footing and fell in front of the
trip. One car passed over him, and he was found under the second one. He
died 20 hours after the accident. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
November 11, 1905. John Cummins, driver, aged 28 years, single, was killed
in the Dering Coal Company’s mine No. 2, being run over by pit cars. This was
the first day deceased had worked in this mine. He was bringing his trip down
the incline in the mine without sprags. The cars jumping from the track at the
foot of the entry passed over him, killing him instantly. He formerly worked
in mines at Pana.
September 11, 1906. Robert Gray, driver, aged 20 years, single, employed at
the mine of the Chicago and Carbondale Coal Company, was riding in front
o f a car on the tail chain and fell off, the car running over him, injuring him
fatally. He died 3 hours afterwards.
September 19, 1906. George Walton, driver, aged 23 years, single, employed
in the mine o f the Maplewood Coal Company at Farmington, was instantly
killed by a loaded pit car. The deceased was taking a trip o f two loaded cars
from the parting to the bottom o f the sh aft; sitting on a seat hung on the front
end o f the first c a r ; when about 400 feet from the parting the seat became de
tached from the car, Walton falling in front o f the trip ; he was dragged about
50 feet.
November 3, 1906. John Kurasotte, driver, aged 18 years, single, was fataly
injured in the No. 6 mine o f the Big Four Wilmington Coal Company, Carbon
Hill, Grundy County. Deceased was attempting to hold a loaded car on the
down grade when his foot caught against a tie, causing him to fall in front o f
the car, which passed over his body. He died the following day.
January 7, 1907. Albert Mauer, driver, aged 24 years, single, employed at
mine No. 1 o f the Superior Coal Company near Gillespie, Macoupin County, was
found dead under the front car o f the trip he was taking to the bottom. It is
supposed that he was riding on the front end o f his trip and fell under the car.
This part o f the mine has a heavy grade, requiring several spraggs. The usual
number was found on the trip. His home was in Collinsville, 111.
May 9, 1907. William C. Hoover, driver, aged 23 years, single, was severely
crushed internally by being caught under a trip of loaded pit cars in the
Empire Coal Company’s mine No. 3, Gilchrist, Mercer County. Deceased was
coming down a grade in the eleventh east entry with two loaded pit cars,
riding on the front of the car and tail chain, a rather dangerous custom. By
some means unknown, as no one was near him at the time, he fell in front o f
the rapidly moving cars. His light was extinguished. Another driver, follow
ing down the grade with 3 loaded cars, not knowing o f the accident, ran into
the first trip, pushing the front car on top o f the deceased. He was extricated
as soon as possible and removed from the mine; medical aid was secured, but
he died from the injuries 3 hours later.
May 17, 1907. Joseph Bardsley, driver, aged 23 years, single, was severely
crushed internally by being thrown in front o f a trip o f moving loaded pit cars
in the Coal Valley Mining Company’s mine No. 2, Sherrard, Mercer County.
This accident occurred at the parting on the main north entry. Deceased was
having some trouble with the mule. He was driving a vicious animal. He had
hold of the lines when suddenly the mule gave a lunge with sufficient force to
throw Bardsley across from the empty to the full track, where he fell in front
o f a rapidly moving trip o f 2 loaded cars. Before these cars could be stopped
the front one ran on to him, crushing him internally. He died from the in
juries about 1 hour after the accident.
February 24, 1908. Hubert Morris, driver, aged 22 years, single, was killed
instantly by being crushed under a trip o f 2 loaded pit cars in the No. 5 mine
of the Spring Valley Coal Company, located at Dalzell, Bureau County. The
facts as to just how this accident occurred are quite hard to determine, as no
one was present at the time. Deceased was coming down a slight gradient with
2 loaded pit cars, riding on the front o f the first car, according to custom; and
the most reasonable theory is that he lost his balance and fell in front o f the
rapidly moving cars. He was found under the first car shortly afterwards and
was dead when found.
March 11, 1908. Henry Kinse, jr., driver, aged 20 years, single, employed in
the mine o f the Breese-Trenton Mining Company, Breese. He was pulling a
loaded trip down a hill when suddenly the mule kicked him off o f the seat,
causing him to fall under the cars, which passed over his body. He died 4 days
after the accident.
524
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
June 22, 1908. Charles Davis, driver, aged 19 years, single, employed at
the Saline Coal Company’s No. 1 mine, Ledford, Saline County, was killed
while driving in the fourth west entry. Deceased, when about 100 feet from
the main east entry, was told to stop and was heard to say, “ I can’t stop,” but
he turned the mule and fell under the car, which was not coming fast. His
sprags were found on top o f the car. A number of men were standing close by
and in 2 minutes had the car taken off o f him ; there was room for him to have
gotten on the side of the road out o f the way o f the car.
June 27, 1908. Harry McClane was found dead under a mine car in the
O’Gara Coal Company’s mine No. 10, Eldorado, Saline County. Deceased was
employed as a driver; aged 32 years and single. The cause o f the accident is
not known, but it is supposed that he was in the act o f unhitching his mule,
and that his foot slipped on the rail and he fell in front o f the car; when he
was found the car was on his head and shoulders; there was no one present
when the accident occurred.
It is difficult to determine how far any or all o f these accidents
could have been prevented by different methods o f haulage or im
proved mine cars. It would seem possible that the method o f “ spragging,” which is the equivalent of braking, could be improved, and that
a safe seat or some protective device could be applied to mine cars
to secure the driver more effectually than is at present the case. The
“ customary but very dangerous proceeding ” o f u riding on the tail
chain ” should be prohibited under severe penalties, i f security to life
can not be otherwise obtained. It must be taken into consideration
that drivers are as a rule young men, mostly between 15 and 25,
often just married or fathers o f families o f small children. The
descriptive accidents o f this class are certainly suggestive o f a legiti
mate duty to provide in some manner against their common occur
rence to the extent indicated by the returns o f the State o f Illinois.
Somewhat similar in the nature of their surrounding circumstances,
though due to different causes, are the fatal accidents resulting from
drivers being crushed between cars or between cars and the wall o f
the driveway. O f such accidents 20 have been described in detail
in the official reports for the 5 years ending with 1908. O f these,
one-half were caused by drivers being crushed between two cars, 6
by drivers being crushed between cars and the “ coal rib ” or wall, 2
by being crushed between cars and doors; 1 was crushed between a
car and a prop and 1 between a mule and a loaded car. O f these
the following are typical illustrative cases:
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO DRIVERS DUE TO BEING CRUSHED BETWEEN CARS,
CARS AND WALLS, ETC.
June 28, 1905. Thomas McGray, driver, aged 24 years, married, employed in
the Moweaqua Coal Mining and Manufacturing Company’s mine, Moweaqua,
Shelby County, was instantly killed by being crushed between a mule and loaded
pit cars.
December 29, 1905. William Overly, driver, aged 18 years, single, employed
at the Peabody Coal Company’s mine No. 2, Marion, Williamson County, lost his
life while driving a team o f mules and riding in front o f the car. The lead mule
stopped, causing the rear mule to back up. Deceased, in jumping off o f the
car, was caught between the car and rib. He was injured internally and died
1 week later.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
525
January 27, 1900. Penly Johnson, driver, aged 17 years, employed at the
Royal Colliery Company's mine at Virden, Macoupin County, was caught be
tween a loaded car and a partly opened door, which he was trying to open to let
the mule and car go through, and injured, from the effects of which he died
February 1, 1906.
July 25, 1906. Lawrence Bowman, driver, aged 25 years, single, employed
at the No. 1 mine of the Illinois Collieries Company, Virden, Macoupin County,
was bringing out a trip o f loaded cars to the double parting where other loaded
cars were standing, and while unhooking his mule did not get out o f the way in
time to avoid being caught between his trip and the standing loads. He lived
about 8 hours.
March 13, 1907. Ora Haahn, driver, aged 22 years, single, was killed in
I. Wantling & Co.’s mine, Elmwood, Peoria County. The cause o f this accident is
unknown. When deceased was found his body was lying on the side o f a
loaded car, with his right shoulder and head in front o f the wheels o f the third
car, it being a three-car trip; his cap and lamp were found at a distance of
about 15 feet in the rear of the trip ; his lamp was crushed but was still hooked
in the cap. He was found by the shot firers at about 3.30 p. m. and was dead.
November 29, 1907. Peter Ostrowski, driver, aged 21 years, single, was
seriously injured in the Oglesby Coal Company’s mine, Oglesby, Lasalle County.
Deceased, with three other men, were riding out on the motor trip, which is
against the rules of the company; while the trip was going up grade, the loaded
cars became detached from the motor; when the cars began running back,
Ostrowski jumped to one side, but was caught between the rib and the cars
and was dragged about 50 feet; both legs were broken and he was injured
internally. He was taken to the hospital in La Salle, where he died 3 hours
after the accident.
The most suggestive o f these accidents is the last, in which it
is admitted that the deceased was acting contrary to the rule, but in
most o f the cases it is evident that the accident was more or less un
avoidable and the result o f inherent risks in the employment. It
may be said, o f course, that if the driveways were wider accidents
o f this kind would be next to impossible, but it is often a most costly
proceeding to provide wider roadways, although the question o f cost
in a matter o f this kind should be of secondary consideration. Im
portant differences in this respect will be found in the case o f large
and well-managed mines, but no careful inquiry has been made to
determine how far the actual conditions are responsible for accidents
o f this kind. As far as it is possible to judge o f the cases which
have occurred, the responsibility does not, as a rule, lie with the
driver, who at best has a most difficult and dangerous duty to per
form under most trying conditions and particularly in the case
o f vicious animals, which are gradually being replaced by electricity
or cable haulage systems.
Quite a different class o f accidents is represented by the following
series o f cases, o f drivers riding on the top o f loaded pit cars, and,
as a rule, contrary to specific orders against what is well recognized
to be a most dangerous practice, which is also often indulged in at
their peril by miners and other underground employees.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO DRIVERS RIDING ON TOP OF LOADED CARS.
October 17, 1903. Tony Claretz, driver, aged 35 years, married, was fatally
injured in Mrs. E. Hakes mine, Rutland, Lasalle County. Deceased was com
ing down grade with a loaded trip and was sitting on tbe front end o f the car,
526
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
when liis head struck against the roof, breaking his n eck; he died the following
day. He leaves a widow and 2 children in Italy.
February 16, 1904. William Loveland, driver, aged 23 years, single, employed
at the mine of Spoon River Coal Company, Ellisville, Fulton County, was killed
100 feet from bottom o f the main shaft, on the main north entry, where there
is a curtain hung across the entry. He had made one two-car trip and went
back to make another, but did not have time to get two cars, so started to the
bottom with one; throwing the coal back from the front end of car that he
could have a seat, and passing under the curtain, which is held up by a 2 x 8
inch board, he struck his forehead against the board, throwing him backward
on the coal on top o f the car, crushing his skull.
July 17, 1905. Desire Herrotin, driver, aged 24 years, single, was seriously
injured in the No. 1 mine o f the Lasalje County Carbon Coal Company, La
Salle County. Deceased was coming out with loaded trip, and was sitting on
the front end of the c a r ; his head was caught between the roof and the loaded
car, fracturing his skull. He was removed to the hospital, where he died the
following day.
March 15, 1906. David Frances, driver, aged 26 years, single, was seriously
injured by being caught between the roof and a loaded car in the No. 4 mine
o f the Wilmington Coal Mining and Manufacturing Company, Braidwood,
Grundy County. He died 1 week after the accident occurred.
October 4, 1907. Silas Webb, driver, aged 21 years, single, lost his life in the
mine o f the Tuxhorn Coal Company, Keyes. Deceased was riding on top o f
a loaded car; his head was caught by a ci’oss-bar.
November 24, 1907. Matt Krenoszas, driver, aged 22 years, single, working
in the mine of the Christian County Coal Company, Taylorville, was watering
the roads, driving with a very high iron tank, riding in front and standing
on the drawbar; looking backwards while passing a place where the entry
was very high he unexpectedly came to a low place where his head was
caught between the roof and the top o f the tank, killing him instantly.
Accidents o f this nature are o f much the same character as similar
accidents among railway brakemen, who occasionally are killed by
being struck by overhead bridges and passageways. The precau
tions which are taken for the safety o f railway employees do not
appear to have been generally if at all adopted in coal mines,
although it would not seem impracticable to do so. Some o f the
accidents appear to have been the result o f a necessary assumption
o f risk, as, for illustration, in the last of the above cases, but it is
practically impossible, in view o f the more or less indifferent informa
tion, to arrive at an absolutely accurate conclusion. The practice o f
riding on the top of cars may occasionally be justified by necessity
and unless a proper and safe seat is provided for the driver, it would
seem useless to insist upon compliance with a rule which in practice
can not be carried out.
Among the miscellaneous causes o f fatal accidents to drivers in
coal mines are falls of roof or slate, which caused 6 deaths during the
5 years ending with 1908; cars jumping tracks caused 2 deaths; 1
man was kicked off his seat by a mule; 1 was crushed by a cage,
being employed both as a driver and a eager; 1 fell down a shaft;
and 3 were killed in other ways, described in detail below:
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO DRIVERS DUE TO MISCELLANEOUS CAUSES.
November 27, 1903. James McClarnon, driver, aged 24 years, married, was
killed by falling slate in the Capital Cooperative Coal Company’s mine at
Springfield, Sangamon County. The mine car jumped the track, knocking out
the props and crossbars, causing the slate to fall on him. He leaves a widow.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
527
February 12,1904. George Weindel, teamster, aged 37 years, married, employed
by the Trenton Coal Company, Trenton, Clinton County. Deceased was sending
a carload of cap pieces down the sh aft; thinking that the cage was at the bot
tom landing, he pushed the car forward and into the shaft; the cage was not
there and the car went to the bottom, taking him with it and killing him in
stantly. He leaves a widow and 5 children.
July 17, 1905. Charles Jenkins, driver, aged 18 years, single, employed in the
Illinois Collieries Company’s mine at Girard, Macoupin County, was killed by
being kicked off his seat by his mule, throwing him under the cars.
October 21, 1905. Robert Welsh, driver, aged 23 years, single, was injured
by a falling niggerhead in the McLean County Coal Company’s mine at Bloom
ington from the effects o f which he died November 14, 1905. The deceased was
on his way out with his mule and car to the bottom o f the shaft, having finished
his day’s work. There were 5 men riding in the car, while Welsh was sitting
on a seat hanging over the front end o f the car. The accident occurred on the
main hauling road fully one-half mile from his usual working place. His
mother, who is a widow, was dependent on him.
November 21, 1905. Arthur Kepler, driver, aged 56 years, married, in the
employ of the Monarch Coal and Mining Company, at Farmington, Fulton
County, was instantly killed by being crushed between the side o f the shaft
and the floor of the cage. The deceased was employed both as driver and eager.
About 7.30 a. m., after the miners had descended into the mine, the engineer
signaled for an empty cage; Kepler gave the return signal and then stepped
onto the cage and attempted to cross over to the opposite side and was caught,
with the result as stated. He leaves a wddow and 6 children.
November 2, 1906. Anton Motto, driver, aged 32 years, single, had his leg
severely crushed between an empty pit car and a cog in the Marquette Coal
Company’s mine located at Marquette, Bureau County. Deceased was going in
with a trip o f 2 empty cars. On coming to a switch he failed to guide the cars
in the proper direction; therefore, the mule went straight along, the cars running
into the switch. Motto jumped in front o f the cars to stop them, but failed, and
they were pulled off o f the track against the cog, crushing his leg. He was
removed to the hospital at La Salle, where the leg was amputated, but he died of
lockjaw November 14, 12 days after the accident.
May 30, 1907. Haley Half, driver, aged 33 years, married, was killed in the
Black Diamond mine, Auburn. One o f the cars of his trip jumped the track,
knocking out a prop which struck him on the head, causing his death in 3
hours. He leaves a widow and 3 children.
September 24, 1907. George Prichett, driver, aged 22 years, single, employed
by the Saline County Coal Company, Ledford, Saline County, was killed while
waiting at the double parting for empty cars to come in from the shaft bottom;
the cars did not come as expected, and deceased went into a crosscut and lay
down to wait. A piece of slate weighing about 100 pounds fell on his head,
crushing his skull. The accident occurred on the main south entry, about 600
feet from the shaft bottom.
October 2, 1907. Haze Burnett, driver, aged 30 years, married, employed at
the Brilliant Coal Company’s mine, Duquoin. Deceased was coming out o f
an entry with a trip, when one o f the cars jumped the track on the curve; he
was riding on the seat, and in getting off made a misstep; the car caught his
foot, cutting it at the base of the little toe, crushing the same. He died from
blood poisoning October 2, 1907, and leaves a widow and 2 children.
These accidents require no extended comment. They all emphasize
the perilous danger of the driver’s occupation, and the last case es
pecially proves the serious risk involved in the neglect o f compar
atively trivial injuries. It is made clear by the preceding illustra
tions that the driver’s occupation in mining must be included among
the dangerous occupations, subject to inherent risk and various
unfavorable conditions, beyond the control o f the employee himself.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO SHOT FIBERS.
Shot firing, whether by miners or shot firers, is dangerous work,
even when all known precautions are employed, including the firing
528
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
o f blasts by electricity. The Illinois shot firers’ law went into
effect July 1, 1905, but it is held that the desired effects have not all
been realized. The law is briefly referred to and discussed in the
Twenty-seventh Annual Coal Report o f the Illinois Bureau o f Labor
Statistics, 1908, pages 3 and 4. In part, as follows:
So terrific have been some o f the explosions in our coal mines that
had they occurred while the usual complement of men were at work
not a single life would have been spared. It was the consideration
o f such a possibility that induced the legislature to create the shot
firer’s law, effective July 1,1905. That law was, and is, subject to the
fair criticism that it transferred the responsibility from the man who
prepared the improper shot to the man whose duty it now is to fire
the shot. The friends o f that law could do no other than admit
the truth and force o f such an objection, but in answer thereto set
up the justifiable plea that i f the lives o f the men had to be sac
rificed in such work it was the part o f wisdom to expose the least
number possible to the deadly fury o f the blast.
Taking the years from 1903 to 1908, inclusive, 3 years preceding
and 3 years succeeding the enactment o f the shot firer’s law, it is
found that the loss o f life directly due to the use o f powder is nearly
40 per cent less during the 3-year period that the law has been in
operation, during which time there has been a very material increase
both in the tonnage and in the number o f men employed. It was the
intention o f the law to protect the shot firer in his refusal to fire
shots which, in his judgment, were dangerous.
The causes from which many shot firers have lost their lives indi
cate either that many o f them were selected without considering their
qualifications for such employment or that their judgment was de
fective. No matter what the cause, whether bad judgment on the
part o f the shot firers or undue haste in the discharge of their duties
or a desire not to offend miners whose shots were not properly located
or prepared, the law has not been given a fair trial. The deaths in
most instances resulted from the firing o f dead holes, which is strictly
forbidden by the law. I f the enforcement o f the law had been in
trusted only to men particularly equipped for that kind o f work, the
percentage o f loss would have been considerably less.
O f the 29 fatalities reported this year as a result o f using powder,
14 were shot firers and 15 miners; 7 o f the miners lost their lives in
an ignorant and unlawful effort to prepare shots, which is an addi
tional reason why some plan should be adopted that would entirely
divorce the present class o f miners from all connection with deadly
explosives.
The descriptive accounts o f fatal accidents to shot firers in Illinois
seem, on the whole, to confirm this view. Between July 1, 1904, and
June 30,1905, there occurred 5 fatal accidents against 41 deaths o f shot
firers between July 1,1905, and June 30,1908. O f course, the periods
are not o f equal length, but the large number o f deaths since the law
went into effect is at least suggestive of defects, which require to be
remedied i f the necessary security o f the men is to be attained. The
following cases have been selected as typical accidents before and sub
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
529'
sequent to the enactment o f the shot-firers’ law, which, as stated, went
into effect July 1, 1905.
F A T A L A CCIDEN TS TO SH O T FIRERS, DUE TO GE N E R A L CAUSES.
January 16,1904. F. A. Street, flrer, aged 29 years, married, employed at themine o f Clark Coal and Coke Company, located at Limestone, Peoria County *
He, with his brother, S. Street, were firing a shot in number 11 room off o f the
sixth east entry. In this room they had fired 3 shots, 2 with sulphur and 1 with
gas squibs; 2 of the shots exploded, and thinking that the third had also
exploded, they went back. About the time they got within 10 feet o f the shot it
exploded, killing F. A. Street and injuring his brother. Deceased leaves a
widow and 3 children.
September 29, 1905. William Kruerer, shot firer, aged 45 years, married,,
was killed by flying coal at the Sangamon Coal Company’s mine No. 2. De
ceased and his partner, Thomas Rambrough, had lighted 2 squibs, 1 a gas,
the other sulphur, and had withdrawn to a safe place. One squib, afterwards
shown to be the sulphur, fired on time, the gas squib hung, and after waiting a
time considered long enough to cover any danger, the 2 men went into the
working place. Krueger was ahead, the shot exploding when he was within a
few feet o f it. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
December 17, 1907. John Wanshor, shot firer, aged 24 years, single, was
killed in the mine of the Lincoln Mining Company, Lincoln. Deceased went
back to examine a shot before it had exploded. The shot firers were using both
sulphur and gas squibs. His partner informed me that he had just passed
the switch and that deceased had not had time to place another squib in the hole
when he saw Wanshor blown against the rib o f the entry, a distance o f 30 feet.
It will always be a difficult matter to guard against accidents o f
this kind, for errors o f judgment are inevitable when the governing
impulse is to produce results quickly, or where errors o f judgment are
inevitable on account o f the more or less unfavorable conditions
underground. When two or more shots are fired at the same time it
is a natural assumption that all have exploded at once, although
practice has long since proven the contrary to be o f common occur
rence. A definite time limit, however, should always intervene before
the return o f the shot firer to make his examination o f the results,
even though such a practice would interfere more or less with the
operation o f the mine.
It would be contrary to human experience i f all the men employed
as shot firers were thoroughly qualified for their work. In fact, the
evidence is distinctly to the contrary and, as shown in the following
series o f cases, fatal accidents are directly traceable to ignorance o f
proper methods o f blasting or the use o f defective material, etc.:
F A T A L A C C ID E N TS TO SH O T FIRERS, DUE TO IG N O R A N C E OF PROPER
B L A S T IN G M ETH O D S, ETC.
October 12, 1905. Paul Pouse, shot firer, 36 years old, married, was killed
by the premature explosion o f a shot in the mine o f the Latham Coal Com
pany, Lincoln, Logan County. It is supposed that while tamping the shot he
struck some sulphur in the hole, causing the ignition o f the powder. He leaves
a widow and 4 children.
February 17, 1906. E. E. Neal, shot firer, aged 38 years, married, employed
in the Benton Coal Company’s mine No. 1, Benton, Franklin County, was killed
by the explosion o f 2 shots that were improperly prepared. Upon investigation
it was found that 1 of the shots was overcharged with powder. He leaves a
widow.
62717°—No. 90— 10-----7
530
BULLETIN" OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
October 10, 190G. John Stratton, shot firer, aged 49 years, married, was
killed in the Springfield Colliery Company mine, Springfield. His death was
caused by firing a dead hole, the shot blowing the tamping causing the explo
sion. He leaves a wudow and 6 children.
January 6, 190S. Ernest May, shot firer, aged 23 years, single, employed by
the O’Gara Coal Company at mine No, 14, Ledford, Saline County, was fatally
burned about the face, hands, and body. He fired a shot which was too tightly
gripped and which also had an excessive charge o f powder.
March 11, 1908. Henry A. Taylor, miner and shot firer, aged 36 years, mar
ried, employed in the mine o f the Centralia Coal Company, Centralia. De
ceased was killed by a shot exploding while lighting it. The shot was located
in the crosscut of a room. It is presumed that the squib was defective, or
that he lit the squib too close to the powder. He leaves a widow and a step
daughter.
There is an equally close relation between want of knowledge of
shot-firing methods and fatal accidents due to blown-out shots, of
which a number o f typical cases are given below:
F A T A L A CCIDEN TS TO SH O T FIRERS, DUE TO B L O W N -O U T SHOTS.
January 29, 1906. Fred W. Casey, shot firer, aged 25 years, married, was
killed in the Illinois Midland Coal Company’s mine, at Sherman, by an explosion
of gas and dust from a blown-out shot. The shot was not properly placed.
Casey and his partner, McGee, were found dead on the entry at the mouth
o f the room in which the explosion took place. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
January 29, 1906. Thomas McGee, shot firer, was killed in the Illinois Mid
land Coal Company’s mine, at Sherman, by an explosion o f gas and dust, caused
by a blown-out shot. The hole was not properly placed. He leaves a widow
and 1 child.
March 17,1908. Ad. Jarman and George Flanery, shot firers, employed in the
Shoal Creek Coal Company’s mine, Panama, Montgomery County, the former
aged 32 years, single, the latter aged 42 years, married, were both killed by an
explosion caused by a blown-out sh ot; they were found three feet from the face
o f the entry wThere the shot was fired, and had evidently been suffocated.
Flanery leaves a widow and 2 children.
In cases of this kind it is evident that experience and careful super
vision alone can afford a reasonable degree o f protection, aside from
the most rigid discipline and implicit obedience o f rational rules and
regulations governing the shot firers’ duties. Returning too early
after a blast has been set off or waiting too long after the fuse has
been lit combine to cause fatalities as the immediate result o f flying
pieces o f coal. Accidents o f this nature are described in the next
group o f cases:
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS TO S H O T FIRERS DUE TO F L Y IN G COAL.
January 12, 1905. Hugh Morgan, miner, acting as a shot firer, aged 23 years,
single, employed in the mine o f the Latham Coal Company, Lincoln, Logan
County, was fatally injured by flying coal from a shot and died from his in
juries three days afterwards. Deceased, with his partner, had gone into a room
for the purpose o f firing two shots; the shot Morgan lighted exploded before he
could reach a place o f safety, with the result as stated.
November 6, 1907. Jacob Rogi, shot firer, aged 40 years, married, employed
in the Meeks Coal Company’s mine, Marissa, St. Clair County, was killed by
coal flying from a shot. Deceased and his partner were firing shots in the first
and second west entries, off the north side o f the shaft. They fired a sumping
or bursting shot on the rib in the second west entry, and then went into the
first entry and fired shots. There were two more shots to be fired in the second
west entry; both men went into this entry and lighted the shots; a great deal
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
531
of smoke had gathered there, left from the first sumping shot; the men got be
wildered from the smoke and could not find the way o u t; one of the shots wrent
off and both men were struck with flying coal. He leaves a widow and 3
children.
February 13, 190S. J. C. Smothers, shot-firer, aged 37 years, married, em
ployed at the No. 7 mine o f the Big Muddy Coal and Iron Company, Herrin,
Williamson County, was struck by flying coal from a shot in room No. 67; no
one was with him. He was found 25 feet from the faoe of the room and it is
supposed that the squib, when fired, was too short, and that it exploded before
he could get to a safe place. He leaves a widow and 4 children.
Equally serious is the risk to the shot firer of being killed by shots
blowing through coal pillars or crosscuts, while the shot firer is seem
ingly safe in an adjoining room. The danger is clearly brought out
by the cases given in detail below:
FATAL
A C C ID E N TS TO SH OT
FIBERS. DUE
TO SHOTS B L O W IN G
THROUGH
P IL L A R S , ETC.
July 19, 1905. Napolian Goalby, shot firer, aged 41 years, single, was killed
at Donk Brothers’ Coal and Coke Company’s No. 3 mine at Troy, Madison
County. Deceased had lighted a shot in a room on the left rib. The shot was
opposite a crosscut coming through from the next room. He went into the
crosscut in the next room to fire a shot, when the shot from the first room blew
into the crosscut, throwing the coal, which caught him. He was killed instantly.
January 31, 1907. John Gray, shot firer, aged 29 years, single, working in the
Koyal Colliery Company’s mine No. 1, Virden, Macoupin County, was killed
instantly. He had just lit a shot on the rib o f one room and went into the next
to charge and fire a shot there. Not knowing that the pillar between the two
rooms was thin, the result was, when the shot went off, it blew through, throw
ing the coal clear across the other room, killing him instantly.
September 27, 1907. John Row, shot firer, aged 34 years, married, was killed
in the mine of the Black Diamond Coal Company at Auburn. His death was
caused by a shot blowing through a crosscut, between two entries. The pillar
at this point was 17 feet thick; about 10 feet had been taken out o f the crosscut
in the back entry; there was also a shot in the crosscut in the front entry which
he or his brother had lighted. Deceased and his brother had gone into the back
entry, and were fixing shots to be fired there, when the shot from the front
entry blew through, killing John and just slightly scratching his brother’s face.
Deceased leaves a widow and 1 child.
January 25,1908. Thomas Staley, shot firer, aged 31 years, married, was killed
in the Sherman mine o f the Illinois Midland Coal Company by a shot blowing
through the r ib ; he had lighted a shot in one room and was in the act of light
ing the shots in the next room when the first shot exploded, blowing through the
rib. He leaves a widow and 3 children.
In many cases o f this kind a previous examination o f the thickness
o f the intervening coal pillar would have furnished proof o f danger,
which is often needlessly incurred. Good judgment, as the result
o f sufficient experience, would go far toward reducing the fatal acci
dent liability due to accidents o f this nature. Kisks of this kind
are shared with all other underground employees, when the rules do
not absolutely require that all shall leave the mine except the shot
firers, and as shown in the following two cases, the shot firer is often
at the risk o f being killed by falls o f roof or slate, although such
accidents have not Jbeen common to men in this employment in the
coal mines o f Illinois.
532
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
F A T A L A C CIDEN TS TO SH O T FIBERS DUE TO F A L L OF ROOF OR SLATE.
October 11, 1905. Daniel Hopp, shot firer, aged 38 years, married, was in
jured by a fall of clod in the Southern Coal and Mining Company’s No. 6 mine,
at Belleville, St. Clair County. His left leg was broken and he was injured
internally, from the effects of which he died 3 days afterwards. He had lit the
squib of a shot, when the clod fell and caught him. He called to his partner
for assistance, who came and pulled the squib out of the hole and carried de
ceased to a place of safety. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
January 6, 1908. Edward Stanhouse, miner and shot firer, aged 38 years,
married, employed in mine No. 1 o f the Jupiter Coal and Mining Company,
Duquoin. Deceased was firing shots with his brother while in No. 12 south
entry; after firing one o f the shots, placed in the face o f the entry, deceased
returned to the face and was in the act of lighting a second shot when there
was a fall o f slate, which caught him, from which he sustained injuries result
ing in his death the morning o f January 8. He leaves a widow and 7 children.
Finally, the shot firers, more than any other class o f men employed
in labor underground, are exposed to risk o f suffocation from powder
smoke or gas explosions resulting from shots igniting dangerous
gases. The following are typical accidents o f this kin d:
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS TO SH O T FIRERS DUE TO A S P H Y X IA T IO N , A F TE R
D A M P , ETC.
January 9, 1904. George T. Prince, shot firer, aged 58 years, married, was
killed by being suffocated by afterdamp, produced by a windy shot, in the
Victor Coal Company’s mine at Pawnee, Sangamon County. He leaves a widow
and 2 children.
November 14, 1904. John Wilson, shot firer, aged 55 years, single, was as
phyxiated by powder smoke while firing shots for the miners working in the
Phoenix Coal Company’s mine, Wesley City, Tazewell County.
December 7, 1905. William Walters, shot firer, aged 35 years, single, em
ployed at the O’Gara Coal Company’s No. 3 mine, Harrisburg, Saline County, was
shooting a hole in the face o f the second south entry on the east side. The hole
was drilled in on the dead to the extent o f 5 i feet, which caused a blown-out
shot. Death was caused by suffocation.
February 12, 1907. William A. Stevenson, shot firer, employed in the mine o f
the Avery Coal Company, Winkle, Perry County, aged 53 years, married, was
overcome with afterdamp caused from a blown-out shot, the explosion tearing
down all doors on that side o f shaft and destroying the top of the air shaft.
He leaves a widow and 7 children.
September 26,1907. Oscar Poland, shot firer, aged 22 years, single, and Molad
Rutherford, shot firer, aged 40 years, married, both employed at the No. 1 mine
o f the National Mining Company,’ Eldorado, Saline County, were suffocated.
These men had the fuses lighted in five room s; the shots were going off in rapid
succession; one of the shots, however, was a dead hole, which caused a windy
shot, and an explosion followed. Death was caused by suffocation. Rutherford
leaves a widow.
The preceding analysis of individual cases o f fatalities to shot
firers makes it clear that the occupation, even under the new law, re
mains a decidedly hazardous one, which should be followed only by
men o f trained judgment, unexceptionable habits, and possessed o f a
full knowledge o f the actual conditions underground. The total
number o f shot firers killed in Illinois mines during the 5 years
ending with 1908 was 50, out o f 859 deaths from all causes, which is
decidedly out o f proportion to the actual number employed. It is
not possible, unfortunately, to determine the true rate of accident
liability by occupation in Illinois mines, since no occupation returns
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
533
o f the employed are given in the annual report. It may be safely
asserted that shot firing must be classed as perhaps the most danger
ous employment underground.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO MINE LABORERS.
Mine laborers rank next to shot firers in numerical importance o f
the killed in Illinois coal mines during the 5 years ending with
1908. Out o f 859 deaths in all occupations 36 were laborers, or 4.2
per cent o f the total. The term 44laborer 55 is very indefinite and no
clear distinction is made in the returns between laborers underground
and overground. In the individual returns, however, the term 44top
laborer” is used and the duties of these are officially described as
44men employed to work at any kind of labor on the surface o f a
mine.” There have been 13 deaths o f 44top laborers ” during the
5-year period, and o f this number 10 were caused by surface railroad
accidents, 2 by falling into shafts, and 1 by being caught in the screen
machinery. The following are carefully selected illustrations of fatal
accidents to top laborers in Illinois coal mines:
F A T A L A CCIDEN TS TO TOP LABORERS DUE TO VARIOUS CAUSES.
April 11, [1904.] Jolm Sapp, top laborer, aged 56 years, married, employed at
Donk Brothers Coal and Coke Company’s mine No. 3, Troy, Madison County.
Deceased fell down the shaft with a carload of props, killing him instantly. He
leaves a widow and 4 children.
May 17, 1904. John Sheppard, top laborer, aged 48 years, married, was killed
by being caught in the screen machinery at the Capital Cooperative Coal Com
pany’s mine at Springfield, Sangamon County. He leaves a widow and 6
children.
March 10, 1905. Joseph Friddle, topman, aged 31 years, married, employed
in the mine o f the Stonington Coal Company, Stonington, Christian County,
was instantly killed by falling down the shaft; the accident occurred about 10
p. m., while the men were changing shifts, the shaft being in process o f sinking.
Deceased was alone at the top of the shaft, and no one saw him fall, but the
supposition is that he lost his balance while raising the door which covered
the top o f the shaft, falling to the bottom, a distance o f 370 feet. He leaves a
widow and 3 children.
July 30, 1905. Benjamin Harris, top laborer, aged 34 years, married, em
ployed by the Big Muddy Coal and Iron Company at mine No. 8, Clifford, W il
liamson County, was injured while engaged in pinching an empty coal car down
to the shaft. An engine backed some cars in and his arm was caught between
the cars. The arm had to be amputated, causing his death. He leaves a widow
and 4 children.
February 23, 1906. T. L. Beers, top laborer, aged 25 years, married, employed
at the Big Muddy Coal and Iron Company’s mine No. 8, Clifford, Williamson
County, was taking off and putting on picks on a cage. He signaled the en
gineer to lower the cage. It was evident he was not far enough away from
the cage, and fell into the shaft after the cage. His instructions were to put
the bar across the shaft before signaling the cage away. He leaves a widow
and 2 children.
September 19, 1906. Gus Smith, top laborer, aged 20 years, single, employed
by the Big Muddy Coal and Iron Company at its shaft No. 7, was riding on top
o f a loaded box car, which he was taking to the ya rd ; his brother Fred threw
him a bar to use in setting the brake; when he went to tighten the brake rod
the bar slipped, causing him to lose his balance, when he fell across the rail, the
car passing over him, cutting him in two.
534
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
June 25, 1907. Charles Tiffin, top laborer, aged 2S years, married, was killed
by falling into the shaft of the Hillsboro Coal Company, Hillsboro, Montgomery
County. He and two others had taken a ear off o f the cage at the lower
landing and the signal was given by the foreman to the engineer to hoist the
cage to the dump. Tiffin got onto the cage after the signal was given and
when the cage started jumped off, falling into the shaft. He leaves a widow
and 2 children.
March 30, 1908. Daniel Speakman, top laborer, aged 20 years, married, em
ployed at the Christian County Coal Company’s mine, Taylorville, was killed
under a railroad car. He had just taken 2 loaded cars down from the mine, and
in returning had stepped between 2 other loaded cars that were on another
track; these cars were in a string o f 13, 10 o f which were between deceased
and the shaft; while between these cars, 4 other cars were being let down on
the same track, striking the 13 cars with such force as to knock him down, with
the result as stated. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
Practically all o f these accidents were due to causes similar to the
fatalities caused by railroad transportation, in yards, at terminals, etc.
They do not disclose circumstances or conditions peculiar to the min
ing industry, except the two accidents (fifth and seventh) due to fall
ing into shafts. As said in connection with shaft accidents to miners,
there can be no doubt as to the urgent need o f better safety precau
tions to guard the men against accidents o f this kind and the
insistence upon absolute obedience to rules and regulations governing
ingress into or egress from mines.
“ Topmen ” hold very responsible positions, and the employment is
officially defined as that of employees 44whose main duty is to enforce
the rules governing the admitting of men to the cage to be lowered
into the mine and signal engineers 4lower cage,’ and also to see that
the men are properly off o f the ascending cage when coming from the
mine to the surface and to signal the engineer 4cage is empty.’ ”
During the 5 years ending with 1908 there were 6 fatal accidents to
44topmen,” half o f which were due to railroad casualties on the
surface.
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS TO T O P M E N , DUE TO VARIOUS CAUSES.
July 30, 1906. Henog Kopo, topman, aged 22 years, single, was killed at the
West End mine, Springfield. The car had slipped off the cage, which was self
dumping, and while trying to replace the car in position he was caught between
the car and the cage.
June 19, 1907. Joseph Pemberton, topman, aged 31 years, married, was
fatally injured while attempting to stop a moving railroad car with a pinch b a r ;
his foot caught under the bar, when the wheels passed over his leg, crushing it
badly. The leg was amputated, but death resulted June 23, 1907. He was
employed at the Illinois Fuel Company’s mine, Sparta, and leaves a widow and
6 children.
November 15, 1907. John Keim, topman, aged 29 years, married, employed at
the Jupiter Coal Mining Company’s No. 1 mine, Duquoin, entered a screened
coal bin under a revolving screen, for the purpose o f shoveling back some coal
which had filled up until it was obstructing the working o f the screen; in
passing between the screen and the housing wall he stumbled and fell or got in
some position whereby his body was drawn in, crushing out his life. He leaves
a widow and 1 child.
November 27, 1907. Adam Mitchell, topman, aged 50 years, married, em
ployed at the Breese-Trenton Mining Company’s Buxton mine, Beckemeyer,
was pinching cars down the south track, and while doing so a string of loaded
cars run onto him; instead o f jumping to the side he jumped between the
couplings and was crushed. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
535
June 29, 1908. Arthur Heddcm, topman, aged 25 years, married, employed
at the No. 2 mine of the Maplewood Colliery Company, Farmington, was in
stantly killed under the wheels of a railroad ear. The deceased was attempting
to get on the car, which was in motion, with the result as above stated. He
leaves a widow.
It is shown that some of these accidents, particularly the first three,
occurred in the strict discharge of necessary duties, without evidence
o f neglect or failure to take the proper protective precautions. The
accidents emphasize the peculiarly varied conditions under which
these men work and the hazardous character of their duties, even
under the most favorable circumstances of efficient mine management.
A distinction is made in the individual reports of top bosses, and
5 fatal accidents to men in this occupation occurred, which are all
given in detail in the following series of descriptive cases:
F A T A L A CCIDEN TS TO TOP BOSSES FR OM VARIOUS CAUSES.
December 17, 1903. Daniel Gordon, top boss, aged 34 years, married, was
killed by being struck with a cage at the lower landing at the Springfield Coal
Mining Company’s No. 4 mine, Springfield, Sangamon County.
October 17, 1905. Matthew Murray, top foreman, aged 48 years, married,
was seriously injured about the bod y; he was caught between two railroad cars
at the Rockwell mine of the Lasalle County Carbon Coal Company, Lasalle,
Lasalle County. Deceased was removed to the hospital in Lasalle, where he
died 3 hours after the accident. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
August 21, 1906. Sam Yoigt, top boss, aged 44 years, married, employed by
the Consolidated Coal Company at its mine No. 15, Mount Olive, Macoupin
County, was taking a loaded railroad ear from under the dump, walking back
ward in front of the car, when his heel caught in a guard rail, throwing him
down, the car running over his leg, cutting it off. He died next day. He leaves
a widow and 7 children.
December 3, 1906. N. J. Massey, top foreman, aged 35 years, married,
employed by the O’Gara Coal Company at mine No. 8, was fatally injured.
The car on the cage had become unlocked and stopped at the top landing;
Massey and others had put the car on the track and were trying to move
the car so they could latch it again, when they lost control o f the car and
it ran off the cage into the weighing hopper, catching Massey between the car
and the floor sills, fracturing his skull and injuring him otherwise; the accident
occurred at 2 p. m. and he died 8 hours afterwards. He leaves a widow and
3 children.
March 17, 1908. Elmer Woods, top foreman, aged 33 years, married, em
ployed at the Royal Colliery Company’s mine at Virden. Deceased was caught
in the machinery of the coal washer and drawn between the belt and belt wheel,
crushing him to death. He was in the act o f oiling the machinery; it was
supposed that his clothes caught in some manner and drew him in. He leaves
a widow and 3 children.
The number o f accidents is top small for a safe generalization,
but the deaths which have occurred fully emphasize the serious risk
to which men in this occupation are constantly exposed. They do
not differ materially in their nature, however, from accidents to topmen, and perhaps the two groups should have been combined into
one. A peculiarly suggestive accident is the last, in which a top
foreman was caught in the machinery o f a coal washer and crushed
to death. This case was similar, it seems, to the second case shown
for topmen, in which a topman was drawn into a revolving screen
and crushed to death. In both cases there may have been neglect
536
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
o f ordinary safety precautions, but they partake of the nature o f
true accidents; that is, occurrences which take place only under the
most unusual or exceptional circumstances.
Bottom laborers, as the term implies, are men employed under
ground. Only two fatal accidents to men of this occupation have
been specifically reported during the 5 years ending with 1908, as
follow s:
F A T A L A CCIDEN TS TO BOTTOM LABORERS.
January 2, 1904. Salvador Simon, laborer, employed by the Leiter Coal
Company, at Zeigler, Franklin County, was instantly killed by falling to the
bottom o f the sump, which was about 32 feet from the main shaft. Simon was
employed to give signals to the engineer; some shots were fired in the main
entries, and in attempting to get out o f danger he fell into the sump.
March 14, 1908. James McGill, bottom laborer, aged 33 years, married,
employed at the Peabody Coal Company’s mine, Marion, Williamson' County.
Deceased was standing at the passing branch at the side o f a mule, which
was hitched to a trip o f empty cars; he was waiting for a mule to come out
with a trip o f loaded cars. When the loaded cars came out, one o f the cars
jumped the track at the switch frogs, the car striking the mule that was
hitched to the empty cars, crushing him between the mule and the rib o f
coal. Deceased was injured internally and died about 2 hours afterwards.
Laborers in general are employed under such varying conditions
that it is difficult to arrive at a definite conclusion regarding the limitions o f their duties, which, o f course, determines the degree of risk
exposure. Company men, so called, are classed with laborers, and a
total of 13 deaths have been specifically reported for men in these
occupations during the 5-year period ending in 1908. The number
o f mine laborers in Illinois is not officially returned, but the data
are available for the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. In 1908,
in this coal field, the fatality rate was 7.05 per 1,000 for miners
and 4.68 per 1,000 for mine laborers, so that the occupation hazard
was nearly 50 per cent greater in the case o f miners than o f laborers.
The following cases are typical o f the accidents to mine laborers
in Illinois:
December 11, 1906. Gessani Ferdinado, company man, aged 29 years, mar
ried, working in No. 5 mine of the Spring Valley Coal Company at Dalzell,
Bureau County, was found dead, sitting on a pit car loaded with coal to which a
mule was attached. Deceased was engaged in brushing a roadway, working on
the night shift. He took a mule into an entry to pull out a car of coal. Shortly
afterwards he was found sitting on the car o f coal dead, without any external
marks to show the cause of his death. However, at the inquest the surgeons
testified that they had found that his neck was broken, but just how it had
occurred could not be ascertained, the probability being that he was caught
between the roof o f the entry and top of the loaded car. He leaves a widow and
2 children in Italy.
March 14, 1907. William Loedke, laborer, aged 71 years, married, employed
in mine No. 10 of the Consolidated Coal Company, Mount Olive, Macoupin
County, was found dead under a loaded car. The duty o f deceased was to pick
up loose coal falling off o f the cars. He had loaded the car under which he
was found and had placed his shovel on top of the car. He had also spragged
2 wheels, and after hooking his mule to the car proceeded toward the shaft bot
tom. It is supposed that he was walking between the mule and the car and
fell, when the car ran on to him. He leaves a widow and 3 grown children.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
537
April 30, 1907. Fred Smith, laborer, aged 30 years, married, working for the
Illinois Collieries Company at its mine No. 7, Litchfield, Montgomery County,
was found dead under a fall o f slate in a room where he had been left to clean
up some slate that had previously fallen. He was sent to this place with a
timberman and another laborer to do this work, and was given instructions to
remain and finish the work. The timberman and the other laborer were called
away to do other work, but when they returned they found Smith dead under
some slate some distance in from where he was left. It is not known why he
went there. He leaves a widow and 3 children.
October 24, 1907. George Szoay, laborer, 35 years old, married, no children,
employed at mine No. 2 o f the Superior Coal Company, near Benld, was riding
on a motor with one leg hanging over the end; a mule trip of 2 cars was
coming out; the motorman could not stop his motor in time to prevent the
motor and cars coming together; Szoay’s leg was caught between, crushing it
severely. Deceased was taken to the hospital and died from the injuries 1
week later. He leaves a widow.
It is shown in this series of cases that while the causes of accidents
to laborers vary, they are much the same as in the case o f miners
and drivers, due chiefly to falls of roof or slate, or mine cars. The
first case given as occurring to a bottom laborer is suggestive o f the
more or less responsible duties which at times may be required o f
laborers, since in this case the man killed was employed in giving
signals to the engineer and in the discharge of that duty he lost his
life. The work of mine laborers is so varied that it is difficult to dis
tinguish it from that o f many other underground occupations, and
particularly is this true o f loaders and loaders and blasters when the
two occupations are combined into one. There have been 7 fatal
accidents to loaders and 7 also to loaders and blasters, or 14 in all, o f
which the following contain typical descriptions o f the conditions and
circumstances under which the accidents occurred:
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS TO LOADERS.
July 21, 1905. Joseph Hastie, loader, aged 24 years, single, was killed in the
mine o f the Manufacturers and Consumers Coal Company, Decatur, Macon
County, by falling slate. Suit for damages in this case was brought before the
courts twice, when, at the second trial, the company took it out o f court and
settled the claim.
November 12, 1905. Joseph McCrary, loader, aged 31 years, married, was
employed also as a shot-firer at the Avery Coal Company’s mine, located at
Winkle. After lighting a shot, which proved to be badly charged, was about
to open a trapdoor when the shot exploded, the force o f which forced the door
open, striking him and causing his death. He leaves a widow.
June 26, 1908. Fred Whitehouse, loader, aged 54 years, married, working
in Mine No. 5 of the Madison Corporation Coal Company, Mount Olive, Macou
pin County, was killed under falling coal. He was shoveling for a machine
and was taking the first cut under a new room when a piece of coal, weighing
about 1,000 pounds, fell on him. He leaves a wife and 9 children.
The most suggestive accident in this group is the second, in which
a loader was employed as shot-firer. The accident was caused by the
loader’s failure to charge properly, emphasizing the need o f trained
skill in work o f this kind, as required by the shot-firers’ law o f 1905.
Accidents to loaders and blasters are described in the next series of
cases, which reflect the danger under which these men work and the
responsible duties which in some cases they are required to perform.
538
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS TO LOADERS AN D BLASTERS.
August 8, 1905. John F. Rebeck, blaster and loader, aged 18 years, single,
was injured by falling slate in the Madison Coal Corporation's No. 2 mine, at
Glen Carbon, Madison County, from which injuries he died at his home in
Edwardsville, May 10, 1906.
March 13, 1906. Jos. Matachetiss, blaster and loader, aged 45 years, mar
ried, had his right foot crushed by falling coal in Donk Brothers Coal and Coke
Company’s No. 2 mine, at Marysville, Madison County. The foot was ampu
tated in a hospital. The shock caused his death. He leaves a widow.
May 18, 1906. Max Euchol, blaster and loader, aged 32 years, single, was
killed by falling clod at the working face in the De Camp Coal Mining Com
pany’s mine, at De Camp. Madison County.
June 23, 1906. Joseph Abrahams, blaster and loader, aged 28 years, married,
was killed by falling clod at the working face, in the New Staunton Coal
Company’s mine at Livingston, Madison County. He leaves a widow.
These accidents ail occurred previous to 1907 and they are now
practically impossible under the shot-firing law, which requires the
employment o f shot firers and prohibits blasting by mine laborers,
loaders, and others. A ll o f the accidents were caused by fall of coal
or rock or slate, and they occurred under practically identically the
same conditions under which fatal accidents of this kind occur to
miners, etc.
The introduction of coal mining machinery has introduced also a
new labor element, which is usually referred to as machine tenders
and machine helpers. For reasons which need not be dealt with here,
machine mining in Illinois has not the theoretical and practical
advantage o f machine mining in some other representative coal
fields, but the progress in machine mining has nevertheless been con
siderable in the last decade. The table which follows will show the
more important facts o f machine mining as given in the annual coal
reports for 1900 to 1908.
NUM BER O F MEN EM PLOYED, M IN ING M ACH IN ES USED, AND TONS OF COAL
PRODUCED IN COAL M IN ES OF IL LIN O IS, 1900 TO 1908.
M in e s i n w h i c h m a c h in e s are u s e d —
T o ta l.
E x c lu s iv e ly .
Y ear.
M in e s .
1 9 0 0 ...........
1 9 0 1 ..........
1 9 0 2 ..........
1 9 0 3 ...........
1 9 0 4 ..........
1 9 0 5 ..........
1 9 0 6 ..........
1 9 0 7 .....
1 9 0 8 ..........
38
29
34
33
40
52
57
60
60
M en.
M a
c h in e s .
3 ,8 8 3
3 ,4 9 9
4 ,8 1 1
4 ,3 7 8
3 ,6 9 1
4 ,6 3 5
6 ,1 3 7
6 ,8 5 8
1 2 ,3 5 7
272
280
308
292
40 0
56 0
685
748
754
I n p a r t.
Tons
m in e d .
3 ,7 6 5 ,6 0 1
3 ,7 6 1 ,2 7 0
4 ,4 6 0 ,0 2 5
4 ,3 9 3 ,0 5 2
4 ,9 0 3 ,1 8 4
6 ,4 0 6 ,5 7 1
7 ,6 3 8 ,5 3 6
1 0 ,4 3 4 ,5 7 3
1 1 ,2 4 6 ,2 8 5
M in e s .
M a
c h in e s .
29
34
30
35
27
24
28
41
45
158
184
15 6
230
223
22 4
27 7
357
40 6
Tons
m in e d .
1 ,8 1 7 ,9 9 3
2 ,0 1 5 ,3 6 9
2 ,0 3 7 ,0 9 8
3 ,2 5 3 ,7 2 5
2 ,2 3 7 ,2 4 3
1 ,7 9 5 ,4 9 5
1 ,9 2 4 ,6 9 4
4 ,0 5 5 ,8 8 1
3 ,9 6 4 ,1 3 8
M in e s .
M a
c h in e s .
67
63
64
68
67
76
85
101
105
43 0
464
464
522
623
78 4
962
1 ,1 0 5
1 ,1 6 0
Tons
m in e d .
5 ,5 8 3 ,5 9 4
5 ,7 7 4 ,6 3 9
6 ,4 9 7 ,1 2 3
7 ,6 4 6 ,7 7 7
7 ,1 4 0 ,4 2 7
8 ,2 0 2 ,0 6 6
9 ,5 6 3 ,2 3 0
1 4 ,4 9 0 ,4 5 4
1 5 ,2 1 0 ^ 4 2 3
It appears that between 1900 and 1908 the number o f machines
increased from 430 to 1,160, while the coal produced by machines
increased from 5,583,594 tons to 15,210,423 tons, or 31 per cent of the
539
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINING.
total output. Different machines are in use, and since the degree of
risk exposure, amount of dust produced, etc., varies somewhat, accord
ing to the make of the machine, the following table will prove of
interest:
N U M BER
O F
M IN IN G
M A C H IN E S
IN
U SE
IN
CO AL
M IN E S
OF
IL L IN O IS ,
B Y
K IN D
OF M ACHINE, 1908.
K i n d o f m a c h in e .
N um ber. j
S u l l i v a n ............................................................................... 1
I n g e r s o l l-S e r g e a n t ........................................................ 1
H a r r i s o n .............................................................................. 1
G o o d m a n ............................................................................ 1
M o r g a n - G a r d n e r ............................................................! 1
J e f f r e y ................................................................................... ! 1
H e r z le r & H e n n i n g e r ...............................................
476
196
181
127
112
34
23
K i n d o f m a c h in e .
N um ber.
E l e c t r i c ..............................................................................
i L i n k B e l t ........................................................................
Y o e k ....................................................................................
B e l l e v i l l e ........................................................................
5
4
T o t a l ......................................................................
1 ,1 C 0
1
1
Nearly half of the machines were o f the Sullivan type, which in
cludes both pick and chain mining machinery. The number of
machine runners and helpers killed in the mines o f Illinois during
1904-1908 is stated to have been 30, o f whom 14 were runners and 16
helpers. The duties o f the two employments are not sharply distinct,
and the actual degree o f exposure to risk o f fatal accident is probably
about the same in the two occupations. In the following descriptive
accounts, however, runners are considered separately from helpers
and a sufficient number o f illustrations is given for each employment.
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS TO M A C H IN E R U N N E R S .
June 13, 1906. Charles Baumer, machine runner, aged 55 years, married,
employed at the Gartside Coal Company's No. 3 mine, Murphysboro, Jackson
County, was trying to get onto the cage after it had started up the shaft and fell
backward. His shoulders were dislocated, and he received other injuries. This
accident was caused by the carelessness of deceased. He died the same day, and
leaves a widow and 4 children.
November 20, 1906. John Entnes, machine runner, aged 45 years, single, lost
his life at the Clear Lake mine, Sangamon County, by an explosion o f powder;
deceased was forcing the powder back in the drill hole when it was ignited,
causing the explosion and his death.
June 26, 1907. Charles Taylor, machine runner, aged 26 years, single, em
ployed at the O'Gara Coal Company’s No. 3 mine at Harrisburg, was engaged in
shoveling cuttings from the machine, when a piece of slate, 15 by 12 inches, 3
feet thick, fell, crushing him. He died about 4 hours after the accident.
September 7, 1907. Denny Stamper, machine runner, aged 30 years, single,
employed at the O’Gara Coal Company’s mine No. 10, Eldorado, Saline County.
Deceased was shoveling slack from the machine when the face o f the coal fell
on him, breaking his back and causing a scalp wound over his right eye. He
died 3 days afterwards.
October 7, 1907. Sydney Jones, machine runner, aged 25 years, single, work
ing in the mine of the Kortkamp Coal Company near Hillsboro, was under
mining at the face of his room when a large body of coal broke loose and fell
on him, killing him instantly.
December 13, 1907. Otto Kanlen, machine runner, aged 25 years, single,
employed in the mine of the De Camp Coal Company, near Staunton, Madison
County, was fatally injured by a flying cap piece. Deceased was mining a room,
and when he cut up to the center o f the room, where the hauling track was, the
machine truck was standing on the track, being in the way o f the machine. He
tried to push the truck back, it upended, and when it dropped back struck a cap
540
BULLETIN OF THE BTJBEAU OF LABOR.
piece, which flew up and struck Kanlen on the head; he
walked 2 miles home, washed, and ate a good supper;
him, and he was taken to the doctor at Staunton, and to
he died 22 hours after the accident. The doctor stated
was the cause o f his death.
finished his day’s work,
his head began to hurt
his sister’s home, where
congestion of the brain
In most cases the accidents were due to fall o f coal or slate. In a
general way the occupation or risk exposure is identical with that
o f the pick miners, and this conclusion is fully sustained by reference
to the conditions under which the accidents took place. The acci
dents do not throw light upon the important question whether ma
chine operating, as such, adds materially to the risk o f underground
work. None of the fatal accidents to machine runners seem to have
been directly the result of work specifically required in connection
with machine running. The last of the above accidents is o f interest
as reemphasizing previous instances o f neglect to obtain immediate
and qualified medical advice in case o f apparently minor injuries. In
no direction perhaps is the present mining system in the United
States more defective than in the lack of prompt and qualified medical
aid in all cases o f even slight accidents. The cases cited in this
analysis would seem to prove that valuable lives might have been
saved if prompt medical aid had been available immediately after the
accident.
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS TO M A C H IN E H E LPER S.
November 4, 1904. Charles Williams, machine helper, aged 20 years, single,
employed in the De Camp Coal Company’s No. 1 mine, Staunton, Madison County,
was killed by falling top coal and clod. He was a son o f John E. Williams,
state inspector of mines for the fourth district from 1897 to 1901.
November 8, 1905. Joseph Bowman, machine helper, aged 56 years, married,
was killed by falling coal from the face of the room in the Mount Olive and
Staunton Coal Company’s No. 1 mine at Staunton, Madison County. He leaves
a widow and 5 children.
March 28, 1906. Peter Bohling, machine helper, aged 24 years, married, was
killed at the working face by falling coal in the Mount Olive and Staunton Coal
Company’s No. 2 mine near Staunton, Madison County. He leaves a widow and
1 child.
June 21, 1907. Ernest Lah, machine helper, aged 32 years, married, was
killed by falling coal at the%
working face in the New Staunton Coal Company’s
mine, Livingston, Madison County. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
October 8, 1907. John Hobby, machine helper, aged 34 years, married, em
ployed by the O’Gara Coal Company in mine No. 9, Harrisburg, Saline County,
was killed while shoveling slack for Gus Martin, the machine runner. After
they had made the sixth run across the room, Martin told Hobby to examine
the coal and see if it was loose. Hobby took his bar and punched the coal,
saying he did not think it would fa ll; after they had started to make the
seventh run, about a ton and a half o f coal fell on Hobby, killing him almost
instantly. He leaves a widow and 3 children.
November 15, 1907. John Gnesky, machine helper, aged 30 years, single,
employed in the Lumaghi Coal Company’s No. 2 mine, Collinsville, Madison
County, was instantly killed by falling coal from the face o f a room, which was
being cut by the machine; when the coal fell it caught his head on the machine
board; the coal had been shattered by previous shots,, and had not been blocked
or sounded.
December 2, 1907. Gustav Messenbach, machine helper, aged 25 years, em
ployed in the No. 8 mine of the Southern Coal and Mining Company, Belleville,
was instantly killed by coming in contact with electric wires. Deceased was
working with John Schneider as a helper at the electric coal-cutting machine;
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINING.
541
while the machine was backing out, after having made a cut, the safety plug
on the machine broke; Schneider went to get the electrician, and a new plug;
while he was gone Messenbach commenced to work on the machine trying to
take out the broken plug, without turning off the electric current; while at
work his neck came in contact with the feed wire, which caused instant death.
A ll but one o f the fatal accidents to machine helpers were due to
fall o f coal or slate. In nearly all of the cases it was a fall o f coal
at the breast o f the mine, indicating with reasonable certainty that
extra risk was assumed by the helpers as a necessary part o f their
duties. The rarity of fall of slate or rock as a cause o f fatal accident
among this class is suggestive o f a definite relation between machine
running and fall o f coal at the breast of the mine. To emphasize this
important conclusion a number o f specific instances are given which
appear to have occurred under almost identical conditions and which
were probably due to identical causes. In only one case was death
caused by electricity and the direct result o f special occupation ex
posure. The electric risk in mining is a most serious one, but as a
rule well guarded against. Extreme care is necessary since the volt
age is often high and in damp mines it is difficult to prevent defective
insulation. Thus far there have been comparatively few electrical
accidents in the coal mines o f Illinois and o f the country at large.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO HOISTING ENGINEERS.
Out o f 922 coal mines in the State o f Illinois in 1908 it is reported
that the character of the openings for ingress and egress was by shaft
in 620, or 67.2 per cent of the total. The hoisting o f men or material
by means o f cages is identical in all essentials with passenger or
freight elevator service, but at coal mines these are in charge of hoist
ing engineers. O f all the responsible occupations in connection with
mine operations, the positions of hoisting engineers require men of ex
ceptional ability, training, and experience. A number o f extremely
technical considerations enter into the problem o f safe and effectual
hoisting apparatus, more so. since electrical winding is gradually re
placing the operation o f winding by steam. Speed-controlling de
vices to prevent overwinding are an absolute necessity for the most
certain and constant control of the engine and the cage, amplified by
scientifically devised brakes and safety catches to secure the cage in
case o f an accident from disastrous descent to the bottom o f the shaft.
The factor o f safety in winding ropes or cables requires to be most
ample, and frequent inspections by thoroughly trained men are neces
sary to avoid calamities. The cage, as such, must be thoroughly pro
tected on the sides to avoid the many accidents by crushing, to which
reference has been made in the discussion o f the fatalities occurring
to miners and others in the Illinois coal fields, and all the gates pro
tecting cages and the shaft entrance, as well as the roof of the cage,
its proper weight in proportion to length o f hoist, thickness o f ropes
542
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
and cables, all require the most painstaking supervision and most
effective control. (a)
The lives of many men are constantly depending upon a complete
fulfillment of all these requirements and many more besides, which
can not find a place in this brief discussion. Shaft examination needs
to be made at stated intervals of all that enters into construction and
maintenance, and in addition a perfect system of signaling is required
and effective indicators which shall show at any given time the exact
position o f the cage. There have been four fatal accidents to hoist
ing engineers and engineers not otherwise specified in the mine ex
perience o f Illinois during the 5 years ending with 1908, which, con
sidering that there are not far from a thousand mines, many of which
probably employ more than one engineer, the personal-risk exposure
is apparently not a serious factor in this occupation. The descrip
tive accounts which follow are, however, o f considerable interest and
suggestive of the conditions under which a loss o f life may occur at
any time.
F A T A L A C C ID E N TS TO H O IS T IN G A N D O TH E R E N G IN E E RS.
December 21, 1903. Daniel Craig, engineer, aged 58 years, married, was
injured in mine No. 3 o f the Kellyville Coal Company, Westville, Vermilion
County, and died from his injuries December 29, 1903. Deceased was engaged
in his duties looking after the engine which pulls the coal cars from the inside
with an endless rope; this engine is located at the bottom of the sh aft; in some
manner unknown he was caught in the hauling rope and dragged into the
wheels, cutting off one of his legs. He was a widower, and leaves 4 children.
January 14,1904. Charles Sells, hoisting engineer, was instantly killed by the
explosion o f the boiler at the mine of the West Frankfort-Big Muddy Coal
Company, West Frankfort, Franklin County. The pumps had failed to work;
deceased and others were trying to repair them in order to feed the boilers; no
one was able to tell how much water was in the boiler when it exploded.
March 23, 1904. Carl Struck, engineer, aged 40 years, married, was killed by
becoming entangled in the machinery of the fan engine at the Sangamon Coal
Company’s mine, Springfield, Sangamon County. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
December 10, 1904. James Gregg, stationary engineer, aged 55 years, married,
bad his skull fractured by being struck with the hauling rope o f the local
coal chute incline at the Spring Valley Coal Company’s shaft No. 1, Spring
Valley, Bureau County. Deceased was operating the stationary engine used
to haul the coal sold to local consumers up an inclined plane to where the
wagons are loaded; the car is hauled by the main-rope system; then the engine
is thrown out of gear and the empty car runs down the incline by force of
gravity, controlled by a brake on the drum. The bolt or pin in the fulcrum
broke, which rendered the brake useless, and the car, quite naturally, ran away,
causing the rope to vibrate violently. Deceased was in all probability struck
by the vibrating rope and thrown against the brake band and from there to the
floor, where he was found a few minutes later. He did not regain consciousness
and died 50 hours later. He leaves a widow and 3 children.
No fatal accidents to engineers seem to have taken place since 1904,
so that, on the whole, the occupation risk does not appear to be a
very serious one. The accidents which took place during 1903 and
1904, however, were the direct result o f occupation exposure and
a The whole subject has been fully discussed in a report o f a special committee
appointed by the Royal Commission on Mines and published as Parliamentary
paper Cd. 4821, London, 1909.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
543
decidedly tjqiical of the employment. A ll of the men whose ages
are given were 40 years of age and over, and, as far as it is clear from
the published account, the killed were not to blame for neglect to
take proper safety precautions. The very great responsibility which
rests upon the hoisting engineer requires that only a physically sound
type be employed and that their hours of labor and compensation be
in proportion to the responsibility which rests upon them.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO CAGEBS.
A lesser responsibility rests upon the eager, but he also should be
a man o f experience and skill to properly perform his functions.
The employment o f boys, or even of young men, in the cage should
be prohibited by law, and a fixed age should be set to apply to all
employees in the running of cages in mines. During the 5 years
ending with 1908 there were 10 deaths o f cagers in Illinois out o f
a total o f 859 men killed in all occupations, and, considering the large
number o f cagers employed, the true occupation accident risk is
apparently not a very serious one. The incidental danger o f the
employment is, however, quite clearly brought out in the brief de
scription o f the accidents, which are all included in the following
series o f cases:
December 26, 1903. Samuel E. Shadden, assistant eager, aged 36 years, mar
ried, employed by the Springfield Coal Mining Company at mine No. 6, Taylorville, Christian County, was fatally injured, being crushed by a loaded pit car
falling on him. The deceased was in the act of pushing an empty car back
from the cage; a loaded car had been put on the cage, but had been pushed too
far over; before the latter car could be pulled back onto the cage the engineer
hoisted the cage, the end of the loose car catching on the door head, which
pulled it off the cage, and it fell on Shadden. He died less than 2 hours after
wards, leaving a widow and 5 children.
December 2, 1905. William Walker, eager helper, aged 19 years, employed at
the Madison Coal Company’s mine, Divernon, was caught between loaded cars
at the bottom of the shaft, breaking his leg, from the effects o f which he died
in about 2 hours.
March 31, 1906. Bruce S. Ellis, eager, aged 37 years, married, employed at
the Carterville Coal Company’s mine, Carterville, Williamson County, was
caught between the cage and the door head o f the shaft. He was in the act o f
pulling a car back onto the cage so that he could secure it. The cage was taken
away, killing him instantly. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
August 28, 1906. Michael Hickey, eager, aged 39 years, married, was killed
in the No. 1 mine of the Springfield Coal Mining Company; deceased was walk
ing over the shaft bottom instead of going around the manway and was caught
by the descending cage. He died 3 days after the accident and leaves a widow
and 1 child.
October 1, 1906. Ed. Haum, eager, aged 25 years, married, employed at mine
No. 15 of the Consolidated Coal Company, Mount Olive, Macoupin County, was
in the act of pushing a loaded car onto the cage, when other loaded cars
followed from behind and he was caught between the cars, causing injuries
from which he died 3 days later. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
July 1, 1907. Anthony Aklea, eager, 21 years of age, single, employed at the
O’Gara Coal Company mine No. 3 at Harrisburg, Saline County, was killed
while loading a car o f c o a l; another car o f coal ran down on him mashing him
between the cars. He died from the injuries the same day.
December 19, 1907. Joseph Ellican, eager, single, aged 28 years, employed by
the Johnston City and Big Muddy Coal and Mining Company, Johnston City,
544
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
Williamson County, was fatally injured. A trip of 5 cars had come in on the
bottom of the south side of the shaft; Ellican took the first car to put it on
the cage, but failed to put sprtfgs to the balance of the ca rs; they ran across the
cage, crushing him. He died December 23.
With the exception o f the last o f these accidents, all were the
result of a single well-defined cause. Cagers are chiefly employed
to push the cars off and on the cage, as a part o f their regular duties,
a practice which seems to call for serious condemnation. Recalling
the trying conditions under which all underground work is carried
on, the semidarkness under which the work must be performed, it
would seem no more than a matter o f self-protection to keep the
cagers on the cage in the same manner as an elevator attendant is
required to perform only one duty and no more. The only recorded
accident due specifically to the employment as a eager as such is the
following one, which is fully described, and probably typical of the
conditions under which accidents of this kind, however rare, are
likely to occur. It is most significant in this connection that there
should have been no accidents due to breaking cables, proving appar
ently that the mechanical details of hoisting are well looked after in
the mines of the Illinois coal fields.
July 1,1907. Edgar Brush, eager, aged 23 years, single, employed at the Carterville Mining Company’s mine No. 3, Lauder, Williamson County, was killed while
trying to get a ear loose that was stuck on the cage. He was standing on
the cage when the engineer hoisted it, catching deceased between the cage and
door head of shaft, breaking his neck. The top men say that the signal was
given from the bottom to hoist the cage, and the bottom men say there was no
signal given from the bottom.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO SHAFT SINKERS.
Aside from the engineers and cagers employed in and about mine
shafts there are the so-called “ sinkers,” employed in the sinking of
shafts, who follow a most dangerous occupation, including risks
specifically inherent in their work. During the 5 years ending with
1908 there have been 14 deaths of sinkers, of which 13 have been
described in full detail, as given below.
January 28, 1904. Samuel Willis, sinker, aged 31 years, widower, was in
stantly killed by falling out of a sinking bucket to the bottom of the shaft, a
distance of about 40 feet, at the mine of the Harrisburg-Big Muddy Coal Com
pany, Harrisburg, Saline County. Willis had been timbering at the bottom of
the shaft; when through with his work he got into the bucket to take a stepladder to the surface. He told one of the men working with him to give one
bell instead of three bells, which is the proper signal to hoist to the top. The
engineer, responding to the signal, understood that no one was coming up,
started the engine at a good rate of speed, when, at the distance stated, de
ceased fell out of the bucket.
March 24, 1904. Herman Haase, sinker, aged 26 years, married, was killed
by falling from a temporary cage while putting in guides at the Consolidated
Coal Company’s mine No. 14, Staunton, Macoupin County. He leaves a widow.
June 28, 1904. Benjamin Rhodes, sinker, aged 32 years, married, and Wilse
Reed, sinker, aged 26 years, single, employed by the Kirksville Coal Company,
Kirksville, Moultrie County, were killed by falling down the shaft being sunk
at that place. One peculiarity about this accident is to report men being
killed in a county that has never produced any coal, nor ever appeared among
coal-producing counties in the reports. Rhodes and Reed, both sinkers, had
come out of the shaft after lighting a shot; after the shot had exploded they
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINING.
545
entered the bucket to descend into the shaft; just as they got below the sur
face the hook on which the bucket was hung broke, precipitating them to the
bottom, a distance of about 100 feet. Rhodes was killed instantly and Reed
died about 5 hours after the accident occurred. The men were residents of
Shelbyville, Shelby County. Rhodes left a widow and five children.
July 21, 1904. Alexander McLean, sinker, aged 30 years, married, employed
in sinking a shaft for the New Staunton Coal Company, Livingston, Madison*
County, was killed. McLean was being lowered, with other men employed, to
the bottom of the shaft, the engineer lost control o f the engine, the bucket
falling suddenly to the bottom caused his death; the others were slightly in
jured. He leaves a widow.
February 8, 1905. James Reid, sinker, aged 27 years, single, was killed by
being struck on the head with a sinking bucket, in the new shaft being sunk
by the St. Paul Coal Company, Cherry, Bureau County. Deceased was at work
at the bottom o f the shaft, 230 feet from the surface; the top of the shaft was
protected by the usual folding doors, with two topmen in attendance. The
empty bucket had been lifted from the doors, and the topman in charge of the
signals had raised his half o f the doors, the other attendant had not gotten
his half raised, when the signal was given to the engineer to low er; the bottom
of the bucket struck on the edge o f the half raised door, tipped over, and the
safety hook, so called, became detached, the bucket falling to the bottom o f the
shaft with the result as stated.
February 11, 1906. Nicolas Bonato, sinker, aged 52 years, married, em
ployed by the Peabody Coal Company, Nokomis, Montgomery County, was in
stantly killed by falling ice in the shaft. For a few days prior to this accident
it had been very cold, and much ice had accumulated on the sides o f the shaft
near the top, but on this day it was thawing very fast, and a large body of
ice gave way, falling at least 50 feet, resulting as above stated. He leaves a
widow and 6 children.
May 5, 1906. Florini Boucher, sinker, aged 26 years, single, employed in
the United Coal Company s’ mine at Christopher, Franklin County, when a
loaded bucket had nearly reached the top landing it overturned, the contents
falling to the bottom o f the shaft. Part o f the slate struck deceased on the
head, causing instant death.
July 14, 1906. Mike Riley, sinker, aged 37 years, single, employed in sink
ing the Peabody mine at Nokomis, Montgomery County, had taken sufficient
dynamite down in a box to charge eight holes. When 5 o f the holes had
been charged it was discovered that the sawdust in the box containing the
remaining dynamite had taken fire. Riley was in the act o f upsetting the box
into the water when the dynamite exploded, blowing him to pieces. His home
was in Braidwood, 111. Five other men were in the shaft at the time, but
escaped unhurt.
October 28, 1906. William Radford, sinker, aged 33 years, married, working
at mine No. 22 of the Burnwell Coal Company, Witt, Montgomery County,
was being lowered in the bucket when the drum became detached from the
engine, and not having a brake on the drum, the engineer had no control over
it. There were 2 men in the bucket when it dropped 100 feet to the bottom,
killing Radford instantly. He leaves a widow and 3 children. The other man
was badly injured, an account of which is given in the nonfatal accidents.
July 3, 1907. Three men, all sinkers, were killed in the Lasalle County Car
bon Coal Company’s No. 5 mine at Cedar Point, Lasalle County; Hagen Ben
son, aged 35 years, single; Frank Basalai, aged 30 years, single; and Charles
Agnew, aged 30 years, single. Benson and Basalai were killed instantly and
Agnew died in the hospital at Lasalle 18 hours after the accident occurred.
These men, with William Spowart, the company’s machinist, were changing
a line of 4-inch pipe from near the center o f the shaft to one corner, so the
pipe would not interfere with the cage. They had disconnected the pipe from
the pump at the bottom, which was held by a f-chain attached to a 4-ton
chain block. The men were hoisted up about 45 feet, and were knocking off
cleats, when the chain holding the pipe broke, letting down two or three lengths
o f the pipe from the top, which struck the men working on the float, with the
result as stated. Mr. Spowart was only slightly injured.
September 3, 1907. Charles Moore, sinker, aged 24 years, single, employed
at mine No. 18 of the Dering Coal Company, West Frankfort, Franklin County,.
was killed by falling 500 feet out of a hoisting tub. The accident was caused
by the rope slipping off of the drum.
62717°— No. 90— 10------8
546
BULLETIN OE THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
This series o f cases is o f particular interest, for practically without
exception the fatalities were due to causes and circumstances inherent
in the employment or inseparable therefrom. The variety of specific
causes illustrates the peculiarly hazardous nature o f shaft sinking
and the total absence o f reasonable safety precautions in such acci
dents as the first and second. The fourth case was due to the fact
that the engineer lost control o f his engine, while in the fifth case a
so-called safety hook became detached and caused the death of the
shaft sinker at his work. Most curious was the sixth accident, in
which a falling icicle caused the death o f a sinker, while the seventh
accident was clearly one of gross neglect to provide a proper mechan
ical device, making the overturning o f a loaded bucket impossible.
One sinker was killed by an explosion of dynamite, due to causes
beyond his control, while in the ninth case a man was killed as the re
sult o f the engineer losing control o f his engine, in a manner similar to
case 4. Three sinkers were killed in one accident, due to what was ap
parently gross carelessness, while in the last case a sinker was killed
as the result o f a rope slipping off the drum. The evidence in all
these cases would seem to be quite conclusive that, without exception,
the sinkers killed lost their lives as the result of an inherent occu
pational risk or due to causes or conditions beyond their own control.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO TIMBERMEN.
Mine timbering is a most important function in mine arrange
ment, involving many complex technical questions arising out o f the
varying character o f the coal bed, thickness o f seam, depth o f mine,
etc. So-called “ steel timbering ” (a) is gradually coming into use,
and in some places concrete work is taking the place o f timber in
permanent positions in large mine properties. The proper placing
o f heavy timbers underground requires much physical strength and
skill, considering the different conditions under which the work must
be done with economy and efficiency. In the coal mines o f Illinois
during the 5 years ending with 1908 there have been 18 timbermen
killed and, with one exception, all by falls o f slate or rock. The risk
assumed by a timberman is much the same as that o f the miner, but
the risk exposure is probably greater on account o f the inherent un
certainties in the conditions, which are subject to almost constant
variations and changes. The descriptive accidents which follow em
phasize this risk and prove that the danger is practically limited to
falls o f rock or slate:
F A T A L A C CIDEN TS TO T IM B E R M E N .
May 11, 1904. Joseph Lecowieys, timberman, aged 27 years, married, em
ployed in the Kellyville Coal Company’s mine No. 2, Kellyville, Vermilion
County, was instantly killed by falling rock. Deceased was breaking up some
0 See pamphlets on Steel Mine Timber, issued by the Carnegie Steel Company,
Pittsburg, Pa., 1908 and 1910.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
547
rock, which had fallen on the fourth north entry, when a mass of rock 8 feet
long, 4 feet wide, and 18 inches thick, which he had failed to secure, fell on
him with the result as stated. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
October 13, 1904. Peter Barrista, timberman, aged 35 years, single, employed
in the Jones & Adams Company’s mine, located at Catlin, Vermilion County,
was engaged in pulling up a crossbar and was struck on the head by falling
rock, about 9 p. m. the above date; apparently he was not hurt very much, as he
walked home from the mine, but gradually became worse during the night, and
died about 10 o’clock the next morning; the blow on his head produced concus
sion of the brain.
September 20, 1906. Simon Malle, timberman, aged 43 years, married, em
ployed at No. 6 mine o f the Consolidated Coal Company, Staunton, Macoupin
County, was sent with others to clean a fall on the entry. It happened that
there was some loose slate still hanging, o f which he had been warned by other
workmen. However, he did not heed the warning and went to work under the
slate, when it fell on him, killing him instantly. He leaves a widow.
October 3, 1907. Walter Bone, timberman, aged 45 years, married, was killed
instantly by falling rock on the first parting east in the Lasalle County Carbon
Company’s No. 1 mine at Jonesville, Lasalle County. Deceased and his partner
were renewing the cross timbers on the parting, and were, preparing to put up
a liner or timber support that the old timbers could be taken o u t; but, without
any warning, a great mass o f rock weighing about 35 or 40 tons fell, breaking
the new timbers that were put up the night previous, crushing Bone underneath.
He leaves a widow and 7 children.
January 11, 1907. Edward Delaney, timberman, aged 50 years, single, was
killed in No. 2 mine of the Illinois Collieries Company; deceased was caught
between two pit cars, crushing his head.
Mine carpenters working overground constitute quite a consider
able labor element and there is probably not a mine at which at least
one or two mine carpenters are not regularly employed. Four car
penters were killed by accidents at Illinois mines during the 5 years
ending with 1908, which are quite fully described below:
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS TO M IN E CARPENTERS.
August 10, 1903. Albert Goekel, carpenter, aged 38 years, married, was in
jured by falling from the roof o f the boiler house, at the Consolidated Coal Com
pany’s mine No. 6, Staunton, Macoupin County, dying the same day. He leaves
a widow and 5 children.
February 25, 1905. Edward Acres, carpenter, aged 34 years, married, was
killed by falling down the shaft of the Illinois Collieries Company’s No. 1 mine,
Virden, Macoupin County. A mine car had been thrown from the dump cage
into the weigh pan ; a chain was attached to the car to draw it back to the cage;
Acres was standing on top of the cage, when the chain broke, causing the cage
to rebound, throwing him off and down the shaft. He leaves a widow and 2
children.
July 7, 1906. Elmer Voorhees, carpenter, aged 28 years, married, employed
at the Big Muddy Coal and Iron Company, shaft No. 9, was killed by a gin
pole falling on him. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
September 18, 1906. L. C. Foster, carpenter, aged 35 years, single, employed at
the Royal Colliery Company washery, Virden, Macoupin County, was on a scaf
fold painting, about 40 feet from the ground, when, from some cause unknown,
he fell to the ground, striking his head on the track rail. He died instantly.
Two mine machinists were killed in Illinois mines during the
period under consideration, one by a fall o f coal and the other by
being caught in the machinery of a coal-washing plant. The de
scriptive accounts o f these two cases are as follow s:
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS TO M IN E M A C H IN IS T S .
October 6, 1903. John Rohe, machinist, aged 21 years, single, employed as
machine helper in the Staunton Coal Company’s mine No. 1, Staunton, Macoupin
County, was killed by falling coal at the face of a room.
548
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
May 23, 1904. Robert Bradbeer, machinist, aged 45 years, married, was
killed instantly by being caught in the machinery o f the coal-washing plant
at the Illinois Third-Vein Coal Company’s mine, Ladd, Bureau County. De
ceased had charge o f the jigging apparatus at the coal washer. By some means,
which could not be explained, he got his foot caught in the machinery; his
leg was drawn in and crushed up to the groin. The engine was stopped as
soon as the alarm was given, but life was extinct before he could be extricated.
He leaves a widow and 5 children.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO PUMPMEN.
Pumpmen in mines, next to timbermen, may be classed as among
the most skilled workers underground, and since all deep mines at
least require an efficient system o f drainage, the number o f pump
men employed must be quite large. Few fatal accidents, however,
seem to have occurred among men in this occupation, and out of 74
deaths o f pumpmen occurring during the 5 years ending with 1908,
the following three have been briefly described in the official report-t
November 11, 1905. Charles Swartz, pumpman, aged 40 years, married,
employed at the Dering Coal Company’s mine, No. 11, West Frankfort, Franklin
County, was engaged in making repairs on a pump near the bottom o f the
shaft. The carriage had been stopped at the lower landing to send down tools.
In putting on a grip bar it missed the car and fell down the shaft, striking
Swartz, killing him instantly. He leaves a widow.
December 29, 1906. Frank Nelson, pumpman, aged 23 years, single, employed
at the Madison Coal Company’s No. 9 mine, was killed by being caught in the
cogwheels of an electric pump.
October 27, 1906. Peter Brennar, pumpman, aged 54 years, married, em
ployed by the Chicago and Carterville Coal Company at mine “ A,” was killed
by an explosion of fire damp in the first east entry on south side o f shaft. He
leaves a widow and 6 children.
A ll o f these accidents were strictly the result o f inherent occupa
tion dangers and apparently none could have been prevented by the
foresight or care on the part o f the men killed. Had the cogwheel
o f the electric pump causing the fatality in the second o f the above
cases been properly protected, the death could easily have been pre
vented. As a matter of fact, it is the exception rather than the rule
that the cogwheels o f mine pumps or o f other machinery in mines
are properly protected, so as to make accidents a practical impossi
bility, when ordinary care is used on the part o f the workmen.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO P0WDERMEN.
Only one powderman employed underground in Illinois coal mines
during the 5 years ending with 1908 was killed, and the accident was
due to the fall o f rock. The description of this accident is as follow s:
February 2, 1905. Tony Norkis, powderman, aged 30 years, married, em
ployed in mine No. 5 o f the Kelly Coal Company, Westville, Vermilion County,
was instantly killed by falling rock the evening o f this date. Deceased was
employed to deliver powder to the different rooms in the mine, the powder
being sent into the mine in the evening for the next day’s w ork; while in the
performance of this duty Norkis was struck by a failing rock, with the result
as stated. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
549
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO ROADMEN OR TRACKMEN.
In the maintenance o f tracks underground and the building o f new
tracks or extensions a considerable number o f men are employed
who are known as roadmen or trackmen, and of these, seven have been
killed in Illinois coal mines during the 5 years ending with 1908.
o f which the following are typical cases. Four o f the accidents were
due to fall o f coal or slate and three to mine cars.
September 29, 1904. P. Caulfield, roadman, aged 29 years, single, was injured
by being caught between mine cars at the Springfield Coal Mining Company’s
No. 4 mine, Springfield, Sangamon County. He died October 5, 1904.
February 26, 1906. Louis Pelletto, roadman, aged 24 years, single, was killed
instantly by falling rock in the Deer Park mine o f the Illinois Zinc Company,
Lasalle County. Deceased and his partner, Charles Blow, were brushing a
crossroad; the night boss told them to take down the loose rock on the switch
before firing the shot in the brushing. Pelletto went to take down the loose
rock; his partner told him to stand to one side, where the roof was good; de
ceased replied that it was nothing to be afraid o f and stood directly under the
rock, knocking the prop ou t; the rock fell on him with the result as stated.
August 26, 1906. Louis Phillips, roadman, aged 48 years, married, was
severely crushed by falling rock on the main west entry, 450 feet from the
working face, in the Chicago, Wilmington and Vermillion Coal Company’s No. .2
mine, South Wilmington, Grundy County. Deceased and his son were working
nights, cleaning the haulage road, when a rock fell from the roof, striking
deceased on the head. He was conveyed to his home, where he died 3 hours
after the accident. He leaves a widow and 8 children.
September 5, 1906. Frank Galley, trackman, aged 48 years, single, employed
by D. A. Jenkins, Danville, Vermillion County, was killed by being crushed be
tween the rib o f the entry and a car.
October 20, 1906. Wesley Lamb, trackman, aged 20 years, single, was killed
in the Kerns Donnewald Coal Company’s mine at Worden, Madison County.
Deceased was struck by a mine car on which was T rails. He switched his
working truck into a room switch, but did not put the truck in far enough. A
driver passing with an empty trip struck the rails and the car, which caught
Lamb, killing him.
September 28, 1907. Joseph Davis, roadman, aged 32 years, single, was killed
instantly by falling rock in the Illinois Zinc Company mine at Deer Park,
Lasalle County. Deceased was helping to put a loaded car on the track when a
mass o f rock fell without any warning, crushing him underneath.
June 18, 1908. Joseph Monzze, roadman, aged 46 years, married, was severely
crushed and injured internally by falling rock in the B mine o f the Clark City,
Wilmington Coal Company, Kankakee County. Deceased was cleaning out the
neck o f an old room for the purpose o f making a sump when a rock fell without
warning, crushing him underneath. He died o f his injuries 7 hours after the
accident. He leaves a widow and 5 children in Italy.
In all essentials these accidents occurred under conditions identical
with those causing fatalities to drivers underground. The theoretical
risk is considerable, but actually it would seem that the number of
fatal accidents among men in this occupation in Illinois mines is
small. Aside from roadmen or trackmen a number o f other men are
employed underground in connection with mine cars, haulage, etc.,
though numerically o f comparatively small importance. Among the
fatal accidents o f this class were the following, described in more or
less detail as the circumstances may have called f o r :
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS TO RAILROAD E M PLOYEES I N C O N N E C TIO N W IT H M IN E S .
August 13, 1903. John Lane, brakeman, aged 21 years, single, employed by
the Consolidated Coal Company at the Mission Field mines, Vermilion County,
was fatally injured in the afternoon and died 8 hours afterwards. Deceased
550
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
was riding on the footboard of the locomotive which pulls coal from the mines
to the railroad, accidentally falling, the wheels passed over him, inflicting
severe injuries, resulting as above stated.
December 29, 1903. John Benedict, spragger, aged 18 years, single, was in
stantly killed in the mine o f the Cliicago-Herrin Coal Company, Herrin, W il
liamson County. Deceased had spragged some cars near the shaft, and was
letting down some more ca rs; while doing this his head was caught and crushed
between the cars in motion and those standing still.
November 25, 1904. John Corrilli, pusher, aged 19 years, single, was severely
injured by a loaded pit car running over him in the No.- 7 mine o f the Wilming
ton Star Mining Company, Coal City, Grundy County. Deceased was in front
o f the car on a steep grade, but lost control o f the car. He died 6 days after
the accident occurred.
October 26, 1905. John Tetter, trip rider, aged 25 years, single, was killed in
the Donk Brothers Coal and Coke Company’s No. 3 mine, at Troy, Madison
County. He was making a flying switch and fell from the rear end o f the
motor. The empty cars ran over him.
February 15, 1906. Earl Gladden, switchman, aged 18 years, single, was
killed in No. 2 mine of the Kelley Coal Company, being run over by an electric
motor. Deceased was getting off o f the front end o f the motor to make a flying
switch when his foot caught the ground, the motor pulling him under and
crushing him.
March 3, 1906. Charles Wall, yard man, aged 33 years, married, working on
the surface, was killed by railroad cars on the side track at the New Staunton
Coal Company’s mine at Livingston, Madison County. Deceased was repairing
a car on the side track when a switch engine pushing some cars onto the side
track bumped the car he was working on, when he fell under the wheels and
was crushed. He leaves a widow and 4 children.
June 13, 1907. Bousilar Wevilkosky, trip rider, aged 21 years, single, em
ployed at the Zeigler Coal Company’s miDe, Zeigler, Franklin County, was
killed. The power gave out, delaying his trip; when the power came on the
motorman started the m otor; at the same time he cautioned Wevilkosky about
holding his head so high, but the trip rider did not heed the warning and was
struck by wire, causing almost instant death.
September 6, 1907. Albert Gillot, gripper, aged 19 years, single, was fatally
injured in the Reed City mine, Peoria County, operated by Newsam Brothers.
Deceased was riding on a trip of empty cars and jumped out o f the car and
stepped onto the loaded track; part of a loaded trip had broken loose, and,
owing to the roadway having a downward grade toward the working face at
this particular place, the cars ran back, knocking him down, injuring him so
that it caused his death.
October 1, 1907. E. C. Worley, car pincher, aged 19 years, single, employed
on the surface at mine No. 2 of the Superior Coal Company, at Benld; deceased
was between 2 railroad cars, trying to separate them, in order to get the front
car nearer to the dump, when an engine from behind struck the cars and he was
run over and instantly killed.
October 29, 1907. John Furnsock, spragger, aged 25 years, single, working in
the mine of the Christian County Coal Company, Taylorville, was spragging at
the bottom, 2 days before he died, when his hand was mashed; blood poisoning
set in, causing his death.
A ll o f these accidents are described in sufficient detail to bring out
the conditions and circumstances under which they occurred. The
small number o f deaths in each occupation, in some cases only a
single death, precludes definite conclusions as to the true occupation
hazards or the responsibility for their occurrence. Trip riders, it
may be explained, are men who have charge o f a trip o f cars in
the mine when the cars are hauled by cable or motor power. The
two accidents to trip riders in Illinois coal mines, as shown in the
descriptive accounts of the fourth and fifth cases above, were due to
causes inherent in the employment. One o f the two spraggers prob
ably needlessly lost his life by not securing medical aid at the proper
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
551
time, while the other died from a mine-car accident, typical of the
employment. A gripper and a car pincher were killed by car acci
dents, also typical of the employment, while a pusher was killed by
losing control o f his car in the performance o f his duty and appar
ently by no fault o f his own.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO TRAPPERS OR DOOR TENDERS.
The only remaining important occupation underground which has
not been considered is that o f the trapper, or door tender, as the oc
cupation is termed in other coal fields. As a rule, boys are employed
in this occupation, but occasionally old men who have become in
capacitated for other work. There were 10 deaths o f trappers in
Illinois coal mines during the 5 years ending with 1908, and o f these
the following cases will illustrate the conditions and circumstances
under which accidents occur among persons in this employment:
September 23, 1903. John Murphy, trapper, aged 14 years, employed in mine
No. 6 of the Big Muddy Coal and Iron Company, Murphysboro, Jackson County.
The boy attempted to jump on a moving pit car, when he fell under the wheels;
one leg and arm were crushed, the severe shock causing his death.
March 19, 1904. Walter Ferrell, trapper, aged 16 years, was killed at the
No. 6 mine o f the Big Muddy Coal and Iron Company, Murphysboro, Jackson
County. The boy attempted to run past a moving loaded trip and was caught
and crushed between the cars and rib.
,
March 23, 1904. Claude Wolf, trapper, aged 16 years, employed by the
Latham Coal Company, Lincoln, Logan County, was fatally injured by a loaded
pit-car running over him, from the effects o f which he died four hours after
wards. The driver had stopped his mule at the door to fill his lamp with oil;
while doing so the mule started and the boy thinking he was going to run away,
jumped on the seat to stop the mule. There being a down grade at that place
and the cars running rather fast, the boy became frightened, lost his light and
jumped from the car to the side; the first car passed him, when he either
stepped or fell between the cars, the last one passing over him with the above
result.
June 14, 1904. Pearl Beenblossom, trapper, aged 17 years, single, was killed
by being struck by a lagging timber. The mine cars jumped the track, striking
the lagging timber, forcing it onto the boy. He was at his trap door in the
Litchfield Mining and Power Company’s mine, Litchfield, Montgomery County.
March 25, 1906. Michael Debre, trapper, aged 17 years, employed in the
Zeigler Coal Company’s mine, Zeigler, Franklin County. For some unknown
reason he got in front o f an electric motor, which knocked him down, running
over his body, killing him instantly.
November 14, 1906. Richard Lee, trapper, aged 16 years, single, employed by
the Big Muddy Coal and Iron Company at mine No. 6, was killed while coming
up on a cage; at about 50 feet from the bottom he lost his balance from some
unknown cause and fell from the cage to the bottom o f the shaft.
December 22, 1906. John Willis, trapper, aged 66 years, married, employed
at mine No. 3 o f the Peabody Coal Company, near Marion, was trapping the
main east door; the motor started from the third south parting with 12
loaded cars; the last 3 cars of the trip became uncoupled between the part
ing and the door; when the trapper saw the motor trip going past him, he
stepped into the middle o f the track and the 3 cars that had been uncoupled
struck him, the first one ran over him, and he was found dead under the second
car. He leaves a widow and 5 children.
January 15, 1907. August Smith, trapper, aged 71 years, married, employed
at mine No. 10 o f the Consolidated Coal Company, Mount Olive, Macoupin
County, was run over by a trip of cars and killed. He was employed to trap
a door at the foot o f a steep hill. The driver had to get his trip from different
entries and make it up on top o f this hill. Two o f the cars started down the
hill toward the door. The trapper supposing that it was the driver coming
552
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
with his trip, opened the door and walked leisurely down the track to where
he was accustomed to pull out the spraggs. Being partly deaf he could not
hear the cars until it was too late for him to get out o f the way. He leaves a
wife and 3 grown children.
W ith the exception o f two cases all o f the killed were mere boys,
some as young as 14 years. Two old men were killed, one of whom
was partly deaf, which made it impossible for him to hear the ap
proaching car. A ll of the deaths were caused by mine cars and
some, no doubt, were due to reckless indifference to the risk incurred
in needlessly taking chances. The question naturally arises whether
such accidents can not be prevented by prohibiting the employment o f
young persons underground, below the age o f 18 years, or by the use
o f mechanical, automatic door opening and closing devices, which
ingenuity applied to the task may not find it very difficult to suggest.
It may safely be assumed that the risk exposure on the part o f door
boys is very considerable and probably not so very much less than
that o f the miner himself, but the facts are not available to show the
number exposed to risk, required to calculate the risk upon the basis
o f the reported deaths.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO DUMP MEN AND TRIMMERS.
Young persons are also employed in underground work as trim
mers and dumpers, and among these four deaths have occurred.
There were two trimmers and one dump man killed during the period
under consideration, which are reported upon in detail as follow s:
October 1, 1904. Thomas Funderburk, dumper, aged 25 years, married, em
ployed at the Mount Olive and Staunton Coal Company’s mine No. 2, Staunton,
Madison County, was killed by falling down the shaft. He was engaged in
dumping coal at a temporary landing; in going back with the empty car to the
cage he went to the wrong side o f the shaft, and, as there was no protection, the
car went down the shaft, dragging him with it. He leaves a widow.
October 11, 1905. Floyd Palmer, trimmer, aged 18 years, employed at the
Penwell Coal Company’s mine at Pana, Christian County. Deceased was trying
to shut off the steam on the elevator engine which was running away, caused
by the belt slipping off, when the fly wheel burst, a piece o f which struck Palmer,
knocking him out through the building onto the railroad track and fatally
injuring him. He died in about 4 hours.
June 26, 1908. Clinton Boyer, car trimmer, aged 21 years, married, employed
in the mine of the Franklin County Collieries Company, Sesser. Deceased was
riding on a flat car and fell off onto the rails. The car passed over him, cutting
him in two. He leaves a widow.
One trimmer was killed by a bursting fly wheel, another by being
run over by a car, and the dump man by falling down a shaft, all more
or less characteristic occupation accidents, resulting from occupation
exposure to special hazards inherent in the employment followed.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO WEIGHERS AND WATCHMEN.
Two weigh men were killed and one night watchman, of which the
following descriptive accounts have been rendered, and which are
reprinted in full from the official report.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
553
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS TO W E IG H E R S A N D W A T C H M E N .
December 9, 1903. Allen Cox, top weigh man, aged 54 years, married, em
ployed by the Pana Coal Company, at mine No. 1, Pana, Christian County, was
fatally injured while repairing the roller screen. Deceased, with some other
men, his son among the number, were engaged in cleaning slack and fine coal
around the screen house and elevators. Cox, leaving the other men, went up
into the screen house to repair some broken places in one of the screens; his
son having forgotten or not knowing that his father was working in the
screens, started the engine, causing the screens to revolve; before the engine
could be stopped, or Cox taken out, he received injuries which caused his death
before he reached his home. He leaves a widow and 8 children.
July 5, 1905. John Madison, night watchman, aged 60 years, married, em
ployed at the Lasalle shaft of the Lasalle County Carbon Coal Company, was
instantly killed at the coal chutes of the Illinois Central Railroad, about 300
feet from the shaft. It was the duty o f the deceased to coal the engines
during the night, but it could not be ascertained how the accident occurred.
It is supposed, however, that, while waiting for an engine to coal he fell
asleep, leaning over the railing at the top o f chutes, and fell to the railroad
track below, a distance o f 30 fe e t; his body was found some time afterwards,
his head having been severed from the body. He leaves a widow and two
children.
August 16,1907. Tilford S. Botts, weigh man, aged 32 years, single, employed
in the Johnston City Coal Company’s mine, Johnston City, Williamson County,
was killed instantly while trying to replace a car on the cage which had been
thrown into the hopper. Deceased lost his balance and fell to the bottom of
the shaft.
A ll o f these accidents were due to conditions and circumstances
inherent in the occupation followed and were not, apparently, due
to negligence or indifference on the part o f th& workmen killed.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO MINE OWNERS, OPERATORS, ETC.
Mine owners, operators, agents or lessees, business managers, super
intendents or foremen, mine engineers, examiners, and state inspect
ors all share in common a considerable degree o f true accident
liability, which is increased, no doubt, by the very fact that these
officers or officials are often only occasionally required to visit par
ticular mines or particular workings for inspection or supervising
purposes. The superintendent o f a mine and his assistant are
officially in charge thereof and responsible for the safety o f the
conditions underground and while their duties may not require
daily personal inspection, it is in the nature o f the position followed
that there must be a thorough familiarity with the actual conditions,
dangers, progress, etc., underground. The mine foreman is required,
in many States, by law, to examine each working place, or have it
examined by his assistant at least once every other day, and while
these duties may be badly defined, they are all-inclusive of what
constitutes personal responsibility for the conditions under which
mining is carried on. In the coal mines o f Illinois during the 5
years ending with 1908, there have been 10 fatal accidents to mine
managers, including 1 mine operator—7 fatal accidents to mine
examiners, and 1 fatality to a state inspector. There have also been
554
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR,
3 fatal accidents to foremen, or 21 deaths in all of persons having
official or supervisory duties o f mine work. The mine owner, or
operator, was killed by a boiler explosion, described briefly as
follow s:
F A T A L A C C ID E N T TO A M IN E O W N E R , OR OPERATOR.
March 23, 1906. Louis Grossman, aged 49 years, married, owner and oper
ator of a local mine near Smitliton, St. Clair County, was killed by a boiler
explosion. A new upright boiler had been set up and had been in operation a
few days. The boiler was used to furnish steam to the pump a short distance
in the mine. Grossman had charge o f the boiler, and was standing close to it
when it exploded. He leaves a widow and 7 children.
The nine fatalities to mine managers or superintendents are all
o f peculiar interest, as illustrating the very varied dangers which
even in the case o f the most experienced may prove fatal. The ac
counts are brief, but sufficiently descriptive o f the actual conditions
and circumstances under which the accidents took place.
F A T A L A C CIDEN TS TO M IN E M A N A G E R S.
April 29, 1904. T. F. Jolly, mine manager, aged 49 years, married, employed
by the Consolidated Coal Company at the Abbey mine No. 3, Collinsville, Madi
son County. While passing through the shaft bottom from one side o f the
shaft to the other, he was caught by a descending cage, causing his death. He
leaves a widow and 3 children.
September 5, 1905. Peter Brooks, mine manager, aged 54 years, married,
employed by the Stonington Coal Company, Stonington, Christian County, was
riding out of the shaft in a sinking bucket, when, about 90 feet up from the
bottom, he fell out o f the bucket to the bottom, killing him almost instantly.
He leaves a widow and 5 children.
September 15, 1905. Ledly Handel, mine manager, aged 36 years, married,
employed by the Stonington Coal Company, Stonington, Christian County, was
being hoisted out o f the shaft, together with 3 other men, on a temporary cage
(the mine being in course o f equipment) ; the engineer lost control o f the engine
and could not stop it until the cage was drawn to the pulleys, crushing Handel
between the cage and the pulley timbers. He died before they could get him
out. Two o f the other 3 men had jumped off the cage at the surface landing;
the other man was taken up to the pulleys. All three received injuries, and are
reported in the nonfatal injuries.
December 19, 1905. John Postle, superintendent, aged 43 years, married,
employed at the Peabody Coal Company No. 3, Marion, Williamson County,
lost his life while trying to start a stationary engine that was used to pull cars
down the track. The supposition is that the engine got on the center, and he
put his foot on the fly wheel to get off, with the steam on the engine, and when
the engine started it threw him into the gearing o f the pinion wheel, killing him
instantly. No one witnessed the accident. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
March 2, 1906. Daniel Griffeth, assistant mine manager, aged 43 years,
married, employed at the Zeigler Coal Company’s mine, Zeigler, Franklin
County, was assisting a miner in taking down some top coal which gave way
unexpectedly, falling on him, causing his death. He leaves a widow and 4
children.
January 2, 1907. John Marland, mine manager, aged 60 years, married, em
ployed at the No. 1 mine o f the Wenona Coal Company, Wenona, Marshall
County, was fatally injured. He was in the vicinity of the mule stables on the
main haulage, the mule which was worked at the bottom o f the shaft became
unruly and kicked the tail chain attached to the harness, causing it to wrap
around Mr. Marland’s leg and over the haulage rope, which was moving; the
mule started to pull when his leg was caught between the haulage rope, lacerat
ing the flesh on the under side o f the knee and breaking the bones in 2 or 3
places. He was taken to his home and the leg amputated between 9 and 10
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
555
o’clock the following day. He died the evening o f January 4, 1907, leaving a
widow and 4 children.
January 29, 1907. John H. Riordan, mine manager, aged 37 years, single, was
cleaning up some coal with the intention of pulling slate down afterwards.
However, the slate fell on him, with the result that he died from the injuries 12
hours afterwards. He was employed at the local mine of John Anderson, Pinckneyville, Perry County.
February 9, 1907. John Triskey, mine manager, aged 56 years, married, was
killed by falling rock near the working face o f a room in the Home Trade Coal
Company’s mine, Edwardsville, Madison County. He was in the act o f examin
ing the room as to its safety for men to work at the time when the rock fell.
He was sounding the roof with a pick. He leaves a widow.
November 25, 1907. John B. Price, mine manager, aged 40 years, married,
employed at the mine o f the Johnson Coal Company, Marissa, St. Clair County.
Deceased was in the elevator house examining something about the elevator
chains, in some way his feet got entangled in the conveyor buckets, when his
feet and legs were crushed. He was taken to the hospital at Belleville; the
doctors amputated one o f his legs, but he died from the shock December 31,
1907. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
A ll o f the killed were men o f mature years and experience. The
accidents took place under most varied conditions, but in most o f the
cases proper safety or protective devices would have been effective in
preventing loss o f life. Open gearing, uncovered chains in motion,
badly fixed buckets, etc., were responsible for accidents which under a
system with a more proper regard to safety o f life and limb could not
have occurred. The first o f the above accidents may possibly have
occurred in a mine shaft not provided with a convenient or safe
traveling way. The Ohio mining code provides that the owner, etc.,
44shall provide and keep free from obstruction a traveling or passage
way from one side o f the shaft bottom to the other.” The Illinois
code provides that 44a safe and commodious passageway must be cut
around said landing place to serve as a traveling way by which men
or animals may pass from one side o f the shaft to the other without
passing under or on the cage.” The number o f deaths in Illinois
mines due to accidental exposure to the descending bucket indicate
that if such protective devices are common they were not made use o f
by those killed. Recklessness in this respect is not limited to foreignborn miners, but extends to all classes o f labor, including the men
legally responsible for the safe condition o f the mine.
The third o f the above cases was due to the fact th a t44the engineer
lost control o f his engine.” Accidents o f this kind are rare and, on
the whole, the evidence is quite conclusive that the ingress and egress
o f persons at mines is attended with few casualties. It is clear, how
ever, from the various accidents that have occurred in Illinois coal
mines, that extra precautions are required to fully safeguard the lives
o f miners and others during the hoisting or lowering o f the cage.
In the fourth case a superintendent of a mine was killed by being
thrown into the gearing, while in the fifth, seventh, and eighth mine
managers were killed by falls o f rock or slate. The sixth was caused
by an unruly mule, while in the ninth a mine manager was killed
b y having his legs caught in the conveyor buckets. These accidents
556
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
in their nature and circumstances do not differ essentially from cor
responding accidents to miners and other underground employees,
and merely reemphasize the element of risk exposure in all occupa
tions, from the highest to the lowest, in mine work.
Mine examiners, as the title indicates, are required to examine into
the actual condition o f the mine. It does not appear that this title
specifically or generally includes the duties o f fire bosses, but in the
Illinois returns for the 5 years ending with 1908 no death o f a fire
boss has been reported in the official returns. The 6 deaths o f mine
examiners in the Illinois coal fields during the 5 years ending with
June 30, 1908, are described in detail, as follow s:
F A T A L A C CIDEN TS TO M IN E E X A M IN E R S , ETC.
September 25, 1903. William Losley, mine examiner, aged 27 years, married,
was killed instantly in the mine of the Muddy Valley Mining and Manufactur
ing Company, Hallidayboro, Jackson County. Deceased had gone into a room to
show a miner how he should take down top co a l; he began to pick at the coal,
at the same time endeavoring to avoid its falling on him, but he was caught and
crushed. He leaves a widow and 3 children.
September 16, 1904. Eugene Kidd, mine examiner, aged 43 years, married,
employed in the Mentor mine, operated by Joseph Taylor, O’Fallon, St. Clair
County, was making an examination of the mine before the men commenced
work, and was instantly killed by falling clod. He leaves a widow and 4
children.
July 17, 1905. J. E. Cardwell, mine examiner, aged 25 years, married, was
killed by falling down the air shaft of the Zeigler Coal Company’s mine at
Zeigler, a distance of 417 feet. He leaves a widow and 1 child.
December 28, 1905. Clarence Gerrard, night boss, aged 30 years, married,
was killed in the Dering Coal Company’s mine No. 2 by falling rock. There
were 2 men loading rock in the entry when Gerrard came in to see them,
about 9.30 p. m. The men told him that they were afraid to load under the
rock, because it was not safe. Deceased told the men that it was safe, and to
prove it he took a pick and passed under the rock to the center, and struck the
rock with the pick, when the whole mass fell on him. The rock was 14 feet
long, 6$ feet wide, and 2£ feet thick. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
February 23, 1906. Edward E. Taulbee, mine examiner, aged 30 years,
married, and William Mason, aged 21 years, single, a machine runner, both em
ployed in the Hillsboro Coal Company’s mine at Hillsboro, Montgomery County,
were caught under falling slate and instantly killed. At the face o f the entry
where Mason and his partner were working they had mined one cut with the
electric machine and had just moved the machine into a place ready to mine
the second cut when Taulbee came in. All three were standing, Mason and
Taulbee on one side o f the machine and Mason’s partner on the other. Mason
was telling Taulbee about some repairs that had been made on the machine
that day, which were not satisfactory, when, without the slightest warning,
about 20 tons o f coal and slate fell on Mason and Taulbee. Mason’s partner
happened to be in the corner of the entry and was not hurt. .H e leaves a
widow and 1 child.
January 18, 1907. Oliver P. Draper, mine examiner, aged 25 years, married,
employed at the O’Gara Coal Company No. 1 mine, near Harrisburg, met his
death while examining the mine at 5.30 a. m. This accident occurred at the
face o f the second east entry on the north side o f the sh aft; it is believed that
he fired the gas with a naked light and that death was due to after damp.
He leaves a widow.
June 28, 1907. W. T. Hiser, mine examiner, aged 35 years, married, was
killed by falling slate in the Missouri and Illinois Coal Company’s No. 4 mine
at Willisville. He leaves a widow and 2 children.
With two exceptions these deaths were caused by fall o f coal or
rock and slate. Some o f the “ examiners ” were comparatively
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
557
young men, or under 30, so that they may not have had the required
amount o f experience for the full discharge o f this very responsible
duty. One young man was killed by falling down an air shaft, and
another, an “ examiner,” aged 25, was killed by after damp, prob
ably as the result of firing gas with a naked light. Included in this
series is the case o f a “ night boss,” aged 30, who was killed by a
fall o f rock, after having been warned by his own men against the
assumption o f risk. But only those who work in the mines can really
understand why some things are done that seem acts o f inexcusable
foolhardiness to one who. knows nothing o f the actual facts o f life
underground. It is a most difficult matter to place the responsibility,
but if these accounts o f fatal occurrences teach anything at all they
seem to prove conclusively that a considerable degree o f risk of
serious injury and death is inherent in the mining industry and in
separable therefrom, and that the hazards will be unnecessarily great
as long as the most obvious protective measures are not made use of,
regardless o f their proven utility to both the employer and the
employee in the mining industries o f this and other lands.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF FATAL ACCIDENTS IN WEST VIRGINIA, 1899
TO 1908.
West Virginia has within recent years attracted world-wide atten
tion by some o f the most disastrous explosions in the whole history
o f mining. The Monongah disaster in 1907 caused a loss o f 359 lives,
and others have occurred which indicate with reasonable certainty
that for geologic and other reasons the mining o f coal in West V ir
ginia is a peculiarly dangerous pursuit. As shown by previous tables,
the average fatality rate for West Virginia for the 20-year period
ending with 1908 was 4.64 per 1,000, against 3.11 per 1,000 for the
whole coal field o f North America, but during 1908 this rate attained
to the enormous figure o f 10.35 per 1,000, due chiefly, however, to the
mine explosion at Monongah. The total number o f deaths in coal
mining in West Virginia in 1908 among 60,397 mine employees was
625, so that even i f the Monongah disaster had not occurred the rate
would still have been 4.40 or considerably above the general average.
That disaster was the result o f a coal-dust explosion, and practically
throughout the entire coal field o f West Virginia the condition of
the mines is one o f extreme danger, particularly during the winter
months. Aside from the geologic character o f the West Virginia coal
field, more or less favorable to the occurrence o f disastrous explosions,
the State has probably the most mixed labor supply o f any coal field
in the United States. In 1908 statistics were required o f coal-mining
companies as to the race and nativity o f the employees, and for 51,777
workers o f known nativity the necessary information was returned.
558
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
The table below will show the principal nativities in a convenient
fo r m :(a)
EM PLO YE ES IN COAL M INES IN W EST V IR G IN IA , BY N A T IV IT Y , 1908.
Employees.
Nativity.
American (white).....................
American (N egro)...................
Italian.......................................
Hungarian................................
Polish........................................
Austrian....................................
Russian.....................................
Slavic........................................
Lithuanian................................
English.....................................
German.....................................
Irish
Litvitch.....................................
Greek........................................
Number. Per cent
of total.
23,979
11,270
6,046
3,668
1,901
1,013
851
620
506
488
430
264
180
147
46.3
21.8
11.7
7.1
3.7
2.0
1.6
1.2
1.0
.9
.8
.5
.3
.3
Employees.
Nativity.
cent
Number. Per
of total.
Welsh........................................
Scotch.......................................
Swedish...................................
Belgian......................................
Danish.......................................
Syrian.......................................
Macedonian...............................
French.......................................
Roumanian...............................
Spanish.....................................
Bohemian..................................
118
115
69
25
23
20
13
11
8
7
5
0.23
.22
. 13
.05
.04
.04
.03
.02
.02
.01
.01
Total................................
51,777
100.00
Assuming that the employees whose nativity was unknown
(8,707) were proportionately distributed among all the several
nationalities, it is possible by means o f this table and the corre
sponding information concerning fatal accidents contained in the
report to determine with approximate accuracy the fatality rate by
nativity, but the results are, to a certain extent, disturbed by the
Monongah disaster, in which a disproportionately large number o f
Italians lost their lives. Subject to this possible impairment, the
figures are as follows;
A P P R O X IM A T E F A T A L ACCIDEN T R A TE S, B Y N A T IV IT Y , W EST V IR G IN IA , 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Nativity.
American (white).............................................................................................
American (Negro).............................................................................................
Italian................................................................................................................
Hungarian..........................................................................................................
Poles...................................................................................................................
All other (a ).......................................................................................................
Total....................................................................................................
Em
ployees.
Number.
Per 1,000
em
ployees.
28,010
13,168
7,065
4,286
2,223
5,732
176
50
200
27
44
128
6.3
3.8
28.3
6.3
19.8
22.3
60,484
625
10.3
a F or a detailed list o f nativities o f persons killed, see Annual R eport o f Departm ent o f
M ines o f W est V irginia, 1908, p. 212.
Without enlarging upon the very considerable difference in the
rates o f fatality among the different racial elements, it is significant
to find that, with only about one-fourth the number exposed to risk,
the Italians had 24 more fatal accidents during the year than the
^Annual Report o f Department o f Mines of West Virginia, 1908, p. 92.
559
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
native-born Americans (whites). The returns for a single year are,
o f course, insufficient to warrant a definite conclusion, but the fact is
brought out by all inquiries o f this kind that proportionately the
fatality rate is much higher among the foreign-born element em
ployed in coal mining than among the natives or the other Englishspeaking nationalities. Until, however, the required statistical in
formation is systematically collected for all the mining States from
year to year it will be impossible to arrive at a definite conclusion as
to the true degree o f difference in accident liability among the various
racial elements employed in coal mining in North America.
For the present purpose it seemed best to select a typical mining
State, for which most o f the information could be secured, to empha
size the facts o f most importance in general statistical inquiries of
this kind. The tables which follow are in each case for the 10-year
period ending with 1908 and all the data are derived from the official
reports o f the mine inspector o f the State. The first o f the tables
will show the fatality rate in West Virginia coal mining, according to
inside and outside employment, as well as the average rate for both
classes of labor combined.
F A T A L A C CIDEN TS IN COAL M IN ES OF W EST V IR G IN IA , 1899 TO 1908.
Outside employees.
Inside employees.
Killed.
Killed.
Year.
Inside and outside employees.
Killed.
XT
-L
JNumDer.
Number.
Number.
Number. Per 1,000.
Number. Per 1,000.
Number. Per 1,000.
1899.........
1900.........
1901.........
1902.........
1903.........
1904.........
1905.........
1906.........
1907.........
1908.........
19,634
21,820
25,693
27,720
30,450
36,316
39,903
40,865
44,147
48,938
79
133
121
110
147
123
176
250
324
599
4.0
6.1
4.7
4.0
4.8
3.4
4.4
6.1
7.3
12.2
5,474
6,197
6,693
7,427
9,002
9,176
10,047
10,904
12,118
11,459
10
8
9
10
12
17
18
18
32
26
1.8
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.9
1.8
1.7
2.6
2.3
25,108
28,017
32,386
35,147
39,452
45,492
49,950
51,769
56,265
60,397
89
141
130
120
159
140
194
268
356
625
Total.
335,486
2,062
6.2
88,497
160
1.8
423,983
2,222
5.2
1899-1903.
1904-1908.
125,317
210,169
590
1,472
4.7
7.0
34,793
53,704
49
111
1.4
2.1
160,110
263,873
639
1,583
4.0
6.0
3.5
5.0
4.0
a 4
4.0
3.1
3.9
5.2
6.3
10.3
It is shown by this table that the average fatality rate for employ
ments inside was 6.2 per 1,000, against 1.8 per 1,000 for outside em
ployment. The difference emphasizes the necessity o f discrimination
in the use o f mining fatality data and makes it clear, as, o f course, is
quite well known, that the true risk in mining attaches to the inside
work, although it is shown that the outside work, in West Virginia
at least, has also been quite dangerous, and particularly so in recent
years, when the outside rate reached 2.6 per 1,000 in 1907 and 2.3 per
1,000 in 1908. Comparing the first 5 years o f the period with the last,
560
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
it appears that the inside fatality rate has increased from 4.7 per
1.000 during 1899-1903 to 7 per 1,000 during 1904-1908, while the
outside rate increased from 1.4 per 1,000 during the first 5 years to
2.1 per 1,000 during the last. It is significant, and not explained by
even the most careful analysis o f the causes in detail for recent years,
that the inside fatality rate has steadily risen from 3.4 in 1904 to 4.4
in 1905, 6.1 in 1906, 7.3 in 1907, and 12.2 in 1908. For convenient
comparison the corresponding data are given for Illinois and for the
anthracite and bituminous districts o f Pennsylvania:
F A T A L IT Y R A T E P E R 1,000 OF IN SID E AN D OU TSIDE EM PLOYEES, FOR T H E
TE R IO D 1899 TO 1908.
Inside
employ
ees.
State.
West Virginia......................................................................................................................
Illinois..................................................................................................................................
Pennsylvania (anthracite).................................................................................................
Pennsylvania (bituminous)...............................................................................................
6.15
2.78
4.26
3.60
Outside
employ
ees.
1.81
1.31
1.65
.84
It is clearly shown that the inside risk in West Virginia coal min
ing is extremely high, so much so that the average rate for a period
o f years approaches closely to the general death rate from all causes
in the general population o f corresponding ages.
Coal mining in West Virginia is distributed over a vast area and
coal is mined in 33 counties o f the State. The most important coalproducing counties are Fayette, McDowell, Kanawha, and Marion.
Tables V I, V II, and V I I I o f the appendix contain in detail the aver
age number o f men employed in each county during the 10-year
period ending with June 30, 1908, the number o f fatal accidents, and
the fatality rate per 1,000 exposed to risk one year. Against an
average rate o f 5.25 for the State the rate for Marion County (due
to the Monongah disaster) was 15.08; for McDowell, 5.15; and for
Fayette, 5.63 per 1,000. (°) Grouped according to geographical dis
tricts, the different sections o f the State compare as follow s:
F A T A L ACCIDEN T R A TE S IN COAL M IN ING IN W E ST V IR G IN IA , B Y D IS T R IC T S ,
FOR T H E PE RO D 1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
District.
Employ
ees.
Wheeling district...............................................................................................
Kanawha, New River......................................................................................
Norfolk and Western........................................................................................
Potomac.............................................................................................................
Monongahela......................................................................................................
Interior...............................................................................................................
10,947
172,789
129,722
21,707
88,500
356
35
774
605
106
703
4
3.20
4.48
4.66
4.88
7.94
11.24
Total.........................................................................................................
424,021
2,227
5.25
Table V III of the appendix.
Rate per
1,000
Number. employ
ees.
561
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
Small numbers impair the value o f the returns for the interior
district, which is hardly entitled to be called a coal field in its pres
ent stage o f development. The same holds true for some of the
counties which return extremely high fatality rates, due also to the
small number o f men employed. (Lewis County, for illustration,
with a total number o f employees in 10 years o f only 69, o f whom 3
were killed, or at the rate o f 43.48 per 1,000.) Aside from these
exceptions, the differences in accident liability in the several coal fields
o f the State are well marked, and during the 10-vear period under
consideration they have ranged from 3.20 per 1,000 to 7.94, or, in other
words, they have been extremely high for every important coal field
o f the State. How far these differences are the result o f important
variations in the geological formation, the character o f the coal, roof,
etc., and the chemical composition o f the coal itself can not here be
discussed. Some light is thrown upon the question by the analysis in
detail o f the causes o f accident, by counties, in Table I X o f the
appendix, which is here given in an abbreviated form for the d if
ferent geographical divisions o f the State:
F A T A L
A C C ID E N T S
IN
W E ST
T R IC T S ,
V IR G IN IA
FOR
T H E
D U E
TO
P E R IO D
S P E C IF IE D
1899
TO
CAU SES,
B Y
D IS
1908.
Fatal accidents due to—
District.
Falling coal,
roof, rock, and
slate.
Num
ber.
Per
cent.
Explosion of
gas, dust,
blasts, etc.
Num
ber.
Per
cent.
Mine cars, mo
tors, etc.
Other causes.
Num
ber.
Number.%
Per
cent.
Potomac.................................
Monongahela..........................
Wheeling................................
Interior...................................
Kanawha, New River...........
Norfolk and Western............
49
177
25
1
333
393
46.2
25.2
71.4
25.0
43.0
65.0
31
447
1
29.2
63.6
2.9
11
52
5
10.4
7.4
14.3
255
101
33.0
16.7
127
87
Total.............................
978
43.9
835
37.5
282
Total.
Per
cent.
16.4
14.4
15
27
4
3
59
24
14.2
3.8
11.4
75.0
7.6
3.9
106
703
35
4
774
605
12.7
132
5.9
2,227
The variations in the relative proportions of causes brought out
by this table are quite striking and suggestive o f fundamental differ
ences in the character and stratification, thickness, and dip of the
coal beds o f the State. It would be possible to extend this analysis
to groups o f mines, arranged according to the thickness of the coal
seams, but the limits of the present inquiry preclude such an extended
research into the subject. It may be observed, however, that it is
the general opinion o f mine inspectors that the accident risk due
to fall o f coal and roof is proportionate to the thickness of the seam,
and the practical importance o f this conclusion will be better under
stood when it is stated that in West Virginia the range in thickness
62717°— No. 90—10-----9
562
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
is from 2.8 to 12 inches. In this connection the observations o f Mr.
John D. Jones, state coal mine inspector o f Colorado, are o f peculiar
application, and from the thirteenth biennial report for 1907-8, o f
that official, in a discussion o f the causes and conditions contribut
ing toward accidents by fall o f roof and coal, after referring partic
ularly to 66 thick coal beds,” the following is extracted :
The more distant the roof is from the worker the more difficult it is
to examine and detect any sudden changes that may unexpectedly
oecur in its physical condition. Where long props are used, the tim
bering is not as rigid and solid as where short ones are used, and hence
less efficient in the capacity in which they are to serve. The greater
the height o f the roof the more destructive is the force of the rock
and coal when it falls. Coal falling from a thick face naturally
covers more ground and thus lessens the miner’s chances to get away
safely.
It does not appear that the full importance of the relation o f thick
ness o f seam to accident liability due to fall o f coal and roof or slate
has been as clearly recognized as would be desirable for the protec
tion o f the men. Mine experience, no doubt, has much weight in all
matters o f this kind, but most of the labor employed in the West
Virginia coal mines is without this essential prerequisite in safe and
economical work. Age also counts for much, and a large proportion
o f the deaths fall upon the young, who combine youth with inexperi
ence and recklessness, as perhaps the worst element of all. Out of
2,082 fatal accidents in West Virginia coal mines during 1899-1908,
in which the age was known, 31, or 1.5 per cent, were deaths o f mere
children under 15 years o f age; 229, or 11.3 per cent, occurred at ages
15 to 19, and 430 more, or 21.2 per cent, at ages 20 to 24, so that
almost exactly one-third o f all the fatal accidents occurred at ages
under 25, when real mine experience, combined with judgment, dis
cretion, and forethought, is practically out o f the question. Cer
tainly so in the case o f labor o f recent foreign extraction—young
Italians, Poles, Slovaks, etc.— and so, also, with the Negroes. The
table which follows will show the age distribution o f 2,032 fatalities
by quinquennial periods o f life :
F A T A L
A C C ID E N T S
IN
CO AL
M IN IN G
IN
TO
1908, B Y
AG E S
W E ST
V IR G IN IA ,
A T
FOR
T H E
Fatal accidents.
Age.
10 and under 15 years................
15 and under 20 years................
20 and under 25 years................
25 and under 30 years...............
30 and under 35 years..............
OKailti
cinrf nn/laf
vnorQ
oo
uiiuer 40
w yetuo...............
40 and under 45 years...............
cent
Number. Per
of total.
31
229
430
427
306
249
148
1.5
11.3
21.2
21.0
15.1
12.2
7.3
P E R IO D
1899
D E A T H .
Fatal accidents.
|
Age.
45 and under 50 y e a r s..........
50 and under 55 years....... .
55 and under 60 years.......... .. j
60 and under 65 years.............. '
65 years and over.................... ;
Total...............................
Number. Percent
of total.
95
67
26
15
9
4.7
3.3
1.3
.7
.4
2,032
100.0
563
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
It is not practicable to compare the fatalities by ages in their
relation to the age distribution of the mining population, since this
information is not required to be furnished by the operators, and in
any event difficult to secure with even approximate accuracy. Table
X V I I I o f the appendix gives in full, however, the age distribution
o f fatalities due to 10 groups o f causes, although the number o f
deaths due to some o f these causes is hardly sufficient to warrant safe
conclusions. Some of the differences disclosed by these tables are
decidedly suggestive, and in the table below the proportion o f deaths
at ages under 25 is shown for each of 14 causes, followed later by a
similar table showing the proportion o f deaths at ages 45 and over:
PER
CEN T
SONS
OF
F A T A L
U N D E R
T H E
A C C ID E N T S
IN
AG E
Y E A R S,
O F
25
CO AL
M IN IN G
FOR
T H E
IN
W E ST
P E R IO D
V IR G IN IA
1890
TO
TO
PER
1908,
B Y
CAU SES.
Fatal accidents.
Cause.
Total at
all ages
reported.
To persons under
25 years of age.
Number.
Per cent.
Explosion of boiler......... ......... ......................................................................
Mine cars, motors, e tc................................................... ..................................
Electrocution.....................................................................................................
Outside cars.......................................................................................................
Mules.................................................................................................................
Explosion of dynamite or powder...................................................................
Miscellaneous.....................................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust...................................................................................
F a l l i n g roof, slate.............................................................................................
Falling coal........................................................................................................
Falling into shaft..............................................................................................
Explosion of blast.............................................................................................
Mining machinery.............................................................................................
Asphyxiation.....................................................................................................
5
252
25
17
7
63
40
610
767
179
29
21
15
2
3
126
12
8
3
26
15
196
238
51
8
3
1
60.0
50.0
48.0
47.1
42.9
41.3
37.5
32.1
31.0
28.5
27.6
14.3
6.7
Total.........................................................................................................
2,032
690
34.0
Leaving out o f consideration the accidents due to boiler explosions,
which were relatively of small importance, mine cars and motors
caused the largest proportionate loss o f life among the young, or
50.0 per cent o f all the fatal accidents due to this cause occurred at
ages under 25. Next to these stand electrical casualties, with 48.0
per cent, which in turn are followed by deaths caused by outside
cars, with 47.1 per cent, and deaths caused by mule kicks, etc., with
42.9 per cent. A ll these accidents have a close relation to carelessness
and reckless exposure, which are characteristic of the young. Clearly
it is not to the interest o f the State to permit the employment o f very
young persons under conditions which at best involve a serious risk
to life and health. No child or young person can be made to realize
the true risk involved in the employment o f door tender, driver, etc.
In mining itself—that is, work at the breast with exposure to the risk
o f fatal accident due to fall of coal or roof—the percentages o f deaths
564
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
at ages under 25 are more favorable, though only slightly below the
average for all causes. It appears that of those who were killed by
fall, o f coal 28.5 per cent were under 25 years o f age, while o f those
killed by fall o f roof or slate 31 per cent were under 25. The propor
tion o f deaths due to falls into shafts was about the same, or 27.6 per
cent. Other causes do not require special mention, but it may be
stated that the proportion o f young persons o f those killed by gas
and dust explosions was 32.1 per cent.
Conversely, it is possible to consider the proportion o f the aged
according to casualties from specified causes, but the number o f men
o f advanced years actually at work is quite small in so relatively
new a mining territory as West Virginia. O f 2,032 deaths according
to specified ages, only 9 were of ages 65 and over, or 0.4 per cent,
while in addition only 15, or 0.7 per cent, were o f ages 60 to 64.
It would be a most valuable contribution to the knowledge o f the
subject i f the fatality rate by ages could be determined in its relation
to age o f the living population, but, unfortunately, no trustworthy
data on this subject are to be had for the United States, except the
more or less defective statistics for the registration States in the
census o f 1900. The returns for West Virginia show that o f the
deaths at all ages 212, or 10.4 per cent, were o f ages 45 and over,
and, considered by principal causes, the distribution was as follows:
PER
C EN T
SONS
45
O F
F A T A L
Y E A R S
A C C ID E N T S
O F
A G E
A N D
IN
CO AL
O VER ,
M IN IN G
FOR
T H E
IN
W E S T
P E R IO D
V IR G IN IA
1899
TO
TO
P E R
1908,
B Y
CAU SES.
Fatal accidents.
Cause.
Total at
all ages
reported.
To persoris 45 years
a n d «aver.
Number. Per cent.
Mining machinery.............................................................................................
Explosion of boiler............................................................................................
Explosion of blast.............................................................................................
Miscellaneous.....................................................................................................
Falling into shaft...............................................................................................
Falling roof or slate...........................................................................................
Outside cars.......................................................................................................
Mine cars, motors..............................................................................................
Falling coal........................................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust...................................................................................
Electrocution.....................................................................................................
Explosion of dynamite or powder...................................................................
Mules..................................................................................................................
Asphyxiation.....................................................................................................
15
5
21
40
29
767
17
252
179
610
25
63
7
2
4
1
4
7
5
103
2
25
17
41
1
2
26.7
20.0
19.1
17.5
17.2
13.4
11.8
9.9
9.5
6.7
4.0
3.2
Total.........................................................................................................
2,032
212
10.4
Leaving miscellaneous accidents out o f consideration, it is seen
that of the deaths caused by mining machinery 26.7 per cent occurred
at ages 45 and over. The numbers are small for this group and do not
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
565
warrant final conclusions, though it is a practical certainty that the
old are more likely to be injured by mine machinery than persons o f
middle age. Falls into shafts or other mine openings are in part, no
doubt, the results o f clumsiness, defective vision, hearing, etc., result
ing in apparent disregard o f rules or the neglect o f proper precau
tions; but, in fact, age itself is a serious factor in accident liability.
O f the accidents due to fall o f roof and slate 13.5 per cent and o f the
accidents from fall o f coal 9 per cent occurred to persons o f the age of
45 years and over. O f the deaths at all ages due to mine cars and
motors and outside cars 10.5 and 11.5 per cent, respectively, occurred
to persons o f the age of 45 years and over, but the figures in the last
group are probably too small for a safe generalization. The most
suggestive figure is the percentage of deaths from gas and dust explo
sions at ages 45 and over, which was only 6.4 per cent against 10.3
from all causes. It may well be the case that the more experienced
miners used greater caution and skill in their efforts at self-protection,
and that the relatively small percentage o f deaths among the aged
as the result o f a cause which of all others in mining experience is
classified as inherently accidental was the result o f long experience,
care, and skill, which is wanting in the young and often among those
o f middle age.
Race and nativity are among the most important factors in coal
mining casualties. Primarily it is the human element which accounts
for a large proportion o f the accidents, many o f which are prevent
able by methods and means which are quite clearly understood by
intelligent mine managers and foremen.
Mining is always danger
ous work and rigid discipline, or obedience to rules and regulations,
is o f the utmost importance; in fact, no more and no less than a
question o f life and death. Ignorance o f the language alone must,
in the nature o f the case, account for many casualties where orders
and warnings had been given, but were not heeded because they were
not understood. A ll who have carefully considered the subject are
agreed that coal-mining casualties are more numerous among the
foreign-born, and particularly the non-English speaking races, than
among the native American or those from English-speaking coun
tries. The Germans are perhaps an exception, but they seem never
to have figured to a large extent in American coal mining, and in
West Virginia only 430 Germans were employed out of a total of
51,777. The table below will show in detail the fatalities grouped
according to the principal races and nativities employed in West
Virginia coal mines, but it must be taken into account that in West
Virginia o f the whole mining population at least 39.6 per cent, and
among those returning their nativity at least 46.3 per cent, were
American-born white men.
566
BULLETIN OF THE BUBEAU OF LABOB.
F A T A L
A C C ID E N T S
IN
CO AL
T H E
M IN IN G
P E R IO D
IN
W E ST
1899
TO
V IR G IN IA ,
B Y
N A T IV IT Y ,
FOR
1908.
Fatal accidents.
Nativity.
Per cent
of min
ing popu
cent lation,
Number. Per
of total.
1908.
American (white)..............................................................................................
American (Negro).............................................................................................
Italian................................................................................................................
Hungarian.........................................................................................................
Slav....................................................................................................................
Poles...................................................................................................................
English...............................................................................................................
German..............................................................................................................
Lithuanian.........................................................................................................
Austrian.............................................................................................................
Russian..............................................................................................................
All other and not reported..............................................................................
871
430
343
118
113
98
45
31
29
22
18
109
39.1
19.3
15.4
5.3
5.1
4.4
2.0
1.4
1.3
1.0
.8
4.9
46.3
21.8
11.7
7.1
1.2
3.7
.9
.8
1.0
2.0
1.6
1.9
Total.........................................................................................................
2,227
100.0
100.0
In a general way the table confirms the theory that fatal accidents
are relatively more common among the foreign-born than among the
natives or other English-speaking races and the Germans and Aus
trians, which no doubt include a considerable proportion who have
had actual mine experience. This can not be true o f the vast majority
o f Italians and probably o f most of the Hungarians and Slavs (Bohe
mians, Slovaks, etc.). It is rather surprising the find the Negro come
out relatively so well, for in States farther south, particularly Alabama,
it seems to have been conclusively established that the fatality rate is
higher for the colored than for the white miners. When the nativity
distribution is considered by causes some very curious differences are
brought out, but these facts as yet are hardly sufficiently numerous to
warrant an extended analysis in detail. (a) Recalling that the propor
tion o f deaths o f Americans in the fatalities from all causes was 39.1
per cent, it appears that this average was exceeded in the case o f fatal
accidents from falling roof and slate (42.2 per cent), falling into
shafts (51.7 per cent), mine cars and motors (57.6 per cent), mining
machinery (81.1 per cent), and electrocution (48 per cent). It will
be observed that the averages for Americans were higher for all the
occupations in which the young are employed, and it is reasonable
to assume that many of the American-born were native-born o f for
eign parentage, in view o f the well-known tendency on the part of
the foreign-born to send their children to work at an earlier age than
is the custom with the native-born. The most marked exception to
the rather high percentages o f the native born is to be found in the
case of explosions of gas and dust (28.8 per cent). Other causes,
but numerically o f less importance, in which the percentage o f Ameri
cans was below the average for all causes were accidents due to outside
0 See Table X X of the appendix.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
567
cars and blast explosions, while in the case of fall of coal the percent
age for Americans was 36.9, or only a little less than the average of
39.1 per cent.
Recalling the proportion of deaths of Italians in the fatalities due
to all causes, o f 15.4 per cent, it is shown that the percentages were
excessive in the case of fatalities due to explosions of gas and dust
(27.7 per cent), and explosions o f powder and dynamite (20 per
cent), but for all the other causes the proportions were less, and par
ticularly so in the case of falls o f roof or slate (8 per cent). It is
very difficult to reconcile these conclusions, as arrived at by the pro
portionate method, but it would be a hazardous guess to apply the
more or less uncertain nativity returns for a single year to the whole
number o f deaths reported during a decade, since the two sets o f facts
might widely vary according to the influence o f new immigrants.
The facts in detail of nativity and its apparent relation at least to
the principal causes o f coal-mining fatalities are given in Table X X
o f the appendix.
Equally important is the relation o f nativity to mining experience.
Since many foreign nationalities have come to the United States in
considerable numbers only wdthin recent years, it is obvious that in
many cases a short duration o f mine life is incidentally the result o f
the cause just mentioned, but it is difficult to explain upon this
ground alone why coal-mining fatalities should occur so largely
among foreign-born immigrants o f less than a few years o f mine ex
perience. (a) The facts as they are here given must be considered with
caution, but they would seem to warrant the conclusion that inexpe
rience, as approximately measured by the ages at death and relative
liability to fatal accidents, are closely related to each other. It is
brought out by the West Virginia returns that of 1,669 employees
killed by coal-mining accidents, 9.1 per cent had been less than 3
months at work in mining, 6.3 per cent from 3 to 6 months, and 6.6
per cent from 6 to 12 months. In other words, 22 per cent o f all
those who were killed had less than 1 year of actual mine experience.
The table below will show the length o f mine experience in detail for
1,669 mine employees killed in West Virginia during the decade
ending with 1908.
a The investigations of the Immigration Commission into the condition o f
foreign-born labor in the bituminous coal mines o f Pennsylvania brought out the
fact that accidents were largely confined to those who had had no mining experi
ence abroad. See Engineering and Mining Journal, July 9 and September 3,
1910.
568
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
F A T A L
A C C ID E N T S
M IN E
IN
C O AL
M IN IN G
E X P E R IE N C E ,
FO R
IN
W E ST
T H E
V IR G IN IA ,
P E R IO D
1899
B Y
TO
D U R A T IO N
OF
1908.
Fatal accidents.
Length of mine experience.
cent
Number. Per
of total.
152
105
110
669
348
144
62
79
9.1
6.3
6.6
40.1
20.9
8.6
3.7
4.7
1,669
100.0
Under 3 months.........................................................................................................................................
3 and under 6 m onths.......................................................................................................
6 and under 12 months.......................................................................................................
1 and under 5 years............................................................................................................
5 and under 10 years...........................................................................................................
10 and under 15 years.........................................................................................................
15 and under 20 years..............................................................................................................................
20 vears and over......................................................................................................................................
Total_______________
The fact is shown by this table that over one-fifth o f the accidents
were the deaths o f men who had been less than 1 year at work in the
mine, two-fifths o f the men killed had been at work from 1 to 4 years,
inclusive, one-fifth from 5 to 9 years, inclusive, and the remainder,
or about one-fifth, from 10 years and upward. Only about 5 per
cent were deaths o f men who had been at work for 20 years or more.
In the absence o f data as to the actual length of mine experience
among the men at work, it is impossible, of course, to estimate the
true degree o f mine risk in its relation to the duration o f mine work.
Assuming, however, that a short mine experience is more or less the
equivalent o f ignorance and incapacity in meeting successfully the
conditions which govern safety in coal mining, the table which fol
lows is o f interest, as showing the different nationalities arranged in
the order o f the percentage o f deaths of men who had had less than 1
year’s experience in mining w ork:
PER
CEN T
O F
YE A R
D E A TH S
OF
O F
M IN IN G
M EN
O F
E AC H
E X P E R IE N C E ,
Nativity.
Russian....................................................
Austrian...................................................
Hungarian...............................................
German.....................................................
Pole...........................................................
Slav...........................................................
Per cent.
57.1
47.6
31.0
28.6
25.0
23.3
N A T IV IT Y
FOR
T H E
H A V IN G
P E R IO D
1899
LESS
TO
T H A N
O N E
1908.
Nativity.
Italian.....................................................
Negro......................................................
All nativities..........................................
American................................................
Lithuanian.............................................
English...................................................
Per cent.
22.1
22.8
22.0
18.4
11.6
3.2
The results o f this analysis conform to general experience. The
most ignorant class of labor is most likely to suffer in consequence o f
want o f knowledge and understanding of mine rules and regulations.
Breaches o f discipline occur among all classes, but they are much
more common among the foreign element, unfamiliar with American
methods, and practically completely ignorant of the language or
the meaning and importance o f written, printed, or verbal orders o f
the foremen, fire bosses, etc. The Bussians, Austrians, and Hunga
rians are shown to have suffered the largest proportion o f deaths
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
569
among men o f short experience in mining. Granting that most o f
this class is o f recent introduction into this country, the facts are
none the less significant. It must be considered that ignorant and
unskilled labor in coal mining endangers not only its own existence,
but also the existence of the most skilled and experienced labor.
The position o f the Germans in the list is rather surprising, but, as
a matter o f fact, many German laborers learn English very slowly,
although this element is, no doubt, more tractable than the Kussians,
Poles, etc., and particularly the Italians, who rank close to the
Negroes and Slavs in the proportion o f deaths of men with less
than a year of mining experience. The proportion for Americans
was below the average, or 18.4 per cent; for Lithuanians (o f whom,
however, only a small number are employed), 11.6 per cent; and for
the English, as a class the most experienced in mining, the propor
tion was only 3.2 per cent. Admitting that these figures may be
differently interpreted, they are none the less decidedly suggestive
o f the close relation between accident liability and duration o f mine
experience, which, after all, is but the equivalent o f care, skill, and
absolute obedience to mine regulations. The details o f nationality
in its relation to mine experience are given in Table X I X of the
appendix.
In commenting upon the highly important aspect of the accident
problem in coal-mine management, it was said by Mr. John D. Jones,
state inspector o f mines for Colorado, in his report for 1907-8, with
respect to inexperienced and careless m en:(a)
This is one o f the main causes o f most of the accidents. In mining,
as well as in any other occupations, there are as many grades of work
ers as there are men employed. However, in general the miners can
be classified into three distinct groups, to w it: The experienced and
careful; the experienced and reckless; and the inexperienced and
incompetent. The accidents which the former class usually meet
with occur through the carelessness o f their co-workers or others, and
also those accidents which are termed u unforeseen,” such as falling
roof, which previously gave evidence of being absolutely sound and
safe, but released by invisible slips and by the bursting out of bodies
o f coal or rocks, by occluded gases in the form o f heavy “ blowers,”
etc. The competent but careless miner often takes desperate chances
against the danger of partially loose coal or roof by neglecting to tim
ber the roof, or “ sprag the coal,” which he considers a more remu
nerative method than by first doing the necessary timbering for his
safety.
Owing to the scarcity o f skilled labor, the mines o f this State
employ annually hundreds of men who never saw the inside of a coal
mine before taking up the occupation here. The majority o f this
class are men who come from Mexico and the different countries of
Continental Europe and Asia, and are entirely unable to speak or
a Thirteenth Biennial Keport o f the State Coal Mine Inspector, p. S.
570
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
understand the English language. Naturally these men are greatly
handicapped when it comes to the question o f protecting themselves
against the multitude o f dangers from roof and coal, or mine cars
and “ trips ” o f any kind, as they are not familiar with these phases of
danger and therefore are not watchful, and, even were they, can not
detect them when apparent. This class could be considerably assisted,
and the accidents resulting from their ignorance minimized, by the
superintendents o f the mines establishing and enforcing a rule for
bidding two incompetent miners to work together, by arranging so
that every green miner employed would be paired off with an experi
enced man until he had acquired sufficient skill and knowledge to at
least protect himself and others in a mine. O f course, the skilled
miner will offer some objections to this rule from the fact that the
novice could not perform in full his share o f the work, rather he
would retard the efforts o f the skilled worker, but this could be
adjusted by allowing a difference in their payments equal to the d if
ference in their efficiency. # Should conditions be such that all the
green men could not be paired off in the manner stated above, then
any place worked exclusively by them should be governed by a strict
rule o f systematic timbering and spragging—that is, to see that props
are put up in their working places a certain number o f feet apart
and within a specified distance from the faces, regardless o f the good
or bad condition o f the roof.
This summing up by an experienced observer o f actual conditions
quite fully sustains the statistical evidence, o f a definite relationship
between accident frequency and the length o f mine experience and
ignorance o f mining methods and the English language. Whether
the suggestions o f “ pairing off ” an experienced man with a “ green ”
man could be carried through is an open question, in view of the
scarcity o f labor in most of the mining camps o f the United States.
The necessity o f better supervision and control o f the quality o f the
labor employed in mining is forcibly brought out in the facts derived
from the experience in West Virginia. The responsibility for the
occurrence o f strictly preventable accidents in coal mining is, how
ever, a very much divided one. No single element is alone respon
sible for the large proportion of preventable accidents in coal mining.
Only by a full analysis o f all the elements and factors and a thorough
understanding o f the actual conditions under which modern mining
is carried on will the truth become known as the most essential aid in
deliberate efforts to solve a problem which has seemingly heretofore
been considered a hopeless one.
As has been shown elsewhere in this discussion, the rate o f accident
liability varies considerably with occupation. The West Virginia
returns do not include a statement of the number employed in the
principal occupations, except as to inside and outside employees.
It is therefore not possible to calculate the rate o f fatal accident
liability by specific occupations for West Virginia coal mines, but
certain facts regarding particular occupation hazards are available
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
571
which are useful for the present purpose to determine the possible
relations o f the several elements o f coal-mining fatalities to each
other. The details, however, are so numerous that it would not be
feasible to deal with the same analytically, except in a general way.
Naturally, the first consideration is the relation o f occupation to
cause o f accident, and all the necessary facts under this grouping for
fifteen specific occupations and twelve groups o f causes are contained
in Table X I o f the appendix; and there is also a table (Table X )
o f full details for every occupation specifically mentioned, according
to the cause o f death. The details o f these tables are o f considerable
interest, and while the numbers for many o f the employments or
groupings are small, they are often suggestive o f important aspects
o f mine labor not heretofore brought to public attention.
It is self-evident that the occupation itself to a large extent deter
mines the cause o f the accident, as is well illustrated in the 29 deaths
o f brakemen, o f whom only 3, or 10.3 per cent, were killed by fall
o f slate. Men following this occupation have little or no actual
duties to perform in mines, and the deaths from fall o f slate are
probably the direct result o f needless exposure, which, however, is a
natural sequence o f employment about mines. The same conclusion
holds with regard to other causes, except deaths due to mine cars,
causing 51.7 per cent, and outside cars, causing 3.5 per cent o f the
deaths o f brakemen from all causes. There were 8 deaths o f chargers,
or too small a number for a safe conclusion. O f coal loaders, 33
were killed, chiefly by falls o f coal or slate, or 51.5 per cent. Drivers
were killed to the number o f 132, mostly young men below 25 years
of age. The principal causes o f death were mine cars, or 40.1 per
cent o f the total, and fall o f roof or slate, which caused 29.5 per cent
o f the deaths from all causes. O f the 7 fire bosses who were killed,
6, or 85.7 per cent, died as the result o f gas or dust explosion. There
were 17 deaths o f gripmen, o f whom 9, or 52.9 per cent, were killed
by mine cars, and 1 was killed by fall o f roof or slate. There were
177 deaths o f mine laborers, and o f these 7, or 3.9 per cent, were
killed by fall o f coal; 45, or 25.4 per cent, by fall o f roof or slate; 4,
or 2.3 per cent, by falls into shafts; and 33, or 18.7 per cent, by mine
and outside cars combined. The chief cause o f accidents in this
group was gas or dust explosion, causing 60 deaths, or 33.9 per cent
o f the whole, aside from 13 deaths caused by explosions in blasting,
etc., or 7.3 per cent o f the total. O f the 48 machine runners, 25, or
52.1 per cent, wrere killed by dust and gas explosions, and 17, or 35.4
per cent, by falls o f coal, roof, and slate.
Miners, as such, naturally constitute numerically the most impor
tant group, with 1,384 deaths from all causes, o f which 588, or 42.5
per cent, were caused by fall o f roof and slate. In addition there
were 160 deaths due to fall o f coal and 7 deaths due to falls into
572
BULLETIN OF THE BUKEAU OF LABOR.
shafts. The number of men killed by mine cars was 72, or 5.2 per
cent o f the whole. Next to falls o f roof and slate the most important
cause o f death was gas and dust explosions, responsible for 450 fatal
ities, or 32.5 per cent of the whole. There were also 56 deaths from
powder and dynamite and 17 from blasts, a combined mortality of
5.2 per cent o f the whole. Electrical accidents caused 14 deaths in
this group, while miscellaneous accidents caused 17, or a combined
mortality o f 2.2 per cent o f the whole.
There were seven deaths o f pumpmen, quite generally distributed
among the several groups o f causes. Twelve shaft sinkers lost their
lives, and o f these 9, or 75 per cent, were killed by falls into shafts
and 2 by falls o f slate or roof. There were 33 deaths o f slate men, o f
whom 22, or 66.7 per cent, were killed by fall o f slate. Nine timbermen were killed, and o f these 5, or 55.6 per cent, by fall o f slate and
roof and 4 by gas or dust explosion. O f the 27 track layers killed
13, or 48.2 per cent, were killed by falls of roof or slate and 9, or 33.3
per cent, by gas or dust explosion. Finally, o f 44 trappers 21, or 47.7
per cent, were killed by gas or dust explosion, and 17, or 38.6 per cent,
by mine cars.
In a general way this analysis confirms the inference that the
causes o f accidents are conditioned by the employments. Among
brakemen, it is cars, inside or outside; among loaders, fall o f roof or
slate; among drivers, mine cars chiefly, mules to a lesser extent, but
still a factor, and falls o f roof and slate; fire bosses meeting death
in the discharge o f their duties died, nearly all, as the result of gas or
dust explosion; gripmen as the result o f mine car accidents; laborers
from fall o f roof and slate and dust and gas explosions; machine
runners from falls o f coal and roof and slate; miners from fall o f
coal and roof and slate and gas and dust explosions; shaft sinkers
from falls into shafts; slatemen from fall o f slate; timbermen and
tracklayers from the same cause; and trappers from mine cars and
dust and gas explosions^ The statistical evidence is fully conclusive
to prove that the majority o f these accidents in the case o f each group
o f occupations were conditioned by the nature o f the employment,
and whether as cause or effect, whether because o f indifference, negli
gence, or recklessness, they constitute an inherent characteristic o f
the conditions under which mining is carried on at the present time.
Additional evidence to this effect is to be found in the relation o f
occupation to age at death. The facts in full detail are contained in
Tables X I I and X I I I o f the appendix. The age distribution varies
widely in the different employments, and in some the relatively large
proportion o f deaths in early life is an indication o f premature re
sponsibility combined with exposure to exceptional risk. O f the
29 brakemen killed, 13, or 44.8 per cent, were less than 20 years o f age.
O f 129 drivers, 3, or 2.3 per cent, were less than 15 years o f age, and
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
573
34, or 26.4 per cent, were o f ages 15 to 19. Fire bosses killed were
naturally all men o f mature years, or from 30 to 54. Gripmen killed,
to the number o f 17, were nearly all young men, mostly below 30.
Laborers were largely young men; 60 out o f 125, or 48 per cent, were
belowT 25 years o f age. Among the 1,294 miners killed, 2 were less
than 15 years o f age. It is possible that an error was made in the
official age returns, but it is so recorded in the reports. (a) There
were 98 miners killed at age 15 to 19, or 7.6 per cent o f the whole.
About three-fourths o f the men killed were o f the age period 20 to 39,
inclusive, or, to be exact, 72.7 per cent. Gradually the numbers
diminish with increasing age, and at age 60 to 64 there were only 12
deaths, and at ages 65 and over only 7. Advancing age, with dimin
ishing physical strength, must o f itself tend to eliminate miners
actually at work underground, but there are numerous cases on record
o f miners following their accustomed employment to a very advanced
age, and men at work between 65 and 75 are not rare in the older coal
fields o f the United States and Europe. That accidents are not much
more common in old age than is actually the case is no doubt due to
the fact that increasing length of mining experience results in increas
ing efficiency, caution, and care, combined with obedience to rules and
regulations framed solely for the protection o f the men.
The relation o f nativity to fatal accident occurrence by occupation,
is more or less indefinite, largely, no doubt, because o f the fact that
low-paid employments attract the least qualified, or the most recent
immigrant element. The details given in Table X V o f the appendix
are, however, o f interest and value in connection with special in
quiries concerning particular ethnic elements in our increasingly
heterogeneous population. O f the 29 brakemen killed, 20, or 69 per
cent, were Americans (white), but o f the 33 loaders only 24.3 per
cent were native whites, while 30.3 per cent were Italians. Drivers
being largely boys, or very young men, were nearly all native born,
but that term, o f course, includes native born o f foreign parents. The
data are not available to show the distribution o f the mining popula
tion by parent nativity, and for the present purpose this would
hardly be o f much consequence, except in so far as it would facilitate
a qualified inquiry into the question of child labor in mines (includ
ing breakers) and its possible relation to parent nativity. In any
event, at the present time the facts would hardly be sufficiently
numerous to warrant definite conclusions. In brief, the employments
in which, as measured by the fatal accident record, the native white
population predominate are: Brakemen, 69 per cent; drivers, 54.2
per cent; fire bosses, 71.4 per cent; gripmen, 93.8 per cent; machine
o Annual Reports of the W est Virginia Department o f Mines, 1907, p. 218, and
1900, p. 343.
574
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
runners, 80.8 per cent; pumpmen, 50 per cent; shaft sinkers, 58.4 per
cent; timbermen, 60.7 per cent; tracklayers, 69.2 per cent; and trap
pers, 52.8 per cent. The negro element was o f relatively large im
portance in the group o f brakemen, 17.2 per cent; drivers, 80.5 per
cent; laborers, 32.4 per cent; miners, 17.7 per cent; slatemen, 27.3
per cent; and trappers, 15.9 per cent. The Austrians, English, and
Germans were not sufficiently numerous in any particular occupation
to require special consideration. Hungarians formed 10.8 per cent o f
the killed among the laborers, 6.5 per cent among the miners, and 18.2
per cent among the slatemen, but the actual number of the latter was
really quite small. Italians were relatively most common among
car loaders, or 30.3 per cent o f the whole number killed, and they con
stituted 27.3 per cent among the trappers, 19.1 per cent among the
miners, and 10.2 per cent among the laborers. F or the other foreign
elements the actual numbers were too small to give significance to
the relative proportions, which, however, are set forth in full detail
in Table X I V o f the appendix.
More suggestive is the relation o f mining experience to occupation,
but the data require to be used with great caution. Many employ
ments, such as driving, are primarily occupations for the young, who
subsequently become mine laborers, and finally miners. The highly
skilled employment o f fire bosses naturally ean be filled only by men
who have had many years o f actual experience. The term ** mining
experience ” is here used in a general sense, and includes all duties
performed in connection with mine labor, and not only the actual
work o f coal mining, as might perhaps be assumed. The 24 brakemen fo r whom the information regarding their experience is given
in the return, included 21, or 87.5 per cent, who had been from 1 to 9
years at work. O f the loaders, 5, or 23.8 per cent, had been less than
6 months at work, while o f 112 drivers, 18, or 16 per cent, had been
less than half a year at their work. Among the drivers, however,
were 83, or 74.1 per cent, who had had from 1 to 9 years’ experience,
while 5 had been at work for more than 10 years. O f the 96 laborers
killed and o f whom it was known how long they had been at work,
34, or 35.4 per cent, had had less than 6 months’ experience, 10.4 per
cent from 6 to 12 months, and 45.8 per cent from 1 to 4 years, inclu
sive. Machine runners had nearly all had considerable actual ex
perience, or from 1 to 9 years, while o f the 1,108 miners, 88, or 7.9
per cent, had been less than 3 months at work, 67, or 6.1 per cent, from
3 to 5 months, inclusive, and 71, or 6.4 per cent, from 6 to 12 months.
O f the whole number, 442, or 39.9 per cent, had been from 1 to 4 full
years at work, while 21.3 per cent had worked from 5 to 9 years, 8.9
per cent from 10 to 14 years, 4.3 per cent from 15 to 19 years, and 5.2
per cent for 20 years and more. Full details are given in Table X V I
o f the appendix.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
575
It is a particularly significant result of this analysis that 204 o f
the 1,108 miners, or 18.4 per cent, should have had 10 years or more
o f actual mining experience, and that 106 o f the miners, or 9.5 per
cent, should have had 15 or more years’ experience. Experience o f
this kind and length is unquestionably one o f the most valuable
economic assets of the nation, and its destruction by accidents is a posi
tive loss and waste, just as much as waste in coal-mining methods rep
resents an irreparable material loss of incalculable dimension. Every
year o f experience must somehow add to the efficiency o f mine manage
ment, and the death of an experienced miner is, therefore, from an
economic point o f view, a much more serious loss than the death of
a man who is new to the work and who, in all probability, in other
respects is o f lower industrial efficiency. There can be no doubt
that many o f these deaths o f men o f years o f experience and skill
were the result of carelessness and recklessness and indifference on
the part o f “ green ” hands, or new men, without much, i f any, actual
experience in mining, and direct evidence in support o f this statement
is furnished by the previous analysis o f the individual cases of fatal
accidents in the coal-mining experience of the State of Illinois. Con
sidering also that many mining casualties involve a large amount of
damage to mine property, loss o f working time, and curtailed output,
it is clear that the prevention o f accident by the employment o f skilled
labor in mining is as much to the interest o f the mine owners as o f
the mine workers in the coal fields o f North America.
It is not necessary to consider in detail the mining experience of
men in the remaining groups o f occupations, for which the numbers
in each case are too small to warrant definite conclusions. In most
o f the occupations it is clearly shown that the proportion o f men with
a very limited amount o f actual experience, or less than one year, in
their work is relatively large, averaging as much as 20.4 per cent for
miners and 45.8 for mine laborers. The data are as yet too limited
for miscellaneous employments, but Tables X V I and X V I I o f the
appendix give all the available information by groups o f occupations
and particular employments, which will be found useful in connection
with further inquiries.
Information as to the conjugal condition o f the reported fatalities
shows that out o f 2,222 deaths 1,054 were married men, 1,094 single
men, and that for 74 the information was not obtained. The number
o f widowers also is not stated, nor is it clear whether they were in
cluded (as may probably have been the case) among the single. As
suming that this was not the case, there were 1,054 widows left with
an average o f not less than 3.5 children, or 3,690 children o f an av
erage age o f perhaps 8 years. Assuming that the average age o f the
widows was the same as that o f the men killed and that one-third
would remarry, the economic problem is represented by 703 widows
576
BULLETIN OF THE BUKEAU OF LABOR.
forced to self-support, with 2,460 orphans requiring support for an
average period of, say, 6 years at an average cost per child of not less
than $52 per annum, or $1 per week. Thus the economic aspect o f the
accident problem assumes increasingly serious proportions as the
underlying facts o f the whole problem are brought to light by careful
statistical analysis.
The question of family support in the event o f accidental death
involves extended consideration o f employers’ liability and insurance,
which can not be dealt with in this study. Evidence, however, is
available to show that to a very limited extent family support is
provided by voluntary insurance, and according to the official re
turns, out o f 2,378 persons killed in West Virginia coal mines during
the decade ending with 1908 the number insured was 407, or 17.1
per cent o f the total. The proportion has been as low as 6.5 per cent
in 1897 and as high as 8.23 per cent in 1906. Among the married
miners killed by accident, the proportion insured was 18.9 per cent,
and among the single 16.4 per cent. The tendency, however, is only
slightly toward a more general use o f insurance among miners, due,
no doubt, in part at least, to the very considerable risk o f the occupa
tion in West Virginia, which precludes insurance at normal rates
with accident or regular life insurance companies. For native Ameri
can miners in West Virginia, including a large proportion of young
and unmarried persons, the proportion of insured miners was 13.8
per cent for the whites and 24.6 per cent for the Negroes. The much
higher proportion for the Negroes is explained by the extensive
development o f Negro insurance organizations, which, however, are
social rather than economic in their objects, and the rates o f which
are rarely in conformity to scientific principles o f insurance. Among
the foreigners the proportions o f insured miners were 22.0 per cent
for the Poles, 24.2 per cent for the Germans, 26.1 per cent for the
English, 28.6 per cent for the Scotch, 43.5 per cent for the Austrians,
and 71 per cent for the Lithuanians. In most cases the insurance
benefits arise out o f membership in fraternal or secret beneficial
societies, and only to a small extent from payments to regular indus
trial or ordinary life or personal accident insurance companies.
The evidence is entirely conclusive that the insurance in the large
majority o f cases provides little more than the burial expenses. Out
o f 403 cases in which the amount o f insurance was known, 17 had
less than $50 provided’ by insurance, 239 had from $50 to $99, 133
had from $100 to $499, 6 had from $500 to $999, and only 8 left $1,000
insurance or over. It is, therefore, self-evident that the problem o f
family support in the event o f accidental death in coal mining is not
fully met by insurance in West Virginia at the present time.
The question o f family dependence, o f course, includes the sup
port o f dependent children, but it is not entirely clear from the
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
57-7
official reports whether the line o f dependence was in all cases drawn
with accuracy at some fixed age—say 14 years, which would,
broadly speaking, eliminate children more or less in a position to
provide for their own support. It is, therefore, quite doubtful
whether the returns for West Virginia can be relied upon, but it
is o f interest to note that o f 394 married miners killed who had no
children, 76, or 19.3 per cent, were insured; while of 571 miners
killed who left from 1 to 4 children, 106, or 19.6 per cent, were
insured; and, finally, o f 126 miners who left from 5 to 10 children,
24, or 19 per cent, were insured. Under normal conditions, as shown
by investigations o f the Bureau of Labor, the proportionate tendency
to insurance diminishes with the increasing size o f the family. While
the foregoing data are not entirely conclusive they are at least sug
gestive o f a fruitful line o f inquiry which might properly be taken
up by other mining bureaus. Thus far the State o f West Virginia
alone seems to have taken the question o f insurance into account. (a)
THE FATAL-ACCIDENT RATE IN PENNSYLVANIA, BY OCCUPATIONS.
The mining bureau o f Pennsylvania requires the operator to report
the number o f men employed according to their principal occupa
tion, and whether at work inside or outside the mine. It is there
fore possible to calculate with accuracy the rate o f risk exposure in
all the important and specific occupations, and for the present pur
pose this has been done for the anthracite and bituminous coal fields
for the 5-year period ending with 1908. By combining the returns
for single years the aggregate number o f persons employed in each
occupation represents the total number exposed to the risk o f fatal
accidental injury one year, and by dividing this total into the actual
number o f fatal accidents reported as having occurred in the particu
lar occupations and by multiplying the result by 1,000 the average rate
per 1,000 is obtained. By the use of the aggregate it is possible to
determine in each case the numerical value of the returns, which
conveys a more accurate idea than i f the average number exposed to
risk had been determined, which, o f course, can easily be done by
simply dividing the totals given by 5. In the anthracite coal field
the total number of persons employed one year in coal mining during
the 5 years ending with 1908 is officially returned as 839,036, which is
equal to an average annual risk exposure of 167,807. The total num
ber o f fatal accidents occurring among anthracite-mine employees
a F or an extended discussion o f miners’ accident, sickness, invalidity and oldage pension funds, including the support o f w idow s and orphans, under the com
pulsory German system, see a series o f fou r articles by Frederick L. Hoffman,
commencing w ith the issue o f October 29, 1910, o f the Engineering and Mining
Journal, New York.
62717°— No. 90— 10------10
578
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
during the 5 years was 3,182, or an annual average o f 636. Dividing
839,036 into 3,182 and multiplying the result by 1,000 gives a fatalaccident rate o f 3.79 per 1,000 employed in anthracite mining 1
year.(a)
In the same manner the rate has been calculated for the bituminous
coal field. The total number o f persons employed in bituminous min
ing during the 5 years ending with 1908 was 858,577, or an average
o f 171,715 per annum. The total number o f fatal accidents officially
reported among bituminous miners was 2,870, or an average o f 574
per annum. Dividing 858,577 into 2,870 and multiplying the result
by 1,000 results in an average fatality rate o f 3.34 per 1,000. In the
table which follows the inside and outside fatality rates are com
pared for the two Pennsylvania mining fields, according to the official
returns as published by the mining bureau for the last decade:
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS P E R 1,000 E M PLOYEES IN COAL M IN ES IN PE N NSY LVA N IA ,
1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents per 1,000—
Year.
1899...................................................................................................
1900...................................................................................................
1901...................................................................................................
1902(o)..............................................................................................
1903...................................................................................................
1904...................................................................................................
1905...................................................................................................
1906...................................................................................................
1907...................................................................................................
1908...................................................................................................
Inside employees.
Outside employees.
Anthra
cite
mines.
Bitumi
nous
mines.
Anthra
cite
mines.
4.22
3.80
4.48
2.49
4.17
4.49
4.73
3.97
5.10
4.79
3.34
2.84
2.99
4.02
3.03
3.95
3.26
3.21
5.08
3.61
1.49
1.07
1.46
1.11
1.85
1.94
1.79
1.98
2.10
1.63
Bitumi
nous
mines.
0.48
.57
.68
.55
.97
.92
1.20
.71
1.22
.75
* Year o f the great anthracite coal strike, when the mines, on an average, were only 116
days in operation. A nthracite report, 1908, p. l v i i i ; Bitum inous report, 1908, p. 72.
The constant excess in the anthracite fatality rate over the corre
sponding bituminous rate (except in 1902 as the result o f the strike)
may be accepted as proof that the inherent risk is greater in anthracite
mining than in bituminous. The difference may be ascribed to vari
ous causes, but chiefly to the more complex character of the anthracite
coal beds, which are often badly folded and broken up, while most of
the bituminous seams lie horizontal on a gradually inclining or de« A d account o f mining methods and appliances used in the anthracite coal
fields is given in a report by H. M. Chance, published by the Second G eological
Survey o f Pennsylvania, H arrisburg, Pa., 1883. This report includes a fu ll
account o f the different mining systems, coal-m ining tools and methods, under
ground haulage, mine gases and explosives, roof falls and other accidents, mine
fires and the hygiene o f mines, and also a comprehensive glossary o f mining
terms.
579
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
dining level. It is much more difficult to understand why the fatality
rate o f outside employees should have been about twice as high
throughout in anthracite mining as the corresponding rate for out
side employees in bituminous mining, since the surface conditions,
liability to car accidents, etc., are probably about the same in both
coal fields. In the comparison below the data for the 5-year period
are compared to bring out this important difference in a more striking
and different form :
F A TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S IN IN SID E A N D OU TSID E OCCUPATIONS IN A N T H R A
C ITE AN D BITUM INOUS COAL M IN ES IN P E N N SY LVA N IA FOR T H E P E RIO D
1904 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Class of employees.
Inside employees:
Anthracite...............................................................................................
Bituminous............................................................................................
Outside employees:
Anthracite...............................................................................................
Bituminous.............................................................................................
Inside and outside employees:
Anthracite...............................................................................................
Bituminous.............................................................................................
Employees.
Per 1,000
Number. employ-
583,813
710,182
2,700
2,727
4.62
3.84
255,223
148,395
482
143
1.89
.96
839,036
858,577
3,182
2,870
3.79
3.34
The excess o f the inside fatality rate of anthracite over bituminous
mine work, according to these returns, was 0.78 per 1,000. Had the
anthracite inside rate prevailed in the bituminous coal field there
would have been 554 more fatal accidents than actually occurred.
Had the inside fatality rate o f the bituminous coal field prevailed in
the anthracite coal field there would have been 458 fewer deaths than
actually occurred during the 5 years ending with 1908. It is there
fore evidently a matter o f most serious concern to determine the exact
degree o f difference in the fatality rates o f the various occupations
in the two mining fields, with a due regard to the essential differences
in the causes o f coal mining fatalities underground. Calculated upon
a percentage basis the anthracite rate was to the bituminous fatality
rate as 100 to 83.1, or in other words, the bituminous inside fatality
rate was 16.9 per cent below the corresponding rate for anthracite
coal fields.
Even more startling is the contrast in the outside fatality rates of
the two coal areas. The outside fatality rate for the anthracite field
was 1.89 per 1,000, against 0.96 for the bituminous coal fields. The
anthracite outside rate was, therefore, 0.93 per 1,000 in excess o f the
bituminous outside fatality rate, or 97 per cent. Had the anthracite
outside rate prevailed in the bituminous coal field there would have
been 280 fatal accidents among outside employees instead o f the 143
deaths which actually occurred. I f the bituminous outside rate had
580
BULLETIN OF THE BUBEAU OF LABOB.
prevailed in the anthracite coal field, there would have been 245
fatal accidents among the outside employees, instead of the 482
which actually occurred. The underlying causes o f this very mate
rial difference in accident liability are also evidently a matter o f most
serious concern.
Before considering the fatal accident rate by specific occupations,
it will be o f value to discuss briefly the principal causes o f coal
mining fatalities in the anthracite and bituminous coal fields, and to
give to the returns an increased value upon the basis o f large numbers,
the rates have been calculated upon the total number o f men employed
and the fatal accidents officially reported during the 10 years ending
with 1908. The fatalities due to different causes, inside and outside
o f mines, are given in the following table, but additional details are
given in Tables X X I and X X I I o f the appendix:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T B A TE S IN INSIDES O C C U P A T IO N S IN A N T H R A C IT E AND
BITUM INOUS COAL M IN ES IN P EN N SYLVAN IA, BY CAUSES, FOR T H E PE RIO D
1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accident rate per In anthra
1,000 employees.
cite mines
Cause.
o?less ( —)
Anthracite Bituminous than in
bituminous
mines.
mines.
mines.
Fall of coal...............................................................................................
Fall of roof or slate..................................................................................
Falls into shafts......................................................................................
Falls into slopes......................................................................................
Falls down manways..............................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust.........................................................................
Explosion of powder or dynamite.........................................................
Explosion of blast...................................................................................
Asphyxiation...........................................................................................
Mina cars..................................................................................................
Mules........ : .............................................................................................
Crushed at batteries...............................................................................
Electricity................................................................................................
Miscellaneous...........................................................................................
0.62
1.49
.13
.05
.04
.33
.18
.39
.09
.65
.04
.01
.01
.24
0.32
1.66
.07
.08
.14
+0.30
— .17
+ .06
+ .05
+ .04
— .39
+ .15
+ .34
+ .08
+ .15
+ .03
+ .01
— .07
+ .10
Total..............................................................................................
4.26
3.60
+ .66
.72
.03
.05
.01
.50
.01
This comparison is most instructive and quite conclusive. The
return is for a 10-year period, and for all the principal causes, at
least, the facts are amply sufficient. The net excess in the anthracite
inside fatal rate is 0.66 per 1,000, and in all but 3 o f the 14 groups of
causes the anthracite rate is in excess o f the bituminous rate by from
0.01 to 0.34 per 1,000. The only causes where rates exceed in bitumi
nous coal mining those in anthracite mining are falls o f roof or slate
(0.17 per 1,000 higher), explosion o f gas and dust (0.39 per 1,000
higher), and electricity (0.07 per 1,000 higher). A ll these are most
important from a miner’s point o f view, but the total excess in the bitu
minous rate on account o f these three causes was only 0.63 per 1,000
against a total excess in anthracite mining in the other 11 groups
o f causes o f 1.32 per 1,000, and, as previously stated, there was a
581
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
net excess in the anthracite rate o f 0.66 per 1,000 o f inside em
ployees. Among the most suggestive causes decidedly higher among
anthracite mine workers than in the bituminous coal region of the
same State are falls of coal (0.30 per 1,000 higher), explosion of
powder and dynamite (0.15 per 1,000 higher), explosion o f blasts
(0.34 per 1,000 higher), mine cars (0.15 per 1,000 higher), and mis
cellaneous causes (0.10 per 1,000 higher). It is, therefore, clearly
shown that while certain important causes are relatively more com
mon in bituminous mining, most o f the causes responsible for fatali
ties in coal mining are decidedly more common in the anthracite coal
fields. Equally significant and suggestive is the comparative acci
dent liability in anthracite and bituminous mining to outside em
ployees.
F A T A L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S IN O U T S ID E O C C U P A T IO N S IN 1N T H R A C IT E AND
BITUM IN OU S COAL M IN ES IN PEN NSYLVAN IA, B Y CAUSES, FOR T H E PE R IO D
1899 TO 1908.
In anthra
cite mines
greater ( + )
or less ( —)
than in bi
Anthracite Bituminous tuminous
mines.
mines.
mines.
Fatal accident rate per
1,000 employees.
Cause.
Cars..
..............................................................................................
Machinery................................................................................................
"Roi^r explosions _ ........... .......................................... ...............................
Asphyxiation.........................................................................................
Miscellaneous...........................................................................................
0.63
.41
.02
.11
.48
0.39
.10
.02
.01
.32
+ .10
+ .16
Total..............................................................................................
1.65
.84
+ .81
+0.24
+ .31
With the exception of boiler explosions, for which the rates in the
two coal fields were exactly the same, the fatality rate for all other
causes was higher among outside anthracite employees, compared
with outside bituminous employees. The excess was relatively largest
for accidents due to machinery, chiefly because o f employment in coal
breakers, but it is difficult to explain the great difference in the fatal
ity rates due to cars, except on the ground that the railroad trackage
is possibly larger, that there may be heavier traffic, or that safety pre
cautions are more neglected or disregarded in the anthracite than in
the bituminous coal fields. It is equally difficult to account for deaths
due to asphyxiation, since if such deaths occurred at coke ovens they
should be more common in the bituminous coal fields, while, as a mat
ter o f fact, the rate was higher by 0.10 per 1,000 among outside an
thracite employees. Miscellaneous causes were 0.16 per 1,000 in
excess over bituminous mine laborers.
The net difference in the rates is an excess among outside anthra
cite mine workers o f 0.81 per 1,000. There can be no question o f
doubt that most of this excess is due to strictly preventable causes;
582
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
and properly guarded machinery, properly protected railroad cross
ings, heavy penalty for trespassing on railroad tracks, and similar
precautions would reduce the loss materially— easily by one-half—
in the anthracite region. The loss is o f exceptional economic im
portance in that many of the killed are very young men, who have
only commenced to earn money and make a social return for the cap
ital expended in their support and education by their parents or the
State. Whatever may be true o f inside occupations as being subject
to inherent risk in mine work, this claim can not be made for outside
employments, and the more fully industrial accidents are considered
the more convincing becomes the evidence that most o f these casual
ties are strictly preventable.
Aside from the inherent or incidental circumstances which govern
more or less in determining the fatality rate due to specific causes
in coal mining with reference to the place o f employment, the various
occupations followed are subject to wide variation in the degree o f
accident liability. The table below will show the details for all the
principal underground employments in anthracite mining in Penn
sylvania for the 5 years ending with 1908, and the fatality rate cal
culated for each occupation on the basis o f the average number
employed:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A T E S IN INSIDES O C C U P A T IO N S IN A N T H R A C IT E
M IN ES IN P EN N SYLVAN IA, FOR T H E PE R IO D 1904 TO 1908.
COAL
Fatal accidents.
Occupation.
Employees.
Number.
Mine foremen and assistant mine foremen...............................................
Fire bosses and assistants..........................................................................
Miners..........................................................................................................
Miners’ laborers..........................................................................................
Drivers and runners...................................................................................
Door boys and helpers...............................................................................
Pump men.
.........................................................................................
Company m en ............................................................................................
All other......................................................................................................
4,234
4,391
211,102
155,673
59,343
15,057
5,178
56,953
71,882
Total..................................................................................................
583,813
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
11
14
1,389
716
189
79
8
167
127
2.60
3.19
6.58
4.60
3.18
5.25
1.54
2.93
1.77
2,700
4.62
1
The highest fatality rate occured among miners, or 6.58 per 1,000
employed. This rate is 1.96 in excess o f the average rate for all
inside employments and 2.79 per 1,000 in excess of the rate for inside
and outside employments in anthracite mining combined. It is
clearly not far from an abuse o f statistics to emphasize the general
fatality rate in coal mining as being indicative of the true risk of
mine employment. It is held, and rightly so, that a normal under
ground fatality rate in coal mining should not exceed 1.5 per 1,000,
but here is the conclusive evidence, based upon an aggregate o f
583
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
211,102 persons exposed to risk one year and 1,389 deaths, that the
fatality rate among anthracite miners is actually 6.58 per 1,000, or
more than four times the rate assumed to represent the actual inherent
danger in the industry as a whole. (®) The fatality rates for other
occupations underground bring out the same deplorable facts. The
table shows that the rate for door boys and helpers was 5.25 per 1,000,
for miners’ laborers, 4.60; for fire bosses and their assistants, 3.19; for
drivers and runners, 3.18; for company men, 2.93; for foremen and
their assistants, 2.60; for pump men, 1.54; and for all other inside
employments, 1.77 per 1,000. Without exception, therefore, all under
ground occupations in anthracite mining during the period under
consideration experienced a fatality rate above the 1.5 per 1,000,
which is considered a fair measure o f the true inherent risk in under
ground work.
Fatalities aboveground caused an average rate of 1.89 per 1,000
in Pennsylvania anthracite mining during the period under consid
eration. The fatality rates by principal occupations are given in
detail in the table following:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S IN OUTSIDES O C C U P A T IO N S IN A N T H R A C IT E COAL
M IN ES IN PEN NSYLVAN IA, FOR TH E P E RIO D 1904 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Occupation.
Employees.
Number.
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
Superintendents.........................................................................................
Foremen.....................................................................................................
Blacksmiths and carpenters.....................................................................
Engineers and firemen..............................................................................
Slate pickers...............................................................................................
Bookkeepers and clerks............................................................................
All other......................................................................................................
719
2,015
13,595
28,206
77,955
3,953
128,780
1
5
21
24
79
1.39
2.48
1.54
.85
1.01
352
2.73
Total..................................................................................................
255,223
482
1.89
The highest fatality rate occurred among “ all other ” outside em
ployments, or 2.73 per 1,000. The term “ all other ” outside employ
ments is too indefinite to warrant safe conclusions. The next highest
rate occurred among outside foremen, or 2.48 per 1,000, while among
blacksmiths and carpenters the rate was 1.54, among superintendents
1.39, among slate pickers (in breakers) 1.01, and engineers and fire
men 0.85 per 1,000. No fatalities occurred among the clerical force
employed by mining companies in the anthracite coal fields. The
accidents for specific occupations are all excessive. The high outside
a See article on “ Coal mining fatalities in Belgium ,” by F. L. Hoffman, in
Engineering and Mining Journal, September 10, 1910, p. 519. The average
fatality rate underground fo r Belgian coal mines fo r 1908 was 1.26 per 1,000
employees.
584
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
fatality rate o f 1.89 for all occupations is due to the causes previously
discussed, and for most o f the employments a material reduction in
the rate would result from the use of proper safety devices, protected
railroad crossings, guarded machinery, and heavy penalty for tres
passing upon the tracks of railroad companies. Little has been done
in this direction and drastic measures are called for. As shown by
the table, 482 deaths occurred among outside employees in 5 years, and
while some o f these deaths occurred inside o f mines, and a small
number were the result of heroic self-sacrifice in rescue work, the
large majority represent an utterly needless waste of life in an indus
try sufficiently perilous to demand strict supervision and control in
all matters that affect the safety of life and limb.
What is true for the anthracite-coal region is equally true for the
bituminous-coal field. While the fatality rates for particular occu
pations are somewhat less, they are excessive for all inside employ
ments, upon the assumption that the occupation fatality rate in coal
mining should not exceed 1.5 per 1,000. The facts in detail are given
in the table below :
F A TA L-A C C ID E N T R A TE S IN INSIDES O C C U P A T IO N S IN BITUM INOUS
M INES IN PE N N SY LVA N IA . FOR T H E P E R IO D 1904 TO 1908.
COAL
Fatal accidents.
Occupation.
Em
ployees.
Number.
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
M in p foremen and assistant mine foremen...............................................
Fire bosses..................................................................................................
Miners..........................................................................................................
Machine runners.........................................................................................
Machine loaders..........................................................................................
Machine scrapers........................................................................................
Drivers and runners...................................................................................
Door boys and helpers..............................................................................
Company m en ............................................................................................
All other......................................................................................................
7,165
3,344
342,876
19,965
200,802
18,845
48,184
9,752
39,384
19,865
11
23
1,297
641
48
213
36
183
209
$ 0 .5 2
Total..................................................................................................
710,182
2,727
3.84
66
1.54
6v88
3.78
3.31
3.19
2.55
4.42
3.69
4.65
Excepting miscellaneous occupations, as indefinitely accounted for
employments, the highest fatality rate occurred among fire bosses, or
6.88 per 1,000. It is quite possible that if specific returns were made
for shot firers the fatality rate among them would be as high i f not
higher. The occupation o f a fire boss is inherently the more danger
ous o f the two, on account o f the great element o f uncertainty in the
conditions which give rise to accidents due to gas and dust explosions,
as compared with the conditions which give rise to accidents in con
nection with shot firing and blasting. In fact, i f the latter work is
done with a due regard to established principles, the risk is relatively
much less, but neglect of ordinary safety precautions is probably
more common among shot firers than among fire bosses, who may be
said to represent the most skilled workmen employed underground,
585
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
next to foremen and superintendents. The fatality rate for company
men, which term is practically inclusive o f mine laborers, was 4.65
per 1,000. The rate for drivers and runners was 4.42, for miners
3.78, and for door boys and helpers 3.69. Machine runners had a
lower rate than miners, or 3.31 per 1,000, while for machine loaders
the rate was 3.19 and for machine scrapers 2.55 per 1,000. As far
as it is possible to judge by these returns, the men employed exclu
sively in the use o f coal-cutting machinery experienced a fatality
rate o f 0.47 per 1,000 less than underground bituminous miners. The
fatality rate for foremen and their assistants was 1.54 per 1,000.
Outside employees in bituminous mining experienced an average
fatality rate o f 0.96 per 1,000, or less by 0.93 per 1,000 than the cor
responding rate for anthracite mine employees. The details for the
more important employments are given in the table below.
F A TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S *IN O U T S ID E O C C U P A T IO N S IN BITUM INOUS COAL
M IN ES IN PEN NSYLVAN IA, FOR T H E PE R IO D 1904 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Occupation.
Employees.
Number.
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
Superintendents.........................................................................................
Foremen.....................................................................................................
Blacksmiths and carpenters.....................................................................
Engineers and firemen...............................................................................
Coke employees..........................................................................................
Bookkeepers and clerks.............................................................................
All other.....................................................................................................
3,662
2,519
12,040
14,780
55,975
5,118
54,301
5
4
7
12
1.98
.33
.47
.21
115
2.12
Total.................................................................................................
148,395
143
.96
The highest rate among outside employees occurred among the
group classified as “ all other,” or 2.12 per 1,000. The group is very
large and it should not be difficult to secure returns in detail for speci
fied classes o f outside labor, which would give greater practical value
to the rate, which is decidedly excessive. For foremen the rate was
also relatively high, or 1.98 per 1,000. For other employments the
rates were below the general average, or 0.47 for engineers and fire
men, 0.33 for blacksmiths and carpenters, and 0.21 for coke employees.
There were no fatal accidents, or at least none were.officially reported
as having occurred among mine superintendents in the bituminous
coal field nor among the clerical force.
The foregoing analysis of the occupation fatality rates in anthra
cite and bituminous coal mining in Pennsylvania by specified occu
pations suggests a more extended comparison o f accident risks in
particular employments in the two coal fields, with a due regard to
the causes responsible for fatal accident occurrence. It would mate
rially add to the practical value o f such a comparison i f corre
sponding information were available for other coal fields, but at
586
BULLETIN OF THE BUBEAU OF LABOR.
the present time the State o f Pennsylvania alone gives publicity to
all the facts o f mine employment by occupation, which are required
for the calculation of occupation fatality rates. As a contribution
toward a more scientific study o f coal-mining fatalities, with special
reference to the occupation risk, the following comparison of the
occupation fatality rate in the two coal fields and the causes responsi
ble for their occurrence will prove o f interest. It must be taken into
consideration, however, that some o f the occupations are common
only in one o f the two coal fields, but in view o f the fact that the
occupation will be considered with reference to the causes of death
such occupations will also be considered in the discussion which
follows.
MINE FOREMEN AND ASSISTANT FOREMEN (INSIDE).
The table below will show the comparative fatality rate o f men
employed as inside foremen and assistant ‘foremen in anthracite
and bituminous mining in Pennsylvania during the 5 years ending
with 1908:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S OF MINES F O R E M E N AND A SS IST A N T F O R E M E N (IN
S ID E ) IN COAL M IN ES IN PE N N SYLVA N IA , FOR T H E P E R IO D 1904 TO 1908.
Fatal
Employees. accidents.
Kind of mine.
4,234
7,165
Anthracite...................................................................................................
Bituminous.................................................................................................
11
11
Excess of anthracite rate.................................................................
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
2.60
1.54
1.06
The fatality rate among inside foremen in anthracite mining was
1.06 per 1,000 in excess o f the corresponding rate for bituminous fore
men and their assistants. The causes of fatal accidents among these
two groups during the decade ending with 1908 have been as follow s:
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS AMONG F O R E M E N IN PE N N SY LVA N IA A N T H R A C IT E AND
BITUM IN OU S COAL M INES, B Y CAUSES, FOR TH E P E R IO D 1899 TO 1908.
[T he term “ forem en ” includes headmen, 16 having been specifically returned as such.]
Fatal accidents in—
Cause.
Anthracite mines.
Bituminous mines.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate...............................................................
Fall into shaft, slope, or manway..................................................
Killed by mine cars.........................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust..................................................................
Machinery........................................................................................
Miscellaneous...................................................................................
4
5
10
2
16.0
20.0
40.0
8.0
4
16.0
Total.......................................................................................
25
100.0
2
11.1
5
10
1
27.8
55.5
5.6
18
100.0
587
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
Accidents due to fall o f coal, rock, or slate, falls into shafts or slopes,
mine cars, and miscellaneous accidents were proportionately more
common among mine foremen and their assistants, including “ head
men,” so called, in the anthracite than in the bituminous coal field.
In the bituminous coal area the chief cause o f fatalities was explosion
o f gas or dust, which cause was comparatively rare among foremen and
their assistants in the anthracite coal field. In both coal fields mine
cars caused a disproportionate number o f deaths among a class of
labor decidedly superior to the average in experience, intelligence,
and caution.
EIRE BOSSES AND THEIR ASSISTANTS (INSIDE).
The table below will show the comparative fatality rates for men
employed as fire bosses or assistant fire bosses in anthracite and bitu
minous mining, underground, in Pennsylvania during the 5 years
ending with 1908.
F A TA L-A C C ID E N T R A TE S OF FIRES B O S S E S A N D T H E I R A S S IS T A N T S (IN S ID E )
IN COAL M INES IN PEN NSYLVAN IA, FOR TH E P E RIO D 1904 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Kind of mine.
Employees.
4,391
3,344
Anthracite...................................................................................................
Bituminous..................................................................................................
Number.
Rate per
1,000
employees.
14
23
3.19
6.88
Excess of bituminous rate................................................................
3.69
The fatality rate among fire bosses and their assistants in bitumi
nous coal mining in Pennsylvania was 8.69 per 1,000 in excess of the
rate among the same class in anthracite coal mining. The causes of
fatal accidents among these two groups during the decade ending
with 1908 have been as follows:
F A T A L A CCIDEN TS AMONG F I R E B O S S E S IN P E N N SY LVA N IA A N T H R A C IT E AND
BITUM IN OU S COAL MINES, BY CAUSES, FOR TH E P E RIO D 1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents in—
Cause.
Anthracite mines.
Bituminous mines.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate...............................................................
Fall into shaft, slope, or manway..................................................
M ina cars.........................................................................................
Mules...............................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust.................................................................
Asphyxiation.................................................................................
Powder, dynamite, blast................................................................
Electrocution..................................................................................
Miscellaneous..................................................................................
Total......................................................................................
3
3
2
10.7
10.7
7.1
12
3
1
42.9
10.7
3.6
4
28
7
1
21.2
3.0
12.1
3.0
48.5
3.0
14.3
1
2
3.6
6.1
100.0
33
100.0
1
4
1
16
588
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
Accidents due to fall o f coal, rock, or slate caused 21.2 per cent o f
the deaths among fire bosses and their assistants in the bituminous
coal field, against 10.7 per cent in the anthracite. The fact that
there are few deep mines in the bituminous coal fields explains why
accidents due to falls down shafts, slopes, or manways caused only
3 per cent o f the deaths among fire bosses in the bituminous coal field
against 10.7 for the anthracite field. Mine-car accidents and deaths
caused by mules were more common in the bituminous field, but deaths
due to gas and dust explosion were somewhat more common in the
anthracite coal field. Asphyxiation, powder, dynamite, and miscel
laneous causes were more common among fire bosses in the anthracite
coal field. The extremely high accident rate among fire bosses in the
bituminous coal area can not be ascribed to race type o f the men
employed, as compared with the anthracite class, since, by nativity,
the deaths were distributed as follows:
PE R CENT OF F A T A L ACCIDEN TS TO F I R E B O S S E S A N D A S S IS T A N T S OF EACH
N A T IV IT Y , IN COAL M IN ES IN PEN N SYLVAN IA, FOR T H E PE R IO D 1899 TO
1908.
Per cent of persons
killed in—
Nativity.
Anthra
cite
mines.
Bitumi
nous
mines.
American.............................................................................................................................
English................................................................................................................................
I r i s h . . . . . : : . . . : ..................................................................................................................
Other...................................................................................................................................
21.0
26.3
5.3
47.4
43.8
21.9
6.2
28.1
Total..........................................................................................................................
100.0
100.0
It is quite possible, however, that the fire bosses and assistants
killed in the bituminous region had, on the average, a shorter mine
experience, as far as this element can be measured by the age at
death. O f the fire bosses killed in the anthracite region none were
under 25 years o f age; but one such death occurred in the bituminous
coal field. O f the deaths o f known ages among fire bosses in the
anthracite region, 50 per cent were 45 years of age and over, against
43.8 per cent in the bituminous.
MINERS.
The table below will show the comparative fatality rates o f miners
in the anthracite and bituminous coal regions o f Pennsylvania during
the five years ending with 1908.
589
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S OF M IN E R S IN PE N N SYLVA N IA COAL M INES, FOR
T H E P E RIO D 1904 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Employees.
Kind of mine.
Number.
Anthracite..................................................................................................
Bituminous.................................................................................................
211,102
342,876
1,389
1,297
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
6.58
3.78
2.80
Excess of anthracite rate.................................................................
The fatality rate o f anthracite miners was 2.80 per 1,000 in excess
o f the rate for bituminous miners. The causes responsible for fatal
ities among miners in Pennsylvania during the decade ending with
1908 have been as follow s:
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS AMONG M IN E R S IN A N T H R A C IT E AND BITUM INOUS COAL
M IN ES OF PEN NSYLVAN IA, B Y CAUSES, FOR T H E P E R IO D 1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents in—
Cause.
Anthracite mines.
Bituminous mines.
Number. Percent. Number. Percent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate................................................................
Fall into shaft, slope, or manway..................................................
Mine cars..........................................................................................
Mules................................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust.................................................................
Asphyxiation...................................................................................
Powder, dynamite, blast................................................................
Electricity........................................................................................
Outside cars.....................................................................................
Machinery........................................................................................
Miscellaneous...................................................................................
1,353
40
76
2
195
66
463
2
3
3
112
58.5
1.7
3.3
.1
8.4
2.9
20.0
.1
.1
.1
4.8
1,747
23
188
3
262
7
62
61
1
3
51
72.5
1.0
7.8
.1
10.9
.3
2.6
2.5
.1
.1
2.1
Total.......................................................................................
2,315
100.0
2,408
100.0
Falls o f coal, rock, or slate, accidents due to mine cars, and deaths
due to explosions o f gas and dust were proportionately more common
among bituminous miners. The principal cause, actually and pro
portionately, in excess among anthracite miners when compared with
miners o f bituminous coal was powder and dynamite explosions and
premature blasts. Accidents due to this group o f causes formed
20 per cent o f the total in anthracite mining, compared with 2.6 per
cent in bituminous mining. The leading cause among both groups
was fall o f coal and roof. In neither coal field is proper attention
paid to systematic timbering and other methods by which accidents
o f this class can be materially reduced. In both coal fields ignorance,
neglect, and indifference, combined with much foolhardy assumption
o f needless risk, prevail to an extent which would seem impossible in
a civilized country i f the facts were not matters o f daily occurrence.
Many mine-car accidents are also due to these causes, but the effect
590
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
o f a lax discipline and defective training in sound methods o f min
ing, including all that the term implies, are nowhere so evident as in
an excessive fatality rate due to premature blasts, flying coal, blownout shots, missed shots, and other accidents o f a similar nature.
The necessity o f better training for mine work has frequently been
emphasized in the reports o f mine inspectors, as well as the increase
in risk resulting from the employment o f unintelligent, undisciplined
mine labor o f recent immigration into this country. The need of
better education o f mine workers has been emphasized in the annual
report o f the chief mine inspector o f Pennsylvania for 1908, who
remarks that—
In the development o f the art o f coal mining in America the scien
tific side has heretofore been largely neglected, but recently there has
been a general awakening to the fact that attention should be given
to the theoretical and technical education o f the mine workers as well
as their practical education. The opportunities for advancement are
many for persons properly equipped for this work, and a greater real
ization o f this fact is impelling many persons to seek a more thorough
education. In no other industry are the requirements o f practical
knowledge greater than in coal mining. In nearly all the coal-min
ing States mine inspectors, mine foremen, and assistant mine foremen
must pass a rigid educational test before they can receive certificates
qualifying them to serve in their respective positions. A better and
more comprehensive training o f these men would no doubt result ulti
mately in a still higher grade o f efficiency.
The coal output o f the United States has been increasing at the
rate o f 10 per cent a year or 100 per cent in every decade for
some time past, with a corresponding increase in the number o f
miners and mine officials. It is obvious that under such conditions
there must be a better and more efficient class o f miners and mine
officials to meet the ever-increasing problems o f operation. In fact,
there exists at this time a very urgent demand among the coal com
panies for competent officials. There are in Pennsylvania probably
10,000 persons holding official positions in the mines o f greater or less
responsibility, and the desire to obtain these positions should be an
incentive to the acquiring o f more thorough education on the part
o f the mine worker. It is doubtful if any other industry offers as
great opportunity for advancement from the lowest position to the
highest. As Pennsylvania holds a preeminent place in the coal trade
o f the world, this matter has for her a peculiar significance.^)
The importance o f this suggestion is emphasized by the statistical
proof o f an excessive fatality rate in both anthracite and bituminous
mining. It must be considered in this connection that o f all the
miners killed in anthracite mines during the decade ending with 1908
only 13 per cent were American born, 3.3 per cent were English, 3.5
per cent German, and 7.7 per cent Irish. In contrast, 31.3 per cent
were Poles, 11.1 per cent Lithuanians, 10.5 per cent Russians and
®R eport o f the Departm ent o f Mines o f Pennsylvania, 1908, Part I, p. vi.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
591
other Slavs, 6.2 per cent Austrians and Hungarians, and 6.1 per cent
Italians. In the bituminous coal fields the proportion o f Americanborn mine laborers was even less than in the anthracite, or only 9.2
per cent, while the proportion o f English was 2.8 per cent, of Ger
mans 4 per cent, and o f Irish only 1.9 per cent. In contrast, the pro
portion o f Russians and other Slavs was 22.9 per cent, of Austrians
and Hungarians, 20.8 per cent, of Italians 15.7 per cent, and of
Poles, 13.7 per cent. Evidently the enforcement o f necessary rules
and regulations and the maintenance of a rigid discipline must be
a most difficult task, with a mixed labor supply, indicating so large
a variety o f totally dissimilar nativities, and mostly men who have
been only a few years in this country and many o f whom know little
or no English.
Mine laborers in Pennsylvania are only returned as such in the re
ports for anthracite mines, and, according to an official explanation,
they are employed exclusively in loading the coal for the miners.
They are, therefore, loaders in the same sense as machine loaders,
except that they work with the regular miners other than those em
ployed in the use o f coal-cutting machines. The conditions of labor
are, therefore, quite similar. Mine laborers, in the sense o f the fore
going definition, are not returned as such for the bituminous mines,
so that no exact comparison o f the two classes o f labor for the two
mining fields can be made. The total number o f mine laborers em
ployed in the anthracite districts of Pennsylvania during the five
years ending with 1908 was 155,673, among whom there occurred 716
fatal accidents, or at the rate o f 4.6 per 1,000. The corresponding
rate for machine loaders was 3.19 per 1,000, but the rate was consid
erably less than the fatality rate of anthracite miners, which has pre
viously been given as 6.58 per 1,000. During the ten-year period end
ing with 1908 there occurred 1,454 deaths by accidents in the Penn
sylvania anthracite mines, of which 223, or 15.3 per cent, were due to
fall o f coal; 614, or 42.2 per cent, due to fall of roof or slate; 51, or
3.5 per cent, due to falls into shafts; and 10, or 0.7 per cent, due to
falls into slopes. The number o f fatal accidents to mine laborers due
to mine cars was 197, or 13.5 per cent, and outside cars 12, or 0.8 per
cent. The number o f fatal accidents due to explosion of gas or dust
was 70, or 4.8 per cent; powder or dynamite, 38, or 2.6 per cent;
blasts, 64, or 4.4 per cent; and boilers, 0.2 per cent. Machinery acci
dents caused 41 deaths, or 2.8 per cent; mules, 2 deaths, or 0.2 per
cent; asphyxiation, 56, or 3.9 per cent; electricity, 2, or 0.2 per cent;
and miscellaneous, 71, or 4.9 per cent.
592
BULLETIN OF THE BUKEAU OF LABOR,
MACHINE RUNNERS, LOADERS, AND SCRAPERS.
Machine runners, loaders, (a) and scrapers are not separately
returned for the anthracite coal region, so that no comparison can be.
made o f the fatality rate with the bituminous coal field. ( *6) As a
matter o f convenient reference, the rates are given for the three occu
pations in the table below:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S OF MACHINES R U N N E R S , L O A D E R S , A N D S C R A P E R S
IN BITUM IN OU S COAL M IN ES OF PE N N SY LVA N IA , FOR TH E PE R IO D 1904
TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Occupation.
Employees.
Number.
19,965
200,802
18,84.5
Machine runners.........................................................................................
Machine loaders..........................................................................................
Machine scrapers........................................................................................
66
641
48
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
3.31
3.19
2.55
The causes o f fatal accidents among men employed in these occupa
tions during the decade ending with 1908 have been as follow s:
F A T A L ACCIDEN TS AMONG M A C H IN E R U N N E R S , M A C H IN E L O A D E R S , A N D
M A C H IN E S C R A P E R S IN BITUM IN OU S COAL M IN ES OF PEN NSYLVAN A, BY
CAUSES, FOR T H E P E R IO D 1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents to—
Cause.
Machine runners.
Machine loaders.
Machine scrapers.
Number. Percent. Number. Per cent. Number. Percent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate............................
Fall into shaft, slope, or manway...............
Mine cars.......................................................
Mules.............................................................
Explosion of gas or dust..............................
Asphyxiation................................................
Powder, dynamite, blast.............................
Electricity................. , .................................
Machinery.....................................................
Miscellaneous................................................
24
2
6
8
14
1
Total...................................................
37.4
3.1
9.4
12.5
21.9
1.6
59
43.4
6
4.4
35
2
2
49.3
2.8
2.8
64
47.1
15
21.2
2.2
.7
5
7.8
3
1
4
6.3
3
2.2
5
10
2
7.6
14.1
2.8
64
100.0
136
100.0
71
100.0
Accidents caused by fall of coal, rock, or slate were o f common
occurrence in each o f the three groups o f occupations, but most fre
quent among machine scrapers, or 49.3 per cent. Gas and dust
explosions caused a large proportion o f the deaths among machine
loaders, or 47.1 per cent, but the proportions were practically the same
®According to the Pennsylvania Departm ent o f Mines “ a machine loader
loads the coal cut by machinery. A loader loads the coal cut by pick.”
&According to the same department “ there are no m achine runners in the
anthracite mines at present.”
593
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
among machine runners and machine scrapers. Electricity caused
7.8 per cent o f all fatalities among machine runners, 7 per cent among
machine scrapers, while the proportion of deaths from this cause was
practically nil among machine loaders. The facts disclosed by this
analysis emphasizes what has previously been said regarding the
danger o f electricity in underground mining, and while the number of
recorded accidents is not very large it is quite probable that the true
number due to this cause is greater. Mine cars caused 9.4 per cent of
the deaths among machine runners, 4.4 per cent among machine
loaders, and 2.8 per cent among machine scrapers. A ll these occupa
tions are evidently subject to a serious accident risk, reflected in the
high fatality rate o f 3.31 per 1,000 for machine runners, 3.19 for
machine loaders, and 2.55 for machine scrapers.
COMPANY MEN.
Company men are practically mine laborers, but the exact meaning
o f the term is a question o f doubt. (°) The fatality rate for this class
o f employees in the anthracite and bituminous coal fields o f Pennsyl
vania during the 5 years ending with 1908 has been as follow s:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S OF C O M P A N Y M E N IN COAL M IN ES OF PENNSYL
V AN IA, FOR T H E PE R IO D 1904 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Kind of mine.
Employees.
Number.
Anthracite...................................................................... ...........................
Bituminous................................................................................................
Excess of bituminous rate...............................................................
56,953
39,384
167
183
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
2.93
4.65
1.72
« According to the Department o f Mines o f Pennsylvania, “ company men
comprise timbermen, trackmen, and bratticemen; the mine laborers are their
helpers. Mine laborers in the anthracite mines are the men who load for the
miners.”
62717°— No. 90—10----- 11
594
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
The fatality rate o f company men in bituminous mines was 1.72
per 1,000 in excess o f the corresponding rate for anthracite miners.
The causes o f fatal accidents among company men during the decade
ending with 1908 are set forth in the table below:
F A T A L A C C ID E N TS AMONG C O M P A N Y M E N IN A N T H R A C IT E AND BITUM INOUS
COAL M IN E S OF PEN N SYLVAN IA, B Y CAUSES, FOR T H E PE R IO D 1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents in—
Cause.
Anthracite mines.
Bituminous mines.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate................................................................
Fall into shaft, slope, or manway..................................................
Mine cars..........................................................................................
Mules................................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust................................ ................................
Asphyxiation...................................................................................
Powder, dynamite, blast................................................................
Electricity........................................................................................
Outside cars.....................................................................................
Machinery........................................................................................
Miscellaneous...................................................................................
17
8
43
1
5
3
1
1
4
2
9
18.1
£.5
45.7
1.1
5.3
3.2
1.1
1.1
4.2
2.1
9.6
23
2
19
41.1
3.6
33.9
4
1
2
7.1
1.8
3.6
5
8.9
Total.............................................................................i ........
94
100.0
56
100.0
It has been shown that falls of coal, rock, or slate were proportion
ately the most important cause o f fatal accidents among bituminous
coal miners in Pennsylvania. The proportion o f deaths due to fall of
coal and roof was 41.1 per cent for company men in bituminous
mines, against 18.1 per cent for company men in anthracite mines.
Accidents due to falls into shaft, deaths due to asphyxiation and
outside car accidents and machinery were proportionately more com
mon among company men in anthracite mines. Accidents due to
mine cars caused 45.7 per cent o f the deaths o f company men in the
anthracite coal mines and 33.9 per cent in the bituminous. In both
branches o f mining the liability to inside car accidents is, therefore,
a most important factor, more or less inherent in the conditions
under which the duties o f company men must be performed. No
outside car accidents or deaths due to machinery appear to have
occurred among company men, but some deaths due to these causes
may have been classified as miscellaneous. The work of company
men probably requires little skill, but considerable physical strength
and absolute obedience to rules and the prompt heeding o f warnings
and notices, verbal or written, which is often out o f the question on
account o f ignorance o f the language. O f the company men killed in
anthracite mines, 25 per cent were native born and 18 per cent were
Irish, but of the remainder o f foreign birth 16.7 per cent were Poles
and 6.9 per cent Italians. In the bituminous coal mines, of the com
pany men killed during the decade ending with 1908 the proportion
o f native born was 34.7 per cent, English 10.2 per cent, and Irish only
595
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
2 per cent. O f the non-English speaking nationalities, 26.5 per cent
were returned as Slavs, 8.2 per cent as Italians, 8.1 per cent as AustroHungarians, and 4 per cent as Bussians and Poles.
DRIVERS AND RUNNERS (INSIDE).
Drivers and runners constitute a considerable proportion o f inside
mine labor. (a) The fatality rate o f persons employed in these occu
pations in Pennsylvania anthracite and bituminous mines during the
5-year period 1904-1908 are given in the table below:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S OF D R I V E R S A N D R U N N E R S IN COAL M IN ES OF
PE N N SY LVA N IA , FOR T H E PE R IO D 1904 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Employees.
Kind of mine.
Number.
59,343
48,184
Anthracite...................................................................................................
Bituminous.................................................................................................
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
189
213
3.18
4.42
1.24
Excess of bituminous rate...............................................................
The fatality rate was 1.24 per 1,000 in excess among drivers and
runners in the bituminous mines, but for both coal fields the rates
are extremely high, considering the nature o f the duties performed.
Thje causes o f fatal accidents among drivers and runners during the
decade ending with 1908 have been as follow s:
FATAL
A C C ID E N TS AMONG D R I V E R S A N D R U N N E R S IN COAL M INES
P E N N SY LVA N IA , B Y CAUSES, FOR T H E P E R IO D 1899 TO 1908.
OF
Fatal accidents in—
Cause.
Anthracite mines.
Bituminous mines.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate...............................................................
Fall into shaft, slope, or manway..................................................
Mine cars..........................................................................................
Mules................................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust.................................................................
Asphyxiation..................................................................................
Powder, dynamite, blast................................................................
Electricity........................................................................................
Outside cars.....................................................................................
Machinery........................................................................................
Miscellaneous...................................................................................
30
9
218
31
11
4
6
9.2
2.7
60.7
9.5
3.4
1.2
1.8
5
13
1.5
4.0
Total......................................................................................
327
100.0
28
9.7
203
7
28
3
3
2
70.5
2.4
9.7
1.1
1.1
0.7
U
288
4.8
100.0
a According to the Pennsylvania Department o f Mines, “ a runner is employed
to run cars down a grade by the use of sprags or brakes.”
596
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
Accidents due to fall of coal, rock, or slate were relatively rather
rare among this class o f labor, having been 9.2 per cent for drivers and
runners in anthracite mines and 9.7 per cent for drivers and runners
in bituminous mines. Mine cars caused by far the largest proportion
o f fatal accidents and the percentages are nearly the same for both
coal fields. In the anthracite mines cars caused 66.7 per cent o f the
deaths o f drivers and runners and in the bituminous mines 70.5 per
cent. The greater use o f electric traction or haulage in the bitumi
nous mines probably accounts for the fact that mules caused only
2.4 per cent o f the deaths in bituminous mines against 9.5 per cent
in anthracite mines. Explosions o f gas and dust caused relatively
a much larger loss o f life among drivers and runners in bituminous
mines, or 9.7 per cent, against only 3.4 per cent in anthracite mines.
The chief cause o f fatal accidents, that is, mine cars, is plainly shown
to be inherent in the work itself, but it requires to be taken into
consideration that most o f the drivers and runners are young per
sons, naturally disposed to reckless exposure and the needless assump
tion o f risk. O f the 287 drivers killed in bituminous mines during the
decade ending with 1908 about one-half, or to be exact, 51.2 per cent
were under 25 years o f age, while o f the 22 runners killed 10, or 45.5
per cent, were under 20 years o f age and 7, or 31.8 per cent o f the
total, from 20 to 24 years of age. In the anthracite coal fields, out
o f 327 drivers killed during the decade ending with 1908, 61.5 per
cent were under 20 years o f age and 29.4 per cent from 20 to 24 years
o f age, or 90.9 per cent were o f ages under 25. O f the 80 runners
killed in anthracite mines 31, or 38.7 per cent, were under 20 years
o f age and 42.5 per cent o f ages 20 to 24, or 81.2 per cent were o f ages
under 25. About half o f the drivers killed in anthracite mines were
native born, but probably a large proportion were o f foreign parent
age. Among the foreign bom 15.5 per cent were Poles and 6.2
per cent Slavs. The nativity distribution is quite similar for runners
in the anthracite coal field. O f the drivers killed in the bituminous
coal mines 44.1 per cent were native born, 20.5 per cent Slavs, 9.6
per cent Hungarians, 6.2 per cent Russians and Poles, and 5.2 per
cent Italians. O f the runners killed 68.4 per cent were native bom
and 10.5 per cent were of Austrian birth. ^ The inherent risk in the
employment is, therefore, materially increased by the youth o f the
employees and the probability o f ignorance o f the English language,
lack o f training, and indifference to rules and regulations necessary
for the protection o f life in underground mining.
597
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
RUNNERS.
The details regarding the cause o f fatalities among runners only are
given in the table below:
FATAL ACCIDENTS AMONG RUNNERS IN PENNSYLVANIA ANTHRACITE AND
BITUMINOUS COAL MINES, BY CAUSES, FOR THE PERIOD 1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents in—
Cause.
Anthracite mines.
Bituminous mines.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate...............................................................
Mine cars..........................................................................................
Mules................................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust...........•.....................................................
Powder, dynamite, blast................................................................
Electricity........................................................................................
Outside cars.....................................................................................
Machinery........................................................................................
Miscellaneous............................................................. .....................
18
40
2
4
3
22.5
50.0
2.5
5.0
3.7
1
9
3
1.2
11.3
3.8
Total.......................................................................................
80
100.0
2
19
9.1
86.4
1
4.5
22
100.0
O f the deaths from all causes among runners, as distinct from
drivers and runners combined, in the anthracite coal field 50 per cent
were the result of mine-car accidents, against 86.4 per cent in the
bituminous districts. Fall o f coal and roof caused 22.5 per cent in
the anthracite, but only 9.1 per cent o f the deaths in the bituminous
coal field. The causes o f accidents among runners were more varied
in the anthracite region, including 4 deaths from explosion o f gas and
dust, 2 deaths caused by mules, 3 by powder or dynamite, 1 by outside
cars, 9 by machinery, and 3 by miscellaneous causes.
DOOR BOYS AND HELPERS.
Door boys and helpers are chiefly o f foreign birth or parentage,
and largely young men o f an age period when the normal death rate
from all causes is about 5 per 1,000. (a) The fatality rates for door
boys and helpers in anthracite and bituminous coal mines in Pennsyl
vania during the 5 years ending with 1908 have been as follow s:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A T E S OF D O O R B O Y S A N D H E L P E R S IN COAL M INES OF
P E N N SY LVA N IA , FO R TH E P E R IO D 1904 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Kind of mine.
Employees.
Number.
Anthracite...............................................................................................
Bituminous.............................................................................................
Excess of anthracite rate..............................................................
15,057
9,752
79
36
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
5.25
3.69
1.56
° Volume III, Part I, Vital Statistics, p. lxxvix, United States Bureau o f the
Census.
598
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
The fatality rate among door boys and helpers in anthracite mining
was 1.56 per 1,000 in excess o f the bituminous rate. The rates for
both coal fields are extremely high, considering the nature of the
duties performed. The causes o f fatal accidents among this class of
labor during the decade ending with 1908 are given in the table
below:
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS AMONG D O O R B O Y S A N D H E L P E R S IN P E N N SY LVA N IA
A N T H R A C IT E A N D BITUM IN OU S COAL M IN ES, BY CAUSES, FOR T H E PE R IO D
1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents in—
Cause.
Anthracite mines.
Bituminous mines.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate...............................................................
F a l l in t o s h a f t , slope, or m a n w a y .........................................................................
Mine cars..........................................................................................
Mules................................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust..................................................................
Powder, dynamite, blast................................................................
Miscellaneous...................................................................................
8
5
84
4
2
1
7
Total.......................................................................................
111
7.2
4.5
75,7 I
3.6
1.8 j
.9
6.3
100.0
1
5.6
io
88.8
1
5.6
18
100.0
The chief causes o f death among door boys and helpers in both
coal fields have been due to run-over accidents by mine cars. In the
anthracite coal fields the proportion was 75.7 per cent and in the
bituminous 88.8 per cent. In anthracite mines falls into shafts, etc.,
caused 4.5 per cent and kicks by mules 3.6 per cent o f the deaths from
all causes. No deaths from these causes occurred in this occupation
in the bituminous coal field. The risk o f door tending does not require
experience or much strength and mostly young persons are employed
in this occupation. In anthracite mining out o f 111 door tenders
killed during the decade ending with 1908, 10, or 9 per cent, were
under 15 years o f age, 73 o f ages 15 to 19, and 13, or 11.7 per cent, o f
ages 65 and over. It is evident that, by preference, the very young
and the very old are employed at this kind of work. The loss o f life
in proportion to the number employed must be considered appalling,
and few occupations in mining show a higher death rate due to fatal
accidents than this group o f either very young or very old men, prob
ably receiving the lowest wages for the work, which, while not re
quiring much skill, certainly requires strict obedience to orders, since
the life and safety o f all the men underground may depend upon the
prompt closing o f a door as a necessity o f noninterruption o f the air
currents produced by artificial ventilation.
599
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
PUMPMEN.
Pumpmen underground are employed to a considerable extent
only in anthracite mines, and no corresponding returns are available
for bituminous mines. (a) The fatality rate in this occupation
in Pennsylvania anthracite mines during the 5 years ending with
1908 has been 1.54 per 1,000, there having been 8 deaths among 5,178
pumpmen exposed to risk of death 1 year. The occupation is prob
ably one o f the safest in coal mining, although the rate is relatively
high, considering the comparatively small amount o f actual risk
exposure. The number o f deaths is too small to warrant safe con
clusions as to the causes o f death among men employed as pumpmen
in the anthracite coal field.
MINE SUPERINTENDENT S.
Mine superintendents inside, in the strict sense o f the term, are
practically inside foremen and their assistants. Outside superin
tendents rarely go into the mines, except under favorable condi
tions, but occasionally they incur extreme exposure in connection
with rescue work, when acts o f heroism are common. Only one fatal
accident has occurred among mine superintendents in the anthracite
coal field o f Pennsylvania during the 5 years ending with 1908
among 719 superintendents exposed to risk 1 year, or at the rate of
1.39 per 1,000. No fatal accidents occurred among outside super
intendents in bituminous mines, although the number exposed to risk
1 year was 3,662. It is possible, o f course, that the returns have not
been accurately made and that mine superintendents have been in
cluded in other groups, but this is hardly probable, since the official
reports are made up by the mine officials themselves. It seems safe,
however, to assume that the true accident risk is not excessive among
superintendents and their assistants employed chiefly, if not exclu
sively, outside o f mines.
OUTSIDE FOREMEN.
The fatality rates o f outside foremen are given in the table below :
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A T E S OF O U T S ID E F O R E M E N IN COAL M INES OF PENN
SYLV A N IA , FOR T H E P E R IO D 1904 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Kind of mine.
Employees.
Number.
Anthracite..................................................................................................
Bituminous....................................................................
Excess of anthracite rate..................................................................
2,015
2,519
5
5
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
2.48
1.98
.50
®According to the Pennsylvania Department of Mines, “ there are pumpmen
in the bituminous mines, but they are likely to be reported as ‘ other outside
employees/ ”
600
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
The fatality rate among outside foremen and their assistants in
anthracite mining was 0.50 per 1,000 in excess o f the corresponding
rate for bituminous miners. The actual number o f deaths is too
small for safe conclusions as to the causes responsible for fatal acci
dents among foremen and assistants in anthracite or bituminous
mines.
BLACKSMITHS AND CARPENTERS.
The fatal accident rates o f blacksmiths and carpenters employed
outside o f mines, but in connection therewith, are set forth in the
table below:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S OF B L A C K S M I T H S A N D C A R P E N T E R S IN
M IN ES IN P EN N SYLVAN IA, FOR T H E PE R IO D 1904 TO 1908.
COAL
Fatal accidents.
Kind of mine.
Employees.
Number.
Anthracite..................................................................................................
Bituminous................................................................................................
Excess of anthracite rate.........
................................ ................
13,595
12,040
21
4
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
1.54
.33
1.21
The fatality rate o f blacksmiths and carpenters in anthracite min
ing was 1.21 per 1,000 in excess o f the corresponding rate for bitu
minous mining. The rate for the anthracite coal field is decidedly
excessive, but due, in part, no doubt, to hazardous exposure under
ground, although these occupations are always classified as outside
mine labor. No returns in detail by causes are available for the bitu
minous coal field, but out o f 36 carpenters killed in anthracite mining
in Pennsylvania during the decade ending with 1908, 33.3 per cent
were killed by mine cars, 5.6 per cent by fall of coal or roof, 5.6 per
cent by falls into shafts, and 8.3 per cent by machinery. There were
two deaths caused by powder and dynamite and one by electricity. It
is evident that mine “ carpenters ” are quite seriously exposed to the
general accident liability o f underground workers, and it is quite
probable that they often perform duties more or less identical with the
duties o f timbermen.
601
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
ENGINEERS AND FIREMEN.
The fatality rates o f engineers and firemen in anthracite and bitu
minous coal mining are set forth in the table which follow s:
FA TA L -A C C ID E N T R A TE S OF E N G IN E E R S A N D F I R E M E N IN COAL M INES IN
PEN N SYLVAN IA, FOR TH E P E R IO D 1904 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
Kind of mine.
Employees.
Number.
Anthracite..................................................................................................
Bituminous................................................................................................
28,206
14,780
24
7
Excess of anthracite rate.................................................................
Rate per
1,000 em
ployees.
0.85
.47
.38
The excess in the fatality rate of engineers and firemen in anthracite
mining is 0.38 per 1,000 over the corresponding rate in bituminous
mining. The causes o f fatal accidents among engineers in anthracite
and bituminous coal mining during the decade ending with 1908 are
given in the table below. The corresponding information for fire
men is only available for the anthracite region and requires to be
separately discussed.
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS AMONG E N G IN E E R S IN P E N N SY LVA N IA A N T H R A C IT E A N D
BITUM IN OU S COAL M INES, B Y CAUSES, FOR T H E P E R IO D 1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents in—
Cause.
Anthracite mines.
Bituminous mines.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate...............................................................
Fall into shaft, slope, or manway..................................................
Mine cars..........................................................................................
Outside cars.....................................................................................
Machinery........................................................................................
Miscellaneous...................................................................................
1
4.8
5
2
11
2
23.8
9.5
52.4
9.5
1
2
7.7
15.4
3
7
23.1
53.8
Total.......................................................................................
21
100.0
13
100.0
As far as reported, the chief cause o f fatalities among engineers
employed in surface work o f coal mining has been machinery, caus
ing 52.4 per cent o f the deaths o f engineers in the anthracite and
23.1 per cent in the bituminous coal field. The next most important
cause has been mine cars and outside cars among engineers o f the
anthracite district. The number o f deaths is too small for a safe
conclusion. As far as it is possible to judge, the fatal accident risk
o f engineers is primarily a true occupation hazard resulting from the
nature o f the employment, but many, i f not most, o f these accidents
could be prevented by properly safeguarding machinery in motion,
602
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
gearing, shafting, belting, etc. It would seem to speak well for the
safety o f mine power plants that no deaths due to boiler explosions
should have occurred among the 34 engineers killed during a whole
decade o f active mine development, but, as a matter o f fact, such
accidents have been the chief cause o f death among firemen employed
in anthracite mining. Out of 22 deaths o f firemen from all causes
in the anthracite coal district during the 10 years ending with 1908,
there were 10 deaths due to boiler explosions, or 45.5 per cent of the
total number killed. (°) Among other causes were machinery, with
13.6 per cent, and outside car accidents also with 13.6 per cent; but
the number of deaths is too small for a safe conclusion.
SLATE PICKERS.
Slate pickers employed in the breakers are not reported for the
bituminous coal region, but the occupation is one o f considerable in
terest, considering the youth o f the employees. During the 5 years
ending with 1908 there occurred 79 fatal accidents to slate pickers
in the anthracite region o f Pennsylvania among 77,955 exposed to
risk one year, or 1.01 per 1,000. The cause o f fatal accidents among
122 slate pickers killed during the decade ending with 1908 has been
as follow s:
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS AMONG SLATES P IC K E R S IN PE N N SY L V A N IA A N T H R A C IT E
COAL M IN ES, B Y CAUSES, FOR T H E P E R IO D 1899 TO 1908.
Cause.
Fatal accidents in
anthracite mines.
Number. Percent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate...................................................................................................
Fall into shaft, slope, or manway..................................................................... ................
Mine cars.............................................................................................................................
Asphyxiation......................................................................................................................
Electricity........................................................ •.....................................................
Outside cars............................................................................................................
Machinery........................................................................................................................
Miscellaneous............................................................................................
2
11
20
15
1
1
59
13
1.6
9.0
16.4
12.3
.8
.8
48.4
10.7
Total...........................................................................................................................
122
100.0
The preceding table is most interesting and instructive. The chief
duties o f slate pickers in breakers consist in picking out the pieces
o f slate mixed in with the coal, which has previously been reduced
to various sizes. The coal, as a rule, is conveyed on endless belt
ing and passes before the boy, who rapidly picks out the slate and
throws it away. The danger due to machinery is very considerable
as most of it is imperfectly guarded. O f the 122 deaths o f slate
pickers, 48.4 per cent were due to machinery. This is most sug
aSee article by F. S. Crum in The Spectator, New York, October 27, 1910,
entitled “ Some comparative statistics of boiler explosions.”
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
603
gestive and clearly emphasizes the true occupation risk in this occupa
tion. Some slate pickers are employed underground, no doubt, but
the deaths due to fall o f coal or rock, falls into shafts, slopes, or man
ways, accidents caused by mine cars, are all probably the result o f
needless or accidental risk exposure, and not primarily due to an
inherent occupation hazard. The extraneous risk naturally arises
out o f propinquity and can be guarded against only by the enforce
ment o f stringent rules against the admission o f other than under
ground workers to the underground workings, including the shafts,
etc. There can be no question o f doubt that a large proportion of
the deaths o f slate pickers are avoidable, and considering the youth
o f the employees it is particularly urgent that everything proper
should be done to make such accidents impossible. Out of 122 slate
pickers killed in anthracite mining, 47, or 38.5 per cent, were under
15 years o f age and 52.5 per cent were between 15 and 19 years o f age.
In other words, 91 per cent o f the workers were mere boys, or per
sons under 20 years o f age. The boys were largely o f foreign birth
or foreign parentage, and only 42.8 per cent were native born.
Among the foreign nativities, 13.2 per cent were Poles, 8.8 per cent
Italians, and 5.5 per cent Slavs. Ignorance o f language, methods,
and customs no doubt have also an important bearing upon the rela
tively high degree o f accident frequency among this class of labor in
anthracite mining.
COKE EMPLOYEES.
Coke employees are found only in the bituminous coal field. Out
o f 55,975 coke workers exposed to risk only 12, or 0.21 per 1,000,
were killed by accidents. The rate is the lowest for any class o f labor
specifically dealt with in the report o f the mine inspector o f the State.
The occupation is one which should hardly be classed with mining,
but it is customary to do so. The theoretical accident risk is con
siderable, particularly to asphyxiation, gas explosion, burns, and
falls, but in practice few fatalities occur. The occupation has never
been fully inquired into by mining or labor bureaus, but in view o f
the large amount o f labor employed therein and the new risk arising
out o f the extensive development o f by-product coke ovens, the em
ployment is one which should be fully reported upon by those
qualified to do so.(a)
For other specific occupations in coal mining the information re
quired for the calculation o f fatality rates is not available at the
present time and they are, therefore, grouped as miscellaneous. The
term is o f no practical significance and comparison o f the rates would
aAn extended discussion, historical and descriptive, of coke-making processes,
including by-product ovens, and a bibliography, is contained in Bulletin No. 65
o f the Bureau o f the Census, on Coke, Washington, 1907.
604
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
be o f no value. F or most o f the occupations, however, the facts are
available to show the proportionate distribution of causes, and these
are briefly considered in the following summary:
BOTTOM MAN.
This occupation is reported only from the anthracite coal region
and in the 10 years ending with 1908 there have been 16 deaths, o f
which 10, or 62.5 per cent, were due to mine cars, while 5, or 31.3 per
cent, were due to either fall of coal or rock, or falls into shafts. (•)
BRAKEMEN.
In the anthracite region there occurred 16 deaths o f brakemen em
ployed by coal-mining companies during 1899 to 1908, and o f these 15,
or 93.7 per cent, were due to mine cars and 1, or 6.3 per cent, to elec
tricity. In the bituminous coal field occurred 17 deaths o f brakemen,
o f which 9, or 52.9 per cent, were due to mine cars; 5, or 29.4 per cent,
to explosions o f gas or dust; and 3, or 17.7 per cent, to miscellaneous
causes.
CAGERS.
This occupation was specifically reported as such only for the
bituminous coal fields, although deep shafts are rare in that section.
There were 13 deaths o f cagers during the decade ending with 1908,
o f which none occurred in combination with shaft accidents, but 5,
or 38.5 per cent, were due to gas or dust explosion, and 2, or 15.4 per
cent, to mine cars.
CHARGE MEN.
Charge men were reported only for the anthracite coal field, and
in ten years only three deaths occurred in this occupation. b) The
causes were: One death due to fall o f coal or roof, 1 to dynamite
and powder, and 1 to miscellaneous cause.
CUTTERS.
This term in all probability includes men employed in the cutting
o f coal by machines only and the number of deaths should perhaps
have been included in machine runners, which would, have mate
rially increased the death rate for that group. Cutters were reported
only from the bituminous coal region, and during the decade there
have been 31 deaths, o f which 25, or 80.6 per cent, were caused by gas
or dust explosion, 4 by fall o f coal or roof, and 2 by mine cars.
« According to the Pennsylvania Department o f Mines, “ a bottom man’s duty
is to hitch cars on and unhitch cars at bottom o f slope.”
6 According to the same department, “ a charge man is a shot firer, or one who
charges the blast.”
605
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
FOOTMEN.
Footmen were reported only for the anthracite area.(a) In the 10
years ending with 1908 there have been 39 deaths from all causes,
o f which 16, or 41.5 per cent, were caused by mine cars; 9, or 23 per
cent, by falls into shafts, slope, or manway; 4, or 10.2 per cent, by
fall o f coal or roof; and 11, or 25.8 per cent, by other causes.
LOADERS.
This occupation has been considered under machine loaders, but
the number employed otherwise as loaders is not returned, so that the
fatality rate can not be calculated. In the anthracite region there
have been 79 deaths o f loaders, o f which 58.2 per cent were due to
mine cars and 11.4 per cent to fall o f coal, rock, or slate. Outside
cars caused 12.7 per cent o f the deaths from all causes, and explosions
o f gas and dust, powder, dynamite, or blast, and asphyxiation 6.3 per
cent. In the bituminous mines there occurred 640 deaths o f loaders,
o f which 58.1 per cent were caused by fall o f coal or roof. In marked
contrast to the extremely high proportion o f deaths due to mine cars
in anthracite mines, this cause was responsible for only 5.5 per cent in
bituminous mines. In other words, out o f 79 deaths from all causes in
anthracite mining 46 were due to mine cars, while out o f 640 deaths
from all causes in bituminous mines only 35 were due to mine cars.
In further contrast, it appears that, while only 2.5 per cent o f the
deaths o f loaders in anthracite mining were caused by gas or dust
explosion, this cause was responsible for 25.6 per cent in bituminous
mines. Finally, as a most suggestive fact, it is brought out that 31
deaths, or 4.8 per cent o f the deaths from all causes, were the result
o f electricity among loaders in bituminous mining, but no deaths
occurred from electricity in anthracite mining. The details for the
two coal regions are given in full in the table below:
F A T A L ACC ID E N TS AMONG L O A D E R S IN PE N N SY L V A N IA A N T H R A C IT E AND
BITUM IN OU S COAL M INES, B Y CAUSES, FOR T H E P E R IO D 1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents in—
Cause.
Anthracite mines.
Bituminous mines.
Number. Percent. Number. Percent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate.............
Fall into shaft, slope, or manway.
Mine cars..................; ....................
Explosion of gas or dust...............
Asphyxiation.................................
Powder, dynamite, b la st.............
Electricity......................................
Outside cars...................................
Machinery......................................
Miscellaneous.................................
9
1
46
2
1
2
11.4
1.3
58.2
2.5
1.3
2.5
372
5
35
164
3
5
31
58.1
.8
5.5
25.6
.5
.8
4.8
10
2
6
12.7
2.5
7.6
1
24
.2
3.7
Total.....................................
79
100.0
640
100.0
a According to the Pennsylvania Department o f Mines, “ a footman does the
same work as a eager or bottom man.”
606
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
MACHINISTS.
The returns for this occupation are limited to the anthracite coal
field, and only 22 deaths have been reported during the decade under
consideration. The deaths have been chiefly due to powder and
dynamite explosions, or 22.8 per cent, and to falls into shafts, slopes,
or manways, or 13.7 per cent. For a considerable proportion o f the
deaths, 36.5 per cent, no details are given, as they are classed as
miscellaneous.
M0T0RMEN.
The number o f deaths among motormen in the anthracite region
was 18, o f which 15, or 83.3 per cent, were caused by mine cars and 3
by electricity. In the bituminous coal region there occurred 32
deaths o f motormen, o f which 16, or 50 per cent, were caused by
mine cars; 13, or 40.6 per cent, by explosions o f gas and dust; and 3,
or 9.3 per cent, from other causes.
OILERS.
There were 25 deaths o f oilers returned from the anthracite region,
but none from the bituminous. The principal cause o f death was
machinery, causing 44 per cent o f the deaths from all causes. Mine
cars caused 24 per cent o f the total deaths and falls into shafts, etc.,
12 per cent. The principal cause o f death was, therefore, closely
related to the occupational duties o f men in this employment.
BATCHERS.
There were 29 deaths o f men in this occupation in the anthracite
region, but none was reported for the bituminous coal field. (a) O f
the deaths from all causes, 65.6 per cent were caused by mine cars,
17.3 per cent by explosion o f gas and dust, and 17.1 per cent by
miscellaneous causes.
REPAIRMEN.
There were 31 deaths o f repairmen reported for the anthracite
coal field, but none for the bituminous. O f the mortality from all
causes, 35.5 per cent were the result o f mine cars, 22.6 per cent were
due to falls o f coal and roof, 9.7 per cent to explosions o f gas and
dust, 9.7 per cent to machinery, and 6.5 per cent to powder, dynamite,
and blasts.
ROADMEN.
Only 4 deaths o f roadmen were reported from the anthracite coal
fields, o f which 3 were caused by mine cars. ( *6) There were 29 deaths
among men in this occupation in the bituminous coal region, and o f
a According to the Pennsylvania Department o f Mines, “ a patcher is the
driver’s helper, opening doors and doing such work.”
6 According to the same department, “ a roadman lays the tracks and keeps
them in repair.”
607
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
the deaths from all causes 44.8 per cent were due to gas and dust
explosion, 24.1 per cent to falls o f coal or roof, and 20.6 per cent to
mine cars.
ROCKMEN.
The returns for this occupation are limited to the anthracite coal
field. (a) There were 10 deaths from all causes, of which 40 per cent
were caused by falls o f coal or roof, 30 per cent by explosions o f gas
and dust, and 30 per cent by other causes.
SINKERS.
Sinkers, or shaft sinkers, are employed in both anthracite and
bituminous mines, but relatively the occupation is of small importance
in the former. There occurred 13 deaths o f sinkers in anthracite
mining, o f which 46.1 per cent were caused by shaft accidents, and
30.8 per cent by falls o f coal, rock, or slate. In the bituminous coal
field 42.9 per cent of the 14 deaths ivere caused by falls into shafts,
slopes, manways, and the remainder by various causes, most o f which
were not classified.
STARTERS.
There were 15 deaths of men in this occupation reported ( 6) for the
anthracite coal field, but none for the bituminous. O f the deaths of
starters from all causes, 46.7 per cent were due to fall o f coal and
roof and 33.3 per cent to asphyxiation. The remainder were caused
by mine cars and powder or dynamite explosion.
TIMBERMEN.
The details o f the causes of fatal accidents to timbermen in the
anthracite and bituminous coal mining regions are given in the table
below:
F A T A L A CCIDEN TS AMONG T I M B E R M E N IN PE N N SYLVA N IA A N T H R A C IT E AND
BITUM IN OU S COAL MINES, B Y CAUSES, FOR T H E P E RIO D 1899 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents in—
Cause.
Anthracite mines.
Bituminous mines.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Fall of coal, rock, or slate...............................................................
Fall into shaft, slope, manway......................................................
Mine cars..........................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust..................................................................
Powder, dynamite, blast................................................................
Electricity........................................................................................
Miscellaneous...................................................................................
Total.......................................................................................
5
15
9
7.
7
10.9
32.6
19.6
15.2
15.2
3
6.5
46
100.0
7
58.3
4
33.3
1
8.3
12
100.0
a According to the Pennsylvania Department o f Mines, k; a rockman blasts the
rock and sometimes is in charge o f the men doing that work.”
6 According to the same department, “ a starter in the anthracite region is the
man who starts the coal in the manways and chutes when blocked or wedged
between top and sides o f same.”
608
BULLETIN” OF TH E BUBEAU OF LABOR.
Mine timbering is a well-defined occupation, and it is a matter o f
regret that the facts required for the calculation of the fatality rates
in this occupation should not be available. (a) There were 46 deaths of
timbermen in the anthracite region, o f which 32.6 per cent were due
to shaft and slope accidents, 19.6 per cent to mine cars, 15.2 per
cent to gas or dust explosion, and the same proportion to powder,
dynamite, and blast. The proportion o f deaths due to fall o f coal,
rock, or slate was 10.9 per cent and to miscellaneous causes 6.5 per
cent. In the bituminous coal field 58.3 per cent of the deaths were
caused by fall o f coal, rock, or slate, 33.3 per cent by explosion o f gas
and dust, and 8.3 per cent by electricity. The numbers for the
bituminous region are too small for a safe conclusion.
TOPMEN.
There were 14 deaths of topmen in the anthracite region, but
none was reported for the bituminous coal field. O f the deaths of
topmen from all causes, 21.4 per cent were due to falls into shafts,
slopes, or manways, 50 per cent were deaths resulting from mine
cars, and 28.6 per cent were due to miscellaneous causes.
TRACKMEN.
In the anthracite region there occurred 25 deaths o f trackmen,
caused chiefly by mine cars (28 per cent) and fall o f coal or roof
(24 per cent). In the bituminous region there occurred 12 deaths
o f trackmen, caused chiefly by electricity (33.3 per cent), fall o f coal
or roof (25 per cent), explosion o f gas and dust (25 per cent), and
mine cars (16.7 per cent).
TRAPPERS.
In the bituminous mines there occurred 19 deaths o f trappers, but
no deaths in this employment were reported from the anthracite coal
field. ( *6) The causes o f accidents were 52.6 per cent on account o f gas
and dust explosions, 36.9 per cent on account o f mine cars, and 10.5
per cent were due to fall o f coal or roof.
SUMMARY.
In the foregoing analysis it has not been feasible to give full con
sideration to every employment in anthracite and bituminous mining
in Pennsylvania. The analysis is rather suggestive of the method
by which the true fatal accident hazard in the various employments
should be determined and coordinated to the causes responsible for
the accidents. The evidence is conclusive that many mine employa See Company men and also footnote, on p. 593.
6 According to the Pennsylvania Department o f Mines, “ a trapper is a driver’s
helper, in some places called a patcher.” See also p. 606.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
609
ments are subject to an occupation accident rate out of all proportion
to the normal accident hazard in other trades more or less dangerous
to life. It has been shown that the fatality rate among anthracite
miners was 6.58 per 1,000 during the five-year period, while the cor
responding rate among bituminous miners was 3.78. Even higher
rates than these have been experienced in other inside occupations*
It is evident that the general fatality rate of 3.79 for anthracite and
o f 3.34 for bituminous coal mines in Pennsylvania is entirely incon
clusive and rather obscures the true element of risk in present-day
mining experience. It would, therefore, seem o f great practical im
portance that these facts should be dealt with in more detail in the
reports o f mine inspectors than has heretofore been the case, and the
foregoing analysis suggests the most convenient as well as most trust
worthy method by which they can be presented in entire fairness toboth the employer and the employee.
AN ESTIM ATE
OF THE TOTAL LO SS OF LIFE IN COAL MINING IN
NO RTH AMERICA, 1808 TO 1909.
It is only for recent years that the returns of fatal accidents in coal
mining in North America are reasonably accurate and complete. For
earlier years no trustworthy data are available, except for a few
accidents o f historic and exceptional importance. It is possible, how
ever, to estimate the total loss of life in coal mining in North America
during the past 100 years with approximate accuracy upon the known
basis o f coal production, which represents totals of such a colossal
magnitude that the remote possibility of error is not a factor of real
importance.
There are no official records of coal production previous to 1814,
but the production must have been a negligible quantity, since in that
year only 22 tons of anthracite coal were mined in Pennsylvania. It
is, therefore, safe to estimate the coal production as for a period o f
100 years ending with 1908, and the aggregate for the whole
United States is given by the United States Geological Survey as
7,280,940,265 tons. For Canada the production has been officially
reported only since 1874, when 1,063,742 tons were mined in the
settled Provinces o f the Dominion. The aggregate production from
1874 to 1908 was 140,231,601 tons. When these two aggregates are
combined, the total recorded coal production of North America is
7,421,171,866 tons, which, allowing for the not reported production in
Canada previous to 1874, may be considered in round figures as
seven and a half billion tons.
The officially reported fatal accidents in coal mining in North
America from 1866 to 1908, inclusive, numbered 37,020, excepting, o f
62717 ° — No. 90— 10 -------------12
610
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
course, for States and Provinces and years for which the returns are
not available. The corresponding coal production during the years
and in the area for which the fatal accidents have been reported was
6,347,985,581 tons(a) representing 85.5 per cent o f the total production,
estimated at seven and a half billion tons. The average production
per life lost was, therefore, 171,474 tons of coal, and when this ratio is
applied to the total production of seven and a half billion tons the
probable total loss of life in coal mining in North America may be
conservatively estimated at 43,738, or in round numbers as 44,000.
TH E USE OF EXPLOSIVES IN MINES.
Great progress has been made within recent years in the competent
attention which has been given to the use of explosives in mines. The
introduction o f permissible explosives and the compulsory use of such
explosives, to the exclusion o f other powders and nitro compounds,
will unquestionably tend to reduce the dangers and disadvantages
o f mining, with a resulting diminution in the loss o f life. In this
connection, mention may be made of the fact that in England only
1 pound o f explosives is used to every 7 tons o f coal mined, while the
proportion in the State of Illinois in 1908 was 5.4 pounds of powder
for every 7 tons o f coal mined. In England progress has been made
in the use o f permissible explosives to such an extent that about 34 per
cent, by weight, o f the explosives used in British mines in 1908 was
o f the permissible class, the remainder being gunpowder, etc. In
England in 1908 about 15,656,000 shots were fired by electricity,
577.000 by permitted ignited fuses, 10,836,000 by other fuses, and
12.652.000 by squibs. In view of the wide public interest in the ques
tion o f permissible explosives in this country, the following is quoted
concerning the requirements of the British Government, as embodied
in the explosives-in-coal-mines order, including the composition of
the different explosives permitted : ( *6)
T H E EXPLOSIVES ORDER.
Under section 1 o f the order dated February 10, 1910, the use of
explosives, other than “ permitted explosives,” is prohibited in seams
(also the communicating shafts or drifts in process o f being driven)
in which dangerous quantities o f inflammable gas have been found
within the previous three months. This prohibition extends to coal
mines which are not naturally wet throughout, permitted explosives
only having to be used on roads and in dry and dusty parts o f the
mine (also communicating shafts in drifts in process of being driven).
a See Table X X IX of the appendix.
6 See Use of Explosives in British Coal M ines: Engineering and Mining Jour
nal, September 24, 1910, p. 613.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
611
Section 2 sets forth the conditions to be observed in such coal mines
or parts: (a) Charges have to be fixed by a competent person called
the shot firer, who is appointed, in writing, by the owner, agent, or
manager, and whose wages do not depend on the mineral output.
(&) Charges have to be placed in properly drilled shot holes, must
have sufficient stemming, and in each case consist o f cartridge or car
tridges o f one description o f explosive only. ( c ) Cartridges have to
be marked in the manner set forth in the schedules. ( d ) Cartridges
have to be fired by efficient electrical apparatus inclosed to afford
reasonable security against gas ignitions, or by a permitted igniter
fuse. ( e ) In firing, a cable not less than 20 yards in length has to
be used, the shot firer himself coupling up the cable to the charge
before coupling the cable to the firing apparatus. He is required
first to see that persons in the vicinity have taken proper shelter, and
in the event o f a missfire he must immediately disconnect the cable
from the firing apparatus. ( / ) The electrical firing apparatus must
be provided with a removable handle or safety plug or push button, to
be placed in position or operated only when the shot is required to be
fired and released immediately after firing, the handle or safety plug
to be in the personal custody o f the shot firer on duty. (<7) Each ex
plosive has to be used in the manner and subject to conditions pre
scribed in the schedules. ( h ) When two or more shots are fired in
the same place, and are not fired simultaneously, the shot firer must
examine for gas immediately before firing each shot; he must not fire
until the place and all contiguous places within 20 yards are free
from gas and safe for firing.
Section 3 prohibits the use o f any explosive in main haulageways
and intakes beyond 100 yards o f the coal face unless all workmen
have been removed from the seam in which the shot is to be fired, and
from all seams communicating with the shaft on the same level, except
the men engaged in firing the shot, and other persons (not exceeding
10 ) necessarily engaged in attending to furnaces, boilers, engines,
machinery, etc., or in inspecting the mine— or unless a permitted
explosive is used as required by section 2 , and the roof, floor, and
sides o f the road or intake, within a distance o f 20 yards, is at the
time of firing thoroughly wet, either naturally or from the application
o f water.
DETONATORS M U S T BE U N D E R CONTROL OF M A N A G E R .
In accordance with section 4, detonators must be under the control
o f the owner, agent, or manager, or person appointed in writing by
the same. They may be issued only to shot firers or other persons
authorized in writing, who must keep the detonators, until about to
be used, in a locked case or box separate from other explosives.
Mines o f clay and ironstone are exempted from sections 1, 2 , and 3
o f the order; also shafts in course of being sunk from the surface, or
deepened, or drifts and other outlets being driven from the surface,
except as provided in section 1. The order applies to each seam in a
mine as if it were a seperate seam.
Conditions regulating the manner of use and manufacture and
marking o f each explosive are given and must be observed. Alto
gether the explosives in the first schedule number 62, and it is claimed
612
BULLETIN" OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
that during the time the order has applied to the mines o f Great
Britain the death rate from explosions has been reduced one-half or
more. Selecting the 10 [nine] most commonly used o f the permitted
explosives, they consist o f mixtures as shown in the accompanying
table:
Composition of permitted explosives.
Parts by
weight.
Ingredients.
P a r ts b y
w e ig h t.
I n g r e d ie n t s .
Not
Not
less
more
than— than—
Ammonite:
Nitrate of ammonium.............
Di-nitronaphthalene..............
Moisture...................................
89
13
0.5
87
11
Arkite:
Nitroglycerin..........................
Nitro-cotton.............................
Nitrate of potassium...............
Wood meal...............................
Chalk........................................
Oxalate of ammonium............
56
4
23
8
0.5
16
51
3
21
6
Bellite:
Nitrate of ammonium.............
Di-nitrobenzol........................
Moisture...................................
95
8
0.75
92
5
Bobbinite:
Nitrate of potassium...............
Charcoal...................................
Sulphur....................................
Rice or maize starch...............
Paraffin wax............................
Moisture...................................
66
2p. 5
2.5
9
3.5
3
63
18.5
1.5
7
2.5
Carbonite:
Nitroglycerin..........................
Nitrate of barium....................
Nitrate of potassium...............
Wood meal...............................
Sulphuretted benzol...............
Carbonate of sodium...............
27
36
36
42
0.5
0.5
25
30
30
39
14
N ot
m ore
th a n —
C a r b o n i t e — C o n c lu d e d .
C a r b o n a t e o f c a l c i u m .....................
T h e w o o d m e a l t o c o n ta in n o t
m o re th a n 20 p er c e n t an d
n o t le s s t h a n 1 0 p e r c e n t ,
b y w e ig h t, o f m o is tu r e .
N ot
le ss
th a n —
0 .5
M on obel pow der:
N i t r a t e o f a m m o n i u m ...................
N i t r o g l y c e r i n ......................................
W o o d m e a l ( d r ie d a t 1 0 0 ° C . ) . .
M o is t u r e ...................................................
82
11
10
2 .5
78
9
8
0 .5
R ip p ite :
N i t r o g l y c e r i n ......................................
N i t r o - c o t t o n ..........................................
N i t r a t e o f p o t a s s i u m ......................
O x a l a t e o f a m m o n i u m ..................
C a s t o r o i l .................................................
W o o d m e a l ( d r ie d a t 1 0 0 ° C . ) . .
M o is t u r e ...................................................
6 2 .5
4 .5
20
11
1 .5
5 .5
1
5 9 .5
3 .5
18
9
0 .5
3 .5
89
13
2
0 .5
86
9
96
6
9 .5
94
4
R o b u r ite N o . 3:
N i t r a t e o f a m m o n i u m ...................
D i - n i t r o b e n z o l ...................................
C h lo r o -n a p h t h a le n e .........................
M o is t u r e ...................................................
T h e c h lo r o -n a p h t h a l e n e t o
c o n t a in n o t m o r e t h a n 1
p a r t o f c h lo r in e .
W e s tp h a lite N o . 1:
N i t r a t e o f a m m o n i u m ...................
R e s i n ...........................................................
M o is t u r e ...................................................
CHRONOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF TH E PRINCIPAL MINE DISASTERS IN
N O R TH AMERICA.
The record o f mine disasters which have occurred in the history
o f coal mining in North America is not complete. The magnitude
o f an accident is, o f course, not necessarily measured by the loss of
life, since many serious accidents have occurred which were, fortu
nately, not accompanied by a loss o f life or serious injury to the
employees. Most of the accidents causing a considerable loss o f life
are the result o f gas or dust explosion, but in some cases a considerable
loss of life has resulted from the cave-in of mines, or the flooding, due
to an onrush o f water, or other causes. The following list is as nearly
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
613
complete as it is possible to make it by an extended research into the
literature o f mining operations in North America:
CHRONOLOGICAL L IST OF P R IN C IP A L COAL M INE D ISA STE R S IN NORTH
AM ERICA.
Y ear.
1869
1873
1880
18 8 0
1883
1883
1884
1884
1884
1884
1885
D a te .
S e p t ..............
M ar. 2 9 ....
F eb . 1 6 ....
N ov. 2 3 ...
J a n . 2 4 ____
F eb . 2 0 ....
M ar. 1 3 . . .
1890
1890
1891
1891
1892
1893
1894
1896
1896
1896
M ay 1 5 ....
J u n e 1 6 ____
J a n . 2 7 ____
F eb. 2 1 ....
J u ly 2 3 . . . .
Jan. 1 0 ..
F eb . 1 3 ....
F eb . 1 8 ....
M a r . 2 3 ____
June 2 8 . . .
1899
June 1 6 . . .
1899
1899
1899
1899
1900
1900
1900
1901
D e c . 1 0 ____
D ec. 2 3 ....
D e c . 2 3 ____
M a r . 6.......
M a y 1 ..........
N ov. 2 ....
F e b . 1 5 ....
1901
1901
1901
1901
M a r . 2.......
M ay 1 5 ....
J u n e 1 0 ____
S e p t. 3 0 . . .
1902
J a n . 1 4 ____
1902
1902
1902
J a n . 2 5 ____
M a y 1 9 ____
M a y 22___
N a m e o f m i n e , or lo c a lit y ,
a n d S ta te.
A v o n d a l e , P a .........................
D r u m m o n d , N o v a S c o tia
R i c h h i l l , M o ............................
F o r t P it t, N o v a S c o t i a ..
B r a i d w o o d , 111.......................
K e t t l e C r e e k , P a ..................
C r e s te d B u t t e , C o l o ...........
W e s t L e i s e n r i n g , P a ____
P o c a h o n ta s m in e , W .V a .
J o h n s t o w n m i n e , P a _____
M cB eam
m in e , N o v a
S c o t i a ........................................
A s h l e y m i n e , P a ..................
H i l l F a r m m i n e , P a ..........
M a m m o t h m i n e , P a ..........
S p r i n g H i l l , N o v a S c o tia
Y o r k F a r m m i n e , P a ____
C o m o , C o lo ................................
G a y l a n d , P a ............................
V u l c a n m i n e , C o l o ..............
B e r w i n d m i n e , P a ..............
T w i n S h a ft m in e , P it ts t o n , P a ....................................
C a le d o n i a m i n e , N o v a
S c o t i a ........................................
C a rb o n a d o m in e , W a s h .
B r a z e l la m i n e , P a ...............
S u m n e r m i n e , P a ................
N o r t h C a r o lin a ......................
R e d A s h m in e , W . V a . .
S c h o f i e l d , U t a h .....................
B e r r y b u r g , W . V a ...............
U n io n
m in e
N o.
6,
B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a ............
D i a m o n d m i n e , W y o ____
C h a t h a m , W . V a ..................
P o r t R o y a l m i n e , P a ..........
E x t e n s io n m in e , B r itis h
C o l u m b i a ..............................
M ilb y a n d D o w e m in e ,
I n d . T ......................................
L o s t C reek m in e , I o w a .. .
F r a t e r v i l l e , T e n n .................
F e r n ie
m in e ,
B r it i s h
C o l u m b i a ..............................
L iv e s
lo s t.
179
73
23
44
69
17
59
19
114
14
13
26
31
109
125
15
24
13
49
13
58
11
33
20
19
22
46
20 0
15
63
28
10
20
Year
D a te .
1907
1908
1908
1908
1908
1909
1909
Johnstown, Pa...............
Park City, Utah............
Bowen No. 3 mine, Colo.
Algoma, W. V a..............
Pnmero, Colo..................
Hanna, W yo...................
Ferguson mine, Pa.........
Harwick mine, P a.........
Zeigler, 111........................
Eleanora shaft, P a.........
Diamond mine. Mo........
Bluefields, W . V a..........
Panther Creek, W . V a ..
Virginia City. Ala...........
Welch, W . Va.................
Rush Run, W . V a .........
Zeigler, 111.......................
Coaldale, W . Va.............
Detroit and Kanawha,
W. Va.
F e b . 8 .......... Parrall mine, W . V a___
M a r . 2 2 . . . . Century, W . Va..............
A p r . 2 1 ____ Trinidad, Colo................
J a n . 2 3 ____
Primero, Colo.................
J a n . 2 6 ____
Penco, mine, W . Va.......
Stuart, W . Va.................
J a n . 2 9 ____
F e b . 4 .......... Thomas mine, W . V a ...
Whipple mine, W . V a ...
M a y 1 ..........
D e c . 1 .......... Naomi mine. P a.............
D e c . 6....... Monongah No. 8 mine,
W . Va.
D e c . 1 9 ____
Darr mine, P a..............
Lick Branch, W . V a___
J a n . 1 2 ____
Mount Lookout, Pa___
M a y 1 ..........
Halley ville. Okla..........
A ug. 2 6 ...
N o v . 2 8 . . . Mariana mine. Pa.........
Lieter mine. Ill.............
J a n . 1 0 ____
N o v . 1 3 . . . St. Paul mine, Cherry,
239
105
12
29
154
26
266
1909
1910
1910
1910
191 0
1910
D ec. 2 8 ....
J a n . 3 1 ____
F e b . 1 ..........
A p r. 2 0 ....
A p r. 2 1 ....
M a y 5.......
Lick Branch, W . V a----Primero, Colo.................
Drakesburg, K y .............
Mulga, Ala......................
Amsterdam mine, Ohio.
Palos, Ala........................
51
75
30
40
16
83
1902
1902
1902
1902
1903
1903
1903
1904
1904
1904
1904
1905
1905
1905
1905
1905
1905
1906
1906
1906
1906
1906
1907
1907
1907
1907
1907
1907
1907
J u ly 1 0 . . . .
J u ly 1 6 . . . .
A u g . 7 -------S ep t. 1 5 ...
J a n . 2 3 ____
J u l y 1 ...........
N ov. 2 1 ...
J a n . 2 5 ____
A p r . 3 ..........
A p r . 2 3 ____
D e c . 1..........
J a n . 4 ...........
J a n . 1 8 ____
F eb. 2 0 ....
F eb . 2 7 ....
M a r . 1 8 -1 9 .
A p r . 3 ..........
J a n . 4 ..........
J a n . 1 8 ____
111 .
16
10
22
184
127
Name of mine, or locality, Lives
and State.
lost.
112
34
16
17
24
235
17
179
53
13
18
22
18
108
15
24
47
22
18
23
23
23
20
12
85
25
16
34
359
The first recorded accident of considerable importance, involving
a loss o f 179 lives, occurred at Avondale, Pa., in September, 1869.
This accident brought about the organization o f the present system of
mine inspection in the State o f Pennsylvania, and in several other
important instances far-reaching improvements in mine legislation
have followed the occurrence of mine disasters of exceptional magni
tude. The accident causing the largest loss of life occurred on De
cember 6 , 1907, at Monongah No. 8 mine, West Virginia, where 359
lives were lost as the result of a gas and dust explosion. In the ag
gregate 78 disasters, ea^h causing a loss of more than 10 lives, involved
a total loss o f 4,671 lives, or 12.6 per cent o f the 37,020 lives officially
reported as having been lost in coal-mining operations in North
America during the period covered by records. The significance of
accidents o f this kind is easily overestimated, but they constitute a
614
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
most serious menace, not only to the employees, but to the industry as
well, on account o f the material destruction o f mine property and the
interference with normal mine production. The fact, however, re
mains that accidents which have attracted national attention consti
tute but a relatively small proportion o f the vast number o f accidents
due to other causes, particularly falls o f coal and roof, which in 1908
were responsible for 44.1 per cent o f the deaths from all causes.
Mine disasters of exceptional seriousness are, however, apparently
increasing. Mine disasters, large or small, require to be reported
upon by qualified authority, and the widest publicity should be given
to the results. While some o f the mine disasters which have occurred
have been reported upon in considerable detail, there is urgent need
o f thoroughly scientific and exhaustive reports, accompanied with
the necessary maps and illustrations. A vast amount o f experience
which would have been decidedly suggestive o f far-reaching im
provement in mining methods has been irrevocably lost because of
indifference to the scientific needs of the problem. Full publicity
should be given to all the facts which have a direct or indirect bear
ing upon the occurrence of mine disasters, as well as upon mine acci
dents in general, so that the true facts may become known and under
stood and the lesson of experience be applied toward the deliberate
purpose o f preventing the occurrence of such disasters and accidents,
as far as this is possible.
The chronological list of coal-mining disasters may be summarized
by periods, with reference to the corresponding coal production and
the fatality rate per million tons of coal mined. Such a comparison
brings out the material increase in risk during recent times compared
with the past, and without a lengthy discussion in detail it may be
stated that during the period 1869-1888 there were 624 lives lost in
the coal-mine disasters referred to in the chronological list, and since
1,592,000,000 tons of coal were mined during this period, the fatality
rate was 0.39 per million tons o f coal mined. During the twenty year
period, 1889-1908, 3,460 lives were lost in the coal mine disasters re
ferred to in the chronological list, and during this period 5,442,000,000
tons o f coal were mined. The fatality rate during this period was,
therefore, 0.64 per million tons o f coal mined. Comparing the rate
o f 0.39 for the first period with 0.64 for the last, there has, therefore,
been an increase in the fatality rate o f 64.1 per cent. The contrast
would have been still more suggestive if only more recent periods had
been considered. It is extremely significant that the frequency of
disasters causing a very considerable loss o f life should have mate
rially increased during recent years, although it must be considered
that the great disasters constitute only about one-eighth o f the
mortality from fatal accidents from all causes in coal mining.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
615
SUMMARY.
It has been the chief object o f the preceding account o f coal-mining
fatalities in the United States and in the Provinces of Canada to
assemble in a convenient form the essential facts of past mining
experience in order to emphasize the industrial and social importance
o f a problem which vitally concerns the welfare of some 700,000
workmen engaged in the mining of anthracite and bituminous coal.
The risk factor o f this industry is only approximately indicated by
an average fatality rate of 3.11 per 1,000 for the twenty-year period
ending with 1908, but the true degree of hazard is clearly brought
out by the analysis of the returns for the several States, mining dis
tricts, and particular occupations, in some of which the fatality rate
attains to almost incredible proportions. Compared with other im
portant coal-mining countries o f the world the fatality rate in North
America is decidedly higher, or, for illustration, 3.13 per 1,000 for
the decade ending with 1906 against 1.29 per 1,000 for the United
Kingdom, 1.35 for Austria, 1.81 for France, and 2.13 for Prussia.
This contrast in the fatality rate reflects seriously upon American
mining methods and conditions, more or less responsible for the
occurrence of accidents, which, by every standard of conservative
mining, are largely though not of course entirely preventable. The
analysis by causes draws attention to conditions which are clearly
traceable to indifference and neglect in mining methods as well as to a
general disregard of the lessons of past experience. The appalling
loss o f life is inadequately measured by the more than 40,000 deaths
officially reported to have been caused by coal-mining accidents in
North America, for in addition to these there has been a vast amount
o f bodily injury through accidents not immediately fatal, but many
o f which, unquestionably, must have diminished the normal after
lifetime o f mine employees by many years.
Aside from the loss of life and bodily injury, there is also the
larger question of dependent survivors of mine-accident victims, in
cluding not only widows and orphans, but other members of the
family. The social loss by mine accidents is unquestionably of very
serious proportions, even though the direct evidence may not be
obtainable from the returns of poor relief departments or other official
sources.
Aside from the question of social dependence resulting from coal
mining casualties, the present inquiry brings out the needless waste
o f life in the mining of anthracite and bituminous coal. The average
age at death of the men killed by accidents during 1908 was only 31.8
years, but some o f the persons killed were mere boys, as young as 13
and 14 years, while there were also men who had passed beyond
threescore and ten. The extended consideration o f individual mine
616
BULLETIN OE THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
accidents in the State o f Illinois emphasizes the general aspects of
the question o f prevention which has not received the consideration
required to bring about a material improvement and a reduction in
the fatality rate. A single mine disaster causes the loss of a con
siderable number o f lives and, therefore, attracts national attention,
although from 1869 to 1910 the loss o f life by such disasters in the
aggregate represented only 12.6 per cent of the total loss of life ; but
the vast majority o f accidents occur singly or in small groups, and
thus fail to attract proper attention, even in the localities in which
they occur. Heretofore most of the consideration of mineowners
and managers has been toward the prevention o f mine disasters, since
it is these that involve not only a loss of life, but invariably a con
siderable destruction of mine property. The accidents due to falls of
roof or coal or slate and to mine cars, as well as to the reckless or
improper use o f explosives and to many other causes, rarely involve
a material destruction of mine property. This, however, does not
fully justify the fact that such accidents receive merely incidental
consideration in the reports of mine inspectors.
The problem of safety in coal mining is no doubt a much more
complex and difficult one in the United States and in Canada than
perhaps in any other coal mining field in the world. Within recent
years the production o f coal has greatly increased and new fields
have been opened, regardless of the quality of the available labor
supply. Economy in production and safety in operation have been
o f secondary consideration to the chief purpose of rapidly marketing
coal in large quantities at a minimum cost of production. Mining
methods are often crude, and known safety precautions are disre
garded or not used at all. Child-labor laws have been, and still are,
indifferently complied with in many States and a number o f fatali
ties occur each year among children at an age when they should be
in school. Foreign-born workmen, without actual experience in min
ing, are employed in large numbers, and through misunderstanding
o f orders or by reckless disregard of the necessary rules of operation,
often imperil not only their own lives, but also the lives of the trained
and experienced workers. In this connection it may be stated that a
recent report o f the United States Immigration Commission shows
that at the present time the mining community in the Pennsylvania
bituminous field is composed chiefly o f the foreign-born who have
been in the United States only a short time. O f the 37,016 indi
viduals studied, 40.3 per cent had been in the United States less than
five years, and 29 per cent less than ten years. The foreigners, more
over, were not miners abroad, but were in most instances farmers or
farm laborers, nearly three-fifths belonging to the latter class in a
group o f 17,246 individuals selected for special study.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINING.
617
Regarding this showing by the Immigration Commission it was
pointed out, in a mining periodical, with particular reference to the
view that accidents are largely confined to those who have had no
mining experience, that—
Practically none o f the southern Europeans had been miners
abroad. This condition undoubtedly has had its effect in enlarging
the proportion o f mine accidents, and the commission shows, by data
drawn from State investigations and elsewhere in conjunction with
its own figures for racial distribution, that accidents were probably
more numerous in those regions where the inexperienced immigrants
were found. (a)
These conclusions are confirmed by the results of the present in
vestigation and in particular by the analysis of the statistical data
for the State of West Virginia, and the accidents in detail for the
State o f Illinois. The chief difficulty is not so much, apparently,
the ignorance o f the English language as ignorance of mining meth
ods and the almost utter lack o f discipline on the part of many of
the foreign-born miners, of whom the large proportion have been in
the United States only a comparatively short period of time. But
lack o f discipline and disregard of mining rules and regulations is
not confined to the foreign-born miners, nor even to those of the more
recent immigrant class. In the case of the Cherry mine disaster,
causing the loss of 266 lives, the verdict of the coroner’s jury was in
part that “ we find that they [the men who lost their lives in the
third seam] came to their death by explosion and suffocation. We
further find that the mining laws of the State of Illinois, in relation
to means o f escape, were violated, with the full knowledge and con
sent o f the mine inspectors of District No. 2 .”
The true responsibility for many mining accidents is primarily
the willful disregard of mine rules and regulations and failure of
full compliance with the laws enacted for the safeguarding o f life
and limb in mining operations. The following argument in favor
o f the enforcement o f existing laws, rather than the enactment of
additional mining legislation, is from the Engineering and Mining
Journal o f September 8, 1906:
Every operator and mine manager should be held closely responsi
ble for any violation of existing laws, and when found guilty should
receive personal punishment. But let those who are considering
this question not throw all the blame upon the management and
ignore the responsibility o f the employee. To point out the latter it
is necessary only to call attention to the many accidents resulting
from the negligence of the miner, or his willful disregard o f the care
fully prescribed rules intended to insure his safety.
There is a general opinion among colliery engineers that the num
ber o f mining accidents is too great and should be reduced. The
« Engineering and Mining Journal, September 3, 1910, p. 468.
618
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
remedy most often suggested is stricter legislation and a more rigid
enforcement o f the law. This, however, will not accomplish the
desired result unless the mine managers themselves require strict
observance on the part of the foreman, and the latter compel absolute
obedience by the miners. I f in conjunction with such a policy the
miners’ unions will strongly support the mine authorities in their
attitude, recognizing the fact that criminal neglect on the part of
their members should be punished, we will begin to approach the
matter in an effective way.
One mine inspector states that 24 out o f 48 nonfatal explosions in
his district were caused by miners acting in direct contravention o f
regulations. Another instance shows that 47 injuries were suffered
by workmen who were careless with regard to retiring to a place
o f safety during shot firing. In West Virginia alone during 1905
there were 14 fatalities resulting from the mishandling of powder
and dynamite. Six men were seriously injured by premature blasts
or the excessive use o f dynamite, while many other accidents were
caused by carelessness in handling lights, approaching gas, etc. In
nearly all cases innocent persons suffer with the reckless and in a
way pay the price of his neglect. Such being the case, it is reasonable
to "believe that nothing will more effectually tend to lessen mine
accidents than the effective education o f the miners themselves.
It also can not be questioned but that our miners are in urgent need
of better training for their responsible duties than is obtained by the
present let-alone policy of indifferent supervision and ineffective
control. Not only do the miners themselves require better education,
but there is even greater need of better training of foremen, super
intendents, and examiners. What can not be obtained by an im
provement in this direction can, to a certain extent at least, be
brought about by better legislation. Progress is being made in this
direction, and within the last few years some States have enacted
laws for the safety o f mine management, of which the following
summary o f legislation for 1908-1909 is suggestive of practical meth
ods by which good results are certain to be achieved:
The Oklahoma statutes direct the preparation and furnishing of
maps, prescribed methods o f working, the provision of two exits, of
travel ways around shafts, the supply of shields for mining machines,
o f speaking tubes, the supply of timbers, the installation of electric
wires, the construction of shelter holes along travel ways, require
wash rooms to be furnished, supplies to be provided for first aid in
case o f injury by accident, direct the employment of shot firers and
o f mine foremen where more than ten workmen are employed, and
regulate the construction and operation of hoists and the use of ex
plosives. The weighing and screening of coal are regulated, and the
employment o f convicts in mines is prohibited. An inspector of
mines is to be elected, and the State divided into three districts, each
with an assistant inspector, such assistants also to be chosen by popu
lar vote from and after 1910. The [mining] laws of Oklahoma re
late principally to coal mining,
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
619
Laws relating to mine inspectors were passed in several States, in
cluding Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, and Wyoming. The
Kentucky statute provided for two additional inspectors in the State,
and requires all inspectors to pass an examination to determine their
competency before being appointed. In Montana also the inspector
must pass an examination before appointment, this provision being
substituted for the earlier requirement o f graduation from a school
o f mines.
The Nevada law created the office o f inspector o f coal mines, the
incumbent to have had seven years’ experience in underground work
ings ; he is given authority to enter and inspect mines, order changes,
and to investigate accidents, and annual reports are required to be
made to the governor of the State.
The law o f Ohio provides for the appointment of three additional
inspectors, making the number of inspectors and inspection districts
10, instead o f 7, as before; the chief inspector must have had five
years’ experience and be acquainted with the uses and dangers of
electricity in mines. The same act directs that at least quarterly
inspections be made, instead of “ as often as possible,” as in the earlier
la w ; a map or plan must also be furnished for each vein worked, and
more efficient provisions were enacted for the securing of ventilation.
This law also directs that shaft men be employed to attend hoists,
that self-dumping cages be not used unless they can be securely
locked, and that shelter holes be furnished for the use o f door boys.
Other statutes were enacted covering a variety o f details connected
with the operation of mines, the use of explosives, the handling of
workmen, etc. Thus a statute o f Kansas regulates blasting, prohibit
ing the use o f dynamite except under rules agreed upon by employers
and employees and approved by the state mine inspector; employees
are not to be sent into any sinking shaft or development work after
a charge o f dynamite or other detonating explosive has been fired,
until the smoke and gases are removed. Another statute of this
State directs the sprinkling cr removal o f dust from mines, requires
all drill cuttings to be removed at least 15 feet before shots are fired,
and prohibits the use of coal drillings for tamping.
Mine explosives are the subject of an Ohio statute which regulates
the sale, storage, size of packages, and the locking and opening of
boxes containing explosives used or to be used in mines; the tamping
o f charges and the firing of shots are also regulated by this law.
Semiweekly inspections o f ropes, cages, catches, brakes, etc., used
for hoisting men are directed by a statute of Missouri, the reports of
such inspection to be recorded. Another statute o f the same State
requires shaft men to be employed where men are hoisted, regardless
o f the power used, instead of only where steam is used as a motive
power, as provided in an earlier law.
A statute o f Ohio directs the insulation of electric wires and the
installation o f shields on mining machines. A Wyoming statute pro
vides for the sprinkling o f dusty places, and the monthly removal of
accumulations o f dust, including slack, machine cuttings, and track
cleanings.
The exclusive use o f safety lamps, magnetic locked, air locked, or
lead locked, is prescribed in gaseous mines in the State o f Washing
ton, except by superintendents, foremen, and certain designated em
620
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
ployees, who may use other lamps of a type approved by the state
mine inspector. Safety lamps are to be the property of the operator
o f the mine. Other laws o f this State provide that weekly measure
ments o f the quantity of air furnished for ventilation are to be made,
and a record thereof kept; and amend the laws relative to maps,
plans, etc., directing signboards to be placed at the intersection of
ways, so as to indicate the most direct means o f exit from the
mines. (a)
A ll o f these enactments are in the direction o f greater safety and
security in the mining of coal. The laws are suggestive, however,
rather as a recognition of dangerous conditions than of a clear under
standing as to the best methods and means by which the desired end
can be achieved. It is evident that, regardless o f the legislation
'which has heretofore been enacted chiefly for the same purpose, the
fatality rate in American coal mines has increased from year to year
until it has now attained to proportions exceeding the rate of any
other coal-mining field in the world.
We have never made in this country a thorough inquiry into the
whole subject o f mine disasters, such as have been made in England
and other foreign countries from time to time. The most important
and conclusive of these is the investigation of the British royal
commission on mines, appointed in 1906, which has thus far pub
lished two final and a number of highly important special reports,
including a large amount of evidence o f great practical value. No
American inquiry, aided by expert ability o f the highest order, has
been made to determine the proper methods o f ventilation suitable
to coal mines and the most effective methods o f examining for fire
damp. Nor have we inquired with thoroughness and impartiality
into the causes and means for preventing accidents from falls of coal
and slate, the innumerable accidents due to mine cars, and the many
which occur in connection with shaft sinking and the ingress and
egress o f miners to and from their place of work.
The whole subject o f the use o f electricity in mines is also of
special interest, as this is unquestionably the cause o f a larger acci
dent liability and mortality than appears from the recorded number
o f accidents conceded to have been so caused. The increasing use
o f electricity involves the risk not only o f death from electric cur
rents, but also the liability to mine explosions as the result of electric
sparks. Electric shot firing has been officially recommended as more
safe than the ordinary method, with the suggestion that this method
be made compulsory in the several States.
What can be done in respect to improved safety in the use o f ex
plosives in coal mines has been shown in the discussion on page 610,
and is an indication o f the methods that should be followed with
a Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor, No. 85, November, 1909.. pp.
468-470.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M INING.
621
regard to all the other elements o f danger which surround the miner’s*
life. The analysis by occupations brings out vividly the varying
hazards of different employments required in connection with coal
mining operations above and below ground, and the tabular statement
o f causes makes it evident that each employment has dangers of its
own which require to be carefully studied and specifically considered
to ascertain, if possible, more effective methods of providing for
increased safety to life and limb.
It may safely be assumed, however, that if the prevention o f mine
accidents were an easy matter the number of casualties would long
since have been reduced to a minimum. The causes responsible for
their occurrence are often extremely complex and highly involved,
and they vary widely with the different coal fields and often with
the different mines in the same field, as well as according to the
method o f mining itself, which is largely conditioned by the depth,
thickness, dip, etc., of the coal bed. What is possible or advantageous
in the Indiana coal field to prevent squeezes due to hard roof and soft
bottom may be difficult, if not impossible, in the anthracite coal
field o f Pennsylvania or the bituminous coal field of Alabama. In
the Hocking Valley field o f Ohio, for illustration, an overlying
stratum o f quicksand makes it impossible to rob pillars and permit
the surface to cave in, which is feasible and practiced in other fields.
In the State o f Washington there are some very steep coal seams,
some o f which pitch as much as 38 degrees, but in which it has not
been impossible to employ coal-punching machines to advantage.
There are differences between the southern and northern coal fields
o f Pennsylvania, which require differences in mining methods, the
placing o f mine timbers, etc., all of which have their relation to
accident liability and occurrence. Thick coal seams, on the whole,
are more difficult or dangerous to work than thin seams, and extreme
care is necessary in their operation to prevent serious accidents from
falls o f roof. The whole question as to whether the long-wall system
is decidedly advantageous and less dangerous than the pillar and
room system is still open to discussion, with particular reference to
the accident liability of the employees.
The mere enumeration of these variations in conditions emphasizes
the complex nature of the accident problem, as it is conditioned by
mining methods which are governed by the nature o f the coal beds
themselves. While the reports of mine inspectors fail to disclose evi
dence o f qualified consideration and expert inquiry into the causes of
accidents and methods of their prevention, the proceedings of mine
institutes and contributions to the technical mining periodicals give
proof o f serious attention to the subject on the part of the mine man
agers, superintendents, foremen, examiners, inspectors, and others.
622
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
Immense progress has been made in many directions, and the results
reflect most favorably upon the skill of American mining engineers
and mine managers, but much remains to be done to reduce the fatal
ity rate to more reasonable proportions than is at present the case.
In recognition o f the seriousness of the problem, the United States
Congress at its last session established a mining bureau, specifically
charged with the duty of making inquiry into the causes o f mine acci
dents and the best methods for accident prevention. The considera
tion of the subject by the technologic branch o f the United States
Geological Survey foreshadows the strictly scientific and impartial
methods o f inquiry by which the causes of mine accidents will be
determined and by which the best methods of accident prevention will
be ascertained and brought to the attention o f mine managers and
mine workers. It is to be hoped that in the future mining bureaus
will give more publicity to the facts and surrounding circumstances of
individual accidents, and that the reports will precisely exhibit the
conditions under which the accidents occurred. A ll the facts which
have a bearing upon the occurrence of mine accidents involving a loss
o f human life should be made a matter o f permanent and accurate
record and should be explained for the information of the public, so
that the sad and sorrowful experience may at least serve the purpose
of paving the way by which similar calamities in the future may
be done away with.
AP P E N D IX
T able I.—NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS OF EACH AGE IN COAL
MINES OF NORTH AMERICA AND AVERAGE AGE OF THOSE KILLED, 1908.
A ge.
1 3 ..........
1 4 ..........
1 5 ..........
1 6 ..........
1 7 ..........
1 8 ..........
1 9 ..........
20
2 1 ..........
2 2 ..........
2 3 ..........
2 4 ..........
2 5 ..........
2 6 ..........
2 7 ..........
2 8 ..........
2 9 ..........
Num
ber of
fa ta l
a c c i
d e n ts.
A ggre
g a te
years
o f life .
Age.
1
9
13
34
38
58
89
70
87
96
75
87
93
100
80
128
46
13
12 6
195
54 4
646
1 ,0 4 4
1 ,6 9 1
1 ,4 0 0
1 ,8 2 7
2 ,1 1 2
1 ,7 2 5
2 ,0 8 8
2 ,3 2 5
2 ,6 0 0
2 ,1 6 0
3 ,5 8 4
1 ,3 3 4
3 0 ...
3 1 ...
3 2 ...
3 3 ...
3 4 ...
3 5 ...
3 6 ...
3 7 ...
3 8 ...
3 9 ...
4 0 ...
4 1 ...
4 2 ...
4 3 ...
4 4 ...
4 5 ...
4 6 ...
T a b l e I I .— N U M B E R
GROUP
IN
OF
COAL
Num
ber of
fa t a l
a c c i
d e n ts.
A ggre
g a te
years
o f life .
A ge.
123
31
83
49
45
88
58
30
73
51
109
9
38
27
26
65
25
3 ,6 9 0
961
2 ,6 5 6
1 ,6 1 7
1 ,5 3 0
3 ,0 8 0
2 ,0 8 8
1 ,1 1 0
2 ,7 7 4
1 ,9 8 9
4 ,3 6 0
369
1 ,5 9 6
1 ,1 6 1
1 ,1 4 4
2 ,9 2 5
1 ,1 5 0
4 7 ...
4 8 ...
4 9 ...
5 0 ...
5 1 ...
5 2 ...
5 3 ...
5 4 ...
5 5 ...
5 6 ...
5 7 ...
5 8 ...
5 9 ...
6 0 ...
6 1 ...
6 2 ...
6 3 ...
F A TA L
M IN E S
A C C ID E N T S
O F
N O R TH
Num
ber of
fa t a l
a c c i
d e n ts.
A ggre
g a te
years
o f life .
17
18
20
40
5
21
14
12
21
11
9
6
5
5
1
6
5
799
864
980
2 ,0 0 0
255
1 ,0 9 2
742
64 8
1 ,1 5 5
616
513
348
295
300
61
37 2
315
TO
PERSONS
A M E R IC A , B Y
Num
ber of
fatal
acci
dents.
Age.
Aggre
gate
years
of life.
64....................
65
....
66
....
67.....................
68.....................
69
....
70
....
71.....................
72.....................
73
....
74
....
75.....................
2
7
128
455
3
1
67
204
69
2
1
142
72
73
1
75
Total...........
2,269
72,254
1
1
Average age.
IN
EACH
31.8
S P E C IF IE D
AGE
O C C U P A T I O N S , 1908.
F a t a l a c c id e n t s t o p e r s o n s o f t h e a g e o f—
O c c u p a t io n .
A s h m a n ___ _______
B a n k m a n ...............
B a r n b o s s ...............
B a t t e r y m e n ..........
B i t t b o y ..................
B l a c k s m i t h ...........
B r a k e m e n ..............
B r a ttic e m e n . . . .
B r e a k e r c le a n e r .
B r i c k l a y e r .............
C a g e r ..........................
C a r c o u p l e r ............
C a r d it c h e r .............
C a r d r o p p e r ..........
C a r p i n c h e r ...........
C a r r e p a ir e r
C a r m a n ..................
C a r p e n t e r ...............
C i v i l e n g in e e r
C o a l p u s h e r ...........
Coke w orker. . . .
C o m p a n y la b o r e r
C om p an y m a n ..
C o n t r a c t o r .............
C h u te t e n d e r .. . .
D oor te n d e r. . . .
D r i v e r .......................
Driver hosts _____
D r u m r u n n e r .. .
D u m p m a n .............
E le c t r i c a l e n g i
n e e r .........................
E le c t r i c i a n ..........
E n g in e e r ..................
N ot
50
30
35
40
45
55
60
15
re
10
20
25
65
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
p o rt
and
and
years
u nder un der under under under under under under under under under
ed.
and
35
40
55
CO
15
20
| 45
50
65
25
30
over.
y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . .y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . yea rn .
1
1
1
1
1
1
8
5
5
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
2
3
3
9
1
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
i
3
1
1
2
14
39
2
2
4
56
2
1
21
1
13
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
8
2
1
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
1
1
i
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
24
5
1
9
7
8
1
1
1
1
1
8
i
l
1
1
2
To
ta l.
4
3
1
3
13
1
2
17
144
9
1
6
1
3
2
i
623
624
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR,
T able II.—NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS IN EACH SPECIFIED AGE
GROUP IN COAL MINES OF NORTH AMERICA, BY OCCUPATIONS, 1908-Concluded.
F a t a l a c c id e n t s t o p e r s o n s o f t h e a g e o f—
O c c u p a tio n .
F a c e m e n ..................
F i r e b o s s ................
F i r e m e n ...................
F o o t m e n . ...............
F u e l m a n ..................
G a n g b o s s ...............
G reaser, o i le r ... .
G r i n n e r ....................
J ig r u n n e r ...............
L o a d e r .......................
L o a d e r b o s s ...........
L o c o m o tiv e e n g i n e e r ....................
M a c h in e b o s s . . . .
M a c h in e c u t t e r . .
M a c h in e in s p e c t o r ...........................
M a c h in e l o a d e r ..
M a c h in e r u n n e r .
M a c h in e s c r a p e r .
M a c h in is t .*. . t ___
M e c h a n ic a l e n g i n e e r ....................
M i n e f o r e m a n ___
M in e m a n a g e r ...
M i n e r .......... T ._____
M in e r ’ s l a b o r e r ..
M i n i n g e n g in e e r .
M o to r c o n d u c to r
M o t o r p a t c h e r .. .
M o t o r r u n n e r ____
N i g h t f o r e m a n ..
N i p p e r .......................
O p e r a t o r .................
P a t c h e r ....................
P i c k b o y ..................
P i p e f it t e r ...............
P la tfo r m m a n .. .
P o w e r h ou se
P u m p m a n .............
R e p a i r m a n ............
R i b b o s s ................
R o a d m e n ...............
R o c k m e n ................
R o l l e r .........................
R u n n e r ....................
S h a ft h e a d m a n .
S h a f t s in k e r ...........
S h i f t b o s s ................
S h i f t m a n .................
S h o t f ir e r ................
S l a t e b o s s ...............
S l a t e p i c k e r ...........
S n a p p e r ....................
S p r a g g e r . . . 1 ____
S t a b l e b o s s ...........
S t a b l e m e n ..............
S t a r t e r .......................
S w i t c h m e n ............
T a b l e t e n d e r ____
T a i l - r o p e r i d e r .. .
T i m b e r m a n ..........
T i p m a n ....................
T i p p l e m e n .............
T o p m e n ...................
T r a c k m e n ...............
T r a m m e r ................
T r a p p e r ....................
T r i m m e r ..................
T r i p r i d e r ...............
W a t e r b a ile r
N ot
20
25
10
15
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
re
65
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
p o r t
years
under under under u nder un der under un der un der un der under un der
ed.
and
25
30
15
20
35
40
| 45
50
55
60
65
over.
y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . |y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s . y e a r s .
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
2
12
1
22
1
3
29
3
1
7
3
16
1
27
1
1
12
15
9
4
3
1
41
!
.............! ..............
3
1
7
1
1
12
1
1
6
1
1
2
2
63
17
163
60
24 0
51
181
39
1
3
1
1
1
8
7
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
86
8
52
10
1
1
27
4
12
1
7
1
2
1
87
18
1 ,2 2 0
246
2
1
4
25
2
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
6
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
3
1
1
1
2
4
1
1
2
3
1
1
7
4
11
4
1
5
1
4
1
2
1
1
2
1
4
1
2
1
1
3
1
3
6
7
2
1
2
1
1
i
1
2
5
1
1
15
9
9
7
2
2
2
169
331
300
209
145
92
52
19
17
391
2 ,6 6 0
1
2
3
5
3
1
1
1
7
1
1
1
2
20
1
1
2
1
2
1
2
2
1
3
W i r e m a n ................
U n c la s s i f ie d ..........
2
7
28
T o t a l ...........
10
23 2
415
44 7
Weigh m an...........
1
1
1
3
1
2
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
25
12
4
16
1
3
15
1
1
2
5
16
5
1
24
1
2
11
3
1
33
2
22
3
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
30
1
1
4
16
1
26
3
3
3
3
5
31 4
1
2
3
1
1
1
53
8
1
21
3
1
1
4
1
14
3
1
1
1
175
1
1
6
2
114
16
1
1
1
2
1
H
6
3
1
1
4
1
3
1
1
6
1
1
1
3
1
188
21
1
To
ta l.
1
1
1
625
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G.
T able III.—NUMBER OP FATAL ACCIDENTS DUE TO EACH SPECIFIED CAUSE IN COAL
MINES OF NORTH AMERICA, BY OCCUPATIONS, 1908.
Fatal accidents due to—
Occupation.
Fall
ing
coal.
Ashman............
Bankmen..........
Bam boss.........
1
Batterymen___
Bitt boy............
Blacksmith.......
Brakemen.........
Bratticemen___
Breaker cleaner.
Bricklayer.........
Cager.."............
Car coupler.......
Car ditcher.......
Car dropper___
Car pinefier.......
Car repairer.......
Carmen.............
Carpenter.........
Civil engineer...
Coal pusher.......
Coke worker___
Company laborer....................
Company m en..
Contractor.........
Chute tender...
Door tender___
1
Driver...............
1
Driver boss.......
Drum runner...
Dumpman........
Electrical engi
neer................
Electrician........
Engineer...........
Facemen...........
Fireboss...........
Firemen............
Footmen...........
Fuelmen...........
Gang boss.........
Greaser, oiler...
Gripper.............
Jig runner.........
Loader.............. i4
Loader boss.......
Locomotive en
gineer.............
Machine boss...
Machine cutter.
2
Machine inspec
tor..................
Machine loader.
Machine runner
9
Machine scraper
2
Machinist.........
Mechanical en
gineer.............
Mine foreman...
3
Mine manager..
Miner................ 158
Miner’s laborer. 25
Mining engineer
Motor conduc
tor..................
Motor patcher..
Motor runner...
Night foreman.
Nipper..............
1
Operator...........
Patcher.............
Pick boy ...........
1
Explosions o fTo
Min
As- ElecFall Fad Mine
tal.
ing
Out
phyx- tro- Other
ing cars
ing
Mules
or
side
ma
caus
cuiaslate, into mo cars. Gas Pow
chin
or der, Blast. Boil
tion. tion. es.
etc. shaft. tors.
er. ery.
dust. etc.
1
1
1
1
6
2
1
1
4
2
3
1
1
1
2
3
1
1
1
14
5
1
9
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
i
2
19
1
1
1
1
8
1
1
1
6
1
2
1
1
6
1
2
2
3
3
2
1
1
1
1
63
1
1
3
1
14
90
4
1
2
2
1
1*
1
1
1
9
4
1
1
2
19
3
2
1
1
1
1
6
1
1
3
1
1
i
2
68
3
2
3
5
1
1
2
2
1
1
9
1
11
2
3
25
3
3
2
7
6
22
323
30
1
3
1
3
5
1
4
505
98
1
1
1
2
2
16 ‘ 51
9
20
1
3
9
1
2
1
62717°— No. 90— 10------ 13
1
1
13
43
5
71
14
2
12
1
16
5
2
3
13
1
2
17
144
9
1
6
1
3
2
1
11
6
3
1
1
4
1
3
175
1
4
1
14r
1
1
58
8
I
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
24
5
1
9
7
8
1
1
1
1
1
8
4
3
1
1
21
5
i3 1,220
246
12
2
1
1
4
25
2
2
1
1
1
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR,
UBER OF F A TA L ACCIDENTS DUE TO EACH SPECIFIED C l
NES OF N ORTH AMERICA, B Y OCCUPATIONS, 1908-Conclud
Fatal accidents due to—
Fall
ing
into
shaft.
Explosions of—
Mine
MinAs------- ing
cars Out
or side Gas Pow
ma- Mules phyxiamo cars. or der, Blast. Boil- ehintion.
tors.
er.
ery.
dust. etc.
u.
2
1
1
11
3
1
16
5
1
12
4
16
1
2
3
33
2
22
3
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
30
1
1
4
16
1
26
3
3
3
3
5
229
906
75
326
636
61
133
7
58
1
10
~9
32
627
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
T a b l e I V . — NUM BER OF F A TA L ACCIDENTS IN SPECIFIED OCCUPATIONS IN COAL
MINES OF N ORTH AMERICA, B Y LEN GTH OF E X P E R IE N C E , 1908.
Occupation.
15
6
10
Aver
la n d 5 and and
20
and years
3 and months under
age
Under 3 under
under under under
6 and un
Total. years
and
months. months.
5
10
der
20
15
expe
1 year. years. years. years. years. over.
rience.
Bitt b oy ..........................
Brakemen.......................
Bratticemen...................
Car coupler......................
Car ditcher......................
Carpenter........................
Door tender.....................
Driver.............................
Driver boss.....................
Drum runner..................
Electrical engineer.........
Electrician. .................
Fire boss..........................
Firemen..........................
Greaser, oiler...................
Loader.............................
Locomotive engineer.. . .
Machine r u n n e r ....................
Mechanical engineer.......
Mine foremen.................
Miner...............................
Miner’s laborer...............
Mining engineer..............
Motor runner..................
Pick boy..........................
Power house...................
Pumpmen.......................
Roadmen........................
Shaft sinker.....................
Shot flrer.........................
Slate boss........................
Slate picker.....................
Stable boss......................
Timberman...................
Tipplemen......................
Trackmen.......................
Trapper...........................
Water bailer...................
Wi remen.........................
Unclassified.....................
Total......................
1
9
1
1
2
2
3
1
9
1
1
1
1
1
23
3
17
1
5
1
40
3
7
1
1
180
5
1
3
2
1
2
1
1
3
1
2
1
2
33
28
3
1
1
1
1
14
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
15
96
2
4
5
1
1
• 5
21
2
1
9
i
6
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
1
4
14
1
1
1
51
255
2
1
2
2
154
43
1
1
13
11
1
1
12
2
2
1
1
1
30
3
1
1
1
3
1
1
9
1
31
1
8
392
14
2
6
1
1
3
1
7
3
1
6
1
4
1
10
18
3
1
2
7.5
2.7
12.0
.7
2.0
3.5
8.7
.1
6.0
5.0
8.0
8.0
1.0
2.7
5.0
6.6
2.0
11.5
3.8
2.7
8.5
7.3
2.0
40.0
4.0
3.0
4.1
3.7
1.1
5.2
20.0
1.0
.5
8.0
1.4
3.3
5.0
.8
588
4.2
3.0
628
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUBEAU OF LABOR.
T a b l e V .-N U M B E R
OF F A TA L ACCIDENTS IN SPECIFIED OCCUPATIONS IN COAL
MINES OF NORTH AMERICA, B Y CONJUGAL CONDITION OF THOSE K IL LE D , 1908.
Conjugal condi
tion.
Occupation.
Mar
ried.
Ashmen...........................
Barnmen..........................
Barn boss.........................
Batterymen.....................
Bitt boy...........................
Blacksmith......................
Brakemen........................
Bratticemen...................
Breaker cleaner..............
Bricklayer........................
Cager. .* ...........................
Car coupler......................
Car ditcher_ _. .................
Car dropper.....................
Car pincher......................
Car repairer.....................
Carmen...........................
Carpenter.........................
Coal engineer...................
Coal packer......................
Coke worker....................
Company laborer............
Company -men.................
Contractor......................
Chute tender...................
Door tender.....................
D river.............................
Driver boss......................
Drum runner...................
Dump men1
. .....................
"Rlentrioal engineer_____
Electrician.......................
Engineer..........................
Facemen..........................
Fire boss..........................
Firem en..........................
Footmen..........................
Fnelmen..........................
Gang boss.......................
Greaser, oiler...................
Gripper...........................
Jig runner.......................
Loader..............................
Loader boss.....................
Locomotive engineer.......
Machine boss...................
Machine cutter............... ..
Machine inspector.............
Machine loader................
Machine runner...............
"Machine scraper..............
Uflphinict
Mechanical engineer........
Conjugal condi
tion.
Num
ber of
Not child
Sin re ren.
gle. port
ed.
1
2
1
1
1
7
5
2
1
1
1
1
7
5
1
1
15
2
1
2
4
6
7
1
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
3
10
1
3
2
38
6
2
15
97
2
1
1
4
1
3
2
9
3
1
1
77
1
1
1
5
1
1
38
2
1
2
10
23
7
9
1
51
8
1
7
3
2
1
1
4
3
65
5
3
5
1
2
11
1.
2
6
5
14
33
1
1
13
5
1
189
3
4
5
13
6
2
1
12
1
2
67
11
1
Occupation.
Mar
ried.
Mine foreman..................
Mine manager..................
Miner...... ........................
Miner’s laborer................
Mining engineer..............
Motor conductor..............
Motor patcher..................
Motor runner...................
Night foremen..................
Nipper..............................
Operator...........................
Patcher.............................
Pick b o y ..........................
Pipefitter........................
Platform m en..................
Power house....................
Pumpmen........................
Repairman.......................
Rib boss...........................
Road men........................
Rockmen..........................
Roller...............................
Runner.............................
Shaft-head men...............
Shaft sinker.....................
Shift boss..........................
Shift m an.........................
Shot firer..........................
Slate boss.........................
Slate picker......................
Snapper............................
Spraper...........................
Stablemen........................
Starter..............................
Switchmen.......................
Table tender....................
Tail-rope rider.................
Timber men.....................
Tipmen............................
Tipplemen ............................
Topmen............................
Trackmen........................
Trammer..........................
Trapper............................
Trimmer..........................
Trip rider ..............................
Water bailer.........................
Weighmen ............................
Wiremen..........................
Unclassified.....................
17
1
726
109
1
12
1
Num
ber of
Not child
Sin
re ren.
gle. port
ed.
3
432
123
1
1
4
11
2
1
1
1
1
8
3
1
9
3
1
3
5
1
17
1
3
2
1
1
15
1
2
8
1
3
1
1
1
2
62
14
51
2
1,411
200
2
2
1
16
1
2
3
6
2
12
10
9
1
19
1
1
1
2
1
1
6
1
1
6
1
24
1
1
1
1
2
7
1
6
22
10
7
24
2
5
5
9
43
1
8
4
7
9
37
1
2
2
22
1
4
2
3
28
2
2
2
1
8
1
1
278
7
44
Total...................... 1,233
963
464
2,421
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G ,
ft OF FA TA L ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINES OF W EST VIRGIN
COUNTIES, 1899 TO 1908.
m the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Number of fatal accidents in cu.
1900.
1901.
1902.
1903.
1904.
1905.
15
1906.
1907.
1908.
61
29
1
10
67
37
31
13
132
17
2
61
671
14
23
3
3
372
3
86
9
2
133
3
9
494
16
4
447
86
12
61
4
2
7
33
17
45
7
6
85
12
2
141
134
120
159
140
194
356
625
,227
630
B U LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
T a bl e VII.—AVERAG E NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN COAL MINES OF WEST VIRGINIA,
B Y COUNTIES, 1899 TO 190S.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Average number of employees in—
County.
Barbour......................
Braxton......................
Brooke........................
Clay.............................
Fayette.......................
Gilmer.........................
Grant..........................
Greenbrier...................
Hancock......................
Harrison......................
Kanawha....................
Lewis..........................
Lincoln........................
Logan..........................
Marion........................
Marshall......................
Mason..........................
McDowell...................
Mercer.........................
Mineral........................
Mingo..........................
Monongalia.................
Nicholas......................
Ohio............................
Preston.......................
Putnam......................
Raleigh........................
Randolph...................
Taylor.........................
Tucker........................
Upshur........................
W ayne........................
Wyoming...................
1899.
1900.
1901.
1902.
1903.
1904.
766
900
90
382
493
647
119
lis
136
149
7,054
7,931
9,039
9,801
57
590
2,935
64
1,222
2,797
69
1,795
3,283
72
1,990
3,238
2,245 3,062
310
313
211
292
4,592 5,511
2,540 1,462
504
580
617
751
96
107
31
159
174
502
393
489 , 467
150
188
136
41
416
537
1,469 1,459
2,923
322
262
6,311
1,624
658
1,414
106
3,239
318
305
6,881
1,663
526
1,489
136
61
235
943
509
467
357
607
1,420
1905.
1906.
1907.
Total of
yearly
aver
1908.
ages.
962 1,083 1,088
784
76
100
2M
379
735
651
758
128
131
109
130
131
9,927 10,516 11,665 11,463 11,505 12,505
7
31
81
241
272
244
285
399
30
43
122
180
90
110
94
110
2,621 3,041 3,067 3,043 3,439 3,819
4,711 6,007 6,316 6,624 7,174 7,010
21
48
83
34
97
67
39
108
402
131
675 1,080 1,677
3,193 3,353 3,771 3,565 3,809 3,597
470
632
524
478
525
558
306
303
271
315
256
356
8,119 9,411 10,169 10,600 11,942 13,226
1,735 1,809 2,554 2,511 2,586 2,799
613
609
737
759
753
880
1,370 1,781 2,548 2,624 2,624 2,346
282
309
258
381
553
570
98
135
206
200
193
213
206
200
192
206
315
264
1,071 1,472 1,472 1,333 1,681 1,741
588 1,047
866 1,040 1,000
830
506
869 1,020 1,183 1,718 2,274
535
601
615
664
616
745
444
404
408
461
514
578
1,486 1,221 1,225 1,286 1,309 1,389
48
113
139
22
24
37
61
4
7,195
176
3,377
629
101,406
38
1,555
73
968
24,627
50,095
69
489
3,965
32,757
4,450
2,877
86,762
21,283
6,619
17,564
2,798
1,137
2,152
11,191
7,415
8,741
4,569
5,063
13,533
300
144
4
Total................. 25,108 28,055 32,386 35,147 39,452 45,492 49,950 51,769 56,265 60,397
424,021
33
61
201
583
579
366
259
694
1,269
78
T a b l e VIH.—NUMBER OF EM PLOYEES, F A TA L ACCIDENTS, AND R A TE PE R 1,000 EM
PLOYEES IN COAL MINES OF W EST VIRGIN IA, B Y COUNTIES. 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents.
County.
Barbour........ •..........
Braxton....................
Brooke......................
Clay..........................
Fayette.....................
Gilmer......................
Grant........................
Greenbrier................
Hancock...................
Harrison...................
Kanawha..................
Lewis........................
Lincoln.....................
Logan........................
Marion......................
Marshall...................
Mason.......................
McDowell.................
Employ
ees.
7,195
176
3,377
629
101,406
38
1,555
73
968
24,627
50,095
69
489
3,965
32,757
4,450
2,877
86,762
Per 1,000
Number. employ
ees.
61
1
10
2
571
8.48
5.68
2.96
3.18
5.63
9
5.79
2
86
133
3
2.07
3.49
2.65
43.48
9
494
16
4
447
2.27
15.08
3.60
1.39
5.15
Fatal accidents.
County.
Employ
ees.
Per 1,000
Number. employ-
Mercer.......
Mineral___
Mingo.........
Monongalia.
Nicholas...
Ohio...........
Preston___
Putnam___
Raleigh___
Randolph..
.Taylor.......
Tucker.......
Upshur___
Wayne.......
W yoming..
21,283
6,619
17,564
2,798
1,137
2,152
11,191
7,415
8,741
4,569
5,063
13,533
300
144
4
86
12
61
4
2
7
33
17
45
7
6
85
12
4.04
1.81
3.47
1.43
1.76
3.25
2.95
2.29
5.15
1.53
* 1.19
6.28
40.00
2
500.00
Total.
424,021
2,227
5.25
631
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G ,
T a bl e IX .—NUMBER OF F A TA L ACCIDENTS, DUE TO EACH CAUSE, IN COAL MINES
OF W EST VIRGIN IA, B Y COUNTIES, 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents due to—
County.
Falling
coal.
11
1
5
1
Barbour.......................................
Braxton.......................................
Brooke.........................................
Clay..............................................
Fayette........................................
Grant...........................................
Hancock......................................
Harrison......................................
Kanawha.....................................
Lewis...........................................
Logan..........................................
Marion.........................................
Marshall....... , ..............................
Mason ....... ...............................
McDowell....................................
Mercer..........................................
Mineral..................................; . . .
Mingo...........................................
Monongalia..................................
Nicholas.......................................
Ohio.............................................
Preston........................................
Putnam __ ______ ____________
Raleigh........................................
Ranriftlph................................._
Taylor .t.......................................
Tucker.........................................
..............................
TTpshnr
Wyoming....................................
Total..................................
Falling
Falling Mine cars Outside
slate, etc. into shaft. or motors.
cars.
2
34
1
3
3
13
2
60
12
2
242
44
4
42
1
1
4
13
13
32
1
2
26
183
795
14
1
47
13
3
3
2
1
9
Explo
sion of
powder,
etc.
26
18
1
184
3
2
34
54
23
11
Explo
sion of
gas or
dust.
14
1
2
90
1
4
206
3
10
18
21
1
2
18
3
9
4
376
3
7
1
1
34
22
30
1
3
3
2
21
3
1
64
5
4
8
3
7
1
1
4
3
5
1
1
5
30
262
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
20
1
25
1
12
2
718
93
Fatal accidents due to—
County.
Barbour.'.....................................
Braxton.......................................
Brooke.........................................
Clay.............................................
Fayette.......................................
Grant..........................................
Hancock......................................
Harrison.....................................
Kanawha....................................
Lewis..........................................
Logan..........................................
Marion.........................................
Marshall............................. ........
Mason..........................................
McDowell....................................
Mercer.........................................
Mineral............................. ..........
Mingo..........................................
Monongalia.................................
Nicholas......................................
Ohio............................................
Preston.......................................
Putnam.......................................
Raleigh.......................................
Randolph....................................
Taylor.........................................
Tucker.........................................
Upshur.......................................
Wyoming...................................
Total.................................
Explo Explo Mining
As
sion of sion of machin Mules. phyxi
ery.
ation.
blast. boiler.
Electro
cution.
1
Other
causes.
3
2
4
2
3
2
2
3
3
4
1
2
2
1
6
2
7
1
1
1
1
2
1
4
1
13
3
3
1
8
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
16
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
22
8
1
7
3
5
6
26
50
Total.
61
1
10
2
571
9
2
86
133
3
9
494
16
4
447
. 86
12
61
4
2
7
33
17
45
7
6
85
12
2
2,227
632
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUBEAU OF LABOB.
T a b l e X .— NUM BER OF F A TA L ACCIDENTS DUE TO EACH CAUSE IN COAL MINES OF
W EST V IR G IN IA , B Y OCCUPATION OF PERSONS K IL LE D , 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents due to—
Occupation.
Explosions o fMin
Mine
As- Elec- Other
Fall Fall- Fallcars
ing
Out
ing
ing
To
or
side
ma Mules phyx- troing slate, into
Gas
Pow
la- cu- caus
coal.
cars. or der, Blast. Boil chin
es. tal.
etc. shaft. mo
tion.
tion.
ery.
tors.
er.
dust. etc.
2
3
1
1
2
2
4
1
1
2
1
1
2
15
1
2
9
2
3
2
2
1
29
1
4
3
1
3
3
2
3
17
2
2
3
8
1
1
33
1
1
1
1
39
1
1
3
i
53
1
4
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
5
1
3
6
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
5
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
9
5
1
1
2
2
45
4
3
1
588
1
29
4
1
1
i
3
1
15
1
7
17
2
1
1
60
1
9
177
1
3
10
3
2
1
4
1
2
25
1
3
3
450
72
1
1
6
3
132
5
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
29
3
1
1
2
2
1
2
1
1
2
3
1
1
5
4
5
8
2
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
5
4
2
2
1
3
1
2
T C N N IN O )
Backhand.........
Bitt b o y ...........
Blacksmith.......
Brakeman.........
Bratticeman___
Cager.................
Car coupler.......
Car dropper___
Car greaser........
Car rider...........
Car tagger.........
Car trimmer___
Carpenter..........
Chargeman.......
C heck w eighman................
Civil engineer...
Coalcutter........
Coal hauler.......
Coal loader.......
Coal shoveler...
Cokeman...........
C ok e-ov en
worker...........
Coke-yard hand.
Company man..
Contractor.........
Ditching...........
Dock boss.........
Door tender___
Drill runner___
i
Driver...............
Driver, boss___
Dumper............
Electrical engi
neer................
Electrician........
Engineer...........
Fire boss...........
Fireman............
i
Foreman...........
Foreman, as
sistant...........
Foreman, out
side................
Forker..............
Furnace tender.
General mana
ger..................
Gripman...........
Headman..........
Helper...............
Hoisting engi
neer................
Laborer.............
7
Load runner
Locomotive en
gineer.............
Machine boss
6
Machine helper.
1
Machine loader.
2
Machine runner
Machinist.........
Mechanical en
gineer___
Mine boss
Mining engineer
Miner................ 160
Motor helper
Oiler..................
1
3
1
56
17
1
1
1
4
1
1
1
1
10
3
48
14
7
4
17 1,384
1
1
2
1
633
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINING.
T able X .—NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS DUE TO EACH CAUSE IN COAL MINES OF
WEST VIRGINIA, BY OCCUPATION OF PERSONS KILLED, 1899 TO 1908—Concluded.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents due to—
Occupation.
Fall
ing
coal.
Explosions ofMinFall- Fall- Mine
As- Elec- Other
Out
ing
ing
ing cars
troTo
or
side
ma Mules phyxslate, into mo cars. Gas Pow
lacu- caus
chin
es. tal.
etc. shaft. tors.
or der, Blast. Boil
tion.
tion.
er. ery.
dust. etc.
1
Outside boss___
Pick boss..........
Pick boy ...........
Pit boss’. ...........
Pow erhouse
man................
Pumpman........
Rockman..........
Rollerman........
Rope rider........
Salesman..........
Scraper..............
Secretary...........
Shaft sinker.. . .
Slate boss..........
Slate foreman...
Slateman.
Slate picker......
Spragger...........
Stable boss.......
Superintendent.
Switch boy
Teamster. . .
Timberman___
Tippleman__
Track layer___
Trapper__
Water bailer...
Weigher.
Weigher, boss
Wireman.
Not reported...
3
1
4
1
8
2
1
41
16
Total.......
183
795
30
262
20
718
93
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
-1
1
1
3
3
3
17
1
13
2
1
1
1
2
9
5
6
2
1
1
l
1
1
i
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
22
1
1
1
2
4
1
9
21
4
i
4
1
2
22
2
16
7
3
26
1
1
7
2
1
1
1
2
1
12
1
2
33
1
3
3
3
3
1
9
4
27
44
6
1
2
1
76
50 2,227
634
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABO&
T a b l e X I.—NUMBER AND P E R C E N T OF FATA L ACCIDENTS IN SPECIFIED OCCUPATIONS
IN COAL MINES OF W EST VIRGIN IA, B Y CAUSES, 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents to—
Cause.
Falling coal...............................
Falling slate, etc.......................
Mine cars..................................
Outside cars..............................
Explosion of gas or dust..........
Explosion of powder or dyna
mite ........................................
Explosion of blast.....................
Mules.........................................
Electrocution............................
Other causes.............................
Total................................
Brakemen.
Chargemen.
Coal loaders.
Drivers.
Fire bosses.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
10.3
51.7
3.5
31.0
3
37.5
1
3.5
3
37.5
100.0
8
29
Gripmen.
Falling coal...............................
Falling slate, etc.......................
Falling into shaft.....................
Mine cars..................................
Outside cars..............................
Explosion of gas or dust..........
Explosion of powder or dyna
mite........................................
Explosion of blast....................
Machinery.................................
Mules.........................................
Asphyxiation............................
Electrocution...........................
Other causes.............................
Total...............................
Total...............................
12.5
12.5
100.0
Laborers.
17
3
3
8
51.5
9.1
9.1
24.3
1
1
3.0
3.0
33
100.0
Machine run
ners.
7
45
4
29
4
60
3.9
25.4
2.3
16.4
2.3
33.9
5.9
10
3
5.6
1.7
3
6.2
1
5.9
2
4
9
1.1
2.3
5.1
1
2.1
17
100.0
177
100. Q
48
100.0
1
5.9
9
52.9
5
29.4
1
Shaft sinkers.
Falling coal...............................
Falling slate, etc.......................
Falling into shaft.....................
Mine cars...................................
Explosion of gas or dust..........
Explosion of powder or dyna
mite........................................
Electrocution............................
Other causes.............................
1
1
3
15
1
9
2
9
1
12
16.7
75.0
8.3
100.0
Slatemen.
3
22
9.1
66.7
6
18.1
2
6.1
33
100.0
2
15
4.2
31.2
2
25
4
9
0.8
29.5
40.1
1
14.3
29
21.9
6
85.7
1
5
1
3
.8
3.8
.8
2.3
132
100.0
7
100.0
Miners.
Pumpmen.
4.2
160
588
7
72
11.6
42.5
.5
5.2
1
1
2
14.3
14.3
28.5
52.1
450
32.5
1
41.3
56
17
1
1
1
14
17
4.0
1.2
.1
.1
.1
1.0
1.2
i
14.3
1,384
100.0
Timbermen.
5
1
39
53
Tracklayers.
i
14.3
7
100.0
Trappers.
55.6
i3
48.2
2
4.6
44.4
3
9
11.1
33.3
17
21
38.6
47.7
i
1
3.7
3.7
4
9.1
27
100.0
44
100.0
100.0
635
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
XII.—NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS IN EACH SPECIFIED AGE
GROUP IN COAL MINES OF WEST VIRGINIA, BY OCCUPATIONS. 1899 TO 1908.
T able
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents to persons of the age of—
Occupation.
Backhand..........
Bitt boy .............
Blacksmith........
Brakeman.........
Bratticeman___
Cager..................
Car coupler........
Car dropper.......
Car greaser.........
Car rider............
Car tagger..........
Car trimmer. . . .
Carpenter...........
Chargeman.........
Check weighman
Civil engineer...
Coal cutter.........
Coal hauler.........
Coal loader.........
Coal shoveler.. . .
Cokeman............
C ok e-ov en
worker............
Coke-yard hand.
Company m a n ..
Contractor.........
Ditching............
Dock boss..........
Door tender.......
Drill runner____
Driver................
Driver, boss.......
Dumper.............
Electrical engin
eer...................
Electrician.........
Engineer............
Fire boss............
Fireman.............
Foreman............
Foreman, assist
ant..................
Foreman, out
side.................
Forker................
Furnace tender..
General mana
ger...................
Gripman............
Headman..........
Helper................
Hoisting e n g i
neer ................
Laborer..............
Load runner___
Locomotive en
gineer..............
Machine boss___
Machine helper..
Machine loader..
Machine runner.
Machinist...........
Mechanical en
gineer..............
Mine boss...........
Mining engineer.
Miner.................
Motor helper.. . .
Oiler...................
Outside boss.. . .
Pick boss...........
Pick boy............
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65 Not To
and and and and and and and and 1 and | and and
tal.
under under under under under under under under under iunder under years re
and port
20
15
30
35
40
25
45
50
55
60
65 over.
ed.
years. years. years. years. years. years. years. years. years. years. years.
2
1
13
1
1
1
1
1
1
6
4
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
6
1
1
7
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
5
2
1
1
7
6
2
1
1
2
1
l
1
1
1
2
3
3
34
1
1
55
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
23
2
1
11
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
3
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2*
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
6
1
1
40
23
1
10
13
1
1
1
1
2
1
7
3
1
16
3
1
1
11
8
292
1
1
214
1
1
1
179
1
98
1
1
254
1
1
i
8
3
1
17
2
4
4
3
1
52
1
1
4
1
105
1
1
4
2
7
2
9
2
1
1
1
7
1
3
2
1
1
G
3
132
5
4
5
1
3
1
20
2
2
l
1
2
1
2
1
2
29
2
5
4
2
2
4
1
4
5
8
1
1
2
2
33
2
3
1
10
3
48
1
1
2
1
68
42
1
177
1
21
12
7
1
1
7
2
4
90 1,384
2
1
1
1
1
636
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR,
T a b l e X II.—NUMBER OF FA TA L ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS IN EACH SPECIFIED AGE
GROUP IN COAL MINES OF W EST V IR G IN IA ,I b Y OCCUPATIONS, 1899 TO 1908—Con
cluded.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents to persons of the age of—
Occupation.
25
10
15
30
35
20
40
50
45
55
60
65 Not Toand and and and and and and and and and and
tal.
under under under under under under under under under under under years re
and port
30
15
20
35
40
25
45
50
55
60
65 over.
ed.
years years. years. years. years. years. years. years. years. years. years.
Pit boss..............
P ow er-house
man................
Pumpman.........
Rockman...........
Rollerman.........
Rope rider.........
Salesman...........
Scraper..............
Secretary...........
Shaft sinker.......
Slate boss...........
Slate foreman__
Slateman...........
Slate picker.......
Snragger............
Stable boss __
Superintendent.
Switch boy........
Teamster...........
Timberman.......
Tippleman.........
Track layer.......
Trapper..............
Water bailer___
Weigher.............
Weigher, boss...
Wireman...........
Not reported___
1
Total........
1
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
1
3
1
1
5
1
1
3
1
2
1
2
1
8
10
6
1
1
1
1
1
3
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
3
14
1
1
22
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
3
5
1
1
1
3
1
2
1
5
2
1
4
1
1
5
5
17
8
3
2
2
1
1
31
229
430
427
306
249
148
95
1
1
1
5
1
33
67
26
15
9
1
7
2
1
1
1
2
1
12
1
2
33
1
3
3
3
3
1
9
4
27
44
6
1
2
l
76
195 2,227
637
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINING.
T able
XIII.—NUMBER AND PER CENT OF FATAL ACCIDENTS IN SPECIFIED OCCUPA
TIONS IN COAL MINES OF WEST VIRGINIA, BY AGE GROUPS, 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents to—
Age group.
10 and under 15 years.
15 and under 20 years.
20 and under 25 years.
25 and under 30 years.
30 and under 35 years.
35 and under 40 years.
40 and under 45 years.
45 and under 50 years.
50 and under 55 years.
Total.
i
!
Brakemen.
Chargemen.
Coal loaders.
Drivers.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
13
6
6
4
44.8
20.7
20.7
13.8
29
100.0
Gripmen.
10 and under 15 years.
15 and under 20 years.
20 and under 25 years.
25 and under 30 years.
30 and under 35 years.
35 and under 40 years.
40 and under 45 years.
45 and under 50 years.
50 and under 55 years.
55 and under 60 years.
60 and under 65 years.
65 years and over........
Total.
17
100.0
6.5
22.6
16.1
22.6
19.3
6.5
3.2
3.2
o7
100.0
6 31
100.0
Machine run
ners.
Laborers.
2.1
16.0
32.0
18.4
8.0
10.4
6.4
2.4
3.2
2.4
d
125
14.6
33.3
22.9
16.7
8.3
2.1
100.0
33
48
c
2
2
1
1
16.7
129
100.0
a6
100.0
Miners.
7.6
19.6
6.1
22.2
11.1
11.1
100.0
100.0
1
1
3.8
7.7
19.3
11.5
19.3
15.4
3.8
15.4
3.8
a 26
100.0
5
3
5
4
4
1.4.3
8.1
Track layers.
1
1.4.3
16.6
13.9
100.0
2
14.3
22.6
100.0 «1,294
33.3
33.3
16.7
Pumpmen.
0.2
254
292
214
179
105
68
42
12
7
11.1
Per
cent.
2.3
26.4
42.6
17.8
8.5
1.6
.8
21
11.1
33.4
Num
ber.
3
34
55
23
11
2
1
5.3
3.1
1.5
.9
.6
Timbermen.
3.0
9.1
24.2
30.3
15.2
3.0
9.1
8.3
8.3
8.3
12
100.0
Slatemen.
41.7
16.7
16.7
Not including 1, age not reported.
5 Not including 2, ages not reported.
cNot including 3, ages not reported.
2
7
5
7
6
2
1
1
.8
10 and under 15 years.
15 and under 20 years.
20 and under 25 years.
25 and under 30 years.
30 and under 35 years.
35 and under 40 years.
40 and under 45 years.
45 and under 50 years.
50 and under 55 years.
65 years and over........
a
14.3
28.5
14.3
14.3
14.3
14.3
5.9
41.2
35.3
5.9
11.7
Shaft sinkers.
Total.
1
2
1
1
1
1
Fire bosses.
57.1
100.0
Trappers.
35.8
56.4
2.6
2.6
2.6
/ 39
d Not including 52, ages not reported.
« Not including 90, ages not reported.
/ Not including 5, ages not reported.
100.0
638
T able
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
X I V . — NUMBER OF FATA L ACCIDENTS
TO PERSONS OF EACH N A T IV IT Y IN
COAL MINES OF WEST VIRGINIA, B Y OCCUPATIONS, 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents to persons whose nativity was—
Occupation.
Backhand.................
Bitt boy....................
Blacksmith...............
"RraTfAmariBrattieeman..............
CagAr , ..............
Other Total.
Amer Aus Eng Ger Hun Ital Lithu Ne Pole. Rus
and
ican. trian. lish. man. garian. ian. anian. gro.
sian. Slav. not re
ported.
1
1
i
20
1
5
4
2
1
1
2
3
Car dropper...............
Car greaser................
Car rider....................
Car tagger..................
Car trimmer..............
Carpenter..................
ChargAtnan _.
Checkweighman.......
Civil engine^1*Coal cutter................
Coal hauler................
Coal loader................
Coal shoveler............
Cokeman...................
2
4
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
___'
2
1
Coke-yard hand____
Companyman...........
1
Contractor.................
Ditching..........
1
Dock boss.................
2
Door tender..............
1
Drill runner..............
DrlvAr..
71
4
Driver boss__
4
Dumper....................
1
Electrical engineer...
Electrician................
4
1
E n g in e e r ...............
5
Fire boss___
1
Fireman....................
Foreman...................
7
3
Foreman, assistant..
2
Foreman, outside___
Forker.......................
___ 1____
Furnace tender
General manager.. . .
Gripman...................
15
2
Headman..................
Helper.......................
2
1
Hoisting engineer....
Laborer................ .
67
1
Load runner.............
3
Locomotive engineer
1
Machine boss............
Machine helper.........
7
3
Machine loader.........
Machine runner........
38
1
Machinist..................
1
Mechanical engineer.
Mine boss..................
4
Mining engineer........
3
Miner.........................
438
20
2
Motor helper.............
Oiler..........................
1
Outside boss.............
1
Pick boss...................
1
Pick b o y ...................
1
Pitt boss...................
1
Power house.............
Pumpman................
3
1
Rockman..................
1
Rollerman.................
1
Rope rider................
Salesman...................
1
1
2
2
5
3
1
8
1
1
1
1
1
10
2
2
!____
1
C
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
4
1
40
11
1
5
1
1
1
i
1
2
2
1
i
1
l
1
1
4
1
1
19
18
1
2
1
30
22
88
i
1
1
57
7
1
3
2
1
2
4
259
22
240
3
83
12
97
73
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
2
29
2
5
4
2
2
4
1
4
5
8
1
1
2
2
33
2
1
2
1
3
2
1
1
6
3
132
5
4
1
4
2
7
2
9
5
2
1
1
1
17
2
4
1
177
1
3
1
10
3
48
1
1
7
4
1,384
2
1
1
1
1
1
7
2
1
1
1
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G ,
>ER OF FATA L ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS OF EACH N A TIV II
OF W EST VIRGINIA, B Y OCCUPATIONS, 1899 TO 1908—Concluded
m the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]*1
2
Fatal accidents to persons whose nativity was—
Other
Amer Aus Eng Ger Hun Ital Lithu Ne Pole. Rus Slav. and
sian.
not re
ican. trian. lish. man. garian. ian. anian. gro.
ported.
2
1
7
1
2
1
1
6
3
6
1
9
6
1
3
1
1
1
1
12
2
33
2
1
3
3
•
1
3
1
6
3
18
23
2
1
2
1
2
1
7
2
3
3
3
3
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
.
9
4
27
44
6
1
1
2
4
29
871
1
2
12
4
2
.
11
22
45
31
118
343
33
29
430
10
98
18
113
109
76
640
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR,
T able XV.—NUMBER AND PER CENT OF FATAL ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS IN SPECIFIED
OCCUPATIONS IN COAL MINES OF WEST VIRGINIA, BY NATIVITY, 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.)
Fatal accidents to—
Nativity.
American. . r - - .........................
Brakemen.
Chargemen.
Car loaders.
Drivers.
Fire bosses.
Num Per
ber.
cent.
Num Per
ber.
cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber.
cent.
20
69.0
3
37.5
8
24.3
1
12.5
6.1
3.0
30.3
3.0
18.2
3.0
6.1
3.0
3.0
100.0
4
13.8
1
12.5
Negro............. ...........................
Pole..........................................
Russian.....................................
Slav...........................................
Other nativities........................
5
17.2
1
12.5
2
25.0
2
1
10
1
6
1
2
1
1
Total ..................................
29
8
100.0
33
German.....................................
Hungarian. r ........... ..................
Italian.......................................
11
Lithuania . . . . . ________ ______
100.0
Gripmen.
American..................................
Austrian....................................
English.....................................
German.....................................
Hungarian................................
Italian...........................................
Lithuanian...............................
Negro............................................
Pole ...............................................
Russian........................................
Slav ...............................................
Other nativities..........................
15
Total ..................................
ol6
1
Machine run
ners.
Laborers.
93.8
67
38.0
6.2
1
4
19
18
6
2.3
10.8
10.2
57
7
32.4
4.0
1
2
.6
1.1
2
ol76
100.0
o47
100.0
Shaft sinker.
Slateman.
7
3
1
25.0
8.3
2
6.0
Total...............................
12
100.0
33
100.0
a
1
8.3
Not including 1, nativity not reported.
i
i
1
2
4
2.1
4.3
8.5
4.3
54.2
1.5
1
11
.8
8.4
40
30.5
5
1
3.8
.8
1
14.3
ol31
100.0
7
100.0
Miners.
438
20
30
22
88
259
22
240
83
12
97
45
100.0 61,356
Timberman.
American.....................................
Austrian....................................
English.....................................
Hungarian................................
Italian.......................................
Negro.........................................
Pole...........................................
Russian.....................................
Slav...........................................
58.4
80.8
38
6
1
71
2
71.4
14.3
Pumpmen.
3
32.3
50.0
1.5
1
2.2
16.7
1
1.6
16.7
6.5
19.1
1.6
17.7
6.1
.9 .......... 1........
7.2
1
3.3
16.6
100.0
Track layer.
«6
100.0
Trapper.
6
18.2
6
66.7
69.2
3.9
7.7
52.3
9.1
18.2
18.2
27.3
3.0
18
1
2
23
3
6
6
9
1
2
22.2
2
7.7
12
7
1
11.1
1
1
1
3.9
3.8
3.8
27.3
15.9
2
4.5
9
100.0
o26
100.0 |
44
100.0
6 Not including 28, nativity not reported.
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
I O F F A T A L A C C ID E N T S
IN
EACH
V IR G IN IA , B Y
OF
E X P E R I E N C E , 1899 T O
LEN G TH
O C C U P A T IO N
IN
C
IS
the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
F a t a l a c c id e n t s t o p e r s o n s w h o s e e x p e r ie n c e in m i n i n g w a s —
1
6
U nder 3
m o n th s.
3 and
under 6
m o n th s.
m o n th s
and
under
1 year.
and
under
5
years.
5
and
under
10
years.
10
and
under
15
years.
15
and
under
20
years.
20
I.
years
and
over.
2
1
2
29
2
5
4
2
2
4
1
4
5
8
1
1
2
2
2
1
2
8
1
3
1
2
1
1
6
3
1
3
...................
10..............8
12
6
5
4
1
4
1
2
1
7
2
9
5
2
1
1
1
17
2
1
24
10
10
1
1
1
4
1
77
1
3
1
3
3
!8
1
1
7
4
$4
1
67
71
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
7
1
1
1
1—10------14
LO
2
1
1
1
1
2
642
B U LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
T a b l e X V I.—NUMBER OF F A TA L ACCIDENTS IN EACH OCCUPATION IN COAL MINES
OF WEST V IR G IN IA , B Y LENGTH OF E XP E R IE N C E , 1899 TO 1908—Concluded.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.)
Fatal accidents to persons whose experience in mining was—
Occupation,
5
1
10
15
6
20
and
and
3 and months and
and years
Under 3 under
under
under
under
under
6
and
and
months. months. under
20
10
15
5
over.
1 year. years. years. years. years.
Secretary.........................
Shaft sinker.....................
Slate boss........................
Slate foreman.................
Slate man........................
Slate picker.....................
Spragger..........................
Stable boss......................
Superintendent..............
Switch b o y .....................
Teamster........................
Timberman..............*.__
Tippleman......................
Track layer.....................
Trapper...........................
Water bailer...................
Weigher..........................
Weigher, boss.................
W ireman........................
Not reported...................
Total.....................
5
3
6
4
1
5
2
4
1
1
3
4
4
3
2
1
3
2
4
10
74
1
12
1
2
33
1
3
3
3
3
1
9
4
27
44
6
1
2
1
76
62
79
558
2,227
1
1
5
2
1
1
2
1
7
1
3
1
1
1
1
4
1
8
24
3
1
1
1
1
152
105
110
1
2
i
2
1
669
Not Total.
re
port
ed.
348
144
6
1
2
2
643
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G.
X V II.— NUMBER AND PER CENT OF FATAL ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS IN
SPECIFIED OCCUPATIONS IN COAL MINES OF WEST VIRGINIA, BY LENGTH OF
EXPERIENCE, 1899 to 1908.
T able
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents to—
Length of experience.
Under 3 months.................
3 and under 6 months.......
6 months and under 1 year,
1 and under 5 years...........
5 and under 10 years.........
10 and under 15 years........
15 and under 20 years........
20 years and over,..............
Total.
Brakemen.
Charge men.
Coal loaders.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num- Per
ber. cent.
Number.
Per
cent.
19.0
4.8
2
1
8.3
4.2
14
58.3
29.2
r
«24
100.0
Gripmen.
Total.........................
3
8
4
18.8
50.0
25.0
«16
100.0
1
Under 3 months........................
3 and under 6 months..............
6 months and under 1 year___
1 and under 5 years..................
5 and under 10 years................
10 and under 15 years..............
15 and under 20 years..............
20 years and over......................
Total.
3
5
1
6 10
100.0
12
2
1
100.0
96
6
4
5
4
5
1
9
1
1
1
57.1
9.5
4.8
4.8
c21
100.0
2
Machine run
ners.
25.0
10.4
10.4
45.8
6.3
100.0
2
7.4
100.0
1
1
8.9
7.1
5.4
43.7
30.4
2.7
.9
.9
112
100.0
Miners.
1
6.4
39.9
21.3
8.9
4.3
5.2
42
100.0
61,108
100.0
2
Timbermen.
22.3
14.8
18.5
14.8
18.5
3.7
27
d
6
49
34
3
88
67
71
442
236
98
48
58
15
15
7
0
10
8
2.4
2.4
35.7
35.7
16.7
4.7
2.4
1
1
2.1
Slate men.
Not including 5, experience not reported.
6 Not including 2, experience not reported.
c Not including 12, experience not reported.
d Not including 20, experience not reported.
e Not including 1, experience not reported.
/ Not including 81, experience not reported.
a
50.0
16.6
24
10
10
44
6
50.0
10.0
10.0
3
1
Laborers.
30.0
1
4
66
6.2
Shaft sinkers.
16.7
16.7
Num- Per
ber. cent.
i
Number.
2
2
40.0
40.0
1
20.0
65
100.0
Pump men.
6.1
4.4
3
1
1
20.0
65
100.0
Trappers.
2
4
66.7
16.7
16.6
34.8
13.0
17.4
17.4
13.0
24
1
1
8
3
4
4
3
5.9
20.6
2.9
70.6
6
100.0
/ 23
100.0
6 34
100.0
7
1
Not including 6, experience not reported.
6 Not including 276, experience not reported.
*' Not including 3, experience not reported.
/N o t including 4, experience not reported.
6 Not including 10, experience not reported.
g
Per
cent.
7.9
Track layers.
1
Fire bosses.
oo
Under 3 months.................
3 and under 6 months.......
6 months and under 1 year,
1 and under 5 years...........
5 and under 10 years.........
10 and under 15 years........
15 and under 20 years........
20 years and over...............
1
1
Drivers.
644
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR,
T able X V III.— NUMBER AND PER CENT OF FATAL ACCIDENTS DUE TO SPECIFIED
CAUSES IN COAL MINES OF WEST VIRGINIA, BY AGE GROUPS, 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents due to—
Falling coal.
Falling rock,
etc.
Falling into
shaft.
Mine cars,
motors, etc.
Num
ber.
Per
cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber.
cent.
Num Per
ber.
cent.
10 and under 15 years..............
15 and under 20 years..............
20 and under 25 years...............
25 and under 30 years..............
30 and under 35 years..............
35 and under 40 years..............
40 and under 45 years..............
45 and under 50 years..............
50 and under 55 years..............
55 and under 60 years..............
60 and under 65 years..............
65 years and over......................
1
11
39
35
37
23
16
11
3
0.6
6.1
21.8
19.6
20.7
12.8
8.9
6.1
1.7
1
2
Total................................
a 179
Age group.
.6
1.1
3
84
151
145
110
111
60
44
33
14
10
2
0.4
11.0
19.7
18.9
14.3
14.5
7.8
5.7
4.3
1.8
1.3
.3
100.0
&767
100.0
Explosion of
gas or dust.
10 and under 15 years..............
15 and under 20 years...............
20 and under 25 years..............
25 and under 30 years..............
30 and under 35 years..............
35 and under 40 years..............
40 and under 45 years..............
45 and under 50 years..............
50 and under 55 years..............
55 and under 60 years..............
60 and under 65 years..............
65 years and over......................
2
62
132
159
100
67
47
23
13
4
1
.2
Total................................
/ 610
100.0
0.3
10.1
21.6
26.0
16.4
11.0
7.7
3.9
2.2
.6
Not including 4. age not reported.
6 Not including 28, age not reported.
c Not including 1, age not reported.
d Not including 10, age not reported.
a
Explosion of
powder or
dynamite.
1
3
22
13
11
6
5
1.6
4.8
34.9
20.6
17.5
9.5
7.9
1
1
1.6
1.6
063
100.0
8
27.6
5 . 17.2
24.1
7
3
10.4
1
3.4
3
10.4
2
6.9
c29
100.0
Explosion of
blast.
1
2
3
4
5
2
1
4.8
9.5
14.3
19.0
23.8
9.5
4.8
Outside cars.
Num
ber.
19
55
52
42
26
25
8
8
9
4
1
3
7.5
21.8
20.6
16.7
10.3
9.9
3.2
3.2
3.6
1.6
.4
1.2
1
5
2
3
3
1
5.9
29.4
11.8
17.6
17.6
5.9
1
1
5.9
5.9
<*252
100.0
«17
100.0
Mining
machinery.
1 1 4.8
2 1 9.5
1
3
1
3
3
1
1
1
1
6.6
20.0
6.6
20.0
20.0
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.7
c21 | 100.0
c 15
100.0
Electrocu
tion.
3
9
9
12.0
36.0
36.0
1
2
4.0
8.0
i
4.0
c 25
100.0
« Not including 3, age not reported.
Not including 108, age not reported.
Not including 30, age not reported.
f
g
Per
cent.
645
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G.
T a b l e X IX .—NUMBER AND PER CENT OF FATAL ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS OF SPECI
FIED NATIVITIES IN COAL MINES OF W EST VIRGIN IA, B Y LENGTH OF E X P E R IE N C E ,
1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents to persons whose nativity was—
Length of experience.
American.
Austrian.
English.
German.
Hungarian.
Num- Per
her. cent.
Num- Per
her. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Under 3 months........................
3 and under 6 months..............
6 months and under 1 year___
1 and under 5 years..................
5 and under 10 years................
10 and under 15 years..............
15 and under 20 years..............
20 years and over......................
44
44
29
209
140
91
34
43
6.9
6.9
4.6
33.0
22.1
14.3
5.4
6.8
4
1
5
8
2
Total................................
a 634
100.0
b 21
Italian.
Under 3 months........................
3 and under 6 months..............
6 months and under 1 year___
1 and under 5 years..................
5 and under 10 years................
10 and under 15 years..............
15 and under 20 years..............
20 years and over......................
25
20
21
168
59
6
8.4
6.7
7.0
56.2
19.7
2.0
Total................................
/ 299
100.0
1
4.8
100.0
Lithuanian.
a Not including 237, experience not reported,
b Not including 1, experience not reported.
cNot including 14, experience not reported.
d Not including 10, experience not reported.
«Not including 31, experience not reported.
19.0
4.8
23.8
38.1
9.5
1
3.2
5
1
6
2
16
16.1
3.2
19.4
6.5
51.6
c31
100.0
Negro.
d
2
1
3
7
3
1
2
2
9.5
4.8
14.3
33.3
14.3
4.8
9.5
9.5
15
6
6
42
16
1
1
17.2
6..9
6.9
48.2
18.4
1.2
1.2
21
100.0
«87
100.0
Pole.
2
1
11
7
1
2
2
7.7
3.9
42.3
26.8
3.9
7.7
7.7
34
18
14
115
64
20
18
6
11.8
6.2
4.8
39.8
22.2
6.9
6.2
2.1
9
3
8
33
20
6
1
11.3
3.7
10.0
41.3
25.0
7.5
1..2
126
100.0
A289
100.0
*80
100.0
Slav.
9.7
2.9
10.7
42.7
26.2
6.8
10
3
11
44
27
7
d
1
1.0
103
100.0
/ Not including 44, experience not reported.
g Not including 3, experience not reported.
* Not including 141, experience not reported.
i Not including 18, experience not reported.
646
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
T able X X .—NUMBER AND PER CENT OF FATAL ACCIDENTS DUE TO SPECIFIED CAUSES
IN COAL MINES OF WEST VIRGINIA, BY NATIVITY OF PERSONS KILLED, 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the West Virginia department of mines.]
Fatal accidents due to—
Nativity.
Falling coal.
Falling slate,
etc.
Falling into
shafts.
Mine cars or
motors.
Outside cars.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber.
cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber.
cent.
66
5
American.........
Austrian.......... .
English............
German............
Hungarian.......
Italian..............
Lithuanian.......
Negro................
Pole..................
Russian............
Slav.................. .
Other nativities.
5
1
17
23
1
29
10
4
14
4
Total.......
«179
42.2
1.2
2.5
1.9
7.9
8.0
.7
23.0
4.9
1.0
3.6
3.1
15
1
51.7
3.5
1
3.5
16.2
5.6
2.2
7.8
2.2
326
9
19
15
61
62
5
178
38
8
28
24
6
2
3
1
20.6
6.9
10.3
3.5
100.0
6 773
100.0
c29
100.0
36.9
2.8
2.8
.6
9.5
12.8
.6
Explosion of
gas or dust.
Explosion of
powder or
dynamite.
American..................................
Austrian....................................
English.....................................
German.....................................
Hungarian................................
Italian.......................................
Lithuanian...............................
Negro.........................................
Pole...........................................
Russian.....................................
Slav...........................................
Other nationalities...................
206
5
18
4
24
198
22
107
41
65
26
9.1
3.6
3
3.6
Total................................
« 716
100.0
/ 85
100.0
28.8
.7
2.5
.6
3.3
27.7
3.1
14.9
5.7
Not including 4, nativity not reported.
6 Not including 22, nativity not reported.
cNot including 1, nativity not reported.
a
34
1
2
2
4
17
40.0
1.2
2.3
2.3
4.7
20.0
21
24.7
1
1.2
Explosion of
blast.
6
30.0
4
20.0
io
50.0
148
1
57.6
.4
i
7
23
1
64
3
1
3
5
.4
2.7
8.9
.4
24.9
1.2
.4
1.2
1.9
<*257
100.0
20
100.0
Mining
machinery.
6
28.5
13
4
3
4
19.1
14.3
19.1
2
2
9.5
9.5
1
c21
100.0
16
Electrocution.
81.1
12
48.0
1
6.3
i
6.3
1
1
4
4.0
4.0
16.0
6.3
3
1
1
2
12.0
4.0
4.0
8.0
100.0
c25
100.0
Not including 5, nativity not reported.
«Not including 2, nativity not reported.
/ Not including 8, nativity not reported.
d
647
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
T a b l e X X I . — NUMBER OF FA TAL ACCIDENTS AND RATE PER 1,000 EMPLOYEES IN AN
THRACITE MINES OF PENNSYLVANIA, B Y CAUSES, 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the Pennsylvania department of mines.]
Cause.
INSIDE OF MINE.
Falling coal.............................................................................................
Falling slate, roof, etc.............................................................................
Mine cars... 1___I..................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust........................................................................
Explosion of powder or dynamite.........................................................
Explosion of blast..................................................................................
Falling into shafts..................................................................................
Falling into slopes...................................................................................
Falling down manway............................................................................
Crushed at batteries...............................................................................
Mules........................................................................................................
Number
of fatal
accidents.
Per cent
of total.
Fatal
accident
rate per
1,000
employees.
Miscellaneous causes...............................................................................
666
1,597
690
352
195
415
136
56
47
15
39
91
260
14.6
35.0
15.2
7.7
4.3
9.1
3.0
1.2
1.0
.3
.9
2.0
5.7
0.62
1.49
.65
.33
.18
.39
.13
.05
.04
.01
.04
.09
.24
Total..............................................................................................
4,559
100.0
4.26
OUTSIDE OF MINE.
Cars..........................................................................................................
Machinery................................................................................................
Asphyxiation...........................................................................................
Boiler explosion......................................................................................
Electrocution...........................................................................................
Miscellaneous causes...............................................................................
316
204
56
9
3
238
38.2
24.7
6.8
1.1
.4
28.8
.63
.41
.11
.02
.01
.47
Total..............................................................................................
826
100.0
Grand total....................................................................................
5,385
1.65
3.43
T a b l e X X I I . — NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS AND RATE PER 1,000 EMPLOYEES IN
BITUMINOUS MINES OF PEN NSYLVAN IA, B Y CAUSES, 1899 TO 1908.
[From the annual reports of the Pennsylvania department of mines.]
Cause.
Number
of fatal
accidents.
Per cent
of total.
Fatal
accident
rate per
1,000
employees.
INSIDE OF MINE.
Falling coal..............................................................................................
Falling slate, roof, etc.............................................................................
Mine cars..................................................................................................
Machinery................................................................................................
Explosion of gas or dust.........................................................................
Explosion of powder or dynam ite........................................................
Explosion of blast...................................................................................
Asphyxiation.........................................................................................
Electrocution...........................................................................................
Falling into shafts, slopes, etc................................................................
Mules........................................................................................................
Miscellaneous causes...............................................................................
389
1,997
602
30
867
35
62
17
95
82
9
149
Total..............................................................................................
4,334
100.0
3.60
OUTSIDE OF MINE.
Cars.....................................................................................................
Machinery..*............................................................................................
Asphyxiation...........................................................................................
Explosion of boilers........................................................................ : ___
Miscellaneous causes...............................................................................
100
26
3
5
84
45.9
11.9
1.4
2.3
38.5
.39
.10
.01
.02
.32
Total..............................................................................................
218
100.0
Grand total....................................................................................
4,552
9.0
46.1 !
13.9
.7
20.0
.8
1.4
.4
2.2
1.9
.2
3.4
0.32
1.66
.50
.02
.72
.03
.05
.01
.08
.07
.01
.12
.84
3.11
648
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR,
T a b l e X X III.—NUMBER OF FA TA L ACCIDENTS AND RA TE PER 10,000 EMPLOYEES DUE
TO SPECIFIED CAUSES, IN TE N -YE A R PERIODS, B Y STATES AND PROVINCES.
Fatal accidents.
Maryland, 1900 to 1908.
Ohio, 1899 to 1908.
Cause.
10,000
10,000
cent Perem
cent Perem
Number. Per
Number. Per
of total. ployees.
of total. ployees.
Fall of coal or slate.......................................
Fall of roof or rock.......................................
Falling into shafts........................................
Falling from tipple.......................................
Falling of timber..........................................
Cages.............................................................
Mine cars.......................................................
Outside cars..................................................
Motors...........................................................
E x p l o s i o n of g a s ..................................................
Explosion of powder....................................
E x p l o s i o n of fire d a m n ...............................
Explosion, premature"................................
E x p l o s i o n of b l a s t ..........................................
16
35
15.4
33.7
3.07
6.71
2
25
1.9
24. Q
.38
4.79
3
2.9
.58
64
614
14
2
4
10
114
8
19
23
3
1
52
6.2
59.8
1.3
.2
.4
1.0
11.1
.8
1.9
2.2
.3
.1
5.0
1.57
15.10
.34
.05
.10
.25
2.80
.20
.47
.57
.07
.02
1.28
.3
1.3
1.3
.1
.3
3.9
2.5
.07
.32
.32
.02
.07
.98
.04
100.0
25.25
Miscellaneous................................................
21
20.2
4.03
3
13
13
1
3
40
26
Total...................................................
104
100.0
19.94
1,027
E x p l o s i o n o f b o i l e r s .......................................
S h o t b l o w n t h r o u g h .........................................
Mining machinery........................................
Mules.............................................................
Asphyxiation...............................................
2
1.9
.38
E l e c t r o c u t i o n .........................................................
Pennsylvania, anthracite,
1898 to 1907.
Fall of coal.....................................
Fall of slate, roof, or rock..............
Falling into shafts.........................
Falling into slopes.........................
Falling down manways, etc..........
Mine cars.......................................
Outside cars....................................
Explosion of gas or dust................
Explosion or powder or dynamite.
Explosion of blast..........................
Explosion of boiler........................
Mining machinery.........................
Batteries.........................................
Mules or horses..............................
Asphyxiation.................................
Electrocution.................................
Miscellaneous.................................
Total....................................
Pennsylvania, bituminous,
1898 t.o 1907.
653
1,512
130
60
42
644
296
328
183
370
10
189
13
43
163
5
477
12.8
29.5
2.5
1.2
.8
12.6
5.8
6.4
3.6
7.2
.2
3.7
.3
.8
3.2
.1
9.3
4.24
9.82
.84
.39
.27
4.18
1.92
2.13
1.19
2.40
.06
1.23
.08
.28
1.06
.03
3.10
372
1,885
68
5
8.9
45.1
1.6
.1
2.72
13.76
.50
.04
557
92
717
35
61
5
50
13.3
2.2
17.2
.8
1.5
.1
1.2
4.07
.67
5.23
.26
.45
.04
.37
9
22
77
225
.2
.5
1.9
5.4
.07
.16
.56
1.64
5,118
100.0
33.26
4,180
100.0
30.52
649
FATAL ACCIDENTS I X COAL M IXIN G,
T a bl e X X I I I . — NUMBER OF FA TAL ACCIDENTS AND RATE PER 10,000 EMPLOYEES DUE
TO SPECIFIED CAUSES, IN TEN -YEAR PERIODS, B Y STATES AND PROVINCES—Con.
Fatal accidents.
T O T A L,E astern S ection .(«)
Cause.
N ortheastern S ection
(Nova S cotia ).
Per 10,000
10,000
Per cent Perem
Number. Per cent
em
Number. of
of total. ployees.
total.
ployees.
Fall of roof, slate, etc...................................
1,105
4,046
10.6
38.8
3.29
12.04
Fallinginto shafts........................................
Falling into slopes, manways, etc..............
212
107
2.6
1.0
.63
.32
Mine cars......................................................
Outside cars.................................................
Motors...........................................................
Explosion of dust or gas..............................
1,340
396
19
1,169
12.9
3.8
.2
11.2
3.99
1.18
.06
3.48
273
2.6
.81
Miscellaneous................................................
447
18
252
55
198
122
670
4.3
.2
2.4
.5
1.9
1.2
6.4
1.33
.05
.75
.16
.59
.36
1.99
Total....................................................
10,429
100.0
30.98
Explosion of blast........................................
Mining machinery........................................
Mules
A sph yviq tinn
E 1f>r»trnr.ii t.irvn
Kentucky, 1897 to 1906.
108
54.9
9.51
4
2.0
.35
3
1
1.6
.5
.26
.09
2
14
6
1
10
9
1.0
7.1
3.0
.5
5.1
4.6
.18
1.23
.53
.09
.88
.79
i
8
5
2
.5
4.1
2.5
1.0
.09
.70
.44
.18
4
1
2.0
.5
.35
.09
Asphyxiation...............................................
Electrocution................................................
Miscellaneous................................................
4
1
13
2.0
.5
6.6
Total...................................................
197
100.0
Fall of cnal or roof
Fall of coal....................................................
Fall of slate or clod......................
Falling into shaft.........................................
Falling
Palling
Felling
Felling
objects in shaft
from tipple _
of timber
of other objects .
Cages.............................................................
Mine cars......... ............................................
Outside cars..................................................
Motors...........................................................
Explosion of gas or dust..............................
Explosion of powder....................................
Explosion of dynamite
Explosion of boiler.......................................
Explosion of blast.*......................................
Explosion, shot............................................
Explosion, filling certridge
Explosion, flying coal.................................
Explosion, gasoline torch............................
Returning too soon to shot,
Mining machinery........................................
Mules
52
51
1
6
2
5
12
50
5
1
17
10
21.2
20.8
.4
2.4
.8
2.1
4.9
20.4
2.1
.4
6.9
4.1
5.27
5.17
.10
.61
.20
.51
1.22
5.07
.51
.10
1.72
1.01
3
3
5
1.2
1.2
2.1
.30
.30
.51
15
6.1
1.52
7
2.9
.71
245
100.0
24.83
Illinois, 1899 to 1908.
633
11
46
53
45.5
.8
3.3
3.8
11.94
.21
.87
1.00
13
47
175
23
4
71
64
1
2
111
33
.9
3.4
12.6
1.6
.3
5.1
4.6
.1
.1
8.0
2.4
.25
.89
3.30
.43
.08
1.34
1.21
.02
.04
2.09
.62
57
1
4.1
.1
1.08
.02
.35
.09
1.15
21
2
15
5
3
1.5
.1
1.1
.4
.2
.40
.04
.28
.09
.06
17.36
1,391
100.0
26.24
Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
650
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
T able X X I I I .— NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS AND RATE PER 10,000 EMPLOYEES DUE
TO SPECIFIED CAUSES, IN TEN-YEAR PERIODS, BY STATES AND PROVINCES—Con.
Fatal accidents.
T O T A L , East Central
S ection , (a)
Indiana, 1899 to 1903.
Cause.
10,000,
10,000
cent Perem
cent Perem
Number. Per
Number. Per
of total. ployees.
of total. ployees.
Fall of coal..........................................
Fall of slate.........................................
Falling into shaft...............................
Cages...................................................
Mine cars.............................................
Outside cars........................................
Motors.................................................
Explosion of dust or gas....................
Explosion of powder or dynamite...
Explosion of fire damp......................
Explosion of smoke............................
Explosion of kerosene........................
Explosion, windy shot......................
Explosion, premature shot................
Explosion, delayed sh o t...................
Explosion, misplaced shot................
Explosion, tamping shot...................
Shot blown through...........................
Explosion of blast..............................
Explosions, other, and not specified
Mining machinery..............................
Mules...................................................
Asphyxiation.....................................
Electrocution......................................
Miscellaneous......................................
8
140
22
21
38
7
2
1
22
5
8
1
9
13
21
8
3
6
2.3
40.5
6.3
6.1
11.0
2.0
.6
.3
6.3
1.4
2.3
.3
2.6
3.7
6.1
2.3
.9
1.7
3
3
3
2
.9
.9
.9
.6
Total.........................................
346
100.0
641
154
68
36.9
8.9
3.9
9.42
2.26
1.00
213
30
6
85
192
12.3
1.7
.3
4.9
11.1
3.13
.44
.09
1.25
2.82
.20
.20
.20
.13
156
4
21
5
18
8
136
9.0
.2
1.2
.3
1.0
.5
7.8
2.29
.06
.31
.07
.26
.12
2.00
23.08
1,737
100.0
25.54
0.53
9.34
1.47
1.40
2.53
.47
.13
.07
1.47
.33
.53
.07
.CO
.87
1.40
.53
.20
.40
Oklahoma, 1897 to 1906.
Fall of coal......................... .
Fall of rock........................ .
Fall of roof......................... .
Fall of coal, slate, or roof...
Falling into shaft................
Falling objects in shaft.......
Falling from tipple............ .
Cages..................................
Mine cars............................
Outside cars........................
Explosion of gas................ .
Explosion of dynamite----Explosion of powder..........
Explosion, premature....... .
Explosion of boiler............ .
Explosion of after-damp..
Explosion, flying coal.......
Explosion, windy shot___
Explosion, not specified__
Shot firing..........................
Returning too soon to shot
Mining machinery..............
Mules..................................
Asphyxiation.....................
Electrocution.....................
Miscellaneous.....................
Total.........................
a
9
6
68
2.5
1.7
19.2
1.55
1.04
11.75
6
1.7
1.04
3
9
42
1
58
19
12
.8
2.5
11.9
.3
16.4
5.4
3.4
.52
1.55
7.26.
.17
10.02
3.28
2.07
1
.3
.17
21
13
51
7
2
3
17
6
5.9
3.7
14.4
2.0
.6
.8
1.7
3.63
2.25
8.81
1.21
.35
.52
2.94
1.04
354
100.0
61.16
4.8
Illinois and Indiana.
Iowa, 1900 to 1908.
172
15
3
57.9
5.1
1.0
12.51
1.09
.22
12
29
2
* 4.6
9.8
.7
.87
2.11
.15
2
1
35
1
3
13
1
.7
.3
11.8
.3
1.0
4.4
.3
.15
.07
2.54
.07
.22
.95
.07
3
1.0
.22
5
1.7
.36
297
100.0
21.60
651
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
T able XXIH .—NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS AND RATE PER 10,000 EMPLOYEES DUE
TO SPECIFIED CAUSES, IN TEN-YEAR PERIODS, BY STATES AND PROVINCES—Con.
Fatal accidents.
Kansas, 1896 to 1899 and 1901
to 1906.
Cause.
cent
Number. Per
of total.
em
ployees.
1.9
44.0
0.43
9.99
Fall of coal........................
Fall of rock or slate.........
Fall of coal, roof, or rock.
Fall into shaft..................
Falling material in shaft.
Falling of timber..............
Mine cars................................................
Outside cars...........................................
Explosion of gas....................................
Explosion of powder.............................
Explosion of shot..................................
Explosion of black damp......................
Explosion of after-damp.......................
Explosion, tamping..............................
Explosion, windy shot.........................
Explosion, premature shot...................
Explosion, shot blown through pillar.
Explosion, flying coal...........................
Explosion, not stated...........................
Returning too soon to shot...................
Mining machinery.................................
Asphyxiation.........................................
Miscellaneous.........................................
.65
.5
4.3
3.8
1.4
\*ii'
13.4
.5
3.3
.5
.5
3.04
1.0
209
Total.
2.9
.87
.33
.11
.76
.11
.11
.22
2.4
12.4
.54
2.82
1.0
of coal.................
of coal or slate__
of roof, slate, etc.
into shafts..........
Mine cars...........................
Outside cars......................
Explosion of dust or gases.
Explosion of dust..............
Explosion of gas
Explosion of dynamite or powder___
Explosion of blast................................
Explosions, other, and not specified .
Returning too soon to shot.................
Mining machinery...............................
Mules....................................................
Asphyxiation..................................... .
Electrocution.......................................
Miscellaneous.................................... .
a
70.5
3.3
.8
9.85
.46
.11
1
. 8
.8
6.6
.11
.92
3
2
2.5
1.6
.34
.23
4
6
2
3.3
4.9
1.6
.46
.69
.23
5
4.1
.57
.54
.87
100.0
22.70
122
100.0
13.97
27.6
7.23
166
31
16.9
3.2
4.43
.83
7.9
.6
2.05
.16
1.92
11.1
11.1
2.91
2.91
1.09
.7
.3
.6
6.3
.19
.08
.59
.16
1.65
100.0
26.20
7.3
4.2
2.2
982
Total.
1
86
4
1
.22
271
109
109
41
10,000
cent Perem
Number. Per
of total. ployees.
2.4
3.8
T O T A L , W est Central
Section.(a)
Fall
Fall
Fall
Fall
Missouri, 1899 to 1908.
Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri,
Alabama, 1899,1900,1906, and
1907.
120
36.7
.6
9.5
.30
4.71
17.4
4.0
8.3
8.67
1.98
4.11
2.8
.6
.30
1.37
8
57
2.4
17.4
.15
1.22
8.67
327
100.0
49.73
1
652
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR,
T able X X III.—NUMBER OF FA TA L ACCIDENTS AND RA TE PER 10,000 EMPLOYEES DUE
TO SPECIFIED CAUSES, IN T E N -YE A R PERIODS, B Y STATES AND PROVINCES—Con.
Fatal accidents.
Tennessee, 1899 to 1908.
Cause.
West Virginia, 1899 to 1908.
10,000
10,000
cent Perem
cent Perem
Number. Per
Number. Per
of total. ployees.
of total. ployees.
Fall of coal.....................................................
Fall of roof or slate.......................................
Fall of roof or rock.......................................
Fall of slate...................................................
Fall into shaft...............................................
Mine cars.......................................................
Outside cars..................................................
Explosion of gas...........................................
Explosion of dust.........................................
Explosion of dust or gas..............................
Explosion of boiler.. T.................................
Explosion of powder or dynamite..............
Explosion of blast........................................
Explosion, windy shot................................
Returning" too soon to shot..........................
Mining machinery........................................
Mules or horses............................................
Asphyxiation...............................................
Electrocution................................................
Miscellaneous................................................
Total....................................................
61
12.7
6.31
15
91
1
31
2
2
217
3.1
18.9
.2
6.5
.4
.4
45.1
1.55
9.41
.10
3.21
.21
.21
22.45
42
1
1
2
6
1
8.7
.2
.2
.4
1.3
.2
4.34
.10
.10
.21
.62
.10
8
1.7
.83
481
100.0
49.75
T O T A L , S o u th e rn Section.
O)
364
12.0
6.21
901
31
29.7
1.0
15.36
.53
2
324
22
.1
10.7
.7
.03
5.52
.38
1,007
33.2
17.17
162
5.3
2.76
23
.8
.39
Explosion, premature shot..........................
Explosions, other, not spenified .
Mining machinery........................................
Mules.............................................................
Asphyxiation................................................
Electrocution................................................
Miscellaneous................................................
7
31
8
4
42
107
.2
1.0
.3
.1
1.4
3.5
.12
.53
.14
.07
.72
1.82
Total....................................................
3,035
100.0
51.75
Fall of coal.....................................................
Fall of slate...................................................
Fall of roof.
_______________ _____ ______
Fall of roof, slate, etc...........................................
Fall into shafts..............................................
Fall into slopes.............................................
Fall down manways, etc.............................
Fall of timber...............................................
Cages..............................................................
Mine cars.......................................................
Outside cars..................................................
Explosion of gas............. ....................................
Explosion of dust.........................................
Explosion of gas or dust __
Explosion of powder....................................
Explosion of dynamite or powder
Explosion of fire-damp................................
Explosion of lamp........................................
Explosion of blast
Explosion, delayed shot ..............................
a
Alabama, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
183
795
8.2
35.7
4.32
18.75
30
262
20
1.4
11.8
.9
.71
6.18
.47
718
2
93
22
32.2
.1
4.2
1.0
16.93
.05
2.19
.52
16
7
3
26
50
.7
.3
.1
1.2
2.2
.38
.17
.07
.61
1.18
2,227
100.0
52.52
Colorado, 1897 to 1900 and
1903 to 1908.
72
183
101
12.7
32.3
17.8
7.11
18.07
9.97
8
2
2
1
8
71
1
30
14
1.4
.3
.3
.2
1.4
12.5
.2
5.3
2.5
.79
.20
.20
.10
.79
7.01
.10
2.96
1.38
3
.5
.30
23
1
4.1
.2
2.27
.10
6
14
1.1
2.5
.59
1.38
4
2
10
8
3
.7
.3
1.8
1.4
.5
.39
.20
.99
.79
.30
567
100.0
55.99
653
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G,
XXIII.—NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS AND RATE PER 10,000 EMPLOYEES DUE
TO SPECIFIED CAUSES, IN TEN-YEAR PERIODS, BY STATES AND PROVINCES—Con.
T able
Fatal accidents.
New Mexico, 1899 to 1908.
Cause.
Utah, 1899 to 1908.
1
Per 10,000
10,COO
cent Perem
Number. Per cent
em
Number. Per
of total. ployees.
of total. ployees.
Fall of coal.....................................................
Fall of rock...................................................
Fall of slate...................................................
Fall into shafts..............................................
Cages.......................%.....................................
Mine cars................ *.....................................
Outside cars..................................................
Motors...........................................................
Explosion of gas...........................................
Explosion of dust.........................................
Explosion of boiler.......................................
Explosion of powder....................................
Explosion, blast...........................................
Explosion, premature..................................
Explosions, other, not specified..................
Flying coal from shot..................................
Returning too soon to shot.........................
Mining machinery........................................
21
62
10
12.6
37.1
6.0
9.14
26.99
4.35
i
23
.6
13.7
.44
10.01
2
5
15
1
2
7
1.2
3.0
9.0
.6
1.2
4.2
.87
2.18
6.53
.44
.87
3.05
i
l
4
.6
.6
2.4
.44
.44
1.74
1
.6
.4 4
E l e v a t o r .................................................................................
C a u g h t, f i r e .........................................................................
A s p n y x i a t i o n .....................................................................
E l e c t r o c u t i o n ................_ ..................................................
M i s c e ll a n e o u s .....................................................................
9
1
1
5.4
3.92
.6
.6
.4 4
.4 4
Total....................................................
167
100.0
72.69
T O T A L , W estern Section.
(o)
Fall of coal.....................................................
Fall of roof or rock.......................................
Fall of roof, slate, etc....................................
Fall into shafts..............................................
Fall into slopes, manways, etc...................
Fall of timber...............................................
Fall from trestle...........................................
Cages................................. ..........................
Mine cars.......................................................
Outside cars..................................................
Motors...........................................................
Explosion of gas............................................
Explosion of dust and gases......................
Explosion of dynamite or powder..............
Explosion, blast...........................................
Explosion, after-damp................................
Explosion, white-damp...............................
Explosion, shot............................................
Explnsirms; other, not specified...............
Mining machinery........................................
M ules.........................................................................
Asphyxiation................................................
Electrocution................................................
Mine fire........................................................
Miscellaneous................................................
Total....................................................
114
11.3
7.88
379
9
4
37.7
.9
.4
26.20
.62
.28
lli
3
2
11.0
.3
.2
7.67
.21
.14
90
206
33
8.9
20.5
3.3
6.22
14.24
2.28
3
5
2
19
9
.3
.5
.2
1.9
.9
.21
.35
.14
1.31
.62
21
23
7.7
8.5
10.29
11.27
1
1
17
2
.4
.4
6.2
.7
.49
.49
8.33
.98
1
2
.4
.7
.49
.98
200
73.5
97.98
1
.4
.49
2
1
.7
.4
.98
.49
272
133.25
Washington, 1899 to 1908.
30
79
10.3
27.2
6.28
16.53
5
4
6
3
1
40
2
1
49
1.7
1.4
2.1
1.0
.3
13.7
.7
.3
16.8
1.05
.84
1.26
.63
.21
8.37
.42
.21
10.25
6
2.1
1.26
22
4
12
7.6
1.4
4.1
4.60
.84
2.51
4
1.4
.84
2.i
1.7
1.0
3.1
1.26
1.05
.63
1.88
100.0
60.87
17
1.7
i .i s
6
5
3
9
1,006
100.0
69.54
291
o Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah,
100.0
654
BULLETIN OF TH E BU&EAU OF LABOR-
T able X XIII.—NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS AND RATE PER 10,000 EMPLOYEES DUE
TO SPECIFIED CAUSES, IN TEN-YEAR PERIODS, BY STATES AND PROVINCES—
Concluded.
Fatal accidents.
British Columbia, 1899 to 1908.
Cause.
T O T A L , Pacific Coast
S ection (»).
10,000
10,000
cent Perem
Per cent Perem
Number. Per
o f total. ployees. Number. of total. ployees.
Pall nf coal_____ _______________ _______
Pall of rock........................................ ...........
PftU of roofj slate, etc.. _______ __________
Palling into slnpes; m^nways; ctn r ______
Fall oftimber. T...........................................
Hages ...........................................................
Mina cars.......................................................
37
52
8.7
12.2
8.06
11.33
5
2
35
1.2
.5
8.2
1.-G9
.44
7.63
36
Motors...........................................................
Explosion of gas............................................
Explosion o f dust or gases...........................
Explosion o f dynamite or powder..............
Explosion, blast...........................................
Explosions, other, and not specified..........
Explosion, cause unknown....... .................
Asphyxiation................................................
Electrocution................................................
Mine fire........................................................
Miscellaneous................................................
8.5
7.85
5
1.2
1.09
203
47.9
44.25
19
30
4.5
7.1
Total....................................................
424
100.0
4.14 •
6.54
92.42
67
9.4
7,15
131
5
7
18.3
.7
1.0
13.98
.53
.75
75
2
1
10.5
.3
,1
8.01
.21
.11
111
11
12
203
4
6
5
15.5
1.5
1.7
28.4
.6
.8
.7
11.85
1.17
1.28
21.67
.43
.64
.53
75
10.5
8.01
715
100.0
76.32
GRAND TOTAL.
Pall of coal....................................... - .....................
Fall of roof, slate, etc..................................................................... ..................
Falling into shafts.......................................................................... .................
Falling into slopes, manways, etc....................................................................
Afine cars............................................................................................................
Outside cars.................................................................................................. , . .
Motors.................................................................................................................
Explosion of dust or gases................................................................................
Explosion of dynamite or powder....................................................................
Explosion of blast.............................................................................................
Explosions, other, and not specified................................................................
Mining machinery.............................................................................................
Mules..................................................................................................................
Asphyxiation .....................................................................................................
Electrocution.....................................................................................................
Miscellaneous_______________________________________ _________ ________________
Total__________________________________
a Washington and British Columbia.
2.722
5,828
369
125
2,204
470
30
2,571
9C8
793
292
332
73
271
193
1,105
14.8
31.8
2.0
.7
12.0
2.6
.2
14.0
5.3
4.3
1.6
1.8
.4
1.5
1.0
6.0
4.99
10,68
.68
,23
4.04
,86
.05
4.71
1.77
1.45
.53
.61
.13
.50
.35
2.02
18,346
100.0
33. CO
655
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
TABtE X X IV .—NUMBER OF FA TA L ACCIDENTS AND RA TE PER 1,000 EM PLOYEES IN
COALMINES IN SPECIFIED STATES AND GEOGRAPHICAL GROUPS, B Y Y EARS, 1889 TO
1908.
Maryland.
Ohio.
Pennsylvania (anthracite).
Fatal accidents.
Fatal accidents.
Fatal accidents.
Year.
Em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
2.08
1.54
1.52
1.23
1.69
2.30
1.58
1.17
.88
1.08
1.32
2.23
1.89
2.82 .
2.11
2.57
2.10
.85
2.00
1889.....................
1890.....................
1891.....................
1892.....................
1893.....................
1894.....................
1895.....................
1896.....................
1897.....................
1898.....................
1899.....................
1800.....................
1901.....................
1902.....................
1903.....................
1904.....................
1905.....................
1906.....................
1907.....................
1908.....................
3,842
3,891
3; 959
4,071
4,147
3,921
3,800
4,276
4,571
4,627
5,304
5,373
5,827
5,673
5,680
6,230
6,201
5,880
5,996
8
6
6
5
7
9
6
5
4
5
7
12
11
16
12
16
13
5
12
Total.........
93,269
165
1.77
Pennsylvania (bituminous).
1889.....................
1890.....................
1§91.....................
1892.....................
1893.....................
1894.....................
1895.....................
1896.....................
1897.....................
1898.....................
1899.....................
1900.....................
1901.....................
1902.....................
1903.....................
1904.....................
1905.....................
1906.....................
1907.....................
1908.....................
Total.........
62,084
67,383
74,135 :
78,805
81,872 :
:86,118
84,976
83,801
86,553 :
87,803 :
91,505
108,735
117,501
135,611
151,745
155,747
164,941
172,928
183,121
181,840
2,257,204
Em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
Em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
23,295
22,192
23.997
26,972
28,810
31,493
28.998
28,446
28,785
28,365
28,028
31,702
33,505
37,421
41,396
45,834
44,193
46,501
47,876
50,267
33
42
44
42
34
45
52
41
40
52
59
68
72
81
124
118
114
126
153
112
1.42
1.89
1.83
1.56
1.18
1.43
1.79
1.44
1.39
1.83
2.11
2.14
2.15
2.16
2.75
2.57
2.58
2.73
3.20
2.23
119,964
119,919
123,308
130,300
138,069
139,939
143,705
150,088
149,557
142,420
140,604
143,824
147,651
148,139
151,827
161,330
168,254
166,175
168,774
174,503
397
378
428
418
456
446
* 421
502
423
411
461
411
513
300
518
595
644
557
708
678
3.31
3.15
3.47
3.21
3.30
3.19
2.93
3.34
2.83
2.89
3.28
2.86
3.47
2.03
3.41
3.6if
3.83
3.35
4.19
3.89
678,076
1,452
2.14
2,928,350
9,665
3.30
T O T A L , Eastern
Seetion. (a)
N ortheastern S ection
(Nova S cotia).
105
146
237
134
131
123
156
180
150
200
258
265
301
456
402
536
479
477
806
572
1.69
2.17
3.20
1.70
1.60
1.43
1.84
2.15
1.73
2.28
2.82
2.44
2.56
3.36
2.65
3.44
2.90
2.76
4.40
3.15
205,343
213,336
225,331
240,036
252,822
261,697
261,600
266,135
269,171
263,159
264,764
289,565
304,030
326,998
350,641
368,591
383,618
391,805
405,651
412,606
535
574
715
600
626
621
638
729
618
667
783
751
898
848
1,060
1,261
1,253
1,173
1,672
1,374
2.61
2.69
3.17
2.50
2.48
2.37
2.44
2.74
2.30
2.53
2.96
2.59
2.95
2.59
3.02
3.42
3.27
2.99
4.12
2.33
5,167
5,324
5,746
5,806
5,890
5,396
5,793
6,012
5,175
4,487
5,612
6,626
7,663
8,062
11,092
11,659
10,780
12,123
12,107
12,933
8
134
3
11
2
13
9
8
7
7
19
21
14
19
31
19
20
28
35
39
1.55
25.17
.52
1.89
.34
2.41
1.55
1.33
1.35
1.56
3.39
3.17
1.83
2.36
2.79
1.63
1.86
2.31
2.89
3.02
6,114
2.71
5,956,899
17,396
2.92
153,453 !
447
2.91
a
Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
656
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR,
T a b l e X X IV .—NUMBER OF F A TA L ACCIDENTS AND R A TE PER 1,000 EMPLOYEES IN
COAL MINES IN SPECIFIED STATES AND GEOGRAPHICAL GROUPS, B Y YEARS, 1889 TO
1908—Continued.
Western Kentucky.
Illinois.
Fatal accidents.
Indiana.
Fatal accidents.
Fatal accidents.
Year.
Em
ployees.
« 6 ,153
o7,314
1889.....................
1890.....................
1891.....................
1892.....................
1893.....................
1894.....................
1895.....................
1896.....................
1897.....................
1898.....................
1899.....................
1900.....................
1901.....................
1902.....................
1903.....................
1904.....................
1905.....................
1906.....................
1907.....................
1908.....................
3,534
3; 882
3,762
3,536
3,509
3,929
3,653
4,260
4,282
4,775
5,477
6,162
6,338
7,296
0 16,718
017,592
018,611
Total.........
136,725
0 5,942
Per
Num
ber.
a 13
o il
0 I6
3
1,000
36,229
42,438
45,868
44.766
46,703
42,239
50,051
47,678
45,701
47,034
48,617
52,524
61,014
64,621
71,104
78,950
84,382
98,563
103,315
108,544
Total.........
1,220,341
2.11
1,000
Em
ployees.
em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
9
a 40
o32
o40
42
53
60
57
69
72
75
77
69
75
84
94
99
99
156
157
199
155
165
183
1.40
1.85
1.82
1.69
1.95
1.87
1.94
2.08
2.04
2.14
2.27
2.39
2.24
2.15
3.13
2.87
3.36
2.49
2.47
2.58
7,885
7,112
7,984
8,355
7,366
8,858
12,096
13,139
15,128
17,838
17,856
19,562
19,009
19,092
22
.91
1.46
1.26
1.23
2.39
1.82
2.15
30,076
28,574
32,951
33,632
35,390
38,477
38,630
37,057
33,788
35,026
36,991
39,384
44,143
46,005
49,814
54,774
59,230
62,283
66,714
70,841
15
18
24
24
55
34
47
31
53
45
2.63
2.04
2.03
1.98
1.83
3.64
1.91
2.63
1.58
2.79
2.36
219
1.60
873,780
2,040
2.33
209,836
486
2.32
1
5
3
1
3
2
3
6
9
5
9
8
1.50
2.69
.85
.26
1.33
.85
.28
.76
.55
.70
1.40
1.88
55
69
81
79
92
77
1.52
1.63
1.77
1.76
1.97
1.82
106
2.02
2.22
99
2.10
2.10
101
88
1.93
3,290
3,648
3,686
3,470
3,529
4,005
5.272
5.272
6,234
6,091
8,260
7,637
12
6
12
22
199
255
226
250
268
7,710
14,560
17
25
40
44
60
33
30
44
39
32
44
2,745
2.25
90,774
460
118
132
128
220
6,550
6,975
7,600
7,431
Oklahoma.
2.25
2.16
1.98
3.09
2.52
3.02
2.29
2.42
2.47
102
a Including figures lor eastern Kentucky
Per
Num
ber.
em
ployees.
T O T A L , E ast Central
Section. (&)
1889.....................
1890.....................
1891.....................
1892.....................
1893.....................
1894.....................
1895.....................
1896.....................
1897.....................
1898.....................
1899.....................
1900.....................
1901.....................
1902.....................
1903.....................
1904.....................
1905.....................
1906.....................
1907.....................
1908.....................
Em
ployees.
8,110
5
5
19
0.76
.72
2.50
2.96
23
28
16
2.92
3.94
22
2.00
Iowa.
3.65
1.64
3.26
6.34
4.82
6.24
7.59
8.35
9.62
5.42
3.63
5.76
4.81
4.15
3.02
10,970
9,903
9,130
9,307
10,486
10,258
10,992
11,451
11,678
10,550
11,029
13,041
13,175
13,002
13,192
16,315
17,624
16,825
17,045
17,312
35
13
19
24
29
19
5.07
253,285
545
20
22
21
26
20
29
27
55
21
31
24
37
35
38
&Western Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana.
3.19
1.31
2.08
2.58
2.77
1.85
1.82
1.14
1.80
2.46
1.81
2.22
2.04
4.23
1.59
1.90
1.36
2.20
2.05
2.20
2.15
657
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G ,
T a b l e X X IV .—NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS AND RA TE PER 1,000 EMPLOYEES IN
COAL MINES IN SPECIFIED STATES AND GEOGRAPHICAL GROUPS, B Y YEARS, 1889 TO
1908—Continued.
TOTAL, West Central
Section. (<*)
Missouri.
Kansas.
Fatal accidents.
Fatal accidents.
Fatal accidents.
Year.
Em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
1889.....................
1890.....................
1891.....................
1892.....................
1893.....................
1894.....................
1895.....................
1896.....................
1897.....................
1898.....................
1899.....................
1900.....................
1901.....................
1902.....................
1903.....................
1904.....................
1905.....................
1906.....................
1907.....................
1908.....................
5,956
4,523
6,201
12
8
13
2.01
1.77
2.10
9,891
10,088
9,021
8,807
8,699
8,122
10,198
10,673
9,506
9,315
9,972
5,173
12,109
10,175
11,957
11,334
15
26
10
12
6
17
16
20
10
30
36
16
36
30
52
31
Total.........
171,720
396
819
1,638
1,838
1,415
3,149
2,714
3,696
2,119
2,881
3,087
Total.........
23,356
a
4
10
6
6
8
7
8
6
7
6
68
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
Em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
1.52
2.58
1.11
1.36
.69
2.09
1.57
1.87
1.05
3.22
3.61
3.09
2.97
2.95
4.35
2.74
11
18
21
21
19
13
19
8
9
14
10
15
10
17
11
11
16
8
10
1.84
2.62
2.61
2.70
2.49
1.79
2.88
1.22
1.22
1.80
1.31
1.63
1.09
1.85
1.09
1.06
1.65
1.70
1.06
16,926
20,397
22,210
17,366
28,144
31,280
30,906
30,532
30,404
29,592
33,024
36,636
37,179
37,713
38,432
39,882
47,785
44,789
41,429
52,597
47
32
50
45
65
76
49
65
57
69
75
99
96
155
107
88
115
122
127
123
2.78
1.57
2.25
2.59
2.31
2.43
1.59
2.13
1.87
2.33
2.27
2.70
2.58
4.11
2.78
2.21
2.41
2.72
3.07
2.34
2.31
151,444
261
1.72
667,223
1,662
2.49
4.88
6.11
3.26
4.24
2.54
2.58
2.16
2.83
2.43
1.94
2.91
Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri.
62717°—No. 90—10----- 15
Num
ber.
5,971
6,879
8,059
7,767
7,644
7,245
6,588
6,557
7.391
7,792
7,650
9,226
9,162
9,177
10,134
10,415
9,679
4,717
9.391
North Central Section
(Michigan).
1889.....................
1890.....................
1891.....................
1892.....................
1893.....................
1894.....................
1895.....................
1896.....................
1897.....................
1898.....................
1899.....................
1900.....................
1901.....................
1902.....................
1903.....................
1904.....................
1905.....................
1906.....................
1907.....................
1908.....................
Em
ployees.
Alabama.
8,993
8,930
8,246
9,884
11,101
9,900
12,881
14,282
14,143
17,909
19,356
17,626
17,205
18,348
20,241
18,783
227,828
17
19
38
28
38
45
40
37
41
50
57
84
185
96
154
108
1,037
Eastern Kentucky.
1.89
2.13
4.61
2.83
3.42
4.55
3.11
2.59
2.90
2.79
2.94
4.77
10.75
5.23
7.61
5.75
<*)
(»)
(»)
3,091
4,657
4,317
4,329
4,041
3,820
3,600
4,185
4,783
5,008
6,559
7,352
7,568
7,742
(»)
(*>)
(*)
4.55
71,052
(*)
(b )
(6)
^5
11
5
5
5
9
4
4
11
12
14
16
11
22
(6)
1.62
2.36
1.16
1.16
1.24
2.36
1.11
.96
2.30
2.40
2.13
2.18
1.45
2.84
(b)
(6)
134
• 1.89
b Included with figures for western Kentucky
658
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR,
TABLE X X IV .—NUMBER OF FA TA L ACCIDENTS AND RA TE PE R 1,000 EM PLOYEES IN
COAL MINES IN SPECIFIED STATES AND GEOGRAPHICAL GROUPS, B Y YEARS, 1889 TO
1908—Continued.
Tennessee.
T O T A L , S ou th ern Sec
tion. (a)
West Virginia.
Fatal accidents.
Fatal accidents.
Fatal accidents.
Year.
Em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
Em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
Em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
1889.....................
1890.....................
1891.....................
1892.....................
1893.....................
1894.....................
1895.....................
1896.....................
1897.....................
1898.....................
1899.....................
1900.....................
1901.....................
1902.....................
1903.....................
1904.....................
1905.....................
1906.....................
1907.....................
1908.....................
5,097
4,926
4,976
5,542
5,120
6,531
6,337
7,820
7,694
8,691
8,418
8,759
9,673
9,972
10,517
10,736
11,098
11,122
22
14
11
12
37
22
10
18
20
10
44
226
26
28
29
33
31
34
4.32
2.84
2.21
2.16
7.23
3.37
1.58
2.30
2.60
1.15
5.23
25.80
2.69
2.81
2.76
3.07
2.79
3.06
9,006
11,497
11,397
13,023
17,129
19,771
20,889
24,227
21,422
23,262
25,108
28,055
32,386
35,147
$9,452
45,492
49,950
51,769
56,265
60,397
13
27
36
31
72
59
83
65
62
90
89
141
134
120
159
140
194
269
356
625
1.44
2.35
3.16
2.38
4.20
2.98
3.97
2.68
2.89
3.87
3.54
5.03
4.14
3.41
4.03
3.08
3.88
5.20
6.32
10.35
9,006
11,497
16,494
21,040
35,755
38,560
38,584
44,683
42,680
44,582
49,868
55,811
59,955
68,374
75,833
80,658
85,414
80,853
87,604
90,302
13
27
58
50
111
95
163
120
119
157
153
199
231
410
258
263
430
398
541
767
1.44
2.35
3.52
2.38
3.10
2.46
4.22
2.69
2.79
3.52
3.07
3.57
3.85
6.00
3.40
3.26
5.03
4.92
6.18
8.49
Total.........
143,029
627
4.38
595,644
2,765
4.64
1,037,553
4,563
4.40
Colorado.
1889.....................
1890.....................
1891.....................
1892.....................
1893.....................
1894.....................
1895.....................
1896.....................
1897.....................
1898.....................
1899.....................
1900.....................
1901.....................
1902.....................
1903.....................
1904.....................
1905.....................
1906.....................
1907.....................
1908.....................
5,690
7,052
6,822
7,578
7,286
6,212
7,354
6,716
7,018
7,425
7,321
7,271
8,000
9,000
10,296
10,769
11,891
12,030
12,900
14,354
23
16
30
34
46
19
23
68
35
24
42
29
55
73
40
89
60
88
99
61
Total.........
172,985
954
a
New Mexico.
Utah.
!
4.04 ...................1.............
1
2.27
1
4.40
:: : : : :
4.49
6.31
3.06
3.13
24
1,659
10.13
1,438
7
4.99
1,365
7
3.23
1,888
7
5.74
1,880
15
3.99
2,015
15
6.88
9
1,870
1.682
8.11
17
3.89
2,341
17
1,972
8.26
15
2,132
5.05
5
7.32
2,354
9
31
7.67
3,059
34
4.25
3,670
14.47
4.87
5.13
3.71
7.98
7.44
4.81
10.11
7.26
7.61
2.35
3.82
10.13
9.26
576
671
670
690
720
685
1,118
1,504
1,780
2,468
2,182
2,215
1,963
1,895
2,607
2,680
2
1
1
3
3
3
3.47
1.49
1.49
4.35
4.17
4.38
209
9
8
7
9
7
7
8
8
138.96
5.06
3.24
3.21
4.06
3.57
3.69
3.07
2.99
212
7.23
24,424
285
11.67
5.51
29,325
Alabama, eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
659
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G.
T a b l e X X I V . — NUM BER OF F A TA L ACCIDENTS AND R ATE P E R 1,000 EM PLOYEES IN
COAL MINES IN SPECIFIED STATES AND GEOGRAPHICAL GROUPS, B Y Y E A R S , 1889 TO
1908— Concluded.
TOTAL, Western Section.
(o)
Washington.
British Columbia.
Fatal accidents.
Fatal accidents.
Fatal accidents.
Year.
Em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Em
ployees.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
Em
ployees.
Num
ber.
Per
1,000
em
ployees.
1
1889.....................
1890.....................
1891.....................
1892.....................
1893.....................
1894.....................
1895.....................
1890.....................
1897.....................
1898.....................
1899.....................
1900.....................
1901.....................
1902.....................
1903.....................
1904.....................
1905.....................
1906.....................
1907.....................
1908.....................
5,690
7,052
6,822
7,578
7,862
6,883
9,683
8,844
9,103
9,998
10,319
10,790
11,650
13,150
14,819
14,956
15,986
16,279
18,566
20,704
23
16
30
34
48
20
48
78
45
34
57
253
73
98
64
113
72
104
138
103
4.04
2.27
4.40
4.49
6.11
2.91
4.96
8.82
4.94
3.40
5.52
23.45
6.27
7.45
4.32
7.56
4.50
6.39
7.43
4.97
2,960
2,828
3,380
2,828
2,683
2,826
3,337
3,308
4,238
4,826
4,342
4,876
4,633
4,976
5,150
6,113
5,341
55
9
50
35
8
7
9
45
33
27
34
25
31
13
21
37
25
18.58
3.18
14.79
12.38
2.98
2.48
2.70
13.60
7.79
5.59
7.83
5.13
6.69
2.61
4.08
6.05
4.68
3,094
2,854
2,844
2,929
2,924
2,753
2,433
2,988
3,780
4,031
3,974
4,011
4,264
4,453
4,407
4,805
6,059
6,095
15
6
16
4
10
9
6
7
11
17
102
139
42
37
12
15
31
18
4.85
2.10
5.63
1.37
3.41
3.27
2.47
2.34
2.91
4.22
25.67
34.65
9.85
8.31
2.72
3.12
5.12
2.95
Total.........
226,734
1,451
6.40
68,645
464
6.76
68,698
497
7.23
TOTAL, Pacific Coast
Section. (&)
GRAND TOTAL.
1889.......................................................................
1890.......................................................................
1891.......................................................................
1892.......................................................................
1893.......................................................................
1894.......................................................................
1895.......................................................................
1896.......................................................................
1897.......................................................................
1898.......................................................................
1899.......................................................................
1900.......................................................................
1901.......................................................................
1902.......................................................................
1903.......................................................................
1904.......................................................................
1905.......................................................................
1906.......................................................................
1907.......................................................................
1908.......................................................................
3,094
5,814
5,672
6,309
5,752
5,436
5,259
6,325
7,088
8,269
8,800
8,353
9,140
9,086
9,383
9,955
12,172
11,436
15
61
25
54
45
17
13
16
56
50
129
173
67
68
25
36
68
43
4.85
10.49
4.41
8.56
7.82
3.13
2.47
2.53
7.90
6.05
14.66
20.71
7.33
7.48
2.66
3.62
5.59
3.76
278,361
300,044
325,565
342,406
382,848
392,364
402,369
409,320
407,493
405,177
420,111
461,859
492,129
528,686
574,210
606,496
641,044
656,486
683,725
712,209
681
852
952
880
969
956
1,053
1,123
947
1,049
1,249
1,501
1,579
1,837
1,815
2,018
2,178
2,093
2,838
2,723
2.45
2.84
2.92
2.57
2.53
2.44
2.62
2.74
2.32
2.59
2.97
3.25
3.21
3.47
3.16
3.33
3.40
3.19
4.15
3.82
Total..........................................................
137,343
961
7.00
9,422,902
29,293
3.11
a Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.
&Washington and British Columbia.
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
r.— NUMBER OF F A TA L ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINES OF NORTH AMERICA,
B Y STATES AND PROVINCES, 1866 TO 1908.
[From reports of state mine inspectors.]
Fatal accidents.
Ala Ar
bama. kan
sas.
Colo
rado.
Illi Indi
Kan Ken
nois. ana. Iowa. sas. tucky.
ary- Mich Mis Mon New North
Da
nd. igan. souri. tana. Mex
ico. kota.
1866.
1867.
1868.
1869.
To
1870.
1871.
1872.
1873.
1874.
1875.
1876.
1877.
1878.
1879.
To
1880.
1881.
1882.
1883.
1884.
1885.
1886.
1887.
1888.
1889.
10
134
46
39
52
41
55
42
To
1890.
1891.
1892.
1893.
1894.
1895.
1896.
1897.
1898.
1899.
(?7
(a)
61
143
31
35
22
%
28
11
18
21
21
8
6
6
5
7
9
6
5
4
5
5
19
28
16
22
19
13
19
8
9
14
1
24
7
7
7
15
61
4
153
43
60
7
10
15
10
17
11
11
16
8
10
6
7
5
9
8
13
14
21
15
9
17
17
15
5
9
31
34
..........
..........
..........
..........
...........
..........
..........
..........
4
108
95
152
4
261
138
212
4
15
To
225
1900.
1901.
1902
1903.
1904.
1905.
1906.
1907.
1908.
37
41
50
57
84
185
96
154
108
337
691
155
213
123
96
94
99
99
156
157
199
155
165
183
12
10
6
6
8
7
8
6
7
6
812
76
594 1,307
331
297
261
244
104
64
1,037
76
1,074 2,407
547
573
415
375
165
12
11
16
12
16
13
5
a
Not reported.
1
7
3
1
(a)
7
12
661
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
'.—N UM BER OF F A TA L ACCIDENTS IN COAL MINES OF NORTH AM ERICA,
B Y STATES AND PROVINCES, 1866 TO 1908—Concluded.
[From reports of state mine inspectors.]
Fatal accidents.
Pennsyl
vania.
Okla
Ohio. homa
An
thra
cite.
Total,
Brit
ish
Brit
Co
Ten
West W yo Total, ish Nova lum
Wash
Grand
nes Utah. ington. Vir ming. United Co Sco
bia total.
ginia.
States. lum tia.
Bitu see.
and
mi
bia.
Nova
nous.
Sco
tia.
1866.
1867.
1868.
1869.
20
23
13
30
20
(a)
211
210
223
264
231
238
228
194
187
262
5
11
7
4
5
11
7
4
27
27
27
13
48
55
211
210
223
264
251
261
241
237
255
317
4
5
13
73
7
2
3
5
8
3
4
5
13
73
7
2
3
5
8
3
215
215
236
337
258
263
244
242
263
320
To
1870.
1871.
1872.
1873.
1874.
1875.
1876.
1877.
1878.
1879.
5
11
7
4
To
106
2,248
116
2,470
123
123
2,593
1880.
1881.
1882.
1883.
1884.
1885.
1886.
1887.
1888.
1889.
22
29
25
26
26
51
43
36
29
33
202
273
291
323
332
332
279
316
364
397
48
57
94
54
105
83
74
84
90
105
31
13
272
369
410
568
585
553
509
504
657
673
53
2
2
17
9
23
5
10
2
8
53
2
2
17
*9
23
5
10
2
8
325
371
412
585
594
576
514
514
659
681
To
320
3,109
794
135
5,100
131
131
5,231
378
428
418
456
446
421
502
423
411
461
146
237
134
131
123
156
180
150
200
258
22
14
11
12
37
22
10
18
20
2
1
1
3
3
3
55
9
50
35
8
7
9
45
27
36
31
72
59
83
65
62
90
89
719
941
866
952
945
1,042
1,106
943
1,042
1,220
15
6
16
4
10
9
6
7
11
134
3
11
2
13
9
8
7
7
19
134
18
17
18
17
19
17
13
14
30
853
959
883
970
962
1,061
1,123
956
1,056
1,250
4,344 1,715
1890.
1891.
1892.
1893.
1894.
1895.
1896.
1897.
1898.
1899.
42~
44
42
34
45
52
41
40
52
59
_____
12
6
12
22
17
25
To
451
94
1900.
1901.
1902.
1903.
1904.
1905.
1906.
1907.
1908.
68
72
81
124
118
114
126
153
112
40
44
60
33
30
44
39
32
44
To
968
366
20
(a)
K
23
48
166
13
218
614
9,776
84
213
297
10,073
265
301
456
402
536
479
477
806
572
10
44
226
26
28
29
33
31
34
209
* 9
8
7
9
7
7
8
8
33
27
34
25
31
13
21
37
25
141
134
120
159
140
194
269
356
625
1,469
1,529
1,894
1,747
1,971
2,174
2,091
2,796
2,786
17
102
139
42
37
12
15
31
18
21
14
19
31
19
20
28
35
39
38
116
158
73
56
32
43
66
57
1,507
1,645
2,052
1,820
2,027
2,206
2,134
2,862
2,843
4,924 4,294
461
272
246
2,138
339 18,457
413
226
639
19,096
460 14,625 6,919
627
285
464
2,887
339 35,803
497
720 1,217
37,020
411
513
300
518
595
644
557
708
678
41
190
12
15
81
fJr
1,845
a
Not reported.
662
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUKEAU OF LABOR,
T able
XXVI.—NUMBER
OF EMPLOYEES IN COAL MINES OF NORTH AMERICA, BY
STATES AND PROVINCES, 1866 TO 1908.
[From reports of state mine inspectors.
Figures are given only for those years for which the number of
fatalities was available.]
Employees in coal mines.
Year.
Ala Arkan
sas.
bama.
Colo
rado.
Illinois.
Indi
ana.
I860 ......................
1867
...............
1868
...................
1869
...............
Iowa.
Kan
sas.
Ken
tucky.
Mary Michi
land.
gan.
i
............ 1.............
Total.............
1870.........................
1871 ........................
1872 ........................
1873 ............... ' ___
1874 ........................
1875.........................
1876.........................
1877.........................
1878 ........................
1879 ........................
Total.............
i
....... ; ; j ; ; ; ; ; ;
............ L...........
1880.........................
1881 ........................
1882..........................
1883.........................
1884 ........................
1885 ........................
1886..........................
1887
...............
1888.........................
1889 ........................
2,122
2,154
2,085
3,138
5,570
5,690
5,403
5,716
6,502
6,406
6,685
11,115
10,970
20,759
187,096
35,279
7,052
6,822
7,578
7,286
6,212
7,354
6,716
7,018
7,425
7,321
28,574
32,951
33,632
35,390
38,477
38,630
37,057
33,788
35,026
36,991
6,550
6,975
7,600
7,431
70,784
350,516
! 7,271
3 . 1 4 4 ! 8.000
3 .5 9 5
9 . non
! 10,296
1 10,769
4,192 11,891
4,298 12,030
5,085 12,900
5,337 14,354
39,384
44,143
46,005
49,814
54,774
59,230
62,283
66,714
70,841
Total...........
1890.........................
1891..........................
1892..........................
1893.......................... 8,993
1894.......................... 8,930
1895.......................... 8,246
1896.......................... 9,8S4
1897.......................... 11,101
1898.......................... 9,900
1899.......................... 12,881
•
Total............. 69,935
1900.........................
1901..........................
1902..........................
1903..........................
1904..........................
1905..........................
1906..........................
1907..........................
1908..........................
14,282
14,143
17,909
19,356
17,626
17,205
18,348
20,241
18,783
4,567
23,939
25,575
25,446
25,846
26,804
29,410
30,076
4,000
4,175
5,956
4,903
6,186
6,153
22,085
19,131
17,242
9,903
9,130
9,307
10,486
10,258
10,992
11,451
11,678
10,550
11,029
4,523
6,201
9,891
10,088
9,021
8,807
8,699
8,122
10,198
7,314
5,942
6,625
8,539
8,079
7,865
7,550
7,749
7,253
8,445
3,842
3,891
3,959
4,071
4,147
3,921
3,800
4,276
4,571
4,627
67,258 104,784
75,550
75,361
41,105
819
13,041
13,175
13,002
13,192
16,315
17,624
16,825
17,045
17,312
10,673
9,506
9,315
9,972
5,173
12,109
10,175
11,957
11,334
9,065
9,783
12,036
13,514
13,906
15,038
16,718
17,592
18,611
5,304
5,373
5,827
5,673
5,680
6,230
6,201
5,880
5,996
1,638
1,838
1,415
3,149
2,714
3,696
2,119
2,881
3,087
7,885
7,112
7,984
8,355
7,366
8,858
12,096
13,139
15,128
17,838
17,856
19,562
19,009
19,092
819
Total............. 157,893
25,651
90,214 126,263
52,164
22,537
Grand total.. 227,828
25,651 188,054 1,030,800 245,115 264,400 184,895 218,866
1
93,269
23,356
96,511
493,188 142,578 137,531
5,000
663
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
T a b l e X X V I.—NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN COAL MINES OF N OR TH AMERICA, B Y
STATES AND PROVINCES, 1866 TO 1908—Continued.
[From reports of state mine inspectors.
Figures are given only for those years for which the number of
fatalities was available.]
Employees in coal mines.
Pennsylvania.
Year.
Mis
souri.
Mon
tana.
New
Mex
ico.
North
Da
kota.
Ohio.
Okla
homa.
Anthra
cite.
Tennes
see.
Bitumi
nous.
1866...........................................
1867..........................
1868..........................
1869..........................
i
Total..............
1870..........................
1871..........................
1872............. ..................
1878_________ __________ !
1874..........................
1875..........................
1876..........................
1877.......... ....................
1878...........................................
1879...........................................
Total..............
1880............................................
1881...........................................
1882...........................................
1883...........................................
1884...........................................
1885...........................................
1886..........................
1887...........................................
1888...........................................
1889...........................................
Total..............
1890..........................
1891..........................
1892..........................
1893...........................................
1894..........................
1895..........................
1896...........................................
1897..........................
1898..........................
1899..........................
5,971
6,879
8,059
7,767
7,644
7,245
6,588
6,557
7,391
7,792
2,337
2,359
2,378
1,659
1,438
1,365
1,888
1,880
1,251
1,119
1,158
1,401
1,782
2,184
35,600
37,488
44,745
48,199
53,402
69,966
70,474
66,842
63,964
68,847
16,627
25,787
27,286
559,527
69,700
16,972
19,939
22,909
21,636
20,101
19,704
20,437
22,237
21,801
23,295
73,373
76,031
82,200
*91,421
101,073
100,320
103,044
106,517
122,218
119,964
33,391
35,530
42,393
35,091
39,904
44,145
52,364
57,868
61,565
62,084
209,031
976,161
464,335
22,192
23.997
26,972
28,810
31,493
28.998
28,446
28,785
28,365
28,028
119,919
123,308
130,300
138,069
139,939
143,705
150,088
149,557
142,420
140,604
67,383
74,135
78,805
81,872
86,118
84,976
83,801
86,553
87,803
91,505
5,097
4,926
' 4,976
5,542
5,120
6,531
6,337
7,820
7,694
21,628 1,377,909
822,951
54,043
5.272
5.272
6,234
6,091
8,260
7,637
8,110
7,710
14,560
108,735
117,501
135,611
151,745
155,747
164,941
172,928
183,121
181,840
8,691
8,418
8,759
9,673
9,972
10,517
10,736
11,098
11,122
3,290
3,648
3,686
3,470
3,529
4,005
Total.............. 71,893
15,969
8,230
276,086
1900.......................... 7,650
1901.......................... 9,226
1902.......................... 9,162
1903.......................... 9,177
1904.......................... 10,134
1905.......................... 10,415
1906.......................... 9,679
1907........................................... 4,717
1908........................................... 9,391
2,376
2,158
1,938
2,155
2,505
2,181
2,394
2,735
3,146
2,015
1,870
1,682
2,341
1.972
2,132
2,354
3,059
3,670
31,702
33,505
37,421
41,396
45,834
44,193
46,501
47,876
50,267
Total.............. 79,551
21,588
21,095
631
378,695
69,146 1,430,477 1,372,169
Grand total... 151,444
37,557
29,325
631
863,812
90,774 4,344,074 2,729,155 [
631
143,824
147,651
148,139
151,827
161,330
168,254
166,175
168,774
174,503
88,986
143,029
664
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
T a b l e X X V I.—NUM BER OF EM PLOYEES IN COAL MINES OF N OR TH AMERICA, B Y
STATES AN D PROVINCES, 1866 TO 1908—Concluded.
[From reports of state mine' inspectors.
Figures are given only for those years for which the number of
fatalities was available.]
Employees in coal mines.
Year.
Wash
Utah. ington.
West
Vir
ginia.
W yo
ming.
Total
United
States.
British
Colum
bia.
...................
1866
1867..........................
1868^......................
1869..........................
Nova
Scotia.
Total
British
Colum
bia and
Nova
Scotia.
Total.
3,043
2,984
2,639
2,458
3,043
2,984
2,639
2,458
3,043
2,984
2,639
2,458
11,124
11,124
11,124
1872
................
1878
...............
187 4 _ ......................
1875..........................
187fL^......................
1877 ........................
1878
...............
1879
............
35,600
37,488
44,745
48,199
53,402
69,966
70,474
83,469
89,751
96,133
2,600
2,469
3,522
4,362
4,282
3,777
3,229
3,180
3,135
3,034
2,600
2,469
3,522
4,362
4,282
3,777
3,229
3,180
3,135
3,034
38,200
39,957
48,267
52,561
57,684
73,743
73,703
86,649
92,886
99,167
Total..............
629,227
33,590
33,590
662,817
.................
1880
1881..........................
123,736
136,067
147,502
183,884
198,491
209,738
217,444
226,467
273,524
273,194
3,332
3,567
4,235
4,635
5,013
4,446
4,585
4,367
4,651
5,167
3,332
3,567
4,235
4,635
5,013
4,446
4,585
4,367
4,651
5,167
127,068
139,634
151,737
188,519
203,504
214,184
222,029
230,834
278,175
278,361
1,990,047
43,998
43,998
2,034,045
295,971
317,844
334,904
375,515
385,821
395,836
400,555
402,222
400,061
413,097
3,094
2,854
2,844
2,929
2,924
2,753
2,433
2,988
3,780
5,324
5,746
5,806
5,890
5,396
5,793
6,012
5,175
4,487
5.612
5.324
8,840
8,660
8,734
8.325
8,717
8,765
7,608
7,475
9.392
301,295
326,684
343,564
384,249
394,146
404,553
409,320
409,830
407,536
422,489
3,721,826
26,599
55,241
81,840
3,803,666
4,031
3,974
4,011
4,264
4,453
4,407
4,805
6,059
6,095
6,626
7,663
8,062
11,092
11,659
10,780
12,123
12,107
12,933
10,657
11,637
12,073
15,356
16,112
15,187
16,928
18,166
19,028
464,235
502,582
539,469
576,365
609,001
653,394
669,112
691,545
728,238
135,144
5,433,941
Total..............
1870
1871
___________
________I________
1882
....................
1883
......................
1884
............
=
=
— "■=—
i
6,394
1885
.................
1886..........................
7,292
7,262
1888..........................
1889..........................
8,974
9,006
1887
...................
Total..............
1890 ......................
1891..........................
1892..........................
1893..........................
1894..........................
1895..........................
1896..........................
1897..........................
1898..........................
1899..........................
576
671
670
690
720
685
1,118
Total..............
5,130
1900..........................
1901..........................
1902..........................
1903..........................
1904..........................
1905..........................
1906..........................
1907..........................
1908..........................
1,504
1,780
2,468
2,182
2,215
1,963
1,895
2,607
2,680
2,960
2,828
3,380
2,828
2,683
2,826
3,337
3,308
38,928 _____ *
11,497
11,397
13,023
17,129
19,771
20,889
24,227
21,422
23,262
25,108
24,150 187,725
4,238
4,826
4,342
4,876
4,633
4,976
5,150
6,113
5,341
7
6,915
453,578
490,945
527,396
561,009
592,889
638,207
652,184
673,379
709,210
Total.............. 19,294
44,495 398,913
29,227
5,298,797
42,099
93,045
Grand total... 24,424
68,645 625,566
29,227 11,639,897
68,698
236,998
28,055
32,386
35,147
39,452
45,492
49,950
51,769
56,265
60,397
5,151
5,250
5,977
5,934
7
305,696 11,945,593
665
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
T a b l e X X V II.—NUMBER OF TONS OF COAL PRODUCED IN COAL MINES OF NORTH
AMERICA, B Y STATES AND PROVINCES, 1866 TO 1908.
[Figures for the United States, from Part II, Mineral Resources of the United States. Figures are given
for the individual States only for those years for which the number of fatalities was available. One
ton=2,000 pounds.)
Tons of coal produced.
Year.
Alabama.
Arkansas.
Colorado.
Illinois.
Indiana.
12,123,456
12,208,075
11,834,459
11,175,241
12,423,066
14,328,181
12,104,272
2.560.000
2.260.000
2,375,000
3,000,000
Iowa.
Kansas.
1866..................
1867..................
1868..................
1869..................
Total___
1870..................
1871..................
1872..................
1873..................
1874..................
1875..................
1876..................
1877..................
1878..................
1879..................
Total___
4
1880..................
1881..................
1882..................
1883..................
1884..................
1885..................
1886
..........
1887..................
1888..................
1889..................
1,130,024
1,356,062
1,368,338
1,791,735
2,185,477
2,597,181
Total___
10,428,817
1890..................
1891..................
1892..................
1893..................
1894..................
1895..................
1896..................
1897..................
1898..................
1899..................
5,136,935
4,397,178
5,693,775
5,748,697
5,893,770
6,535,283
7,593,416
3,077,003
3,512,632
3,510,830
4,102,389
2,831,409
3,082,982
3,112,400
3,361,703
4,076,347
4,776,224
T o ta l.... 40,999,054
35,443,919
8,394,275
9,099,052
10,354,570
11,654,324
11,262,046
11,866,069
13,107,963
14,250,454
11,604,593
1,934,673
1,864,268
2,670,438
2,078,357
5.244,364
5;700,015
7,401,343
7,423,602
, 6,658,355
8,826,429
10, H i; 218
10,790,236
9,634,973
T o ta l.... 101,593,346 12,307,804
71,790,535
Grand
total... 142,592,400 12,307,804
117,663,271
1900..................
1901..................
1902..................
1903..................
1904..................
1905..................
1906..................
1907..................
1908..................
1,984,120
1,816,136
1,943,932
3,140,979
1,100,000
1,212,057
4,952,440
4,095,358
1,596,879
2,221,043
86,196,750 15,320,099
9,047,798
6,129,979
15,292,420
15,660,698
17,862,276
19,949,564
17,113,576
17,735,864
19,786,626
20,072,758
18,599,299
24,439,019
2,259,922
2,716,705
3,995,892
3,905,779
4,151,169
4,920,743
6,006,523
4,021,739
3,825,495
3,918,491
3,972,229
3,967,253
4,156,074
3,954,028
4,611,865
4,618,842
5,177,479
186,512,100 36,396,342
42,223,495
27,141,929
6,484,086
6,918,225
9,446,424
10,794,692
10,842,189
11,895,252
12,092,560
13,985,713
12,314,890
5,202,939
5,617,499
5,904,766
6,419,811
6,519,933
6,798,609
7.266,224
7,574,322
7,161,310
4,467,870
4,900,528
5,266,065
5,839,976
6,333.307
6,423; 979
6,024,775
7,322,449
6,245,508
338,362,373 94,774,031
58,465,413
52,824,457
611,071,223 146,490,472 109,736,706
86,096,365
25,767,981
27,331,552
32,939,373
36.957.104
36,475,060
38,434,363
41.480.104
51,317,146
47,659,690
3,305,737
2,973,474
3,345,174
3,791,851
2,652,546
3,388,251
2,926,870
2,884,801
3,054,012
3,406,555
3,852,267
666
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
T a b l e X X V II.—NUM BER OF TONS OF COAL PRODUCED IN COAL MINES OF NORTH
AMERICA, B Y STATES AND PROVINCES, 1866 TO 1908—Continued.
[Figures for the United States, from Part II, Mineral Resources of the United States. Figures are given
for the individual States only for those years for which the number of fatalities was available. One
ton==2,OO0 pounds.]
Tons of coal produced.
Year.
Kentucky. Maryland.
Michigan.
Missouri.
Montana.
New
Mexico.
North
Dakota.
1866..................
1867..................
1868..................
1869..................
Total___
1870..................
1871..................
1872..................
1873..................
1874..................
1875..................
1876..................
1877..................
1878..................
1879................ .
Total___
1880..................
1881..................
1882..................
1883..................
1884..................
1835..................
1886..................
1837..................
1888..................
1889..................
...................... 1.......................
..........
1
_
1,933,185
2,570,000
2,399,755
Total___
6,902,940
1890..................
1891..................
1892..................
1893..................
1894..................
1895..................
1896..................
1897..................
1898..................
1899..................
2,701,496
2.916,069
3,025,313
3,007,179
3.111,192
3,357,770
3,333,478
3,602,097
3,887,908
4,607,255
624,708
2,735,221
2,674,606
2,733,949
2,897,442
2,245,039
2,372,393
2,331,542
2,665,626
2,688,321
3,025,814
1,647,882
1,479,803
1,496,451
720,654
622,626
716,981
992,288
1,050,714
624,708
26,369,953
9,572,019
4,103,263
4,024,688
5,113,127
5,271,609
4,846,165
4,813,622
5,108,539
5,435,453
5,532,628
4,377,093
849,475
1,241,241
964,718
1,367,619
1,342,840
1,473.211
1,346,338
2,035,858
1,835,019
3,540,103
3,802,088
3,890,154
4,238,586
4,168,308
3,983,378
3,758,008
3,997,936
3,317,315
1,661,775
1,396,081
1,562.853
1,493,060
1,362,399
1,649,714
1,829,921
2,016,857
1,920,190
1,299,299
1,086,546
1,048,763
1,541,781
1,452,325
1,649,933
1,964,713
2,628,959
2,467,937
320,742
Total___ 71,766,295 44,522,924
12,456,319
34,695,876 14,892,850
15,140,256
320,742
Grand
total... 112,218,992 84,322,336
13,081,027
61,065,829 24,464,869
19,243,519
320,742
3,357,813
3,820,239
3,419,962
3,716,041
3,501,428
3,915,585
4,143,936
4,442,128
4,674,884
4,807,396
T ota l.... 33,549,757 39,799,412
1900.................. 5,328,964
1901.................. 5,469,986
1902.................. 6,766,984
1903.................. 7,538,032
1904.................. 7,576,482
1905.................. 8,432.523
1906.................. 9,653,647
1907.................. 10,753,124
1808.................. 10,246,553
517,477
541,861
564,648
892,309
927,395
1,504,193
667
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
T a b l e X X V II.—NUM BER OF TONS OF COAL PRODUCED IN COAL MINES OF NORTH
AM ERICA, B Y STATES AND PROVINCES, 1866 TO 1908—Continued.
[Figures for the United States, from Part II, Mineral Resources of the United States. Figures are given
for the individual States only for those years for which the number of fatalities was available. One
ton ==2,000 pounds.]
Tons of coal produced.
Pennsylvania.
Year.
Ohio.
Okla
homa.
Anthracite.
Bituminous.
Tennes
see.
Washing
ton.
Utah.
1866..................
1867..................
1868..................
1869..................
i
Total___
1870..................
1871 ................
1872.... .............
1873..................
1874..................
1875 ...........
1876..................
1877..................
1878..................
1879..................
3,267.585
4,864,259
3.500.000
5.250.000
5.500.000
15,664,275
19,342,057
24,233,166
26,152,837
24,818,790
22,485,766
22,793,245
25,660,316
21,689,682
30,207,793
14,000,000
15.120.000
16.240.000
Total___ 22,381,844
233,047,927
45,360,000
1880.................. 6,008,595
1881.................. 9.240.000
1882.................. 9.450.000
1883.................. 8,229,429
1884.................. 7,640,062
1885.................. 7,816,179
1886 ................ 8,435,211
1887 ................ 10,300,708
1888.................. 10,910,951
1889.................. 9,976,787
28,649,812
31,920,018
35,121,256
38,456,845
37,156,847
38,335,974
39,035,446
42,088,197
46,619,564
45,546,970
18,425,163
22.400.000
24.640.000
26.880.000
28,000,000
26,000,000
27,094,501
31,516,856
33,796,727
36,174,089
Total___ 88,007,922
382,930,929
274,927,336
11,494,506
12,868,683
13,562,927
13,253,646
11,909,856
13,355,806
12,875,202
12,196,942
14,516,867
16,500,270
969,606
1,211,185
1,366,646
1,336,380
1,381,466
1,537,427
46,468,641
50,665,431
52,472,504
53,967,543
51,921,121
57,999,337
54,346,081
52,611,680
53,382,644
60,418,005
42,302,173
42,788,490
46,694,576
44,070,724
39,912,463
50,217,228
49,557,453
54,417,974
65,165,133
74,150,175
T ota l.... 132,534,705
7,802,710
534,252,987
1,922,298
2,421,781
2,820,666
3,517,388
3,046,539
2,924,427
2,860,200
3,642,658
2,948,116
57,367,915
67,471,667
41,373,595
74,607,068
73,156,709
77,659,850
71,282,411
85,604,312
83,268,754
Total___ 224,387,822 26,104,073
631,792,281
1890..................
1891..................
1892..................
1893..................
1894..................
1895..................
1896..................
1897..................
1898..................
1899..................
2,413,678
2,092,064
1,902,258
2,180,879
2,535,644
2,663,106
2,888,849
3,022,896
3,330,659
413,205
431,550
471,836
418,627
521,560
593,709
786,049
1,213,427
1,264,877
1,106,470
1,191,410
1,195,504
1,434,112
1,884,571
2,029,881
509,276,389 23,030,033
3,636,536
11,320,252
3,509,562
3,633,290
4,382,968
4,798,004
4,782,211
5,963,396
6,259,275
6,810,243
6,199,171
1.147.027
1,322,614
1,574,521
1,681,409
1.493.027
1,332,372
1,772,551
1,947,607
1,846,792
2,474,093
2,578,217
2,681,214
3,193,273
3,137,681
2,864,926
3,276,184
3,680,532
3,024,943
976,807,651 46,338,120
14,117,920
26,911,063
Grand
total... 467,312,293 33,906,783 1,782,024,124 1,806,371,376 69,368,153
17,754,456
38,231,315
1900..................
1901..................
1902..................
1903..................
1904..................
1905..................
1906..................
1907..................
1908..................
18,988,150
20,943,807
23,519,894
24,838,103
24,400,220
25,552,950
27,731,640
32,142,419
26,270,639
79,842,326
82,305,946
98,574,367
103,117,178
97,938,287
118,413,637
129,293,206
150,143,177
117,179,527
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR,
NUM BER OF TONS OF COAL PRODUCED IN COAL MINES OF NORTH
MERICA, B Y STATES AND PROVINCES, 1866 TO 1908—Concluded.
United States, from Part II, Mineral Resources of the United States. Figures are given
iual States only for those years for which the number of fatalities was available. One
Tons of coal produced.
West Vir Wyoming. Total United
ginia.
States.
British Co
lombia.
1866.
1867.
1868.
1869.
1890
1891.
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
Total Brit
ish Co
lumbia
and Nova
Scotia.
601,301
542,127
462,188
500,000
601,301
542,127
462,188
500,000
Total.
601,301
542,127
462,188
500,000
2,105,616
2,105,616
2,105,616
33,035', 580
46,885,080
51,453,399
57,602,480
52,605,920
52,348,320
53,280,000
60,501,760
57,935,600
68,105,799
635.242
673.242
880,950
1,051,467
872,720
781,165
709,646
757,496
770,603
788,271
635.242
673.242
880,950
1,051,467
872,720
781,165
709,646
757,496
770,603
788,271
33,670,822
47,558,322
52,334,349
58,653,947
53,478,640
53,129,485
53,989,646
61,259,256
58,706,203
68,894,070
533,753,938
7,920,802
7,920,802
541,674,740
3,369,062
4,005,796
4,881,620
5,498,800
6,231,880
71,481,570
85,881,030
103,551,189
115,707,525
120,155,551
111,160,295
113,680,427
130,650,511
148,659,657
141,229,513
1,032,710
1,124,270
1,365,811
1,422,553
1,389,295
1,352,205
1,502,611
1,670,838
1,776,128
1,756,279
1,032,710
1,124,270
1,365,811
1,422,553
1,389,295
1,352,205
1,502,611
1,670,838
1,776,128
1,756,279
72,514,280
87,005,300
104,917,000
117,130,078
121,544,846
112,512,500
115,183,038
132,321,349
150,435,785
142,985,792
26,322,991
1,142,157,208
14,392,700
7,394,654
9,220,665
9,738,755
10,708,578
11,627,757
11,387,961
12,876,296
14,248,159
16,700,999
19,252,995
157,770,963
168,566,669
179,329,071
182,352,774
170,741,526
193,117,530
191,986,357
200,229,199
219,976,267
253,741,192
1,984,001
2,044,784
1,942,780
1,682,713
2,200,235
2,089,245
2,235,472
2,320,916
2,281,454
2,642,333
123,156,819
1,917,811,548
22,647,207
24,068,402
24,570,826
29,337,241
32,406,752
37,791,580
43,290,350
48,091,583
41,897,843
269,684,027
293,299,816
301,590,439
357,356,416
351,816,398
392,722,635
414,157,278
480,363,424
415,842,698
1870.
1871.
1872.
1873.
1874.
1875.
1876.
1877.
1878.
1879
1880
1881.
1882
1883
1884.
1885
1886.
1887.
1888.
1889
Nova
Scotia.
2,335,833
4,485,374
4,429,491
5,602,021
6,133,994
5,489,902
1,029,097
826,335
978,294
1,012,953
939,654
896,222
882,854
1,135,865
1,306,324
9,007,598 21,423,933
1,439,595
1,460,331
1,397,394
1,168,194
-1,253,628
1,384,312
1,517,303
1,800,067
1,677,849
3,238,245
3,625,365
4,366,869
5,245,247
5,247,135
5,050,420
5,866,605
5,730,660
6,299,282
14,392,700 1,156,549,968
1,984,001
3,073,881
2,769,115
2,661,007
3,213,188
3,028,899
3,131,694
3,203,770
3,417,319
3,948,657
159,754,964
171,640,550
182,098,186
185,013,781
173,954,714
196,146,429
195,118,051
203,432,969
223,393,586
257,689,849
30,431,531 1,948,243,079
4,677,840
5,085,696
5,764,263
6,413,441
6,500,763
6,434,732
7,383,908
7,530,727
7,977,131
274,361,867
298,385,512
307,354,702
363,769,857
358,317,161
399,157,367
421,541,186
487,894,151
423,819,829
57,768,501 3,334,601,632
304,101,784 26,140,782 3,276,833,131
13,098,673 44,669,828
453,581,594 26,140,782 6,870,555,885
22,106,271 90,512,879 112,619,150 6,983,175,035
669
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
T able X X V III.—NUMBER
OF TONS OF COAL PRODUCED IN COAL MINES OF THE
UNITED STATES, 1814 TO 1908, AND OF CANADA, 1874 TO 1908.
{Figures for the United States from reports of the United States Geological Survey on the Mineral
Resources of the United States.]
Year.
1814 ....................................................................................
1815......................................................................................
1816 ....................................................................................
1817 ....................................................................................
1818......................................................................................
1819......................................................................................
United States.
Total..........................................................................
797
3,450
1,322
58,583
68,563
80,725
117,988
147,914
172,151
195,908
240,086
Total..........................................................................
1,086,690
1830......................................................................................
1831......................................................................................
1832......................................................................................
1833......................................................................................
1834......................................................................................
1835......................................................................................
1836......................................................................................
1837......................................................................................
1838......................................................................................
1839......................................................................................
320,072
337,942
594,050
734,657
600,515
824,854
984,832
1,253,651
1,355,527
1,560,360
Total..........................................................................
40,397,661
7,018,181
8,734,525
9,816,664
10,570,288
11,977,102
12,926,673
13,546,925
13,340,189
13,974,478
15,633,175
Total..........................................................................
117,538,200
1
2,070,039
2,291,141
2,610,057
3,060,874
3,681,252
4,309,904
4,865,522
5,286,067
5,773,974
6,448,831
Total..........................................................................
Total..........................................................................
■
8,566,460 .........................
......................... !..........................
I..........................
1850......................................................................................
1851......................................................................................
1852......................................................................................
1853......................................................................................
1854......................................................................................
1855......................................................................................
1856......................................................................................
1857......................................................................................
1858......................................................................................
1859......................................................................................
I860 ..................................................................................
1861......................................................................................
1862......................................................................................
1863......................................................................................
1864......................................................................................
1865......................................................................................
1866...........................................................................; ..........
1867......................................................................................
1868......................................................................................
1869......................................................................................
Total.
22
50
75
100
200
350
1820......................................................................................
1821......................................................................................
1822......................................................................................
1823......................................................................................
1824......................................................................................
1825......................................................................................
1826......................................................................................
1827......................................................................................
1828......................................................................................
1829......................................................................................
1840......................................................................................
1841......................................................................................
1842......................................................................................
1843......................................................................................
1844......................................................................................
1845......................................................................................
1846......................................................................................
1847......................................................................................
18^8.....................................................................................%
1849......................................................................................
Canada.
14,610,042 ..........................1..........................
!
16,488,012
17,485,835 ..........................1..........................
i
21,319,062
23,605,123
j
23,792,173
i
29,003,583
i
30,724,422
.........................
!..........................
32,861,960
32,904,360
1
242,794,572 1..........................i..........................
670
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR,
TAHL3 X X V III.—NUMBER OF TONS OF COAL PRODUCED IN COAL MINES OF THE
UNITED STATES, 1814 TO 1908, AND OF CANADA, 1874 TO 1908—Concluded.
[Figures for the United States from reports of the United States Geological Survey on the Mineral
Resources of the United States.]
Year.
United States.
Canada.
Total.
1870 .....................................................................................
1871 . .
.......................................................................
1872......................................................................................
1873......................................................................................
1874......................................................................................
1875......................................................................................
1876......................................................................................
1877......................................................................................
1878......................................................................................
1879......................................................................................
33,035,580
46,885,080
51,453,399
57,602,480
52,605,920
52,348,320
53,280,000
60,501,760
57,935,600
68,105,799
1,063,742
1,039,974
994,762
1,036,670
1,089,744
1,126,497
33,035,580
46,885,080
51,453,399
57,602,480
53,669,662
53,388,294
54,274,762
61,538,430
59,025,344
69,232,296
Total..........................................................................
533,753,938
6,351,389
540,105,327
1880............................. ........................................................
1881......................................................................................
1882......................................................................................
1883......................................................................................
1884.......................................................................................
1885......................................................................................
1886......................................................................................
1887......................................................................................
1888......................................................................................
1889......................................................................................
71,481,570
85,881,030
103,551,189
115,707,525
120,155,551
111,160,295
113,680,427
130,650,511
148,659,657
141,229,513
1,482,714
1,537,106
1,848,148
1,818,684
1,984,959
1,920,977
2,116,653
2,429,330
2,602,552
2,658,303
72,964,284
87,418,136
105,399,337
117.526.209
122,140,510
113,081,272
115,797,080
133,079,841
151.262.209
143,887,816
Total..........................................................................
1,142,157,268
20,399,426
1,162,556,694
1890......................................................................................
1891......................................................................................
1892......................................................................................
1893......................................................................................
1894......................................................................................
1895......................................................................................
1896......................................................................................
1897......................................................................................
1898......................................................................................
1899......................................................................................
157,770,963
168,566,669
179,329,071
182,352,774
170,741,526
193,117,530
191,986,357
219,976,267
253,741,192
3,084,682
3,577,749
3,287,745
3,783,499
3,847,070
3,478,314
3,745,716
3.786.107
4.173.108
4,925,051
160,855,645
172,144,418
182,616,816
186,136,273
174,588,596
196,595,844
195,732,073
204,015,306
224,149,375
258,666,243
200,229,199
Total..........................................................................
1,917,811,548
37,689,041
1,955,500,589
1900......................................................................................
1901......................................................................................
1902......................................................................................
1903......................................................................................
1904......................................................................................
1905......................................................................................
1906......................................................................................
1907......................................................................................
1908......................................................................................
269,684,027
293,299,816
301,590,439
357,356,416
351,816,398
392,722,635
414,157,278
480,363,424
415,842,698
5,777,319
6,486,325
7,466,681
7,960,364
8,254,595
8,667,948
9,762,601
10,511,426
10,904,486
275,461,346
299,786,141
309,057,120
365,316,780
360,070,993
401,390,583
423,919,879
490,874,850
426,747,184
Total..........................................................................
3,276,833,131
75,791,745
3,352,624,876
Grand total................................................................
7,280,940,265
140,231,601
7,421,171,866
671
FATAL ACCIDENTS IN COAL M IN IN G .
T able X X IX .—F A TA L ACCIDENT RA TE PE R 1,000 EMPLOYEES AND NUMBER OF LIVES
LOST P E R MILLION TONS OF COAL MINED IN NORTH AMERICA, B Y STATES AND
PROVINCES, 18G6 TO 1908.
Fatal accidents.
State or Province.
Years
consid
ered.
Tons of coal
produced.
Employees.
Lives lost
per 1,000,000
Per 1,000 tons of coal
em
mined.
Number.
ployees.
16
6
25
26
24
21
22
22
19
10
19
18
14
1
34
15
142,592,400
12,307,804
117,663,271
611,071,223
146,490,472
109,736,706
86,096,365
112,218,992
84,322,336
13,081,027
61,065,829
24,464,869
19,243,519
320,742
467,312,293
33,906,783
227,828
25,651
188,054
1,030,800
245,115
264,400
184,895
218,866
93,269
23,356
151,444
37,557
29,325
631
863,812
90,774
1,037
76
1,074
2,407
547
573
415
375
165
68
261
138
212
4
1,845
460
4.55
2.96
5.71
2.34
2.23
2.17
2.24
1.71
1.77
2.91
1.72
3.67
7.23
6.34
2.14
5.07
7.27
6.17
9.13
3.94
3. 73
5.22
4.82
3.34
1.96
5.20
4.27
5.64
11.02
12.47
3.95
13.57
39
32
18
16
17
25
5
1,782,024,124
1,806,371,376
69,368,153
17,754,456
38,231,315
453,581,594
26,140,782
4,344,074
2,729,155
143,029
24,424
68,645
625,566
29,227
14,625
6,919
627
285
464
2,887
339
3.37
2.54
4.38
11.67
6.76
4.62
11.60
8. 21
3.83
9.04
16.05
12.14
6.36
12.97
Total............................
6,235,366,431
11,639,897
35,803
3.08
5.74
British Columbia..................
Nova Scotia...........................
22,106,271
90,512,879
68,698
236,998
497
720
7.23
3.04
22.48
7.95
Alabama................................
Arkansas................................
Colorado.................................
Illinois....................................
Indiana..................................
Iowa.......................................
Kansas...................................
Kentucky...............................
Michigan................................
Missouri.................................
Montana................................
New Mexico...........................
North Dakota........................
Ohio.......................................
Oklahoma..............................
Pennsylvania:
Anthracite......................
Bituminous.....................
Tennessee...............................
Utah.......................................
Washington...........................
West Virginia........................
Wyoming...............................
Total............................
112,619,150
305,696
1,217
3.98
10.81
Grand total.................
6,347,985,581
11,945,593
37,020
3.10
5.83
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674
B U LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
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RECENT ACTION RELATING TO EMPLOYERS’ LIA B IL ITY AND
W ORKMEN’S COMPENSATION.
B Y L IN D L E Y D. C L A R K , A . M ., L L . M .
NATURE OF LIABILITY AND COMPENSATION SYSTEMS.
The past few years have been marked by a rapid increase o f inter
est in the question o f the adjustment and distribution o f the burden
o f the results o f industrial accidents, the doctrine o f compensation
as distinguished from that o f liability coming for the first time in
the United States to any widespread support. Where the idea o f
employers’ liability controls, the employee is given a right o f action
against the employer in cases where injury from accident results
as a consequence o f the negligence o f the employer or o f some one
charged with the performance o f his nondelegable duties; with this,
however, the rule must be considered that where the injured employee
contributed by his own negligence to cause the accident, such con
tributory negligence bars recovery. Ordinary risks, not due to the
employer’s negligence, but incidental to the employment, are held to
be assumed by the employee, and for injuries resulting therefrom no
recovery o f damages can be had; these risks include the acts, negli
gent or otherwise, o f ordinarily carefully selected and ordinarily
skillful and competent fellow-workmen. It is obvious that the only
right allowed to an injured employee under this doctrine is the right
to sue, which experience has shown to involve uncertainty, delay,
expense, and the ultimate acquisition by the workman o f only a frac
tion o f the money actually expended by the employer in the way o f
defense and o f payments on judgments.
The idea o f compensation is that o f an award o f a fixed sum for
injuries for which the employment is responsible, without the neces
sity o f litigation or the endeavor to determine the question o f fault.
It is frequently provided, however, that where an employer is appar
ently grossly negligent, damages will be recoverable, and if the em
ployee is willfully or grossly negligent he shall take nothing either
by way o f compensation or otherwise.
The common-law doctrine o f employers’ liability has been dominant
in the United States to the present time, though modified in many
particulars by statutes, both state and federal. (a) In most other in
dustrial countries the idea o f compensation has superseded that o f lia
bility, Germany having led the way in 1884, followed by Austria in
a See Bulletin No. 74, pp. 1 to 120.
675
676
B U LLETIN OP TH E BUREAU OP LABOR.
1889. Great Britain placed a compensation law o f limited applica
tion on her statute books in 1897, giving the right o f compensation
thereunder as alternative to the right to sue under either the common
law or the liability act o f 1880. The British act last mentioned has
furnished the pattern for statutes in several States o f the Union, laws
o f this general type and varying scope having been enacted in five
States in the single year 1909. One State (Colorado) has abrogated
entirely the defense of fellow-service, while in a number o f jurisdic
tions this defense is not allowed in the case o f accidents on railroads.
The other defenses named, i. e., o f assumed risks and contributory neg
ligence, are also modified or abolished under certain conditions in a
number o f States. In all these cases, however, the underlying idea
o f liability is not changed.
FEDERAL EMPLOYERS’ LIABILITY LAW.
Federal legislation on the subject o f employers’ liability has been
restricted to employees o f common carriers, and necessarily to such o f
these as are engaged in interstate commerce, though two liability bills,
one restricted to the Isthmian Canal and one applying to all laborers,
mechanics, and other civilian employees o f the United States Govern
ment, were introduced into Congress during the recent regular ses
sion. It was owing to failure to restrict the provisions o f the statute
o f 1906 to interstate operations that that act was declared unconstitu
tional, except in the District o f Columbia and the Territories, as to
which the powers o f Congress are plenary. ( a)
The liability law o f April 22, 1908 (35 Stat., 65), was adopted
with a view to correcting the defects o f the earlier law, but was
promptly declared unconstitutional by the supreme Court o f Connec
ticut (*>) on the ground that it involved the administration o f the law
in state courts beyond either the intention or the power o f Congress,
and because its provisions affected matters beyond the scope o f inter
state commerce, and therefore also without the power o f Congress.
The result o f this ruling was in any case a denial o f the right o f the
state courts to administer the law, which view would be controlling
on the subordinate courts o f Connecticut. An appeal to the Supreme
Court o f the United States was taken in the Mondou case, the ques
tion o f the constitutionality as well as o f the application o f the law
being raised. This appeal has not yet been acted upon.
Another decision that, i f sustained, would prove destructive to the
value o f this act was one in a federal court to the effect that actions
under the law could be brought only in the district o f which the de-*6
a Employers’ L iability Cases, 207 U. S., 463, 28 Sup. C t.,1 4 1 ; El Paso &
Northeastern R. Co. v. Gutierrez, 215 U. S., 87, 30 Sup. C t, 21.
6H oxie v. New York, etc., R. R. Co., 82 Conn., 352, 73 AtL, 754. (See Bull.
No. 86, pp, 322-328.) Mondou v. Same, 82 Conn., 373, 73 AtL, 762.
EMPLOYERS 9 LIABILITY AND W O R K M E N ^ COMPENSATION.
677
fendant company was an inhabitant.^) In the case in question this
ruling would require the plaintiff, a brakeman injured in New Mexico,
to bring his suit in the city of Topeka, Kans., o f which the defendant
corporation was an inhabitant. A third decision pointed out the
limitations o f the law in so far as death claims are concerned, ruling
that it gave no survival o f the employee’s personal right to recover
damages were the injury was fatal. ( 66
)
The points raised in these decisions were made the subject o f a
variety o f bills in Congress, whose object it was to cure the defects
disclosed by them, though it was brought out in the debates and
reports in connection with the proposed amendments that not all the
points against the law were considered as well taken. Amendments
were adopted giving to state and federal courts concurrent jurisdic
tion in all cases arising under the act, and allowing actions to be
brought in the place where the injury occurred or in any place in
which the defendant company was doing business at the time o f the
commencement o f the action. Cases brought in state courts o f com
petent jurisdiction can not be removed to a federal court. A section
was added providing that the right of action o f an injured person
should, in case o f death, survive to the personal representative for the
benefit o f dependents. The act as amended is reproduced below. ( c)
The question o f survival may still be open in some cases, however, in
view o f the construction placed upon a similar statute (d) by the
supreme court o f Montana. ( 6) In the case cited this court held that
where death was instantaneous no right of action accrued, hence none
could survive, though a less rigid construction o f the Federal law
seems possible, at least in view o f the very clearly expressed intention
o f Congress in debate to provide for the accrual o f a right to sue for
the personal injuries o f the employee as well as for the loss suffered
by the dependents by reason o f the death of the wage-earner, as set
forth in the first section o f the act. ( f )
STATUTES PROVIDING INSURANCE.
The first absolute departure in the United States from the doctrine
o f liability and proved fault was the cooperative insurance law of
Maryland, passed in 1902, and applicable only to mining, quarrying,
a Cound v. Atchison, T. & S. F. R. Co., 173 Fed. 527.
6Fulgham v. Midland Valley R. R. Co.. 167 Fed. 660. (See also W alsh v.
New York, etc., R. Co., 173 Fed., 494.)
c See pp. 707 and 708.
<*Mont., Acts, 1905, ch. 1, sec. 2.
e Dillon v. Great Northern R. R. Co., 38 Mont., 485, 100 Pac. 960.
f Duke v. St. Louis & S. F. R. R. Co., 172 Fed. 684; W atson v. S t Louis,
I. M. & S. R. R. Co., 169 Fed. 942.
678
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
and steam and street railways. (a) This law provided for contribu
tions at fixed rates by employers who might recoup themselves to the
amount o f one-half o f such contributions from the wages paid
employees. Payment on death was absolute, and the law was admin
istered in all its details by the state insurance commissioner. After
about two years’ operations the law was declared unconstitutional as
depriving parties o f the right o f trial by jury and conferring on an
executive officer judicial or at least quasi judicial functions. A second
law was passed by the legislature o f this State in 1910 (ch. 153,
p. 489), establishing cooperative insurance funds for the coal and clay
miners o f Allegany and Garrett counties. Employers and employees
are to make equal contributions to a fund to be collected and held by
the treasurers o f the counties. Administration devolves on the county
commissioners. The maximum award o f $1,500 is for the death o f a
person leaving dependents; while for maiming injuries a schedule of
awards is provided, the maximum being $750, though medical relief
in the amount o f $1 per working day for not more than 26 weeks may
also be allowed. For injuries without maiming, $1 per working day
may be allowed for not more than 52 weeks. Suit may be brought,
but doing so bars compensation rights, and conversely the acceptance
o f benefits bars the right to sue.
A cooperative insurance fund for miners and mine laborers is con
templated by a statute o f Montana (ch. 67, 1909), payments by
employers to be computed on the basis o f the tonnage mined and
shipped, held for shipment, or sold locally; and by the employees
on the basis o f gross monthly earnings. Insurance is compulsory,
and the funds are administered by state officials. Death benefits in
the amount o f $3,000 are provided for, besides payments o f various
sums for total or partial disability. The right to sue is not taken
away, but bringing suit forfeits all rights under the insurance
scheme, while acceptance o f insurance benefits is to operate as a
waiver o f the right to sue. This law becomes operative October 1,
1910, payments to begin 4 months thereafter.
STATUTES PROVIDING FOR COMPENSATION.
The idea o f compensation for injuries, using the term in its strict
sense, found its first legislative expression in any jurisdiction of the
United States in a statute enacted by the United States Philippine
Commission in 1906(*) and applicable to employees o f the insular
government, including laborers. This law continues the regular
rtFor an account o f the operations o f this law and the opinion declaring it
unconstitutional, see Bulletin No. 57, pp. 645-648, 689, 690. The law itself is
given in Bulletin No. 45, pp. 406-408.
»Act No. 1416.
EMPLOYERS* LIABILITY AND W O R K M E N *S COMPENSATION.
679
-wages or other compensation during disability resulting from injury
in line o f duty for not more than 90 days.
The next legislation o f this character was by the Federal Con
gress,^) and applies to artisans and laborers employed by the United
States in any o f its manufacturing establishments, arsenals, or navyyards, or in the construction o f river and harbor or fortification
work, or in hazardous employment on construction work in the
reclamation o f arid lands or the management and control o f the
same, or in hazardous employment under the Isthmian Canal Com
mission. Compensation for disabling or fatal injuries incurred in
the course o f employment is fixed at an amount equal to 1 year’s earn
ings, to be paid as if the employee had continued in service. Inju
ries must continue more than 15 days to entitle to compensation, and
i f they are due to the negligence or misconduct o f the employee no
payment is to be made. Claims for injuries must be submitted
within a reasonable period, in cases o f fatal injuries within 90 days
after the death o f the injured person. The administration o f this
law is committed to the Secretary o f Commerce and Labor, who
determines all questions o f negligence or misconduct and who may
require recipients of compensation to submit to medical examination
to determine their right to a continuance of the compensation. E x
amination at least once in 6 months is directed.
In administering this law it was found that, on account o f distance
and for other reasons, a number o f claims, chiefly those arising from
deaths o f employees in the Canal Zone, were submitted after the
expiration o f the 90-day limit and could not therefore be considered.
An amendment was introduced in Congress to allow these rejected
claims to be considered on their merits, waiving the limitation, but
the provision causing the difficulty was not touched upon. This bill
also proposed to authorize the President to provide for the adjust
ment o f claims for injuries received by employees o f the Isthmian
Canal Commission between May 1, 1904, and August 1, 1908, when
the present law took effect. Other amendments to the same law pro
posed the extension o f its benefits to all civilian employees o f the
United States whose earnings or wages are less than $3,000 per an
num, including employees o f the Isthmian Canal Commission and the
Panama Railroad and Steamship Line. Injuries continuing more
than 5 days would be compensated, and persons permanently dis
abled would receive 7 years’ wages, but not less than $3,500 nor more
than $7,500. Death benefits to dependents are set at an amount equal
to 5 years’ wages, but not less than $2,000 nor more than $5,000. I f
persons only partly dependent survive, these sums are to be reduced
proportionately, but may not exceed 2 years’ earnings, or $1,800.
Where no dependents survive, burial expenses not exceeding $150
aA ct o f May 30,1908, 35 Stat. 556.
680
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
are the only payment contemplated. None of the proposed amend
ments passed except one giving the Isthmian Canal Commission the
right to arrange by its own action for compensating cases o f injury of
an aggregate duration o f not more than 30 days in any one year.(a)
PROPOSED FEDERAL LEGISLATION.
The first bill introduced into the House at the convening o f the
Sixty-first Congress was one providing for compensation to be paid
to all injured employees o f persons carrying on occupations and
trades subject to the regulative power o f Congress, and changing the
general law for injuries received on mail routes. No action was
taken on this bill beyond committee reference and some hearings. A
substitute bill was introduced under practically the same title toward
the latter part o f the second session. This bill proposes the establish
ment o f a federal commission o f injury awards, consisting o f three
members to be appointed by the President and confirmed by the
Senate. This commission is to establish regulations and make orders
for carrying into effect the proposed law and have general charge o f
administration. Employees coming within the scope o f the bill are
to be compensated for injuries causing disability for two weeks or
more, unless such injuries are caused by their own wanton and willful
action. Where the injury is the result o f the wanton and willful
act o f the employer, the proposed law leaves the injured party or his
representative free to prosecute a suit for damages; otherwise indem
nities are to be paid according to a schedule which states in detail the
percentage o f the injured employee’s earnings that shall be paid
according to the rate of earnings and to the number o f dependents,
when the injury results fatally, and according to the nature and
degree o f the disability where the injury is not fatal. Provisions are
made for review, appeals and the determination o f disputes, and for
recoupment where the person primarily liable is not the one to whom
the injured party had recourse in securing compensation.
UNITED STATES WORKMEN’ S COMPENSATION COMMISSION.
While this bill did not become a law, a joint resolution was passed
and approved by the President ( 6) providing for the appointment o f
a commission for the purpose o f making a thorough investigation of
the subject o f employers’ liability and workmen’s compensation.
In the House report accompanying the bill, as submitted to that
body by its Committee on the Judiciary, it was said that—
One o f the most pressing problems o f interstate commerce that
to-day demands the attention o f Congress is that o f wisely and
«A ct o f February 24, 1909, 35 Stat. 645.
hHouse join t resolution No. 127, approved June 25,1910.
EMPLOYERS* LIABILITY AND W O RKM EN*S COMPENSATION.
681
equitably adjusting the loss to workmen of life and earning power
which is the certain and inevitable consequence o f modern methods of
transportation.
The existing system, based upon the common law, circumscribed
by the rigorous limitation placed upon it by judicial decisions, is
entirely inadequate and had its origin in conditions o f employment
and methods o f operation long since outgrown and abandoned.
The basis o f that system, briefly stated, is to place a legal liability
upon the employer to the workman for the loss o f life or for disabling
injury wholly upon the ground o f negligence o f the employer, and to
put upon the person injured the burden o f establishing that negligence
by competent legal proof.
Judicial decision has specially limited the common law o f negli
gence when it is applied to employees by the fellow-servant doctrine
and the assumed-risk doctrine. Under these doctrines accidents
caused by fellow-servants, though necessarily numerous under modern
conditions, are uncompensated; and accidents caused by dangers in
herent in the occupation itself are likewise uncompensated, although
such dangers steadily increase as the industry develops.
The general principle o f liability is seriously and sometimes fatally
restricted by the superadded limitation o f contributory negligence.
Finally, as the burden o f legal proof rests on the injured, even
where the decisions entitle him to a “ right of recovery,” he is unable
to “ secure his proofs,” and so frequently redress is lost.
A large percentage o f accidents are not due to negligence at all.
Even in those cases in which negligence does exist, if redress is sought,
it must be sought by suit against the employer.
The law o f negligence itself, as applied to industrial accidents, has
developed into an intricate mass, o f technicalities and subtleties, so
that even the most experienced personal-injury lawyer can seldom
know with certainty beforehand the outcome o f a suit.
Lamentable uncertainty as to rights and obligations results when
ever an accident happens.
Employees to-day bear both the physical and financial loss in a
large percentage o f accidents, with disastrous effect upon their fami
lies. Employers, though endeavoring to conduct their business with
care, are harassed by a constant succession o f suits for negligence,
being subjected to great waste o f energy and money in defending
them, and being mulcted with large verdicts when they have no real
moral blame.
Brief accounts o f the federal laws as to employees o f interstate
common carriers and o f the compensation act o f May 30, 1908, were
then given. As to the latter law, the report said:
This legislation demonstrates that in the opinion o f Congress the
existing common-law system o f employers’ liability in industrial em
ployment is fundamentally wrong and needs a radical«ichange.
This conclusion is neither novel nor untried. When railways were
first introduced in Prussia, as far back as 1838, it was at once seen
that common-law actions, requiring the injured to prove negligence,
offered a totally inadequate remedy, and the railroad law or 1838
was passed, treating the accident as an occupation product and dis
carding the negligence basis.
682
BU LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
Practically every civilized industrial nation in the world has since
discarded the old system based on fault and submitted a system
under which the industry bears the burden o f relieving the distress
o f its injured workers practically without litigation.
That this question is o f transcendent importance and one wholly
connected with the advanced policies o f the Government respecting
the rights o f labor and the proper equitable relations between the
employer and the workman is evidenced by the utterance o f Presi
dent Taft in a recent address at Worcester, Mass., speaking before
the joint committee of brotherhoods in train service:
“ I am hopeful, indeed, that before many years have passed we
shall be able to adopt a system * * * by which there shall be
settled promptly, on rules specified with the same degree o f certainty
that they are specified in an insurance policy, how much a man shall
receive for an injury, proportionate to the wages that he gets and
proportionate to the disabling character o f the injury. * * * In
other words, I think we ought to have a uniformity o f award, a dis
patch and quickness in award, so that the lawyers may be eliminated,
and that the money may go directly to the object to which it ought to
be devoted. It will rid the courts o f litigation with which they are now
loaded down. It will make the awards reasonable but quick, and there
will be no division in the money paid to the widow and the orphans
or to the helpless cripple. That system is forcing its way in Europe,
and I hope we may have it here. In that way the good feeling be
tween the company and the employee will be facilitated and justice
will be done. ^The railroads can calculate with the utmost accuracy,
by statistical reference, how much money they will have to devote to
that sort o f liability, and I think everybody will be in better condi
tion. The middleman will be eliminated and only the employee, on
the one hand, and the treasury o f the railroad, on the other, will be
affected.”
And by President Roosevelt’s address at Jamestown:
“ As a matter o f fact there is no sound economic reason for distinc
tion between accidents caused by negligence and those which are
unavoidable, and the law should be such that the payment o f those
accidents will become automatic instead o f being a matter for a law
suit. Workmen should receive a certain definite and limited compen
sation for all accidents in industry, irrespective o f negligence. It is
neither just, expedient, nor humane, it is revolting to judgment and
sentiment alike, that the financial burden of accidents occurring be
cause o f the necessary exigencies o f their daily occupation should be
thrust upon the sufferers who are least able to bear it.”
Taking up the subject o f the proposed measure for the enactment
o f provisions for compensation for employees in such undertakings
as are under federal control, the result o f the hearings on this bill
was summarized as follows:
Notice was given to the leading common carriers throughout the
country and to the representatives o f the employees. They appeared
before the committee, and it was frankly stated by the representatives
o f the carriers and of the locomotive engineers that in their judg
ment the time was rapidly approaching when some method o f the
kind proposed by the pending bill, if a proper and equitable basis
could be found, would be the best possible solution o f the problem.
employers ' liability and w orkm en ' s compensation .
683
The objections urged before the committee against the present sys
tem o f liability were in substance—
(1) That uncertainty o f rights and obligations involves suffering
to the workmen and hardship upon the employers.
(2) That only a small proportion o f the workmen injured by
accidents o f employment get small compensation, and that as a
result they and their dependents are forced into a lower standard
o f living, and often become burdens upon the State through public
or private charity.
(3) That the system is wasteful, being costly to employers and the
State and o f small benefit to the victims o f accidents, as a very large
proportion o f amounts recovered is paid for costs o f litigation and
for attorneys’ fees.
(4) That the system is slow in operation, involving o f necessity
eat delay in the settlement o f cases, and that delay is fatal to
milies dependent on daily earnings.
(5)
That the operation o f the law breeds antagonism between
employers and employees.
(6)
That antagonism o f interests retards development o f preven
tion o f accident measures.
As a result o f these hearings the committee and the parties
directly interested, the common carriers and the employees, were of
the opinion that it was important that more information o f a definite,
tangible, and thorough character should be obtained before a scheme
could be devised which would be satisfactory to employers and
employees.
This report was incorporated bodily into the Senate report accom
panying the resolution as submitted to the upper House. The com
mission consists o f two Members o f each House, together with two
persons to be selected by the President o f the United States. It is
authorized to employ persons familiar with the subject, to issue sub
poenas, administer oaths, summon witnesses, require the production of
books and papers, and receive testimony taken before any proper
officer in any State or Territory o f the United States. Expenditures
not to exceed $15,000 are authorized. The commission is to report to
Congress through the President not later than the 1st Monday in
December, 1911, and shall recommend such legislation as seems
advisable.
S
ATTITUDE OF STATE LEGISLATURES TOWARD THE COMPENSATION
SYSTEM.
The attitude o f the state legislatures toward the doctrine o f com
pensation may be said to be at least receptive, since not less than
eight have recently passed laws or resolutions providing for commis
sions with the object o f making investigations and proposing legisla
tion o f a nature suited to better meet the conditions o f industrial
operations than does the present system; while the governors o f Mon
tana and Washington have recently appointed commissions, appar
ently without special legislative authorization.
684
B U LLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR*
MASSACHUSETTS.
Probably the first State to move in this direction was Massachu
setts, which in 1908 provided by a resolution adopted by the state
legislature for a committee o f five citizens o f the Commonwealth to
be known as a committee on the relations between employer and em
ployee. The question o f the liability o f the employer for injuries to
employees was mentioned as to be especially considered. The report
o f this committee supported “ the theory that, where a man receives
injury while in the course o f his employment, society should recoup
him in some measure without resorting to charity. * * * As
the deterioration o f a plant is paid for by being added to the cost o f
production, the deterioration of the man should also be added to the
cost o f production. The theory is also— and this has determined the
acts o f foreign countries in this respect—that society ultimately pays
all such costs through consumption.” The conclusion was reached
that the liability theory ,was not satisfactory, and the committee
recommended a compensation law, applicable to employment on, in, or
about railroads, street railways, factories, workshops, warehouses,
mines, quarries, engineering work, and work in the construction,
alteration, or repair o f a building where scaffolding, staging, or lad
ders are used, on buildings being demolished, or in work about the
construction, repair, or destruction o f buildings where steam, water,
or other mechanical power is used in the work.
The commission was unanimous in the opinion that the compensa
tion law should operate exclusively in its field, but would reserve to
an injured employee the right to sue in cases where the employer’s
gross negligence was the cause o f the injury. The bill provided that
proceedings instituted under either the compensation or the liability
law barred the employee from action under the other. Medical in
spection at the option and cost o f the employer was provided for,
with reference in disputed cases to medical referees to be appointed
by the governor and paid by the county. Disputes as to facts were to
be settled by a committee representing the employer and the employee,
by an arbitrator agreed upon by the parties, or by a referee appointed
by a justice o f the superior court. Appeals were to be permitted on
questions o f law to the supreme judicial court, pending which any
justice o f the superior court might order compensation to be paid on
proper and adequate representations. The maximum compensation
for death was 8 years’ earnings, not less than $1,000 nor more than
$2,000; for disability, 50 per cent o f the daily earnings to amount to
not more than $10 weekly, and to be allowed for not more than 4
years.
This bill was rejected, and no further action was taken until by
an order o f the senate, concurred in by the house, a committee of
employers ' liability and w orkm en ' s compensation .
685
8 members o f the house and 3 o f the senate was appointed in 1907
to report to the next legislature (among other matters) as to the
expediency o f legislation providing for “ compensating workmen
who are accidentally injured in the course o f their employment.”
The majority o f this committee felt that a compensation law o f gen
eral application was at least not feasible at the time, though 5 mem
bers renewed the recommendation o f the earlier committee. What
was actually done by the legislature was to enact a law (acts o f 1908,
ch. 489; see acts o f 1909, ch. 514, secs. 136-142, Bull. No. 85, p.
626) authorizing employers to submit to the state board o f concilia
tion and arbitration schemes o f compensation, which, i f approved by
the board, might form a basis o f contracts between such employers
and their employees by virtue o f which the provisions o f the com
pensation scheme should be substituted for the liability o f the em
ployer under the common law or the employers’ liability act.
That such tentative and permissive legislation has not satisfied
the demands o f the parties in interest in the State o f Massachusetts
is evidenced by the adoption o f a resolution by the legislature o f that
State (approved June 7, 1910) to the effect that “ the public good
requires a change in the present system o f determining the compen
sation o f employees for injuries sustained in industrial accidents, and
that the Commonwealth ought to provide different and more suitable
relief.” The governor was therefore authorized to appoint, with the
advice and consent o f the council, a commission o f 5 persons for the
purpose o f investigating the present laws o f the State on the subject
o f employers’ liability, and the laws and systems o f other States and
countries, and to “ draft an act for the compensation o f employees for
industrial accidents.” A printed report o f data and statistics and a
draft o f an act are to be submitted on or before the second Wednes
day in January, 1911. Expenditures by the committee may not
exceed $10,000.
ILLINOIS.
In the State o f Illinois a committee appointed in 1905 reported a
bill to the legislature o f 1907 intended to provide a system o f insur
ance o f employees against the consequences o f industrial accidents
and authorizing contracts between employers and employees on the
basis o f an insurance scheme embodied in the bill. This bill failed
o f enactment. A t an extra session o f the legislature in 1910 an act
was passed providing for a commission o f 12 members, to be ap
pointed by the governor, 6 o f whom should be employers o f labor,
and 6 “ either employees or persons known to represent the interests
o f workmen.” The duties o f this commission are to investigate the
problems of industrial accidents, and especially the present condition
o f the law o f liability for injuries or death suffered in the course o f
686
B U LLETIN OP TH E BUREAU OP LABOR.
industrial employment, both in Illinois and in other States and coun
tries ; to inquire into the most equitable and effectual method o f pro
viding for compensation for such losses, and to report its conclu
sions with a draft of such bill or bills as may be deemed appropriate,
on or before September 15, 1910. Cooperation with similar commis
sions o f other States, so far as practical, is directed; and the sum o f
$10,000 appropriated for the expenses of the commission.
CONNECTICUT.
A senate joint resolution o f the State of Connecticut (No. 228,
approved February 27, 1907) directed the appointment by the gov
ernor o f a committee to make investigations and recommendations
with reference to laws for the regulation o f the liability o f employ
ers for injuries to employees. This committee consisted o f 1 em
ployer, 1 employee, and a lawyer, and was to report on or before
April 2 following, but the time was extended to May 20, 1907, and
subsequently to the early part o f January, 1909. This committee
considered the subject o f compensation, and while unanimously rec
ognizing the high authority o f the indorsements of the system and
agreeing that the future relations o f employer and employee will very
probably be settled by legislation along this line, they were not able
to agree in the matter o f recommending such an act at that time. The
existing law o f the State o f Connecticut is a bare restatement o f some
o f the principles o f common law applicable to this subject, and the
committee reported a bill modifying the fellow-servant doctrine to
some extent, and particularly in the matter o f employment on rail
roads, the bill being o f the general type o f the British liability law
o f 1880, as adopted by the neighboring States o f Massachusetts and
New York. The bill failed o f adoption.
WISCONSIN.
The legislature o f Wisconsin in 1907 considered a bill embodying
the idea o f compensation somewhat as represented in the British act,
but without adopting such a measure. In 1909 a resolution was
passed looking to the appointment o f a committee, consisting o f
4 members o f the assembly and 3 o f the senate, “ to thoroughly
investigate the subject o f industrial insurance and to report a bill
or bills covering that subject.” The line o f investigation mentioned
was not to limit the field o f the committee’s inquiries and it was
empowered to enter upon such others in connection therewith as it
should deem expedient. Expenditures for stenographers, clerks,
assistants, and experts, and the reimbursement o f personal expenses
o f the committee were authorized.
EMPLOYERS* LIABILITY AND W O RKM EN*S COMPENSATION.
687
MINNESOTA AND NEW YORK.
Two other commissions were appointed in 1909, the legislature o f
New York, by an act o f May 27 (ch. 518), and that o f Minnesota, by
its act o f A pril 20 (ch. 286), providing such bodies. The New York
commission consists o f 14 persons, o f whom 6 were to be appointed
by the governor, 3 by the president o f the senate from the senate,
and 5 by the speaker o f the assembly from the assembly. The work
ing o f the New York law was to be investigated as well as “ the com
parative efficiency, cost, justice, merits, and defects o f the laws of
other industrial States and countries relative to the same subject.”
The sum o f $10,000 was put at the disposal o f this commission, and
the commissioner o f labor directed to cooperate with it. The com
mission was to report to the legislature o f 1910, i f practicable; other
wise, to that o f 1911.
The Minnesota commission consists o f 3 persons appointed by the
governor, by and with the consent o f the senate, and was by the act
creating it given the name o f “ The Minnesota Employees’ Compen
sation Commission.” By the terms o f the act 1 employer, 1 em
ployee, and 1 member learned in the law were to be selected, each o f
them to be known to possess knowledge o f and training in the subject
o f compensation o f employees for injuries received in the course of
employment. The laws o f other States and foreign countries were
to be studied, with a view to discovering whether or not they were
successfully adapted to the needs o f the jurisdictions in which they
are operative, and sufficient data and information furnished to indi
cate the practical adaptability o f such laws to the industrial and
constitutional conditions controlling in the State. The report o f
information collected and the bill or bills drafted by the commission
are to be in readiness at the opening o f the legislative session o f 1911.
This commission is allowed only its expenses, in an amount not to
exceed $5,000.
N EW JERSEY AND OHIO.
Two other legislatures besides that o f Massachusetts provided in
1910 for commissions o f the same nature as those above mentioned.
In New Jersey the governor in his annual message recommended the
appointment o f a commission “ to consider the provisions o f the
employers’ liability acts o f Great Britain, Germany, and other foreign
countries, and to report to the next session of the legislature a draft
o f an act with relation to compensation for accidents to employees.”
Joint resolution No. 2, approved April 9,1910, called for the appoint
ment by the governor o f two representatives o f the labor interests o f
the State, two who are representative o f the employers’ interests,
together with one member o f the senate named by its president and
688
BULLETIN* OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
one member o f the house named by its speaker, these persons to con
stitute a commission to make inquiry into the subject-matter recited in
the above quotation from the preamble o f the resolution. The legis
lation o f the various States and o f foreign countries is to be con
sidered, as well as the results o f the same, and a bill is to be reported
to the next session o f the legislature, with the reasons therefor. The
expenses o f this commission are limited to $1,000. The other legisla
ture to take action in this direction is that o f Ohio, which enacted a
law (senate bill No. 250, approved May 17, 1910) authorizing the
appointment by the governor o f a commission to be composed o f
persons known to possess knowledge and training in the subject o f
employers’ liability laws and compensation o f employees for injuries.
Two o f these persons are to represent employers, 2 to represent labor,
and the fifth to be an attorney at law. This commission is to con
duct an “ investigation into the subject o f a direct compensation law
or a law affecting the liability o f employers to employees for indus
trial accidents.” The commission is authorized to visit different
States and localities, to investigate the laws o f other States and coun
tries, and to employ and pay all necessary assistants. Actual and
necessary expenses are authorized, no amount being specified. A full
report o f the work and findings o f the committee is directed to be
made at the opening o f the next regular session o f the general assem
bly, “ together with such bill or bills providing for the speedy remedy
for employees for injuries received in the course o f their employment
as will be fair, just, and reasonable to both employers and employees.”
This legislature passed a very advanced employers’ liability law before
adjournment.
CONFERENCES OF COMMISSIONS.
Members o f the three commissions appointed in 1909—i. e., o f
Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin—with other persons interested
in the subject, met, at the invitation o f the Minnesota commission, in
a conference on workmen’s compensation acts at Atlantic City, N. J.,
in July, 1909. Constitutional and economic considerations were
presented in this conference, and a permanent organization provided
for, to be known as the “ National Conference upon Compensation
for Industrial Accidents.” The second meeting o f this body was
held at Washington in January, 1910, a third at Chicago in June,
and a fourth arranged for at St. Louis in December, 1910. A t the
Washington conference the same state commissions were represented
as at Atlantic City, while at Chicago the programme called for
reports from these three and from the Illinois, New Jersey, and
Ohio commissions, the Massachusetts commission having been ap
pointed too late to be mentioned in the programme, though it was
represented at the meeting.
EMPLOYERS* LIABILITY AND WORKMEN*S COMPENSATION.
689
MINNESOTA BILL.
The subject announced for discussion at the Chicago conference
o f June, 1910, was the “ Workers’ compensation code,” this being the
name given to the draft of a bill proposed for submission to the legis
lature o f the State of Minnesota. This draft proposes to substitute
for liability under the common law and state statute law a provision
for compensation to apply to all dangerous employments, such em
ployments being defined as all those in which hereafter occurs any
bodily injury to an employee arising out o f and in the course o f such
employment.
The sections .of the bill providing for and defining the compensa
tion to be paid are as follow s:
S ection 2 . That every such employer shall be liable to pay to
every such employee so injured, or in case of his death, to the legal
representatives, as hereinafter defined and apportioned for all bodily
injuries received by such employee arising out of, and in the course
of, such employment in this State disabling such employee from the
regular services in such employment for more than ten days and
according to the schedule o f rates contained in section three o f this
act, on the condition precedent only, that, in case o f dispute as to
the amount to be paid for such injuries, or the failure or refusal to
agree upon or to pay same, such employee or the legal representatives
thereof shall comply with the provisions o f this act.
S ec . 3. The compensation herein and hereby allowed, i f established
as herein provided, having arisen out of and in the course of such
dangerous employment within this State, shall be on the following
basis:
(a) For immediate death or for death accruing within five years
as a result o f such injuries, or for injuries causing total incapacity
for that service for five years or more, sixty per cent o f the amount of
w.ages the injured was receiving at the time of the accident for a
period o f five years, provided, such payment shall not continue
longer than to aggregate three thousand dollars.
(b) For total or partial disability for less than five years, sixty per
cent o f the wages the injured was receiving at the time o f the injury
so long as there is complete disability for that service and that pro
portion o f the said percentage which the depleted earning capacity
for that service bears to the total disability when the injury is only
partial or after it becomes only partial.
(c) In addition to the foregoing payments, if the injured loses
both feet or both hands, or one foot and one hand, or both eyes, or
one eye and one foot or one hand, he shall receive, during the full
period o f five years, forty per cent of the wages which he was receiv
ing at the time o f such accident; or i f he loses one foot, one hand,
or one eye, the additional compensation therefor shall be fifteen per
cent o f his wages; or if he be otherwise maimed or disfigured, then,
for such maiming or disfigurement, during the time it shall continue,
he shall receive therefor such proportion o f forty per cent as such
maiming or disfigurement bears in depleted ability in the employ
ment to the relative loss o f the members specified herein: P r o v i d e d
62717°— No. 90—10----- 17
690
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
That in no case shall all of the payments received herein exceed in
any month the whole wages earned when the injury occurs, nor shall
the said fortjr per cent when all received, or any portion thereof,
and the said sixty per cent when all received, or any portion thereof,
continue longer than to make all sums aggregate five thousand
dollars.
The determination o f claims is to be effected by a “ board of
awards” to consist of three members from each judicial district of
the State. The risk may be insured, and a percentage (not fixed in
the draft) o f the cost of such insurance may be deducted from the
employee’s wages. Provisions for rehearing are contemplated, but
not provided for in this draft o f the bill. A provision that is neces
sary and common to all bills on the subject is that injured employees
shall submit themselves to medical examination from time to time at
the expense o f the employer, refusal to submit thereto suspending
payments during the continuance of such refusal.
W ISCONSIN BILL.
The Wisconsin commission in March, 1910, presented two tentative
bills to the public, one modifying the law as to employers’ liability,
and the other proposing a compensation law proper. Public hearings
were held on these bills in April, after which the bills were redrawn
and again printed, while a third draft, embodying a number of
changes, was presented in midsummer. The compensation bill pro
vides for a choice by private employers between its provisions
and those o f the proposed liability bill, but is compulsory on the
State and its municipalities in their capacity as employers. Em
ployees may reserve their rights to sue under common or statute law
by contracts in writing at the time of hiring, though it will be pre
sumed that both employer and employee have accepted the compen
sation law as governing their rights in case o f accident. Principal
contractors are liable for injuries to employees o f subcontractors, but
may be indemnified by such subcontractors i f the board o f arbitra
tion provided for in the act so awards. The provisions o f this bill as
to compensation are contained in sections 12 to 15, which are as
follow s:
Sec. 12. Any employee injured while performing duties growing
out o f and incidental to his employment, or his legal representative if
death results therefrom, shall, without regard to negligence, receive
compensation from his employer as herein provided, except for in
juries or death caused by the willful misconduct or intoxication o f
such employee.
Sec. 13. So far as preference or lien is concerned, the compensation
herein provided shall stand exactly upon the same basis as the wages
o f such employee.
employees ' liability and w orkm en ' s compensation .
691
S ec . 14. The compensation payable according to this act shall be
as provided in the following schedule:
(1) In case o f disability the compensation shall be:
(a) Free medical treatment at the time o f the injury and as long
thereafter as necessary, not to exceed ninety days, medicine and other
means o f treatment, also the facilities (crutches, supporting appara
tus, etc.) to aid in the success o f the treatment and to diminish the
effects o f the injury.
(b) An indemnity, payable as wages on the first day o f the second
week after the injured employee leaves work as the result o f the
injury, and at the same intervals thereafter as long as the disability
lasts, or until the amount o f the indemnity paid equals the amount of
compensation payable as a death benefit.
(c) I f the period o f disability does not last more than one week
from the day the injured employee leaves work as the result o f the
injury, no indemnity shall be paid.
(d ) The amount of the indemnity shall be:
First. In the case o f total disability, 65 per cent o f the annual
earnings.
Second. In the case o f partial disability, 65 per cent o f the loss in
wages.
(e) I f the injury causes the irrecoverable loss o f one or both eyes,
or the immediate severing o f hand or foot at or above the wrist or
ankle, the following benefits, which shall be in lieu o f an indemnity,
shall be paid:
First. In the case of the total and irrecoverable loss o f the sight
o f one eye, three-fourths of the average annual earnings; o f both
eyes, four times the average annual earnings, but not less than two
thousand dollars.
Second. In the case o f the loss o f one hand or one foot, one and onehalf times the annual earnings, but in any event not less than five
hundred dollars nor more than two thousand dollars; o f both hands
or both feet, or o f one hand and one foot, four times the average
annual earnings, but not less than two thousand dollars.
(f ) I f in consequence of the accident the injured person is ren
dered not only entirely incapable o f work, but also sufficiently
helpless to require the assistance and care o f a nurse, the indemnity
shall be increased to one hundred per cent o f the annual earnings as
long as this condition lasts, or until the indemnity paid equals the
amount o f compensation payable as a death benefit.
(g) I f the injured person was at the time o f the injury already
suffering from partial or permanent disability, and is also receiving
compensation therefor, compensation shall be paid in accordance with
subsection five o f section fifteen in the same manner and to the same
extent as though the former injury had not been sustained.
(2) In case the injury results in death, the compensation shall
include the benefits provided in subsection one o f this section for the
period before death, and an additional amount sufficient to make the
whole compensation equal to the follow ing:
(a)
I f the injured person leaves any person or persons wholly
dependent upon his earnings at the time o f his death, a^sum equal
to three times his annual earnings, computed according tb the pro
visions o f section fifteen, in the employment o f the same employer
during the year next preceding the injury, but not less thafi one thou
692
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
sand dollars nor more than three thousand dollars; this sum, with
interest at six per cent per annum, shall be paid as wages and at the
same intervals until the whole amount has been paid, unless the
county judge o f the county in which said dependent or dependents
reside, upon application made to him for that purpose, shall deter
mine that such compensation should be paid in a lump sum.
(b) I f the injured person leaves no one wholly dependent upon
his earnings, but leaves any person or persons partially dependent
thereof, a sum equal to the same proportion o f the payments provided
for the benefit o f persons wholly dependent as the amount contributed
to said partial dependents bears to the annual earnings o f the de
ceased at the time o f his injury.
(c) I f the injured person leaves no dependents, a reasonable sum
for his burial, which shall not exceed one hundred dollars.
S ec . 15. The basis for computing the compensation specified in
section fourteen shall be as follow s:
(1) The compensation is to be computed on the basis o f the annual
earnings which the injured employee received as salary or wages in
that employment during the year next preceding the injury. Wages
or salary in excess o f one thousand dollars shall not be considered.
(2) The annual earnings, i f not otherwise determined, are to be
regarded as three hundred times the average daily earnings. In such
computation wages in excess o f three dollars and thirty-three and onethird cents a day shall not be considered. For persons in employ
ments in which it is the custom to operate for a part o f the whole
number o f working days, such number shall be used instead o f three
hundred as the basis on which to reckon the daily earnings.
(3) I f the injured person has not been employed in the employ
ment for a full year immediately preceding the accident, compensa
tion shall be reckoned according to the annual earnings which per
sons o f the same class o f the same or neighboring employments of
the same kind have earned during this period. I f this is impossible,
three hundred times the amount which the injured person earned on
an average on those days when he was working during the year next
preceding the accident is to be used as a basis for the computation.
(4) In the case o f injured persons who earned either no wage or
less than three hundred times the usual daily wage o f the adult day
laborers o f that locality, the yearly wage shall be reckoned as three
hundred times this average local daily wage in the same or similar
employments.
(5) In computing the compensation in the case considered in sub
division “ g ” o f subsection one o f section fourteen for persons who
before the injury were already suffering from partial or permanent
disability, the yearly earnings shall be reckoned as three hundred
times the average daily wage received at the time o f the last injury.
The bill* provides for notice o f injury, medical examinations at
the option and cost o f the employer, and for a board of arbitration
for the adjustment o f disputes. Appeals may be had from the findings
of this board to the circuit court o f Dane County, in which the state
capital is located. Insurance o f the risks under the law is contem
plated, the compensation for each workman to constitute an individual
risk.
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693
NEW YO R K STATUTES.
O f the commissions appointed in 1909, that o f New York achieved
the distinction o f first results in so far as the enactment o f a recom
mended bill is concerned, due in part, perhaps, to the fact that the
legislature o f that State meets annually, while those o f Minnesota
and Wisconsin meet biennially. The commission recommended legis
lation along two lines—one a compulsory compensation act applicable
to specified dangerous employments, and one an elective compensation
plan o f general availability, coupled with amendments to the existing
laws on liability. In accordance with these views, bills were drafted
and introduced into the legislature covering both the proposed fields.
Laws were enacted practically in accord with the proposals o f the
commission, the elective bill having become a law on May 24 as chap
ter 352 o f the session laws o f 1910. The compulsory bill became a
law June 25 and is chapter 674 o f the session laws. On account of
the special interest attaching to the enactment o f laws o f this char
acter by an American legislature, the first act is reproduced in full
at pages 709 to 712, including the amended form of the liability law,
which must be taken in connection with the compensation law, since
its provisions are to be considered by employers and employees in
their determination of the choice o f remedies, i. e., o f liability or
compensation. The second or compulsory act is reproduced only in
so far as its provisions differ from those of the elective law. The
provisions as to notice, scale o f compensation, medical examinations,
mental incompetence of injured workmen, the settlement o f disputes,
preferences of compensation claims and exemptions from levy, execu
tion, or attachment, and attorneys’ fees are practically identical in
the two laws. The distinctive sections, Nos. 215, 216, 217, 218, and
219-g, are given on pages 713 and 714.
RE PO R T OF NEW Y O R K COM M ISSION.
ECONOMIC REASONS FOR A COMPENSATION SYSTEM.
The New York commission, in connection with the performance o f
the duties o f its appointment, submitted to the state legislature, March
19, 1910, a report o f 271 quarto pages, with a companion volume of
470 pages, containing minutes o f evidence. Fourteen executive ses
sions o f the commission were held, besides numerous meetings o f com
mittees and subcommittees; there were also 11 public hearings in the
principal cities o f the State, from November, 1909, to January, 1910,
at which representatives of employers, o f labor unions, and of various
interested businesses and organizations were present, as well as indi
viduals qualified to speak o f particular phases o f the subject in ques
tion, witnesses to the number of 121 having been examined during
these sessions.
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BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
Special reports were prepared on the liability system of New York,
the compensation systems o f principal European countries and their
adaptability to conditions prevalent in the State, and the relief asso
ciations o f the State. Several statistical studies were also made to
discover the economic and legal outcome of accidents; the cost of
industrial accidents to employers and the distribution o f such cost
to hospitals, for fees, insurance premiums, settlements, and as dam
ages ; and the proportion o f claims to accidents, o f insured losses paid
to amount o f premiums, and the relation o f cost o f liability insurance
to that o f collective insurance in different dangerous trades. Another
line o f investigation was by means o f inquiries to employers report
ing accidents to the state department o f labor (1,942 in number), to
employers reporting accidents to the public-service commissions (975
in number), and to the presidents o f 2,331 labor organizations in the
State, to obtain an expression o f opinion as to the justice of the exist
ing liability system and the advisability o f a change in the law.
Letters were sent to the judges of the supreme court and court of
appeals o f the State and to the federal judges in the State as to the
practical operation of the liability law ; to 226 prominent lawyers o f
the State, asking opinions as to the constitutionality o f certain pro
posed changes in the law ; and to the commissioner o f labor, the
chairmen o f the public-service commissions, and the superintendent
o f insurance as to the scope and methods o f the investigation. The
subject o f the causes o f industrial accidents was turned over to a
special committee, which visited a number o f factories and buildings
in course o f erection, besides holding one public hearing. By this
means a large amount o f suggestive material and of facts as to exist
ing conditions was brought together, much of which is presented in
the report and its 21 appendixes, and in the minutes o f evidence
already mentioned.
The first recommendation o f the commission is directed to the
question o f the prevention of accidents, to effect which it urges the
extension o f the powers and activities of the public-service commis
sions in this particular direction, especially in regard to steam rail
roads, the enlargement o f the factory-inspection force in the de
partment o f labor, and the organization o f a branch o f the inspection
work to supervise building operations. The need o f a better method
o f securing reports o f accidents is also touched upon.
As to the principal subject o f its investigation the commission says
that it “ is strongly o f opinion that the present legal system o f em
ployers’ liability in force in this State, and practically everywhere
else in the United States, in industrial employments is fundamentally
wrong and unwise and needs radical change.” “ It is, o f course, a
grave and serious matter for the State o f New York to contemplate
an entire change in its system of employers’ liability, yet the most
employers ' liability and w orkm en ' s compensation .
695
enlightened thought, both o f employers and workmen, is in favor o f
such changes in the law as shall tend toward the substitution for the
present vicious system o f a new system o f workmen’s accident com
pensation.” “ In the last 10 years the conclusion has been slowly but
surely generating in the public mind that present conditions as to
employers’ liability are intolerable. We are firmly o f the opinion
that the time has come for the enactment o f laws on this subject which
shall be at least the first step to a satisfactory solution o f the difficul
ties o f the present system,”
The report then reviews under separate heads and with some detail
o f discussion—
1. The present law o f the State.
2. The laws o f the United States and other States.
3. The operation o f the present legal system and its economic
results.
4. The laws o f foreign countries.
5. Recommendations for immediate action and the grounds
therefor.
The first and second topics are briefly discussed, reference being
made to Bulletin No. 74 o f the United States Bureau o f Labor for
a summary o f the laws o f the various States. Under the third head
four principal objections against the present system are developed:
(a ) That only a small proportion o f the workmen injured by acci
dents o f employment get substantial compensation, and therefore, as
a rule, they and their dependents are forced to a lower standard c f
living, and often become burdens upon the State through public or
private charity.
( b ) That the system is wasteful, being costly to employers and the
State, and o f small benefit to the victims o f accidents.
( c ) That the system is slow in operation, involving o f necessity
great delay in the settlement o f cases.
( d ) That the operation o f the law breeds antagonism between
employers and employees.
The support furnished these objections by the results o f the investi
gations conducted by the commission, and by other facts, was re
garded by it as conclusive. In connection with the first objection,
the commission investigated 181 cases in which married men lost their
lives in industrial accidents in 1907 and 1908 in Erie County and in
the Borough o f Manhattan. O f this number it was found that the
families received nothing in 56 cases, that they received $100 or less
in 12 cases; from $101 to $500 in 52 cases, from $501 to $2,000 in 19
cases, more than $2,000 in 12 cases, while suits were pending in 30
cases, so that in 79 per cent o f the closed cases the families received
$500 or less, and in only 7.9 per cent o f such cases, did they receive
696
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
more than $2,000, or an amount equal to three times the average
yearly earnings o f the workmen considered. An investigation o f
1,040 work accidents by the State labor department, in which total
losses and payments were ascertained, showed that in 404 o f the 902
cases o f temporary disability (lasting from one week to more than
one year) nothing was received by the injured person, not even
medical expenses; while in 304 cases the amount recovered from the
employer was less than one-half the loss o f wages and expenses of the
injury. In 71 cases there was permanent partial disability, reducing
the earning capacity o f the employee in varying amounts. O f this
number 18 received nothing, 22 received $100 or less, 14 received
from $101 to $500, 5 received from $501 to $2,000, while 1 person
received more than $2,000; suits were still pending in 11 cases. In
902 cases o f temporary disability there was a wage loss o f $66,800,
besides medical expenses amounting to $20,000, while all payments by
employers amounted to but $25,339, or less than 30 per cent o f
the losses and costs. Payments in cases o f permanent partial dis
ability make a somewhat better showing, approximating 34 per cent
o f the actual losses, though this omits from consideration the depre
ciated earning pow er; while in 10 cases o f permanent total disabilty,
computed on a basis o f 3 years’ wage loss, the payments by employers
amounted to but 9.7 per cent o f the losses and costs. Data obtained
from other sources indicate the same general condition o f inadequate
compensation for losses suffered.
That the system o f liability and damage suits entails waste is
shown by the fact that the expenditures o f 327 firms in the State in
1907, employing 125,995 men, amounted to $192,538 on account o f
accidents, accident insurance, legal expenses, etc., o f which the
amount paid to the persons injured was but $104,643, or 54 per cent
o f the employers’ outgo in this connection. Premium receipts and
payments of losses by nine insurance companies that keep separate
accounts o f their employers’ liability business show that during 1906,
1907, and 1908 they took in as premiums $23,523,585 and paid out in
insurance $8,559,795, or but 36 per cent o f the premiums received.
In connection with attorney’s fees, which are frequently contingent
on recoveries, it was shown that in 14 o f the 51 cases investigated the
fee was less than 25 per cent o f the recovery, in 14 cases it was 50 per
cent or more, while in the remaining 23 cases it was more than 25
per cent and less than 50 per cent.
The question o f the cost to the employer o f a compensation system
as compared with the cost o f the present system received considera
tion, the investigation o f this phase o f the question being conducted
‘ by the state bureau o f labor statistics. Data were secured from 52
firms, employing above 29,000 persons, from which a comparative
employees ' liability and w orkm en ' s compensation .
697
study was made showing the actual cost o f accidents during the
year 1907, and the cost under a compensation scheme which allowed
3 years’ earnings in case of death and half earnings during disabil
ity, making up the loss o f wages where partial disability reduced the
earning capacity. From the results o f this investigation the report
concludes that “ even with the most liberal allowance for possible un
derstatement on the cost o f compensation side, it is impossible to inter
pret the figures as affording anything but very strong evidence that
large manufacturing firms could pay compensation on such a scale
as that here used, which is fully equal to the present English system,
at no greater cost than many o f them are now actually incurring
for accidents, and probably in some cases for less.” It is assumed
that this conclusion should not be made to apply to small employers.
The objections that recovery, i f any, is delayed, and that suits
breed antagonism and result in loss o f position, are founded on con
ditions too generally known to require an enumeration, though the
evidence in this connection was both full and conclusive.
ATTITUDE OF EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES.
One o f the most interesting features o f the report is the presenta
tion therein o f resolutions and briefs by bodies o f employers and
employees and o f the opinions o f representative employers and o f
officials o f organized labor favoring the introduction o f the com
pensation system. O f 146 employers replying, 98 are opposed to
a compensation system that disregards the employee’s negligence,
while but 48 favor it; while, o f 100 unions, 64 favor such a system
and 36 oppose it. O f 116 employers replying to the question o f
whether or not they regard the employers’ liability law fair, less
than one-half, or but 53, answered in the affirmative, 63 stating that
they did not so regard i t ; while o f 129 employers giving their opin
ions as to the system o f fixing damages by a jury trial but 30 thought
it satisfactory, 99 holding a contrary opinion. O f 91 unions answer
ing this inquiry, 44 thought it satisfactory, 47 expressing dissatisfac
tion. The replies o f the judges to the inquiries addressed to them,
mentioned on a foregoing page, were practically unanimous in favor
o f a change in the system o f dealing with industrial accidents.
CONCLUSIONS OF THE N E W YORE COMMISSION.
In concluding its report the commission presented the drafts o f
the bills and amendments already referred to, together with expla
nation and comment. One member o f the commission felt himself
unable to join in the recommendations o f the commission since, al
though it was clearly developed “ that the employer as well as the
employee realized that some just and fair plan should be worked out,”
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BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
he did not believe that the remedy to meet the situation had been
yet found. The summary concurred in by the other members is as
follows:
First. That the present system in New York rests on a basis that is
economically unwise and unfair, and that in operation it is wasteful,
uncertain, and productive of antagonism between workmen and em
ployers.
Second. That it is satisfactory to none, and tolerable only to those
employers and workmen who practically disregard their legal rights
and obligations and fairly share the burden o f accidents in in
dustries.
Third. That the evils o f the system are most marked in hazardous
employments where the trade risk is high and serious accidents
frequent.
Fourth. That as a matter o f fact workmen in the dangerous trades
do not, and practically can not, provide for themselves adequate
accident insurance, and therefore the burden o f serious accidents falls
on the workmen least able to bear it, and brings many o f them and
their families to want.
These results can, we think, be best avoided by compelling the
employer to share the accident, burden in intrinsically dangerous
trades, since by the fixing o f the price o f his product the shock o f the
accident may be borne by the community. In those employments
which have not so great an element o f danger, in which, speaking
generally, there is no such imperative demand for the exercise o f the
police power o f the State for the safeguarding o f its workers from
destitution and its consequences, we recommend as the first step in
this change o f system such amendment o f the present law as will
do away with some o f its unfairness in theory and practice and
increase the workman’s chance of recovery under the law. With
such changes in the law we couple an elective plan o f compensation
which, i f generally adopted, will do away with many o f the evils o f
the present system. Its adoption will, we believe, be profitable to
both employer and employee and prove to be the simplest way for
the State gradually to change its system o f liability without disturb
ance o f industrial conditions.
Not the least o f the motives moving us is the hope that by these
means a source o f antagonism between employer and employed, preg
nant with danger for the State, may be eliminated.
AC TIO N BY EM PLO YERS AND ASSO CIATIO N S O F EM PLO YERS AN D O F
W O RK M EN .
Besides work along these lines o f legislative action or suggestion,
there is a hardly less important and influential force at work from the
side o f the employer and the employed, acting through the channels o f
their own organizations and in connection with individual establish
ments, industries, or associations. The actual attainments up to 1907
made in the direction o f compensation and relief benefits are set forth
in the Twenty-third Annual Report o f the Commissioner o f Labor,
the subject o f which is workmen’s insurance and benefit funds in the
employers ' liability and w orkm en ' s compensation .
699
United States. Labor organizations, railroads, factories, mines, and
industrial and mercantile undertakings o f all sorts are represented
in the movement whose object is to alleviate the hardships and dis
tress following on disability caused by industrial/accidents.
UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION.
A striking recent illustration o f this form o f action is found in
the case o f the United States Steel Corporation which put a new
accident relief system into operation in May o f this year for a trial
year. This corporation has a pay roll o f nearly a quarter o f a million
men, and while many o f its branches o f work involve what are called
hazardous employments, all classes o f employment are on the same
basis as to the benefits o f the relief system. The question o f negli
gence is put entirely aside, the only condition for the receipt o f relief
being that there shall be disabling accidental injury in the course o f
employment. The injury must be such as to prevent the employee
from following “ his usual or any other occupation.” The bringing
o f a suit at law bars all benefits under the scheme. The employee
is called on for no contribution, all funds being supplied by the
corporation.
The amount o f benefits paid begins with 18 months’ earnings as
death benefits for married men living with their families, the scale
increasing with the number o f children under 16 years o f age and
with length o f service, the maximum limit being $3,000. Unmarried
employees are entitled to no death benefits other than funeral ex
penses, and the limitation as to married men, i. e., “ living with their
families,” apparently cuts off nonresident families o f alien workmen
from all compensation under this scheme. Considerable discretion
is allowed in the administration o f both death and disability features
o f the scheme, and provision is made for medical and hospital treat
ment. Temporary disability is relieved according to a sliding scale,
the amount not to exceed $1.50 per day for single men and $2 per day
for married men. Permanent-disability cases are generally to be
dealt with according to their nature, but stated rates are announced
for the loss o f a hand (12 months’ wages), the loss o f an arm (18
months’ wages), the loss o f a foot (9 months’ wages), the loss o f a
leg (12 months’ wages), and the loss o f an eye (6 months’ wages).
This system connects itself essentially and naturally with measures o f
the company to safeguard its workmen from accidental injury.
INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY.
Another corporation taking an important step in the same direction
is the International Harvester Company and associated companies,
the system becoming effective May 1, 1910. This scheme, affecting
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BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
approximately 30,000 employees, also ignores the customary defenses
o f negligence, assumed risks, and fellow-service, only intoxication
and willful disregard o f the use o f safety appliances cutting em
ployees off from the benefit o f the scheme. No distinction is made
between employees having resident and those having nonresident
families. Dependents o f employees dying as the result of accident
and within 16 weeks of its occurrence receive 3 years’ average earn
ings, but not less that $1,500 nor more than $4,000. For injury
causing “ inability to work at any gainful occupation whatsoever,”
the pay is one-quarter o f the average earnings for the first 30 days
and half pay thereafter for not more than 104 weeks from the date
o f the accident, compensation not to exceed $20 a week. I f total
disability continues after 104 weeks, the workman shall receive dur
ing such continuance an annual pension equal to 8 per cent of the
death benefit which would have been payable in case o f his death,
but not less than $10 per month, payments to be made monthly.
The loss o f a hand or foot calls for the payment o f one and one-half
years’ wages, not less than $500 nor more than $2,000; the loss o f
both hands or both feet, or one hand and one foot, four years’ average
wages, but not less than $2,000; the loss o f one eye, three-fourths o f a
year’s wages; and o f both eyes the same as for both hands or feet.
By the contribution o f small sums—6 cents per month from em
ployees earning $50 or less per month, 8 cents from those earning
more than $50 and not more than $100, and 10 cents from those
earning more than $100—the one-fourth pay for the first 30 days’
disability may be increased to one-half pay for workmen making
such contributions. No part o f such contributions is to go for oper
ating expenses. Lump-sum payments may be arranged for in lieu
o f weekly payments, and the acceptance o f benefits is to operate as
a release from all claims against the company.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS OF EMPLOYERS.
The National Metal Trades Association announced in the spring of
this year a mutual insurance scheme in which employees in shops man
aged by its members may procure insurance covering sickness as well
as accidents at a cost of $1 per month. No initial deposit or member
ship fee is required. No benefits are paid for disability lasting not
more than 7 days, but if it lasts for 30 days full benefits are paid for
the whole period. The rates of benefit vary from $20 to $60 per month
according to the class o f employment. The president of the National
Cotton Manufacturers’ Association advocates the establishment o f a
contributory accident insurance system for the cotton industry, and
the National Manufacturers’ Association has had a committee at work
employers ' liability and w orkm en ' s compensation .
701
since early in the current year investigating the question o f compen
sation with the idea o f drafting measures to be submitted to that
body. The report o f this committee to the fifteenth annual conven
tion o f that body in May last shows 67 per cent of the manufacturers
in membership with the association to be in favor o f a voluntary
mutual insurance system among the membership, while 90 per cent are
dissatisfied with the workings o f the present employers’ liability laws
and liability insurance systems. The association adopted resolu
tions very much in agreement with the findings o f the New York
commission set forth above as to the inadequacy and unsatisfactory
results o f the present liability system, the fourth resolution being:
“ That we recommend to our members the inauguration with the least
possible delay o f a system o f voluntary, mutually contributory indus
trial accident indemnity insurance, this system to be elastic enough to
provide for voluntary, contributory sickness, old age, and death
insurance, i f later deemed advisable.” The association expressed its
desire “ to cooperate with state legislators in promoting uniform,
sound industrial indemnity legislation,” while opposing unsound
legislation. The president and directors o f the association were
authorized to arrange for the establishment o f a suitable plan.
NATIONAL CIVIC FEDERATION.
The National Civic Federation, representing employers, employees,
and the public at large, at its tenth annual meeting in November,
1909, made the matter o f compensation for injured wage-earners the
principal subject o f consideration, carrying the discussion forward
to its conference on uniform state legislation in January last. A t
this latter meeting it was resolved to recommend “ that workmen’s
compensation acts, fair to the employer and employee and just to the
State, be uniformly substituted for the present system o f employers’
liability for injuries received in and arising out o f the course o f
employment.”
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR.
Organized labor, as represented by the American Federation o f
Labor, is also strongly committed to the idea o f compensation, the
proceedings o f the conventions showing the growth o f this sentiment
to be rapid in recent years. The executive council o f the federation
has prepared four bills embodying compensation provisions, and ap
plicable to employment generally, to employees o f the Federal Gov
ernment, to dangerous employments in jurisdictions subject to federal
control, and to persons employed in interstate and foreign commerce.
These bills were indorsed by the annual convention o f the federa
tion o f 1909, and activity o f agitation in their behalf was encouraged.
702
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
The desirability o f uniform enactments was dwelt upon in this con
nection— a feature o f the case that was also emphasized in the dis
cussions by the National Civic Federation noted above.
LEGAL PRIN CIPLES INVOLVED.
The present system o f employers’ liability is admittedly a develop
ment along the lines o f established legal ideas and principles, the
occasion for the changes urged in the system being found in the
alleged inadequacy o f these ideas and principles to meet the industrial
conditions o f the present; i. e., the demand is fundamentally economic.
It is none the less essential that the new system shall comport with
the constitutional principles by which all legislation must be tested,
so that after the economic desirability o f a change is proved, the
question o f constitutionality remains for consideration. This phase
o f the question was presented at length at the Atlantic City con
ference and is discussed in the report o f the New York commission,
as must be the case whenever the subject is seriously considered. The
relations o f employer and employee and the conditions under which
business and industrial undertakings can be carried on have been so
extensively and particularly regulated by statute that the principal
question lying open in this case is apparently that o f sufficient justifi
cation to warrant the exercise by the legislatures o f the police power
in respect o f this particular subject.
What the police power is, is not capable o f exact definition, since
it is subject to growth and change with changing industrial and
social conditions. (a) Under it a government may preserve and pro
mote the public welfare by establishing such rules and regulations for
the conduct o f persons and the management o f business and property
as may be conducive to the comfort, welfare, and safety o f society. ( *6)
Both property and liberty are held on such reasonable conditions as
may be imposed by the governing power o f the State in the exercise
o f this power, and with such conditions the provisions o f the four
teenth amendment o f the Federal Constitution, declaring that no
State shall “ deprive any person o f life, liberty, or property without
due process o f law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the
equal protection o f the laws,” were not designed to interfere; but
every exercise o f the police power is none the less subject to inquiry
as to whether it is fair, reasonable, and appropriate; or whether, on
the other hand, it is an unreasonable, unnecessary, and arbitrary
interference with the right o f individuals to their personal liberty. (c)
« A tkin v. K ansas, 191 U. S. 207, 24 Sup. Ct. 124; H olden v. H ardy, 169 U . S.
366,18 Sup. C t 383.
6 Am . and Eng. Cyc. o f Law , vol. 22, p. 916.
c Lochner v. New Y ork, 198 U. S. 45, 25 Sup. C t 539.
EMPLOYERS 9 LIABILITY AND W O R K M E N ^ COMPENSATION.
703
The police power is therefore flexible and adaptable to the needs
o f the public welfare as they develop. The idea expressed by the
words o f the fourteenth amendment, “ due process o f law,” is hardly
less broad. Though the words differ, the same idea is expressed in
the phrase, “ law o f the land.” (a)
It is not restricted to the test o f conformity to process or jurispru
dence in use at some fixed past time, since to so construe it would
unduly restrict and hamper procedure and deny every quality o f the
law but its age and render it incapable o f progress or improve
m ent.^)
Any legal proceeding enforced by public authority,
whether sanctioned by age and custom or newly devised in the dis
cretion o f the legislative power, in furtherance o f the general public
good, which regards and preserves the principles o f liberty and jus
tice must be held to be due process o f law .(c) The State is not tied
down by any provision o f the Federal Constitution to the practice
and procedure which existed at the common law.(d) Due process
o f law is secured i f the laws operate on all persons alike. ( e)
The provision guaranteeing to all persons the equal protection o f
the laws is satisfied when all persons or classes in like conditions and
circumstances enjoy like privileges under the law .(f) It does not
limit, nor was it intended to limit, the subjects upon which the police
power o f a State may be exerted, but simply requires that legislation
shall treat, alike all persons affected by it.(^) “ The greater part of
all legislation is special, either in the objects sought to be ascertained
by it, or in the extent o f its application. Such legislation does not
infringe upon the clause o f the fourteenth amendment requiring
equal protection o f the laws, because it is special in its character.
When legislation applies to particular bodies or associations, imposing
upon them additional liabilities, it is not open to the objection that
it denies to them the equal protection o f the laws, i f all persons
brought under its influence are treated alike under the same condi
tions. The hazardous character o f the business o f operating a rail
way would seem to call for special legislation with respect to railroad
corporations, having for its object the protection o f their employees
as well as the safety o f the public. The business o f other corpora
tions is not subject, to similar dangers to their employees, and no*6
9
* D artm outh C ollege v. W oodw ard, 17 U. S. 518, 4 L. Ed. 629; M issouri P. R .
Co. v. H um es, 115 U. S. 512, 6 Sup. Ct. 110.
6 T w in ing v. New Jersey, 211 U. S. 78, 29 Sup. C t 14.
« H u rtado v. C aliforn ia, 110 U. S. 516, 4 Sup. Ct. 111.
d B row n v. N ew Jersey, 175 U. S. 172, 20 Sup. Ct. 77.
e D uncan v. M issouri, 152 U. S. 377, 14 Sup. C t 570.
f M issouri v. L ew is, 101 U. S. 22, 25 L. ed. 989.
9 M inneapolis and S t L. R . Co. v, B eckw ith, 129 U. S. 26, 9 Sup. Ct. 207.
704
BULLETIN OP THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
objections, therefore, can be made to the legislation on the ground
o f its making an unjust discrimination.” ^ )
The hazardous nature o f an industry is therefore an adequate rea
son for legislation applying to its conduct, superseding in greater or
less degree the right o f contract as between the employer and his
workmen ; ( *6) and, as already indicated, it is in part on this fact that
the New York statute providing for compulsory compensation in
specified dangerous employments relies. Laws abrogating the defense
o f common employment either generally or in designated industries
are constitutional; ( c) so o f laws modifying the defense of assumption
o f risks (d) and o f contributory negligence;(e) and in general it is
no objection to a law that it imposes a measure o f liability on an
employer that is unknown at common law. The defenses o f assumed
risks and contributory negligence are frequently abrogated outright
in cases where injury results from the failure o f an employer to con
form to a standard o f safety fixed by statute. In other statutes the
employee is declared to have, in the defined circumstances, the same
rights o f action and recovery as i f he had not been an employee.
The extent to which such a declaration carries the matter appears
from a consideration o f statutes that make the proprietors of an un
dertaking responsible for injuries resulting from its conduct without
personal fault. Thus a Nebraska statute makes railroad companies
liable for injuries to passengers unless the injury is the result of the
criminal negligence o f the person injured or o f his violation o f some
known rule. The supreme court of the State in upholding this
statute said: “ The legislation is justified under the police power of
the State. It was enacted to make railroad companies insurers o f
the safe transportation o f their passengers, as they were o f baggage
and freight.” (f) The Supreme Court o f the United States sus
tained this view, quoting the above with approval, and adding:
“ Our jurisprudence affords examples o f legal liability without fault,
and the deprivation o f property without fault being attributable to
its owner. The law of deodands was such an example. The per« M issouri P. R . Co. v. M ackey, 127 U. S. 205, 8 Sup. Ct. 1161; T u llis v.
R. Co., 175 U. S. 348, 20 Sup. Ct. 136.
6 H olden v. H ardy, 169 U. S. 366, 18 Sup. Ct. 383.
c M issouri P . R . Co. v. M ackey, su p ra; T u llis v. R . Co., su p ra; P ow ell v.
Sherw ood, 162 M o. 605, 63 S. W . 48 5; M ining Co. v. F irstbrook , 36 Colo. 499,
86 P ac. 313.
d E l Paso & S. W . R . Co. v. F oth, 45 T ex. C iv. App. 275,100 S. W . 171; Thom as
v. Q uarterm aine, L . R . 18 Q. B. D iv. 685, 56 L. J. Q. B. N. S. 340; N arram ore v.
Cleveland, etc., R . Co., 96 Fed. 298, 37 C. C. A . 499; G reenlee v. R. Co., 122
N. C. 977, 30 S. E. 115; Y aljago v. Steel Co., 226 Pa. 514, 75 A tl. 728.
e K iley v. C hicago, etc., R . Co., 138 W is. 215, 119 N. W . 309; M issouri P. R .
Co. v. Castle, 172 Fed. 841 (C . C. A .).
t Chicago, R . I. & P. R . Co. v. Zernecke, 59 N ebr. 689, 82 N. W . 26.
EMPLOYERS* LIABILITY AND WORKMEN*S COMPENSATION.
705
sonification o f the ship in admiralty law is another. Other examples
are afforded in the liability o f the husband for the torts o f the wife,
the liability o f a master for the acts o f his servant.” (a) It is obvi
ously only necessary to place on the statute books o f the same State
the two provisions last cited—i. e., the one giving the employee the
status o f a third person and the one making the undertaker re
sponsible for damages resulting from the conduct o f his business—to
attain the full extent o f the protection proposed by compensation
legislation.
A text writer discussing this subject says:
I f the rule o f absolute liability is held to be unconstitutional, it
must be on the ground that justice and equality forbid that a person
be required to make good the loss o f another unless some fault or
culpability can be imputed to him. * * * The principle that
inevitable loss should be borne, not by the person on whom it may
happen to fall, but by the person who profits by the dangerous busi
ness to which the loss is incident, embodies a very intelligent idea
o f justice and which seems to be in accord with modern social senti
ment. Moreover, the rule o f absolute liability is established in our
law in the case o f fires caused by locomotives and has been sanc
tioned by the United States Supreme Court. (165 U. S., 180. [See
S t Louis & S. F. K. Co. v . Mathews, 165 U. S., 1 ]) It also under
lies the rule o f respondeat superior, since the employer can not relieve
himself from liability for the act done by the servant within the
scope o f his employment by proof o f the greatest possible care in the
selection o f tb
1
1
"ore demand
that liability
denounced
________ may readily
as unconstituti____ _____ A
be found in the voluntary employment of dangerous instruments or
agencies. ( *&)
In connection with the above quotation, the construction of the
federal employers’ liability law o f 1906 (and in respect o f the points
involved the provisions o f the act o f 1908 are the same) may be
considered, as it was discussed in the case Howard v . Illinois C.
It. Co. (207 U. S. 463; 28 Sup. Ct. 141). Justice White, delivering
the opinion o f the court, said:
Besides, the statute, it is urged, discriminates against all who
engage as common carriers in interstate commerce, since it makes
them responsible, without limit as to the amount, to one servant for
an injury suffered by the acts o f a coservant, even in a case where
the negligence o f the injured servant has contributed to the result,
hence placing all employers who are common carriers in a disfavored
and all their employees in a favored class. Indeed, it is insisted that
the statute proceeds upon contradictory principles,* since it imposes
the increased responsibility just stated upon the master presumably
a Chicago, etc., R. Co. v. Zernecke, 183 U. S. 582; 22 Sup. Ct. 229.
Chicago, B. & Q. R. Co. v. Wolfe, 187 U. S. 638 ; 23 Sup Ct. 847.
6 Freund, “ The police power,” sec. 634.
62717°—No. 90—10----- 18
See also
706
BULLETIN OP THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
in order to make him more careful in the selection o f his servants,
and yet minimizes the necessity for care on the part of the servant
by allowing recovery although he may have been negligent.
But without, even for the sake o f argument, conceding the cor
rectness o f these suggestions, we at once dismiss them from considera
tion as concerning merely the expediency o f the act and not the power
o f Congress to enact it.
And Justice Moody in discussing the substantial provisions o f the
statute in his dissenting opinion pointed out that “ the remedy
afforded by it is more generous to the employee than that given by
the common law in several respects ”—first, in allowing recovery o f
damages for death resulting from negligence; second, in abrogating
the defense o f fellow-service; third, in exacting a provision as to
comparative negligence, by virtue o f which the contributory negli
gence o f the injured person does not bar recovery, if the employer’s
negligence is greater, but only serves to reduce the amount of dam
ages recoverable; and, fourth, by making void all contracts relieving
the employer from liability for injuries received by the employee in
the course o f employment; concluding, “ Thus four doctrines o f the
common law restrictive o f the employee’s rights are supplanted by
others more favorable to him.”
Justice Moody then said:
There can be no doubt o f the right o f a legislative body, having
jurisdiction over the subject, to modify the first three o f these rules
o f the common law in the manner in which this act o f Congress does
it. They are simply rules o f law, unprotected by the Constitution
from change, and like all other such rules must yield to the superior
authority o f a statute. They have so generally been modified Tby
statute that it may well be doubted if they exist in their integrity
in any jurisdiction. * * * Whenever the legislative power to
change any of these rules of the common law has been drawn in
question in this court it has been sustained.
It may be recalled in this connection that the statute in question
has been declared constitutional in the Territories and the District
o f Columbia ; ( a) while in respect o f the fourth point, relating to
contracts o f waiver, a decision o f the court o f appeals o f the District
o f Columbia held this provision to be constitutional.^) This provi
sion o f the law o f 1908 was referred to in a very recent case as in
tended to prevent the evasion o f the other provisions o f the act.(c)
That compensation legislation prescribes the conditions o f contracts
between employer and employee and changes largely the legal conse
quences and incidents o f such contracts is indisputable. It seeks to
0 El Paso & N. E. R. Co. v. Gutierrez, 215 U. S. 87, 30 Sup. Ct. 21, referring
with approval to the ruling o f the court o f appeals o f the District o f Columbia
to the same effect, Hyde v. R. Co., 31 App. D. C. 466; 36 Wash. Law Rep. 582.
h McNamara v, Washington Terminal Co., 38 Wash. Law Rep. 343.
• Watson v. St. Louis, I. M. & S. R. Co., 169 Fed. 942.
e m p l o y e r s ' l ia b il it y a n d w o r k m e n 's c o m p e n s a t io n .
707
improve the status o f the employee, and in doing so devolves upon the
employer the duty o f administering the benefits provided, whether
met at his own cost and expense or made a part o f the cost o f produc
tion and distributed among the consumers o f his goods or the public
served by his undertaking. But even granting that there is as the
result o f such legislation a shifting o f relationships, it does not follow
that it discriminates unfairly between employer and employee. Thus
a statute regulating the payment o f wages in store orders was said
to have a tendency to place the employer and the employee upon equal
ground , ( a) suggesting a previously existing recognizable inequality;
in another case the Supreme Court speaks o f it as an established and
recognized fact that, in the making o f contracts, employers and em
ployees do not stand upon an equality. ( *6) Such inequality is easily
a result o f the growth o f corporations and the centralization o f busi
ness management employing numerous and widely scattered em
ployees, which fact legislatures may recognize in providing remedial
legislation. ( c)
Many o f the points o f statutory enactment and o f judicial con
struction noted above, together with other legal considerations, were
embodied in the brief presented to the Atlantic City conference and
in the report o f the New York commission, the latter expressing its
conclusion in the following language:
It is on these judicial statements and the authorities which follow
them that we base our contention as to the power of the legislature to
deal with the question o f employers’ liability on a basis other than
fault. That the matter is clear beyond peradventure we do not assert,
but that the legislature, on examining its power to enact the legisla
tion we are about to recommend, will agree that such action is within
its constitutional powers, we confidently expect.
STATUTES.
ACTS OF UNITED STATES CONGRESS, 1907-8.
Chapter 149.—Liability of railroad companies for injuries to employees.
Section 1. Every common carrier by railroad while engaging in commerce
between any o f the several States or Territories, or between any o f the States
and Territories, or between the District o f Columbia and any o f the States or
Territories, or between the District o f Columbia or any o f the States or Terri
tories and any foreign nation or nations, shall be liable in damages to any per
son suffering injury while he is employed by such carrier in such commerce, or,
in case of the death o f such employee, to his or her personal representative, for
the benefit o f the surviving widow or husband and children of such employee;
and, if none, then o f such employee’s parents; and, if none, then o f the next
o f kin dependent upon such employee, for such injury or death resulting in whole
or in part from the negligence o f any o f the officers, agents, or employees of
« Knoxville Iron Co. v. Harbison, 183 U. S. 13, 22 Sup. Ct. 1. See also Wilson
v . State, 7 Kans. App. 428, 53 Pac. 371.
6 Holden v. Hardy, 169 U. S. 366, 18 Sup. Ct. 383.
o New York Central & H. R. R. v, Williams, 92 N. E. 404 (N. Y.) 15; Common
wealth v. Hillside Coal Co., 22 Ky. L. R. 559, 58 S. W. 441.
708
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR,
such carrier, or by reason of any defect or insufficiency, due to its negligence,
in its cars, engines, appliances, machinery, track, roadbed, works, boats*
wharves, or other equipment.
Sec. 2. Every common carrier by railroad in the Territories, the District of
Columbia, the Panama Canal Zone, or other possessions o f the United States
shall be liable in damages to any person suffering injury while he is employed
by such carrier in any o f said jurisdictions, or, in case o f the death of such
employee, to his or her personal representative, for the benefit o f the surviving
widow or husband and children o f such employee; and, if none, then o f such
employee’s parents; and, if none, then of the next o f kin dependent upon such
employee, for such injury or death resulting in whole or in part from the
negligence o f any of the officers, agents, or employees o f such carrier, or by
reason of any defect or insufficiency, due to its negligence, in its cars, engines,
appliances, machinery, track, roadbed, works, boats, wharves, or other equip
ment.
Sec. 3. In all actions hereafter brought against any such common carrier by
railroad under or by virtue o f any o f the provisions o f this act to recover
damages for personal injuries to an employee, or where such injuries have
resulted in his death, the fact that the employee may have been guilty o f con
tributory negligence shall not bar a recovery, but the damages shall be dimin
ished by the jury in proportion to the amount o f negligence attributable to
such employee: Provided, That no such employee who may be injured or killed
shall be held to have been guilty o f contributory negligence in any case where
the violation by such common carrier o f any statute enacted for the safety of
employees contributed to the injury or death of such employee.
Sec. 4. In any action brought against any common carrier under or by virtue
o f any of the provisions o f this act to recover damages for injuries to, or the
death of, any of its employees, such employee shall not be held to have assumed
the risks of his employment in any case where the violation by such common
carrier of any statute enacted for the safety o f employees contributed to the
injury or death o f such employee.
Sec. 5. Any contract, rule, regulation, or device whatsoever, the purpose or
intent of which shall be to enable any common carrier to exempt itself from
any liability created by this act, shall to that extent be void: P r o v i d e d , That
in any action brought against any such common carrier under or by virtue o f
any o f the provisions of this act, such common carrier may set off therein any
sum it has contributed or paid to any insurance, relief benefit, or indemnity
that may have been paid to the injured employee or the person entitled thereto
on account o f the injury or death for which said action was brought.
Sec. 6 (as amended by act of April 5, 1910). No action shall be maintained
under this act unless commenced within two years from the day the cause o f
action accrued.
Under this act an action may be brought in a circuit court o f the United
States, in the district o f the residence o f the defendant, or in which the cause
o f action arose, or in which the defendant shall be doing business at the time
o f commencing such action. The jurisdiction o f the courts o f the United States
under this act shall be concurrent with that o f the courts o f the several States,
and no case arising under this act and brought in any state court o f competent
jurisdiction shall be removed to any court o f the United States.
Sec. 7. The term “ common carrier ” as used in this act shall include the re
ceiver or receivers or other persons or corporations charged with the duty o f
the management and operation o f the business o f a common carrier.
Sec. 8. Nothing in this act shall be held to limit the duty or liability o f com
mon carriers or to impair the rights o f their employees under any other act or
acts of Congress, or to affect the prosecution o f any pending proceeding or right
of action under the act of Congress entitled “ An act relating to liability o f
common carriers in the District of Columbia and Territories, and to common
carriers engaged in commerce between the States and between the States and
foreign nations to their employees,” approved June eleventh, nineteen hundred
and six.
Sec. 9 (added by act o f April 5, 1910). Any right o f action given by this act
to a person suffering injury shall survive to his or her personal representative,
for the benefit of the surviving widow or husband and children o f such employee,
and, if none, then o f such employee’s parents; and, if none, then o f the next o f
kin dependent upon such employee, but in such cases there shall be only one
recovery for the same injury.
Approved, April 22, 1908.
e m p l o y e e s ’ l ia b il it y a n d w o r k m e n ’ s c o m p e n s a t io n .
709
LAWS OF NEW YORK, 1910.
Chapter 352.—Liability of employers fo r injuries to employees.
fo r injuries.
Compensation
Section 1. Sections two hundred, two hundred and one and two hundred
and two of chapter thirty-six o f the laws o f nineteen hundred and nine, entitled
“An act relating to labor, constituting chapter thirty-one o f the consolidated
laws, are hereby amended to read, respectively, as follow s:
“ Sec. 200. When personal injury is caused to an employee who is himself in
the exercise o f due care and diligence at the tim e:
“ 1. By reason of any defect in the condition o f the ways, works, machinery,
or plant, connected with or used in the business o f the employer which arose
from or had not been discovered or remedied owing to the negligence of the
employer or of any person in the service of the employer and intrusted by him
with the duty of seeing that the ways, works, machinery, or plant, were in
proper condition;
“ 2. By reason of the negligence o f any person in the service o f the employer
intrusted with any superintendence or by reason o f the negligence o f any per
son intrusted with authority to direct, control or command any employee in the
performance o f the duty o f such employee. The employee, or in case the injury
results in death, the executor or administrator o f a deceased employee who has
left him surviving a husband, wife or next o f kin, shall have the same right of
compensation and remedies against the employer as if the employee had not
been an employee of nor in the service o f the employer nor engaged in his work.
The provisions of law relating to actions for causing death by negligence, so far
as the same are consistent with this act, shall apply to an action brought by an
executor or administrator of a deceased employee, suing under the provisions
o f this article. I f an employer enters into a contract, written or verbal, with
an independent contractor to do part o f such employer’s work, or if such con
tractor enters into a contract with a subcontractor to do all or any part o f the
work comprised in such conractor’s contract with the employer, such contract
or subcontract shall not bar the liability o f the employer for the injuries to the
employees of such contractor or subcontractor, caused by any defect in the
condition o f the ways, works, machinery, or plant, if they are the property of
the employer or are furnished by him, and if such defect rose, or had not been
discovered or remedied, through the negligence o f the employer, or o f some per
son intrusted by him with the duty o f seeing that they were in proper condition.
“ Sec. 201. No action fo r recovery o f compensation fo r in ju ry or death under
this article shall be maintained unless notice of the time, place and cause of the
injury is given to the employer within one hundred and twenty days and the
action is commenced within one year after the occurrence o f the accident causing
the injury or death. The notice required by this section shall be in writing
and signed by the person injured or by some one in his behalf, but if from
physical or mental incapacity it is impossible for the person injured to give
notice within the time provided in this section, he may give the same within
ten days after such incapacity is removed. In case of his death without having
given such notice, his executor or administrator may give such notice within
sixty days after his appointment, but no notice under the provisions o f this sec
tion shall be deemed to be invalid or insufficient solely by reason o f atfy in
accuracy in stating the time, place or cause o f the injury if it be shown that
there was no intention to mislead and that the party entitled to notice was not in
fact misled thereby. I f such notice does not apprise the employer o f the time,
place or cause of injury, he may, within eight days after service thereof, serve
upon the sender a written demand for a further notice, which demand must
specify the particular in which the first notice is claimed to be defective, and a
failure by the employer to make such demand as herein provided shall be a
waiver o f all defects that the notice may contain. After service of such demand
as herein provided, the sender o f such notice may at any time within eight days
thereafter serve an amended notice which shall supersede such first notice and
have the same effect as an original notice hereunder. The notice required by
this section shall be served on the employer, or if there is more than one em
ployer, upon one o f such employers, and may be served by delivering the same
to or at the residence or place o f business o f the person on whom it is to be
served. The notice or demand may be served by post by letter addressed to the
person on whom it is to be served, at his last known place o f residence or place
o f business, and if served by post shall be deemed to have been served at the
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BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
time when the letter containing the same would be delivered in the ordinary
course o f the post. When the employer is a corporation, notice shall be served
by delivering the same or by sending it by post addressed to the office or prin
cipal place of business of such corporation.
“ Sec. 202. An employee by entering upon or continuing in the service o f the
employer shall be presumed to have assented to the necessary risks of the
occupation or employment and no others. The necessary risks o f the occupation
or employment shall, in all cases arising after this article takes effect, be con
sidered as including those risks, and those only, inherent in the nature o f the
business which remain after the employer has exercised due care in providing
for the safety of his employees, and has complied with the laws affecting or
regulating such business or occupation for the greater safety o f such employees.
In an action brought to recover damages for personal injury or for death
resulting therefrom received after this act takes effect, owing to any cause,
including open and visible defects, for which the employer would be liable but
for the hitherto available defense o f assumption o f risk by the employee, the
fact that the employee continued in the service o f the employer in the same
place and course of employment after the discovery by such employee, or after
he had been informed o f the danger o f personal injury therefrom shall not
be, as matter o f fact or as matter o f law, an assumption o f the risk o f injury
therefrom, but an employee, or his legal representative, shall not be entitled
under this article to any right o f compensation or remedy against the employer
in any case where such employee knew o f the defect or negligence which caused
the injury and failed, within a reasonable time, to give, or cause to be given,
information thereof to the employer, or to some person superior to himself
in the service of the employer, or who had intrusted to him some superin
tendence, unless it shall appear on the trial that such defect or negligence was
known to such employer, or superior person, prior to such injuries to the em
ployee; or unless such defect could have been discovered by such employer by
reasonable and proper care, tests or inspection.”
Sec. 2. Such chapter is hereby amended by inserting therein a new section
to be section two hundred and two-a, to read as follow s:
“ Sec. 202-a. On the trial o f any action brought by an employee or his per
sonal representative to recover damages for negligence arising out o f and in
the course of such employment, contributory negligence o f the injured employee
shall be a defense to be so pleaded and proved by the defendant.”
Sec. 3. Such chapter is hereby amended by adding at the end o f article four
teen thereof seven new sections, to read as follow s:
“ Sec. 205. When and if any employer in this state and any o f his employees
shall consent to the compensation plan described in sections two hundred and
six to two hundred and twelve, inclusive, o f this article, hereinafter referred to
as the plan, and shall signify their consent thereto in writing signed by each
o f them or their authorized agents, and acknowledged in the manner pre
scribed by law for taking the acknowledgment o f a conveyance o f real property,
and such writing is filed with the county clerk o f the county in which it is
signed by the employee, then so long as such consent has not expired or been
canceled as hereinafter provided, such employee, or in case injury to him results
in death, his executor or administrator, shall have no other right o f action
against the employer for personal injury or death o f any kind, under any
statute or at common law, save under the plan so consented to, except where
personal injury to the employee is caused in whole or in part by the failure
o f the employer to obey a valid order made by the commissioner o f labor or
other public authority authorized to require the employer to safeguard his
employees, or where such injury is caused by the serious or willful misconduct
o f the employer. In such excepted cases thus described, no right o f action
which the employee has at common law or by any other statute shall be affected
or lost by his consent to the plan, if such employee, or in case o f death his
executor or administrator, commences such action before accepting any benefit
under such plan or giving any notice o f injury as provided in section two
hundred and six hereof. The commencing o f any legal action whatsoever at
common law or by any statute against the employer on account o f such injury,
except under the plan, shall bar the employee, and in the event o f his death
his executors, administrators, dependents and other beneficiaries, from all
benefit under the plan. This section and sections two hundred and six to two
hundred and twelve, inclusive, o f this article shall not apply to a railroad cor
poration, foreign or domestic, doing business in this state, or a receiver thereof,
or to any person employed by such corporation or receiver.
e m p l o y e e s ' l ia b il it y a n d w o r k m e n ' s c o m p e n s a t io n .
711
“ Sec. 206. If personal injury by accident arising out of and in the course of
the employment is caused to the employee, the employer shall, subject as here
inafter mentioned, be liable to pay compensation under the plan at the rates set
out in section two hundred and seven of this article: provided that the em
ployer shall not be liable in respect o f any injury which does not disable the em
ployee for a period of at least two weeks from earning full wages at the work
at which he was employed, and that the employer shall not be liable in respect
o f any injury to the employee which is caused by the serious and willful mis
conduct o f that employee. No proceedings for recovery under the plan provided
hereby shall be maintained unless notice o f the accident has been given to the
employer as soon as practicable after the happening thereof and before the
employee has voluntarily left the employment in which he Was injured and
during such disability, and unless claim for compensation with respect to the
accident has been made within six months from the occurrence o f the accident,
or in the case of death of the employee, or in the event o f his physical or
mental incapacity within six months after such death or removal o f such
physical or mental incapacity, or in the event that weekly payments have been
made under the plan, within six months after such payments have ceased;
but no want of or defect or inaccuracy o f a notice shall be a bar to the mainte
nance of proceedings under the plan unless the employer proves that he is
prejudiced by such want, defect or inaccuracy. Notice o f the accident shall
apprise the employer of the claim for compensation under this plan and shall
state the name and address o f the employee injured, the date and place o f the
accident and in simple language the cause thereof. The notice may be served
personally or by sending it by mail in a registered letter addressed to the em
ployer at his last known residence or place o f business.
“ S ec. 207. The amount of compensation under the plan shall b e : 1. In case
death results from injury:
“ (a) I f the employee leaves a widow or next o f kin at the time o f his
death wholly dependent on his earnings, a sum equal to twelve hundred times
the daily earnings o f the employee at the rate at which he was being paid by
the employer at the time o f the accident, but not more in any event than
three thousand dollars. Any weekly payments previously made under the plan
shall be deducted in ascertaining such amount payable on death.
“ (b) I f such widow or next o f kin or any o f them are in part only dependent
upon his earnings, such sum not exceeding that provided in subdivision a as
may be determined to be reasonable and proportionate to the injury to such
dependents.
“ (c) I f he leaves no widow, or next o f kin so dependent in whole or in
part, the reasonable expenses o f his medical attendance and burial, not exceed
ing one hundred dollars. Whatever sum may be determined to be payable under
the plan, in case o f death o f the injured employee, shall be paid to his legal
representative for the benefit of such dependents, or if he leaves no such de
pendents, for the benefit o f the person to whom the expenses o f medical attend
ance and burial are due.
“ 2. Where total or partial incapacity for work at any gainful employment
results to the employee from the injury, a weekly payment commencing at the
end o f the second week after the injury and continuing during incapacity,
subject as herein provided, not exceeding fifty per centum o f his average weekly
earnings when at work on full time during the preceding year during which he
shall have been in the employment o f the same employer, or if he shall have
been employed less than a year, then a weekly payment o f not exceeding three
times the average daily earnings on full time for such less period.
“ In fixing the amount o f the weekly payment, regard shall be had to any
payment, allowance or benefit which the workman may have received from the
employer during the period of his incapacity, and in the case o f partial in
capacity the weekly payment shall in no case exceed the difference between the
amount o f the average weekly earnings o f the workman before the accident
and the average amount which he is earning or is able to earn in some suitable
employment or business after the accident but shall amount to one-half o f
such difference. In no event shall any weekly payment payable under the plan
exceed ten dollars per week or extend over more than eight years from the
date of the accident. Any person entitled to receive weekly payments under
the plan is required, if requested by the employer, to submit himself for exam
ination by a duly qualified medical practitioner or surgeon provided and paid
for by the employer, at a time and place reasonably convenient for the em
ployee, within three weeks after the injury, and thereafter at intervals not
oftener than once in six weeks. I f the workman refuses so to submit or ob
712
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
structs the same, his right to weekly payments shall be suspended until such
examination shall have taken place, and no compensation shall be payable under
the plan during such period. In case an injured employee shall be mentally
incompetent at the time when any right or privilege accrues to him under the
plan, a committee or guardian of the incompetent appointed pursuant to law
may, on behalf of such incompetent, claim and exercise any such right or privi
lege with the same force and effect as if the employee himself had been compe
tent and had claimed or exercised any such right or privilege; and no limitation
o f time herein provided for shall run so long as said incompetent employee has
no committee or guardian.
“ Sec. 208. Any question of law or fact arising in regard to the application o f
the plan in determining the compensation payable thereunder or otherwise shall
be determined either by agreement or by arbitration as provided in the code o f
civil procedure, or by an action at law as herein provided. In case the employer
shall be in default in any of his obligations to the employee under the plan, the
injured employee or his committee or guardian, if such be appointed, or his
executor or administrator, may then bring an action to recover compensation
under the plan in any court having jurisdiction thereof as on a written contract.
Such action shall be conducted in the same manner as an action at law for the
recovery of damages for breach of a written contract, and shall for all purposes,
including the determination of jurisdiction, be deemed such an action. The judg
ment in such action, in favor of the plaintiff, shall be for a lump sum equal to the
amount of the payments then due and prospectively due under the plan. In such
action by an executor or administrator the judgment may provide the proportions
of the award or the costs to be distributed to or between the several dependents.
I f such determination is not made it shall be determined by the surrogate’s court
by which such executor or administrator is appointed, in accordance with the
terms of this article on petition o f any party on such notice as such court may
direct.
“ Sec. 209. Any person entitled to weekly payments under the plan against any
employer shall have the same preferential claim therefor against the assets o f
the employer as now allowed by law for a claim by such person against such
employer for unpaid wages or personal services. Weekly payments due under
the plan shall not be assignable or subject to attachment, levy or execution. No
claim of an attorney for any contingent interest in any recovery under the
plan for services in securing such recovery shall be an enforceable lien thereon,
unless the amount of the same be approved in writing by a justice o f the
supreme court, or in case the same is tried in any court, before [by] the justice
presiding at such trial.
“ Sec. 210. When a consent to the plan shall have been filed in the office o f the
county clerk as herein provided, it shall be binding upon both parties thereto as
long as the relation o f employer and employee exists between the parties, and
expire at the end o f such employment, but it may at any time be canceled on
sixty days’ notice in writing from either party to the other. Such notice o f
cancellation shall be effective only if served personally or sent by registered
letter to the last known post-office address o f the party to whom it is addressed,
but no notice o f cancellation shall be effective as to a claim for injury occurring
previous thereto.
“ Sec. 211. Each employer who shall sign with any employee a consent to the
plan shall, within thirty days thereafter, filed with the commissioner of labor a
statement thereof, signed by such employer, which shall show (a ) the name o f
the employer and his post-office address, (b ) the name o f the employee and his
last known post-office address, (c ) the date o f and office where the original con
sent is filed, (d ) the weeky wage of the employee at the time the consent is
signed; unless such statement is duly filed, such consent o f the employee shall
not be a bar to any proceeding at law commenced by the employee against the
employer.
“ Sec. 212. Each employer o f labor in this State who shall have entered into
the plan with any employee shall, on or before the first day o f January, nineteen
hundred and eleven, and thereafter and at such times as may be required by the
commissioner o f labor, make a report to such commissioner o f all amounts, if
any, paid by him under such plan to injured employees, stating the name o f such
employees, and showing separately the amounts paid under agreement with the
employees, and the amounts paid after proceedings at law, and the proceedings
at law under the plan then pending. Such reports shall be verified by the
employer or a duly authorized agent in the same manner as affidavits.”
Sec. 4. This act shall take effect September one, nineteen hundred and. ten.
Became a law May 24, 1910.
e m p l o y e r s ’ l ia b il it y a n d w o r k m e n ’ s c o m p e n s a t io n .
713
C hapter 674.— Compensation for injuries to employees in certain dangerous
employments.
Section 215. This article shall apply only to workmen engaged in manual or
mechanical labor in the following employments, each o f which is hereby deter
mined to be especially dangerous, in which from the nature, conditions or means
o f prosecution o f the work therein, extraordinary risks to the life and limb of
workmen engaged therein are inherent, necessary or substantially unavoidable,
and as to each o f which employments it is deemed necessary to establish a new
system o f compensation for accidents to workmen.
1. The erection or demolition o f any bridge or building in which there is, or in
which the plans and specifications require, iron or steel framework.
2. The operation o f elevators, elevating machines or derricks or hoisting appa
ratus used within or on the outside o f any bridge or building for the conveying
o f materials in connection with the erection or demolition o f such bridge or
building.
3. Work on scaffolds of any kind elevated twenty feet or more above the
ground, water, or floor beneath in the erection, construction, painting, alteration
or repair o f buildings, bridges or structures.
4. Construction, operation, alteration or repair o f wires, cables, switchboards
or apparatus charged with electric currents.
5. All work necessitating dangerous proximity to gunpowder, blasting powder,
dynamite or any other explosives, where the same are used as instrumentalities
o f the industry.
6. The operation on steam railroads o f locomotives, engines, trains, motors or
cars propelled by gravity or steam, electricity or other mechanical power, or the
constuction or repair of steam railroad tracks and roadbeds over which such
locomotives, engines, trains, motors or cars are operated.
7. The construction o f tunnels and subways.
8. All work carried on under compressed air.
Sec. 216. The words, “ employer,” “ workman ” and “ employment,” or their
plurals, used in this article, shall be construed to apply to all the employments
above described.
S ec. 217. If, in the course o f any o f the employments above described, per
sonal injury by accident arising out o f and in the course o f the employment
after this article takes effect is caused to any workman employed therein, in
whole or in part, or the damage or injury caused thereby is in whole or part
contributed to by—
{a ) A necessary risk or danger o f the employment or one inherent in the
nature th ereof; or
(&) Failure of the employer o f such workman or any o f his or its officers,
agents or employees to exercise due care, or to comply with any law affecting
such employment; then such employer shall, subject as hereinafter mentioned,
be liable to pay compensation at the rates set out in section 219a o f this title;
provided that the employer shall not be liable in respect o f any injury which
does not disable the workman for a period o f at least two weeks from earning
full wages at the work at which he was employed, and provided that the
employer shall not be liable in respect of any injury to the workman which is
caused in whole or in part by the serious and willful misconduct o f the workman.
Sec. 218. The right of action for damages caused by any such injury, at com
mon law or under any statute in force on January 1, 1910, shall not be affected
by this article, and every existing right of action for negligence or to recover
damages for injuries resulting in death is continued, and nothing in this article
shall be construed as limiting such right o f action, but in case the injured
workman, or in event of his death his executor or administrator, shall avail
himself of this article, either by accepting any compensation hereunder in
accordance with section 219a hereof or by beginning proceedings therefor in
any manner on account of any such injury, he shall be barred from recovery
in a n d ‘ deemed thereby to have released every other action at common law
or under any other statute on account of the same injury after this article
takes effect. In case after such injury the workman, or in the event o f his
death his executor or administrator, shall commence any action at common law
or under any statute other than this article against the employer therefor he
shall be barred from all benefit of this article in regard thereto.
Sec. 219g. I f an employer who shall be the principal enters into a contract
with an independent contractor to do part o f such employer’s work, or if such
contractor enters into a contract with a subcontractor to do all or any part
714
BULLETIN OF TH E BUREAU OF LABOR.
o f the work comprised in such contractor’s contract with the employei, the said
principal shall be liable to pay to any workman employed in the execution o f
the work any compensation under this article which he would have been liable
to pay if that workman had been immediately employed by him ; and where
compensation is claimed from or proceedings are taken against the principal
then, in the application of this article, references to the principal shall be sub
stituted for references to the employer, except that the amount of compensa
tion shall be calculated with reference to the earnings o f the workman under
the contractor or employer by whom he is immediately employed. Where such
principal is liable to pay compensation he shall be entitled to be indemnified
by any person who would have been liable to pay compensation to the work
man independently o f this section. Nothing in this section shall be construed
as preventing a workman from recovering compensation under this article
from the contractor or subcontractor, instead o f the principal; nor shall this
section apply in any case where the accident shall occur elsewhere than on,
or in, or about the premises on which the principal has undertaken to execute
the work or which are otherwise under his control or management.
Became a law June 25, 1910.
ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF A COMPENSATION L A W ; CHICAGO
CONFERENCE OF NOVEMBER, 1910.
An important conference o f commissioners on compensation for
industrial accidents was held at Chicago, 111., November 10, 11, and
12,1910. This conference was not a meeting o f the National Confer
ence upon Compensation for Industrial Accidents, which had met at
Atlantic City, Washington, and Chicago, but met in response to a call
o f the Massachusetts commissioners, who desired the opinion o f the
commissioners o f the various States as to certain specific questions
that were under consideration by the Massachusetts commission in
preparing a bill for the January, 1911, meeting o f the state legislature.
Commissions of eight States— Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin—were repre
sented, and Connecticut was represented by a special delegate. The
United States Employers’ Liability Commission and the United
States Bureau o f Labor were represented, and there was present a
special committee o f commissioners on uniform state laws charged
with the preparation o f a uniform workmen’s compensation law.
The conference comprised large employers, small employers, repre
sentatives o f labor, legislators, and special students o f workmen’s
compensation legislation. As stated above, the subject o f the confer
ence was a series o f questions proposed by the Massachusetts commis
sion, and it is an evidence o f marked progress toward a common
understanding and acceptance o f the principles underlying the sys
tem o f compensation for industrial accidents that such a representa
tive body could come to an agreement with reference to the more
important features which compensation laws should contain.
Following is a list o f the questions submitted, together with the
answers thereto as agreed upon by a majority o f the conference:
1. What employments shall the act cover? A ll employments.
2. Shall all injuries be covered—
a. Irrespective o f employers’ negligence?
Yes.
b. Irrespective o f employees’ negligence?
Yes; except where in
jury is self-inflicted for the purpose of recovery. Burden
o f proof that injury was self-inflicted to be placed on the
employer.
3. Shall all persons engaged in such employments be included ? Yes.
715
716
BULLETIN OF THE BUBEAU OF LABOR.
4. Shall compensation be paid in a lump sum or in installments:
a. Temporary disability? Installments.
5. Permanent disability or death? Installments with right to
commute after given time with approval of some public
official.
5. Amount and duration o f compensation:
a. Temporary disability? F ifty per cent o f the impairment of
wages; maximum o f $10 per week, minimum of $5 per week;
or i f wages less than $5, then full wages (or 66f per cent o f
wages up to $7.50 o f wages per week, then 50 per cent o f bal
ance until compensation amounts to the maximum o f $10
per week, maximum). Payments not to extend beyond
period of 300 weeks.
b. Permanent disability?
Same as temporary disability.
c. Partial permanent disability ? F ifty per cent o f impairment
o f wages; maximum o f $10 per week; payments not to
extend beyond period o f 300 weeks.
d. Death?
(1) Total dependents?
I f orphans, 50 per cent o f wages o f deceased.
I f widow alone, 25 per cent o f wages.
I f widow and one child, 40 per cent of wages.
I f widow and two children, 45 per cent of wages.
I f widow and three children, 50 per cent o f wages.
I f widow and four children, 55 per cent o f wages.
I f widow and five children or more, 60 per cent o f wages.
I f widow, father, or mother, 50 per cent of wages.
Children under 16 years o f age only to be included and
only during period they are under 16 years of age.
Maximum o f $10 per week, minimum o f $5 per week,
or if full wages less than $5 their full wages (or 66f
per cent o f wages up to $7.50 of wages per week,
then 50 per cent o f balance until compensation
amounts to $10 per week, maximum). Payments not
to extend beyond period o f 300 weeks.
(2) Partial dependents? F ifty per cent o f the portion of
the wages contributed by the deceased to the partial
dependents.
(2) No dependents? Expenses o f last sickness and burial,
not exceeding $200.
6. Length o f waiting period ? Two weeks, during which period em
ployer shall furnish medical treatment or hospital care to an
amount not exceeding $100 in value.
ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF A COMPENSATION LAW .
717
7. Shall dependents include aliens and illegitimate relations? Shall
not include aliens residing outside the country. Illegitimate chil
dren not to be mentioned.
8. Shall employees contribute ? No.
9. Shall it be permissible for employers to substitute voluntary
schemes? Yes, provided the voluntary scheme covers all points
covered by the law and is approved by some public official to be
determined in the law.
10. Method o f determination o f controversies? A system o f board
o f arbitration approved.
11. Nature o f scheme: Compensation, insurance, or state insurance.
(a ) Voluntary, (b ) Compulsory? Compulsory insurance, state
insurance. I f these not possible, then compulsory compensa
tion, providing that the employer may transfer his liability by
insuring in companies approved by a legally constituted public
body or official.
12. Kepeal o f other laws? A ll other laws should be repealed.
13. Constitutionality. General discussion; no definite agreement
reached.
SUMM ARY OF FOREIGN W ORKMEN’S COMPENSATION ACTS.
T o distinguish them from employers’ liability laws, the term
“ workmen’s compensation laws ” is used to designate those acts
which provide for the award o f fixed sums to employees injured by
industrial accidents, without the necessity o f litigation and without
reference to the question o f negligence upon which employers’ liabil
ity acts are based. It is provided in most such laws, however, that
gross negligence on the part of the injured person will bar his right
to compensation, while on the other hand such negligence on the part
o f the employer sometimes gives rise to a right to increased compen
sation. Usually the injuries must cause disablement for a specified
number o f days or weeks before compensation becomes due.
The industries usually covered by the acts are manufacturing, min
ing and quarrying, transportation, building and engineering work,
and in some countries agriculture, forestry, and navigation. In two
countries they are limited to mining. In Belgium and Great Britain
the laws apply to practically all employments. In Austria, Belgium,
Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Nor
way, Russia, Spain, and Sweden only wage-earners, and in some
cases those exposed to the same risks, such as overseers and technical
experts, come within the scope o f the law. On the other hand, in
France, Great Britain, the British colonies, and Hungary the laws
apply to salaried employees and workmen equally. Overseers and
technical experts earning more than a prescribed amount are excluded
in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Luxemburg,
and Russia. Employees o f the state, provincial, and local admin
istrations usually come within the provisions o f the acts.
The entire burden rests upon the employer in all but six coun
tries, Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Luxemburg, and New
South Wales, where the employees bear part o f the expense. The
laws in every case fix the compensation to be paid, and with but one
or two unimportant exceptions the compensation is based upon the
wages received by the injured person. It consists o f allowances for
temporary disability, and annual pensions or lump-sum payments for
permanent disability or death, to which are added frequently the
expenses o f medical and surgical treatment and a funeral benefit.
The acts o f nearly all o f the countries are framed with the view
o f obviating the necessity for instituting legal proceedings. I f dis
putes arise the acts specify the necessary procedure for settlement by
special arbitration tribunals or by ordinary law courts.
In most countries the adoption o f the law carried with it the abro
gation o f all rights under liability laws for the persons concerned;
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BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR*
in some countries the injured employee retains the right to sue under
the general liability laws in cases o f gross negligence on the part o f
the employer; while in a few cases the older liability laws are left
undisturbed with the right to choose either method o f compensation.
So far as the method o f organization o f insurance is concerned, the
countries may be divided into two large groups, according to whether
insurance is compulsory or voluntary.
I. COMPULSORY INSURANCE.
Two forms o f compulsory insurance are differentiated— compulsory
insurance and compulsion to insure; one enforcing compulsory insur
ance in prescribed institutions, the other enforcing the obligation to
insure, but leaving free the choice o f the insurance institution.
A. Compulsory insurance in prescribed institutions.
1. In a government institution with a monopoly o f insurance:
Norway, one state insurance bureau for all industries.
This is the only country where the entire insurance is
concentrated in one government office.
2. In employers’ compulsory mutual associations, controlled by
the State.
a. Organized on territorial lines.
(1) Luxemburg, one institution, for all industries.
(2) Hungary, two institutions—one for Hungary and
one for Croatia-Slavonia, including all industries.
(3) Austria, seven institutions, the whole country being
divided into seven districts for all industries, in addi
tion to which there are separate institutions for rail
roads and mining.
b. Organized on industry lines.
(1) Germany, 66 industrial institutions, each covering
the entire country for. one group o f industries, except
that some industries have several associations, each
covering a specified area; in addition there are 48
agricultural institutions.
(2) Greece and New South Wales, where the laws apply
to mining only; each country has a special miners’
fund.
B. Compulsory insurance with choice o f insurance institutions.
1. Private companies or mutual associations with state institu
tions competing.
a . Italy has the National Industrial Accident Insurance
Institution; except that for navigation and for the Sicil
ian sulphur mines, compulsory mutual associations have
been created by special legislation.
FOREIGN W O R K M E N 'S COMPENSATION ACTS.
721
Netherlands has the Royal Insurance Bank. The em
ployers may insure in private insurance companies or
may be permitted to carry their own insurance, but all
compensation is paid by the Royal Insurance Bank which
deals with the employer or insurance company.
2. Private companies or mutual associations without state insti
tution competing.
Finland, except that for seamen a special compulsory em
ployers’ mutual association under strict government con
trol has been established by special law.
b.
II. VOLUNTARY INSURANCE.
A . Private companies or mutual associations with state institution
competing.
1. Sweden, with State Insurance Institute.
2. France, with National Accident Insurance Fund, which, how
ever, is not permitted to provide insurance against temporary
disability. Compulsory insurance is provided for seamen in
a special government institution.
B. Private companies or mutual associations without state competition.
1. Belgium, while the law specifies that the National Retirement
Fund must provide accident insurance, this provision o f the
law has never been put into operation.
2. Denmark, where insurance is voluntary, except that the law
requires compulsory insurance o f seamen either in mutual asso
ciations or in insurance companies, and where a state institu
tion exists for voluntary insurance o f fishermen and seamen
not covered by the compulsory law.
3. Great Britain and the British colonies.
4. Russia, except for compulsory insurance o f miners employed
by the State or the Crown.
5. Spain.
Wherever there is compulsory insurance in prescribed institutions
controlled by the state, there is o f course no question as to the security
o f payments. Such is the case in Norway, where a government bu
reau provides the insurance. In Germany, Austria, Hungary, Luxem
burg, and Netherlands the law either specifically states or implies
the guarantee o f the solvency o f the institutions providing the insur
ance. In Netherlands the injured workman is protected by the
equivalent o f insurance in the Royal Insurance Bank, irrespective o f
the institution in which the employer carries the insurance; the
uninsured employer and the private insurance companies are required
to give satisfactory guarantees to the Royal Insurance Bank. In
Greece the payments are guaranteed by the national miners’ fund.
62717°—No. 90—10----- 19
722
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
The second method o f state guarantee is by a special national fund,
from which the compensation is paid in cases o f insolvency either
o f the employer or o f the insurance carrier. The sources o f revenue
o f these funds show considerable differences. In Italy, notwithstand
ing the system o f compulsory insurance, a fund has been organized
under the supervision o f the Government Bank o f Deposits and
Loans, supported by fines for noncompliance with requirement to
insure, or other fines, and by the compensation due in fatal cases but
not paid because o f absence o f survivors. In France the guarantee
fund is managed by the National Old Age Retirement Fund and is
supported by special taxes upon all employers covered by the act,
but this fund guarantees pension payments only while compensation
for temporary disability is secured by a preferred claim on the assets
o f the employer. In Belgium the guarantee fund is managed by the
National Retirement Fund and is supported by a tax levied only upon
those employers who do not carry insurance.
Where no state guarantee exists guarantees must be exacted from
insurance companies or from the individual employer. Wherever
insurance is either voluntary or there is a choice o f insurance insti
tutions, the Government protects the insured employee by requiring
the insurance company to maintain proper reserves or to make guar
antee deposits with the Government, or by both methods combined.
In the case o f uninsured employees, their interests are usually
protected by giving them a preferred claim upon the assets o f the em
ployer. In certain countries, where there is no compulsory insurance,
the employer is not permitted to carry the liability for continuous
payment o f pensions in cases o f death or permanent disability, but
must provide for such payments through insurance institutions.
In Belgium both reserves and guarantee deposits are exacted; in
addition the capitalized value o f pensions must be deposited in the
National Retirement Fund. There is, therefore, no necessity for giving
the injured employee a preferred claim on the assets o f the employer.
Finland requires the payment o f the capitalized value o f the pen
sion to an insurance company in cases where no insurance has been
taken. The guarantee o f the pension payments o f the uninsured
employer is limited to a preferred claim upon his assets in case o f
insolvency in the follow ing countries: Denmark, Great Britain,
Russia, Sweden, and the British colonies.
In Spain both reserves and deposits are required from insurance
carriers, but in case o f uninsured employers no especial provision is
made in case o f insolvency.
Compensation laws have been enacted in 26 foreign States, and
are summarized in the follow ing pages. The laws o f Switzer
land and o f New Brunswick covering compensation for industrial
FOREIGN W O R K M E N 'S COMPENSATION ACTS.
723
accidents are not here included because, while very much broader
than the form er laws o f negligence, they are still employers’ liability
laws rather than workmen’s compensation laws.
A LB ER TA.
Date >0 / enactment. March 5, 1908, in effect January 1, 1909.
Injuries compensated. Injuries by accident arising out o f and in the course
of the employment which cause death or disable a workman for at least two
weeks from earning full wages at the work at which he was employed. Com
pensation is not paid when injury is due to serious and willful misconduct of
the workman, unless the injury results in death or permanent disablement.
Industries covered. Railways, factories, mines, quarries, engineering work,
construction, repair and demolition o f buildings, either over 30 feet in height,
or with the use o f mechanical power.
Persons compensated. Any person employed in manual labor, and other em
ployees whose remuneration does not exceed $1,200 a year.
Government employees. Government employees are covered by this act if
employed in establishments or undertakings to which the law applies.
Burden of payment. Entire cost o f compensation rests upon employer.
Compensation for death:
(a ) To those entirely dependent on earnings o f deceased, a sum equal to
three years’ earnings, but not less than $1,000, nor more than $1,800.
(&) To those partially dependent on earnings of deceased, a sum less than
above amount, to be agreed upon by the parties or fixed by arbi
tration.
(c ) Temporary payments previously made to be deducted from the above
amounts.
(d ) I f deceased leaves no dependents, reasonable expenses o f medical at
tendance and burial, but not to exceed $200.
Compensation for disability. (1) A weekly payment o f not more than 50
per cent o f employee’s weekly earnings, but not exceeding $10 a week, for
employees 21 years and over, or earning $10 a week and over; (2 ) 100 per
cent o f employee’s earnings, but not exceeding $7.50 a week for employees under
21 years of age and earning less than $10.
For partial disability, such weekly payment “ as may appear proper” with
regard to the difference between employee’s average weekly earnings before the
accident and average weekly amount which he is earning or able to earn after
the injury, but not to exceed the amount o f that difference.
A lump sum may be substituted for the weekly payments after six months,
on the application o f the employer, the amount to be settled by agreement or by
the courts.
Revision o f compensation. Weekly payments may be revised at request of
either party.
Insurance. Employers may make contracts with employees for substitution
o f a scheme o f compensation benefit or insurance in place o f the provisions of
tiie act, if the attorney-general certifies that the scheme is not less favorable
to the workmen and their dependents than the provisions o f the act, and that
a majority o f the workmen are favorable to the substitute. The employers
are then liable only in accordance with the provisions o f the scheme.
Security o f payments. In case o f employer’s bankruptcy the amount of com
pensation due under this act, up to $500 in any individual case, is classed as a
preferred claim, or when an employer has entered into a contract with insurers
in respect o f any liability under the act to any workman, such rights o f the
employer, in case he becomes bankrupt, are transferred to and vested in the
workman.
Settlement o f disputes. (38) Disputes arising under the act are settled by
arbitration, either by an arbitration committee representing employer and
employees, or by an arbitrator, or in absence o f agreement by the court. The
attorney-general may confer upon such arbitration committee any or all o f
the powers o f courts in connection with the act.
724
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR,
A U STR IA .
Date of enactment. December 28, 1887, in effect November 1, 1889. Amend
atory acts, March 30, 1888, April 4 and July 28, 1889, January 17, 1^90, Decem
ber 30,1891, September 17,1892, July 20, 1894, and July 12, 1902.
Injuries compensated. All injuries causing death or disability for more than
three days received in the course o f employment, unless caused intentionally.
Industries covered. Mining, quarrying, stonecutting, manufacturing, building
trades, railways, transportation on inland waters, storage, theaters, chimney
sweeping, street cleaning, building, cleaning, sewer cleaning, dredging, well
digging, structural iron working, etc.; agricultural and forestry establishments
using machinery.
Persons compensated. All workmen and technical officials regularly employed,
but in agriculture and forestry only employees exposed to machinery.
. Government employees. Act applies to government employees unless an equal
or more favorable compensation is provided by other laws.
Burden of payment. Medical and surgical treatment for twenty weeks and
compensation for four weeks o f disability paid by sick funds, to which employers
contribute one-third and employees two-thirds. Compensation for disability
after fourth week, and for death, paid by territorial insurance associations, to
which employees contribute 10 per cent and employers 90 per cent.
Compensation for death:
(a ) Funeral expenses not to exceed 25 florins ($10.15).
(b ) Pensions to members o f family, not to exceed 50 per cent o f earnings
of deceased, to—
Widow, 20 per cent until death or remarriage; in the latter case a lump
sum equal to three annual payments; to dependent widower, 20 per
cent during disability.
Each legitimate child, 15 years o f age or under, 15 per cent when one
parent survives and 20 per cent when neither survives; to each illegiti
mate child, 15 years o f age or under, 10 per cent; pensions o f widow (or
widower) and children reduced proportionately if they aggregate over
50 per cent.
(c ) When pensions to above heirs do not reach 50 per cent, dependent heirs
in ascending line receive pensions, not to exceed 20 per cent o f earnings
of deceased, parents taking precedence over grandparents.
(d ) In computing pensions, the excess o f the annual earnings over 1,200
florins ($487.20) is not considered.
Compensation fo r disability:
(a ) Medical and surgical attendance for 20 weeks, paid by sick benefit
fund. .
(b ) For total temporary or permanent disability, 60 per cent o f average
daily wages o f insured workmen in the locality, paid by sick benefit
funds, from first to twenty-eighth day; and 60 per cent of average
annual earnings o f injured person, after twenty-eighth day, paid by
territorial accident insurance institutions.
(c ) For partial temporary or permanent disability, benefits consist o f a
portion of above allowance, but may not exceed 50 per cent o f average
annual earnings.
(d ) In computing payments, the excess o f annual earnings over 1,200 florins
($487.20) is not considered.
Revision of compensation. Reconsideration o f the case may be undertaken by
the insurance association o f its own will, or upon petition.
Insurance. Payments are met by mutual insurance associations o f employers
in which all employees are required to be insured. The country is divided into
districts, with a separate association for each district.
Security of payments. Operations o f the insurance associations are conducted
under the supervision o f the minister o f interior, who may increase the as
sessments.
Settlement of disputes. Disputes are settled by arbitration courts composed
o f a judicial officer appointed by the minister o f justice, two experts appointed
by the minister o f the interior, and one representative each o f the employers
and the employees.
FOREIGN W O RK M E N ’ S COMPENSATION ACTS.
725
B E L G IU M .
Date of enactment. December 24, 1903, in effect July 1, 1905.
Injuries compensated. All injuries by accident to employees in the course o f
and by reason o f the execution o f the labor contract, causing death or disability
for over one week, unless intentionally brought on by the person injured.
Industries covered. Practically all establishments in mining, quarrying, for
estry work, manufacturing, building and engineering work, transportation, and
telephone and telegraph services; establishments using mechanical motive
power; industrial establishments employing five or more persons; agricultural
and commercial establishments employing three or more persons; industries
designated by royal decree as dangerous. Other industries at option o f em
ployer.
Persons compensated. Workmen and apprentices, and salaried employees
exposed to the same risks as workmen whose annual salaries do not exceed
2,400 francs ($463.20).
Government employees. Act covers employees o f any public establishment
engaged in industries enumerated above.
Burden of payment. Entire cost o f compensation rests upon employer.
Compensation for death:
(a ) Funeral benefit of 75 francs ($14.48).
(&) A sum representing value o f an annuity o f 30 per cent o f annual earn
ings of deceased, calculated upon basis o f his age at death, to be
distributed to—
Dependent widow or widower, whole amount if no other heirs, fourfifths if one child under 16 years o f age or one or more dependent
heirs, three-fifths if two or more children.
Children under 16 years of age. the residue.
Dependent heirs in ascending line and descending line under 16 years of
age, in absence of widow or widower or children under 16 years of age.
Dependent brothers and sisters under 16 years o f age in absence o f heirs
above enumerated.
(c ) Allowances in case o f annual wages o f 2,400 francs ($463.20) or more,
or of 365 francs ($70.45) or less, are based upon those amounts,
respectively.
(d ) Payments to widow and heirs in ascending line are converted into life
pensions, those to other heirs into pensions expiring at age o f 16 years.
Heirs may require one-third o f capital value o f life pensions to be paid
in cash and pension reduced accordingly.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) Expense of medical and surgical treatment for not over six months.
(&) I f totally disabled, an allowance o f 50 per cent of daily wages, begin
ning with day after accident.
(c ) I f partially disabled, an allowance of 50 per cent of loss of earning
power, beginning with day after accident.
(d ) If, after three years, disability is permanent, temporary allowance is
replaced by life annuity. Victim may require one-third o f capital
value of pension to be paid in cash and pension reduced accordingly.
(e) Allowances in case o f annual wages o f 2,400 francs ($463.20) or more,
or of 365 francs ($70.45) or less, are based upon these amounts
respectively.
Revision of compensation. Revision o f compensation because o f aggravation
or diminution of disability, or death of victim, may be made within three years.
Insurance. Employers may transfer burden o f payment of compensation to
establishment funds or approved insurance companies or to general savings
and retirement fund. They may also transfer burden o f payment of temporary
allowances to mutual aid societies.
Security of payments. Employers who have not relieved themselves o f lia
bility by insurance must make deposits o f cash or securities or give real-estate
mortgages to secure pension payments. To secure temporary disability pay
ments o f uninsured employers a state guaranty fund is maintained by a tax
levied upon such employers.
Settlement of disputes. The local justice o f the peace has sole jurisdiction as
a court o f first resort over disputes arising under the act, and his judgm ent
is final in a ll cases involving 300 francs ($57.90) or less.
726
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
B R IT ISH COLUMBIA.
Date of enactment. June 21,1902, in effect May 1, 1903.
Injuries compensated. Injuries by accident arising out o f and in the course o f
the employment which cause death or disable a workman for at least two weeks
from earning full wages at the work at which he was employed, unless the
injury is “ attributable solely to the serious and willful misconduct or serious
neglect ” o f the injured workman.
Industries covered. Railways, factories, mines, quarries, engineering work,
and buildings which exceed 40 feet in height and are being constructed or
repaired by means of a scaffolding or being demolished or on which machinery
driven by mechanical power is used for construction, repair, or demolition.
Persons compensated. All persons engaged in manual labor or otherwise.
Government employees. Act applies to civilian employees in the service o f the
Crown, to whom it would apply if the employer were a private person.
Burden of payment. Entire cost o f compensation rests upon employer.
Compensation for death:
( a ) A sum equal to three years’ earnings, but not less than $1,000 nor
more than $1,500, to those wholly dependent on earnings o f deceased.
(b ) A sum less than above amount if workman leaves persons partially
dependent on his earnings, the amount to be agreed upon by the parties
or to be fixed by arbitration.
(c) Reasonable expenses o f medical attendance and burial not exceeding
$100, if deceased leaves no dependents.
Compensation for disability:
( a ) A weekly payment during disability after second week, not exceeding
50 per cent o f employee’s average weekly earnings during the previous
twelve months, such weekly payments not to exceed $10, and total
liability not to exceed $1,500.
(b ) A weekly payment during partial disability after second week to be
fixed with regard to the difference between employee’s average weekly
earnings before the accident and average weekly amount which he is
earning or able to earn after the injury.
(c ) A lump sum may be substituted for the weekly payments, after six
months, on the application o f the employer, the amount to be settled,
in default o f agreement, by arbitration under the act.
Revision of compensation. Weekly payments may be revised at request of
either party.
Insurance. Employers may contract with their employees for the substitution
o f a scheme of compensation, benefit, or insurance in place o f the provisions
o f the act if the attorney-general certifies that the scheme is on the whole
not less favorable to the general body of employees and their dependents than
the provisions of the act. In such case the employer is liable only in accordance
with this scheme.
Security of payments. When an employer becomes liable under the act to
pay compensation and is entitled to any sum from insurers on account o f the
amount due to a workman under such liability, then in the event o f the
employer becoming bankrupt, such workman has a first claim upon the amount
so due, and a judge of the supreme court may direct the insurers to pay such
sum into any chartered bank o f Canada to be invested or applied to payment of
compensation.
Settlement of disputes. Disputes arising under the act are settled by arbi
tration of existing committees representative o f employers and employees, or
if either party objects, by a single arbitrator agreed upon by the parties, or,
in the absence o f agreement, by an arbitrator appointed by a judge o f the
supreme court. An arbitrator appointed by a judge o f the supreme court
has all the power of a judge o f the supreme court. Questions of law may be
submitted by the arbitrator for the decision o f a judge o f the supreme cou rt
FOREIGN W O RK M E N ’ s COMPENSATION ACTS.
727
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
Date o f enactment. June 6,1905, in effect September 1, 1905.
Injuries compensated. All injuries to employees arising out o f and in the
course o f the employment causing death or necessitating absence from work for
more than three days and not being caused by or through the gross carelessness
o f the injured employee.
Industries covered. Any trade, business, or public undertaking, on land or
upon or within the territorial waters o f the colony, except domestic, messenger,
or errand service or employment in agriculture.
Persons compensated. Employees, whether engaged in manual work or other
wise.
Government employees. Act applies to civilian persons employed by or under
the Crown to whom it would apply if employer were a private person.
Burden o f payment. Employer and every principal are jointly and severally
liable for the compensations required under the a ct
Compensation for death. When death results from an injury for which a
lump sum has not already been paid on account o f permanent disability—
(a ) A lump sum not exceeding three years’ wages o f deceased, nor more
than £400 ($1,946.60), to those wholly dependent upon the workman’s
earnings.
(b ) A lump sum not exceeding £200 ($973.30) to those partially dependent
upon the workman’s earnings; in the absence o f persons totally depend
ent, the sum not to exceed the value o f the support which they were
receiving from the deceased, calculated for two years.
(c ) Temporary payments previously made not to be deducted from above
sums unless they have continued longer than three months.
{d ) Reasonable expenses o f medical attendance and burial r o t exceeding
£40 ($194.66) in case deceased leaves no dependents.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) A sum not exceeding three years’ wages, less any payments received
under a provisional order o f court, but not exceeding £600 ($2,919.90)
in case o f permanent total disability, and a smaller sum in proportion
to loss o f earning power and not exceeding £300 ($1,459.95) in case o f
permanent partial disability.
(b ) A payment made, by order o f the local magistrate, at the same intervals
as the customary wage payments, not exceeding 50 per cent o f wages
received at time o f the injury, nor £2 ($9.73) per week if the injury
causes temporary disability lasting more than three days.
Revision o f compensation. The provisional order may be set aside or altered
by the magistrate, upon request o f either party, if justified by a further exami
nation o f the injured person or by production o f additional evidence.
Insurance. Employers may insure in a company or association against per
sonal injury to the workmen employed by them or in their behalf. I f the
employer contributes toward a benefit society o f which the injured or deceased
person is a member, allowance is made for such contribution by the court in
its order or judgment fixing amount o f compensation to be paid.
Security o f payments. When an employer or principal is adjudged or admits
liability under the act and is entitled to any sum from any insurers on account
o f such liability, then, in the event the employer becomes insolvent, the worker
or his dependents have a first claim upon such sum.
Settlement of disputes. Compensation in cases o f disability is fixed provision
ally for not more than six months by the local magistrate after receiving a
physician’s certificate of disability and holding an inquiry. No appeal can be
taken from this preliminary order except against a finding on the question o f
gross carelessness and then only upon leave granted by the superior court. In
case the injury results in death or permanent disability, the claimants have a
right o f action in the local magistrate’s court for the amounts due under the
law. In fixing the amount, the court is required in every case to have regard
to the workman’s or the dependent’s necessities.
728
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
DENM ARK.
Date o f enactment. January 7, 1898, in effect January 15, 1899; amended
May 15, 1903.
Injuries compensated. All injuries by accident occasioned by the trade or its
conditions, and causing either death or disability lasting over thirteen weeks,
unless brought on intentionally or through gross negligence o f the victim.
Industries covered. Practically all establishments in mining, quarrying, manu
factures, building and engineering work, transportation,* telephone and tele
graph services, diving and salvage; establishments using mechanical power
which makes them subject to factory inspection; other industrial establish
ments designated by the minister o f interior.
Persons compensated. All workmen in mechanical and technical departments,
including those in supervisory capacity whose annual earnings do not exceed
2,400 crowns ($643.20).
Government employees. Act applies to all employees o f state and the com
munal governments in industries above indicated.
Burden of payment. Entire burden o f payment rests upon employer.
Compensation for death;
(a ) Funeral benefit o f 50 crowns ($13.40).
(&) A lump sum equal to four times annual earnings o f deceased, but not
over 3,200 crowns ($857.60) nor less than 1,200 crowns ($321.60), to—
Widow whole amount, if she survives.
Child whole amount, if it be the only heir.
Children, according to decision o f insurance council, when there is no
widow.
I f neither widow nor children, insurance council decides whether and
how far other heirs receive compensation.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) From end of thirteenth week after accident until end o f treatment, or
until disability is declared permanent, a daily compensation o f 60 per
cent o f earnings, but not less than 1 crown (27 cents) nor over 2
crowns (54 cents) for total disability, and a proportionate compensation
for partial disability.
(b ) In case o f permanent disability an indemnity o f six times annual earn
ings, but not less than 1,800 crowns ($482.40) nor over 4,800 crowns
($1,286.40) for total permanent disability, and proportionate payments
for partial permanent disability.
(c ) I f employee suffering from permanent disability is a male between
30 and 55 years o f age, he may demand purchase o f an annuity. For
men of other ages, or o f unsound mind, or women and children, the
insurance council may substitute an annuity.
Revision o f compensation. Determination o f degree o f permanent disability
must be made as soon as possible after one year from date o f injury. I f this
be not possible, a temporary determination may be made, but a redetermination
may be demanded within two years following.
Insurance. Employers may transfer obligation imposed by the law, by insur
ing their employees in authorized insurance companies or mutual employers'
insurance associations.
Security o f payments. Where liability under the law has not been transferred
by insurance, indemnity for disability is a preferred claim upon assets o f
employer.
Settlement of disputes. Disputes concerning compensation, unless settled by
mutual consent, must be referred to insurance council. Appeals may be had to
the minister o f interior.
FOREIGN W O R K M E N 'S COMPENSATION ACTS.
729
F IN L A N D .
Date o f enactment. December 5, 1895, in effect January 1, 1898.
Injuries compensated. All injuries by accident during work, causing death or
disability for more than six days, except when brought on intentionally or
through gross negligence of victim, intentionally by any other person than the
one charged with supervision o f the work, or caused by some other occurrence
utterly independent o f the nature or conditions o f work.
Industries covered. Mines, quarries, metallurgical establishments, factories,
sawmills, industrial establishments using mechanical power, construction of
churches and buildings over one story high; construction and operation of
water, gas, electric power plants, and operation of railroads.
Persons compensated. All persons actually employed at work, but not those
supervising only.
Government employees. Act applies to employment on the state and communal
construction works and state railways.
Burden o f payment. Entire burden o f payment rests upon employer.
Compensation for death. In addition to any prior payments on account o f dis
ability, pensions to dependent heirs, from day o f death, not exceeding 40 per
cent o f annual earnings o f deceased, to—
(a ) Widow, 20 per cent, until death or remarriage; in latter case a final
sum equal to two annual payments.
(b ) Each child until the age o f 15 years, 10 per cent, if one parent survives,
and 20 per cent if neither parent survives.
(c ) In computing pension, earnings o f workman to be considered not over
720 marks ($138.96) nor under 300 marks ($57.90) ; but no adult em
ployee to receive a pension greater than his actual earnings.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) A pension equal to 60 per cent of employee’s earnings for total dis
ability, or a pension proportionate to the degree of incapacity for
partial disability, to be paid from day o f recovery from illness due to
injury, or after 120 days have elapsed since injury.
(b ) Pension may by mutual consent be replaced by single payment, if it
does not exceed 20 marks ($3.86) annually.
(c ) In computing pension, earnings o f workman to be considered not over
720 marks ($138.96) nor under 300 marks ($57.90) ; but no adult em
ployee to receive a pension greater than his actual earnings.
(d ) In cases of temporary disability (including all cases o f disability for
120 days after injury) daily compensation o f 60 per cent o f earnings,
beginning with seventh day after accident, for complete temporary
disability, and a proportionate compensation for partial disability;
but not more than 2.50 marks (48 cents) per diem.
(e ) Until recovery, injured employee may be given treatment in a hospital
in lieu o f other compensation; during such treatment his w ife and chil
dren get a compensation equal to pension in case o f death.
Revision o f compensation. Demands for revision of compensation may be
made by either party before proper court.
Insurance. Employers are required to transfer the burden o f payment o f
compensation to a governmental insurance office, private insurance company,
mutual employers’ insurance association, or approved foreign insurance com
pany, unless unable to obtain such insurance or released from this obligation on
presentation o f satisfactory guarantees.
Security of payments. When exempted from the duty o f insuring his em
ployees, or unable to obtain insurance, the employer must guarantee payment of
pension to the injured workman or his family by arrangement with a private
insurance company.
Settlement of disputes. In case o f absence o f insurance or dissatisfaction with
decision of insurance company, injured employee or his dependent m ay carry
the case into the inferior court o f the locality.
730
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
FRANCE.
Date of enactment. April 9, 1898, in effect July 1, 1899; amendatory and sup
plementary acts March 22, 1902, March 31, 1905, April 12, 1906, and July 17,
1907.
Injuries compensated. All injuries by accident to workmen or salaried em
ployees during or on account o f labor causing death or disability for five or
more days, unless produced intentionally by the victim. I f due to inexcusable
fault of victim or of employer, compensation may by a court order be decreased
or increased, but not exceeding actual earnings o f victim.
Industries covered. Building trades, factories, workshops, shipyards, transpor
tation by land and water, public warehouses, mining and quarrying, manu
facture or handling o f explosives, agricultural and other work using mechanical
power, and mercantile establishments; other industries on request o f both
parties.
Persons compensated. All workmen and salaried employees.
Government employees. Law applies to state, departmental, and communal
establishments when engaged in industries enumerated above.
Burden of payment. Entire cost o f compensation falls upon employer.
Compensation for death:
(a ) Funeral expenses not exceeding 100 francs ($19.30).
(&) Pensions to dependent heirs not exceeding 60 per cent o f annual wages
o f deceased, distributed to—
Widow or widower, 20 per cent until death or remarriage, in which latter
case a final sum equal to three annual payments.
Children under 16 years o f age if one parent survives—15 per cent if
there is but one child; 25 per cent if there are two children; 35 per
cent if there are three children; 40 per cent if there are four or more
children.
Each child under 16 years o f age if neither parent survives, 20 per cent.
Each ascendant and each descendant under 16 years o f age dependent
upon deceased, if no widow or children survive, 10 per cent, the aggre
gate not to exceed 30 per cent.
(c ) I f annual wages exceed 2,400 francs ($463.20), only one-fourth o f the
excess is considered in computing pensions.
Compensation for disability:
(а ) Expenses o f medical or surgical treatment.
(б ) I f permanently disabled, a pension o f 66§ per cent o f annual wages for
total disability and o f one-half loss o f earning capacity for partial
disability; or, if demanded, one-fourth the capital value o f pension in
cash, the pension to be reduced accordingly.
(c ) I f temporarily disabled, an allowance o f 50 per cent o f daily wages,
beginning with fifth day, and including Sundays and holidays, unless
disability lasts more than ten days, when payments become due from
the first day.
(d ) I f annual wages exceed 2,400 francs ($463.20), only one-fourth o f the
excess is considered in computing pensions.
( e ) Payments o f pensions o f not over 100 francs ($19.30) per annum may,
by mutual consent when beneficiary is o f age, be replaced by a cash
payment.
Revision o f compensation. Revision o f compensation because o f aggravation
or diminution of disability o f victim may be made within three years.
Insurance. Employers may transfer burden o f payment o f compensation to
approved mutual aid, accident insurance, or guaranty associations, or in case
o f pensions, to national accident insurance or national old-age pension funds.
Security of payments. The State guarantees against loss o f pension payments
on account o f insolvency o f employers or insurance organizations, and is reim
bursed by a special tax on employers within scope o f the act. For temporary
disability payments, medicines and medical or surgical attendance, and funeral
expenses the victim, his creditors, or representatives have a preferred claim on
property of employer.
Settlement of disputes. D isputes as to pensions or involving more than 300
francs ($57.90) m ay be carried into higher civil courts. Judgment o f local
ju stice o f the peace is final in other cases.
FOREIGN WORKMEN S COMPENSATION ACTS.
731
GERM ANY.
Date o f enactment. July 6, 1884, in effect October 1, 1885. Supplementary
acts o f May 28,1885, May 5, 1886, July 11 and 13, 1887. A codification enacted
June 30, 1900.
Injuries compensated. Injuries by accident in the course o f the employment,
causing death or disability for more than three days, unless caused inten
tionally. Compensation may be refused or reduced if injury was received while
committing an illegal act.
Industries covered. Mining, salt works, quarrying and allied industries, ship
yards, factories, smelting works, building trades, chimney sweeping, window clean
ing, butchering, transportation and handling, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
Persons compensated. All workmen, and those technical officials whose annual
earnings are less than 3,000 marks ($714). With the approval o f the Imperial
Insurance Office the law may be extended to other classes.
Government employees. Act covers government employees in postal, telegraph,
and railway services and in industrial enterprises o f army and navy, unless
otherwise provided for.
Burden of payment. Medical and surgical treatment for ninety-one days and
benefit payments from third to ninety-first days are provided by sick-benefit
funds to which employers contribute one-third and employees two-thirds; from
twenty-eighth to ninety-first day payments are increased by one-third at expense
o f employer in whose establishment accident occurred; after ninety-first day,
and in case of death from injuries, expense is borne by employers’ associations
supported by contributions o f employers.
Compensation fo r death:
(a ) Funeral benefits o f one-fifteenth o f annual earnings o f deceased, but
not less than 50 marks ($11.90).
(&) Pensions to dependent heirs not exceeding 60 per cent o f annual earn
ings o f the deceased, as follow s: Widow, 20 per cent o f annual earn
ings until death or remarriage; in latter case a final sum equal to three
annual payments; dependent widower, 20 per cent o f annual earnings;
each child 15 years o f age or under, 20 per cen t; payments to consort
and to children to be reduced proportionately if the total would exceed
60 per cent; dependent heirs in ascending line, 20 per cent or less, if
there is a residue after providing for above heirs; orphan grandchildren,
20 per cent or less, if there is a residue after providing for above heirs.
(c ) I f annual earnings exceed 1,500 marks ($357), only one-third o f excess
is considered in computing pensions.
Compensation for disabilityv
(a ) Free medical and surgical treatment paid first thirteen weeks by sick
benefit funds, and afterwards by employers’ associations.
(b ) For temporary or permanent total disability, 50 per cent o f daily wages
o f persons similarly employed, but not exceeding 3 marks (71 cents),
paid by sick benefit funds from third day to end o f fourth w eek; from
fifth to end of thirteenth week, above allowance by sick benefit fund,
plus 16§ per cent contributed by employer direct; after thirteen weeks,
66f per cent o f average annual earnings of injured person paid by em
ployers’ associations.
(c ) For complete helplessness necessitating attendance, payments may be
increased to 100 per cent o f annual earnings.
(d ) For partial disability, a corresponding reduction in payments.
(e ) I f annual earnings exceed 1,500 marks ($357), only one-third o f excess
is considered in computing pensions.
Revision o f payments. Whenever a change in condition of injured person
occurs, a revision o f benefits may be made.
Insurance. Payments are met by mutual insurance associations o f employers,
in which all employees are required to be insured at the expense o f employers.
Separate associations have been organized for each industry.
Security o f payments. Solvency o f employers’ association is guaranteed by
the State.
Settlement of disputes. Disputes are settled by “ arbitration courts for work
m en's insurance,” composed o f one government official, two representatives
o f workmen, and two o f employers.
732
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
GREAT B R IT A IN .
Date of enactment. December 21, 1906, in effect July 1, 1907, replacing acts
o f August 6, 1897, and July 30, 1900.
Injuries compensated. Injuries by accident arising out o f and in the course
o f the employment which cause death or disable a workman for at least one
week from earning full wages at the work at which he was employed. Compen
sation is not paid when injury is due to serious and willful misconduct, unless
it results in death or serious and permanent disablement.
Industries covered. “Any employment.”
Persons compensated. Any person regularly employed for the purposes of the
employer’s trade or business whose compensation is less than £250 ($1,216.63)
per annum; but persons engaged in manual labor only are not subject to this
limitation.
Government employees. Act applies to civilian persons employed under the
Crown to whom it would apply if the employer were a private person.
Burden of payment. Entire cost o f compensation rests upon employer.
Compensation for death:
(a ) A sum equal to three years’ earnings, but not less than £150 ($729.98)
nor more than £300 ($1,459.95), to those entirely dependent on earn
ings o f deceased.
(b) A sum less than above amount if deceased leaves persons partially
dependent on his earnings, amount to be agreed upon by the parties or
fixed by arbitration.
(c) Reasonable expenses o f medical attendance and burial, but not to ex
ceed £10 ($48.67) if deceased leaves no dependents.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) A weekly payment during incapacity o f not more than 50 per cent of
employee’s average weekly earnings during previous twelve months, but
not exceeding £1 ($4.87) per week; if incapacity lasts less than two
weeks no payment is required for the first week.
(b ) A weekly payment during partial disability, not exceeding the differ
ence between employee’s average weekly earnings before injury and
average amount which he is earning or is able to earn after injury.
(c ) Minor persons may be allowed full earnings during incapacity, but
weekly payments may not exceed 10 shillings ($2.43).
( d) A sum sufficient to purchase a life annuity through the Post-Office
Savings Bank o f 75 per cent o f annual value o f weekly payments may
be substituted, on application of the employer, for weekly payments after
six months; but other arrangements for redemption o f weekly payments
may be made by agreement between employer and employee.
Revision o f benefits. Weekly payments may be revised at request o f either
party, under regulations issued by the secretary o f state.
Insurance. Employers may make contracts with employees for substitution
o f a scheme o f compensation, benefit, or insurance in place o f the provisions of
the act, if the registrar o f friendly societies certifies that the scheme is not less
favorable to the workmen and their dependents than the provisions o f the act,
and that a majority o f the workmen are favorable to the substitute. The em
ployer is then liable only in accordance with the provisions o f the scheme.
Security of payments. In case of employer’s bankruptcy, the amount o f com
pensation due under the act, up to £100 ($486.65) in any individual case, is
classed as a preferred claim ; or where an employer has entered into a contract
with insurers in respect o f any liability under the act to any workman, such
rights of the employer, in case he becomes bankrupt, are transferred to and
vested in the workman.
Settlement of disputes. Questions arising under the law are settled either by
a committee representative o f the employer and his workmen, by an arbitrator
selected by the two parties, or, if the parties can not agree, by the judge o f the
county court, who may appoint an arbitrator to act in his place.
FOREIGN W O R K M E N ^ COMPENSATION ACTS.
733
GREECE.
Date o f enactment, February 21 (March 6 ), 1901, in effect (retroactively)
December 20,1900 (January 2,1901).
Injuries compensated. All injuries by accidents during or because o f the
employment and causing death or disability lasting more than four days, unless
brought on intentionally by the injured person.
Industries covered. Mines, quarries, and metallurgical establishments.
Persons compensated. All workmen and subordinate salaried persons.
Government employees. No mention o f government employees is made in the
law.
Burden of payment. Employer carries full burden o f payment o f indemnities
during first three months; after three months, half the payments o f pensions
are contributed by the miners’ fund, which is mainly supported by a tax on the
mines and metallurgical establishments, but partly by contributions from the
workmen’s mutual aid societies in these establishments and some minor sources.
Compensation for death:
{a ) I f death occurs immediately or within three months: (1) Funeral
expenses amounting to 60 drachmas ($11.58); (2) pensions to heirs
aggregating pension paid for total disability.
(5 ) I f death occurs three months after injury or later, pensions to heirs
aggregating 75 per cent o f pension paid during life o f the injured.
( c ) All pensions to heirs are distributed as follow s: Equal share to widow
and children, or, in absence o f widow and children, equal share to
father and mother.
(d ) Pension to widow ceases on her remarriage; to male children at 16
years o f age; to female children on their marriage, with payment o f
one year’s pension as a dowry.
(e ) I f only one heir survives he is entitled to only one-half o f original
pension.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) Free medical and surgical treatment.
(b ) An allowance o f 50 per cent o f earnings o f injured employee during
first three months.
(o) I f permanently disabled, a pension o f 50 per cent o f earnings in case
o f total disability (including loss o f a hand or f o o t ) ; in case o f partial
disability, a pension o f 33£ per cent o f earnings, pension payments to
begin after end o f third month.
(d ) Pension may not exceed 100 drachmas ($19.30) per month plus 25 per
cent o f the excess o f computed pension over 100 drachmas ($19.30).
(e ) In computing pension o f apprentices and children, no wage is to be
considered less than 2.50 drachmas (48 cents) per day.
Revision of compensation. Injured employee may present a new petition, or
the council of the miners’ fund may order a new examination, whenever there is
reason to believe that changes have occurred in the degree o f disability.
Insurance. No provision is made by the law for the transfer o f the burden o f
payment o f compensation by insurance.
Security of payments. The miners’ fund guarantees payment o f pensions and
other allowances, and has preferred claim upon employer’s assets in cases o f
dissolution or forced sale of establishments, and also in case o f voluntary trans
fer, unless the new proprietor assumes the obligations under the law.
Settlement o f disputes. Amount o f pension is settled by the council o f the
miners’ fund, and appeals against its decisions may be carried into the ordinary
courts.
734
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
H U N G A R Y.
Date of enactment. April 9, 1907, in effect July 1, 1907.
Injuries compensated. Injuries by accident in the course o f the employment
causing death or disability for more than three days. Injuries caused inten
tionally are not compensated unless fatal.
Industries covered. All factories subject to inspection, mines, quarries, metal
lurgical establishments, building trades, lumbering, construction work, ship
building, slaughterhouses, pharmacies, sanatoria, theaters, institutes o f art and
science.
Persons compensated. All employees in industries enumerated.
Government employees. Act covers government employees in state, municipal,
and communal industries enumerated above.
Burden of payment. All benefits and cost of treatment for first ten weeks
provided by sick funds to which employers and employees contribute equally.
Beginning with eleventh week entire cost is defrayed by employers through
the accident fund.
Compensation for death:
(a ) Funeral benefit o f twenty times average daily wages.
(b ) Pensions to heirs not exceeding 60 per cent o f annual earnings o f de
ceased, as follows—
Widow, 20 per cent Of annual earnings until death or remarriage; in
latter case a final sum equal to 60 per cent o f annual earnings; or to
dependent widower 20 per cent during disability.
Each child 16 years o f age or under, 15 per cent if one parent survives,
30 per cent if neither survives; payments to consort and children re
duced proportionately if they aggregate more than 60 per cent.
Dependent parents and grandparents if there is a residue after providing
for above heirs, 20 per cent or less.
Dependent orphan grandchildren 15 years o f age or under, if there is a
residue after providing for above heirs, 20 per cent or less.
(c ) In computing pensions the excess o f annual earnings above 2,400 crowns
($487.20) is not considered.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) Free medical and surgical treatment provided first ten weeks by sick
fund, and afterward by accident fund.
(b ) For temporary or permanent total disability, 50 per cent o f average
daily wages but not exceeding 4 crowns (81 cents) for first ten weeks,
provided by sick fund; beginning with eleventh week, 60 per cent o f
average annual earnings, provided by accident fund.
(c ) For complete helplessness necessitating attendance payments may be
increased to 100 per cent o f annual earnings.
(d ) For partial disability a corresponding portion o f full pension.
( e ) In computing pensions the excess o f annual earnings above 2,400
crowns ($487.20) is not considered.
Revision o f compensation. Whenever a change in condition o f injured person
occurs the accident fund or the injured person may ask for a revision o f the
benefits.
Insurance. Payments are met by a state insurance institution, in which all
employees are required to be insured at the expense o f employers.
Security o f payment. Guaranteed by the State.
Settlement of disputes. Disputes are settled by arbitration courts, consisting
of a presiding judge and an equal number o f representatives o f workmen and
employers.
FOREIGN W O R K M E N 'S COMPENSATION ACTS.
735
IT A L Y .
Date of enactment. March 17, 1898, in effect September 17, 1898. Amended
June 29, 1903. Promulgated in codified form January 31, 1904.
Injuries compensated. All injuries sustained by workmen or salaried em
ployees during or on account o f labor. I f due to willful misconduct, employer
may be reimbursed through criminal action.
Industries covered. Mines, quarries, building trades; light, heat, and power
plants; arsenals; maritime construction w ork; transportation; industries re
quiring the use or handling o f explosives; all industrial or agricultural work
in proximity to power machinery; where more than five persons are employed
in engineering construction work; operation for protection against landslides,
floods, hailstorms; logging and timber rafting, and shipbuilding.
Persons compensated. All workmen and apprentices and overseers receiving
not more than 7 lire ($1.35) per day and paid at intervals o f one month or
less.
Government employees. Act applies to employment in state, provincial, and
communal industries enumerated above unless specially provided for, and to
work performed for a government institution under contract or concession.
Burden of payment. Entire cost o f compensation rests upon employer.
Compensation for death. I f within two years after the accident, five times
annual wages of deceased workman, with a maximum o f 10,000 lire
($1,930), distributed to—
(a ) Surviving consort two-fifths o f indemnity if there are children; onehalf of indemnity if there are dependent ascendants; three-fifths of
indemnity if only dependent brothers or sisters; entire indemnity in
absence o f heirs enumerated.
Children, amounts sufficient to purchase an annuity o f equal amount for
each child under 12 years of age, and one-half o f such annuity for each
child from 12 to 18 years o f age.
Each dependent parent or grandparent, if there are no children, annuity
o f equal amount for life.
Dependent brothers or sisters less than 18 years o f age or incapable o f
performing labor by reason of a mental or physical defect, if there are
no children or dependent ascendants, annuities distributed upon same
principle as in case of children.
(b ) In absence of heirs indemnity is turned into a special fund for imme
diate aid to injured, payment o f indemnities for insolvent employers,
and prevention of accidents.
Compensation for disability.
(a) Cost of first medical and surgical treatment.
(b ) An indemnity in case o f permanent disability o f six times annual earn
ings, but not less than 3,000 lire ($579) if totally disabled, and six
times the loss o f annual earning capacity if partially disabled, earnings
in latter case to be considered as not less than 500 lire ($96.50).
(c) A daily allowance in case o f temporary disability o f one-half the wages
o f injured workman, payable for not more than three months, if totally
disabled, and equal to one-half the reduction in wages occasioned by
the injury, if partially disabled.
Revision of compensation. Both workman and insurer may ask for a revision
o f compensation within two years after accident.
Insurance. Employers must insure their employees in (a ) the National Acci
dent Insurance Fund, (b ) an authorized insurance company, (c ) an association
of employers for mutual insurance against accidents, or (d ) a private employers’
insurance fund.
Security of payments. Payments are guaranteed by State.
Settlement of disputes. In cases of dispute concerning temporary disability
payments, the council o f prudhommes or the pretor o f the locality in which the
accident occurred has authority to sit in final judgment if amount involved does
not exceed 200 liras ($38.60). Disputes involving larger amounts are referred
for settlement to the local magistrates.
736
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
LUXEM BURG.
Date o f enactment. April 5, 1902, in effect April 15, 1903. Sick insurance law
enacted July 31, 1901.
Injuries compensated. All injuries by accident during or because of the em
ployment resulting in death or disability for more than three days, unless
caused intentionally by the victim or during the commission o f an illegal act.
Industries covered. Mines, quarries, manufactories, metallurgical establish
ments; gas and electric works; transportation and handling; building and
engineering construction; and certain artisans’ shops having at least five em
ployees regularly and using mechanical motive power. By administrative order
other establishments may become subject to the law if regarded dangerous.
Persons compensated. Workmen and those supervising and technical officials
whose annual earnings are less than 3,000 francs ($579). Certain other classes
o f persons may be voluntarily insured.
Government employees. Act applies to government telegraph and telephone
services, public works conducted by public agencies, and other governmental
industrial establishments, unless other provisions are made for pensioning em
ployees. Penal institutions are not included.
Burden of payment. Benefits and cost o f treatment first thirteen weeks pro
vided by sick benefit funds, to which employers contribute one-third and em
ployees two-thirds, if injured person is insured against sickness; if not, because
employed less than one week, by an accident insurance association, supported by
contributions o f employers; if not insured for other reasons, by the employer
direct; all benefits and treatment after thirteen weeks paid by accident insur
ance association.
Compensation for death:
(а ) Funeral expenses, one-fifteenth o f the annual earnings, but not less
than 40 francs ($7.72) nor more than 80 francs ($15.44).
(б ) Pensions, not to exceed 60 per cent of earnings o f deceased, to—
Widow 20 per cent until death or remarriage; in the latter case a lump
sum equal to 60 per cen t; same payment to a dependent widower.
Each child 20 per cent until 15 years o f age, even i f father survives, pro
vided he abandoned them, or the mother who was killed was their
main support.
Dependent heirs in an ascending line, 20 per cent.
Dependent orphan grandchildren, 20 per cent until 15 years o f age.
Widow and children have the preference over other heirs.
(c ) In computing pensions only one-third o f excess o f annual earnings over
1.500 francs ($289.50) is considered.
Compensation for disability:
( a ) Entire cost o f medical and surgical treatment.
(b ) For temporary or permanent total disability, from third day to end o f
fourth week, 50 per cent, and from fifth to end o f thirteenth week, 60
per cent of wages o f persons similarly employed; after thirteen weeks,
66§ per cent o f annual earnings o f injured person.
(c ) For partial disability a portion o f above (depending upon degree of dis
ability), which may be increased to full amount, as long as injured
employee is without employment.
(d ) Lump sum payments may be substituted for pensions when degree o f
disability is not greater than 20 per cent.
(e ) In computing pensions only one-third o f excess o f annual earnings over
1.500 francs ($289.50) is considered.
Revision of compensation. Demands for change of amount o f compensation
may be made within three years.
Insurance. Payments are met by mutual accident insurance association o f
employers, in which all employees must be insured at expense o f employers.
Security of payments. Insurance association conducted under state super
vision.
Settlement of disputes. Appeals from the decisions o f the association may be
carried within forty days to a justice o f the peace, who is required to invite
two delegates, representing employer and employee, to assist in an advisory
capacity. Further appeals may be taken to the higher courts.
FOREIGN W O RK M E N ’ S COMPENSATION ACTS.
737
NETHERLANDS.
Date of enactment. January 2, 1901, in effect June 1, 1901. Other acts Feb
ruary 3 and December 8, 1902, and July 24, 1903.
Injuries compensated. All injuries caused by accident in the course of the
employment and causing death or disability for over two days, unless brought
on intentionally. I f due to intoxication, compensation is reduced one-half, and
if death results no compensation is paid.
Industries covered. Practically all manufacturing, mining, quarrying, build
ing, engineering construction, and transportation; fishing in internal waters;
establishments using mechanical motive power, or explosive or inflammable
materials, and mercantile establishments handling such materials.
Persons compensated. All workmen, including apprentices.
Government employees. All state, provincial, and communal employees are
included when engaged in any o f the industries enumerated.
Burden of payment. The entire expense rests upon the employer.
Compensation fo r death:
(a ) Funeral benefit o f thirty times average daily earnings o f deceased.
(&) Pensions to heirs o f not over 60 per cent o f earnings o f deceased, dis
tributed to—
Widow, 30 per cent o f earnings, until death or remarriage, in latter case
two years* payments as a settlement; or to dependent widower, a pen
sion equal to cost o f support, but not over 30 per cent o f earnings of
deceased.
Each child under 16 years o f age, 15 per cent if one parent survives, and
20 per cent if both are dead.
Dependent parents, and in their absence to grandparents, not over 30
per cent.
Orphan grandchildren, not over 20 per cent.
Dependent parents-in-law, not over 30 per cent.
Widow and children to be preferred over all other heirs, and their respec
tive shares to be reduced proportionately when aggregating over 60
per cent.
(c ) In computing pensions, wages higher than 4 florins ($1.61) per day
are to be considered as o f that amount.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) Free medical and surgical treatment, or its cost.
(&) From day after injury until forty-third day, an allowance o f 70 per
cent o f daily earnings, excluding Sundays and holidays.
(c ) From forty-third day a pension o f above amount during total disability
and a smaller pension in proportion to loss o f earning power if par
tially disabled.
(d ) In computing pensions, wages higher than 4 florins ($1.61) per day are
to be considered as o f that amount.
Revision of compensation. An examination o f condition of victim may be made
whenever the Royal Insurance Bank so desires.
Insurance, Employers may insure their employees in the Royal Insurance
Bank (a state institution), in a private company or association operating under
State supervision, or they may carry the burden themselves. I f not insured in
the Royal Insurance Bank a sufficient guarantee must be deposited with the
latter. Employers must bear a proportionate share o f the expense o f adminis
tration o f the Royal Insurance Bank, whether they insure in it or not.
Security of payments. Compensation payments are guaranteed by the State.
Settlement of disputes. Appeals may be taken from decisions o f the Royal
Insurance Bank to local arbitration councils, in which employers and employees
are equally represented, and from them to a central arbitration council whose
decisions are final.
62717°— No. 90—10----- 20
738
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
N E W SOUTH W ALES.
Date of enactment. November 5, 1900, in effect January 1, 1901. Amended on
December 28, 1901. vScale of compensation increased by governor on July 28,
1905, in accordance with power given by the act.
Injuries compensated. Injuries caused primarily by accident while at work
and resulting in death or incapacity to attend to ordinary occupation.
Industries covered. Any mine, or works adjoining such mine, in or about
which (including the works) 15 or more persons are employed.
Persons compensated. Persons employed in or about a mine, or works adjoin
ing.
Government employees. No mention of government employees is made in the
law.
Burden of payments. Distributed equally between employees on one hand and
employers and State on the other: Workmen pay 4$ pence (9 cents) per week,
employers pay 50 per cent o f workmen’s contributions, and State grants subsidy
of an amount equal to employers’ contribution.
Compensation for death:
(a) Funeral benefit o f £12 ($58.40).
(&) Weekly pensions: to widow, 10 shillings ($2.43), until death or re
marriage, and for each child under 14 years, additional 3 shillings
(73 cen ts); to motherless children, 10 shillings ($2.43) until no child
is below 14 years.
(c ) I f deceased was unmarried, weekly pensions o f 10 shillings ($2.43) to
dependent father and mother, each, and additional 3 shillings (73
cents) for each child under 14 years o f dependent mother.
( d) In absence o f dependent parents, 10 shillings per week ($2.43) to de
pendent sister or sisters (sharing equally) and additional 3 shillings
(73 cents) for each child under 14 years.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) Weekly allowance o f 15 shillings ($3.65) until able to resume work.
(&) In case o f permanent total disability, additional 3 shillings (73 cents)
weekly for each child under 14.
Revision of compensation. Made under rules promulgated by a board con
sisting o f members representing workmen, employers, and State.
Insurance. Payments are met by miner’s accident relief fund administered
by the board above mentioned.
Security of payment. Governor must revise scale o f benefits to correspond
with financial condition o f fund.
Settlement of disputes. Controversies are settled by the board which ad
ministers the fund, except that fines and arrears o f contributions may be col
lected through regular courts.
FOREIGN W O RK M E N 'S COMPENSATION ACTS.
739
N E W ZEALAND.
Date o f enactment. October 18, 1900, to take effect at a date fixed by the
governor by order in council. Amended October 3, 1902, November 23, 1903,
November 8, 1904, October 31, 1905, and October 29, 1906.
Injuries compensated. All injuries to workmen arising out o f and in the
course of the employment causing death or disability for at least one week,
except when due to serious and willful misconduct o f the workman injured.
Industries covered. Industrial, commercial, manufacturing, building, agricul
tural, pastoral, mining, quarrying, engineering, and hazardous work carried on
by or on behalf o f the employer as a part of his trade or business.
Persons compensated. All persons under contract with an employer.
Government employees. Act applies to work carried on by or on behalf o f the
Government or any local authority if it would, in case o f a private employer, be
an employment to which the act applies.
Burden of payment. Entire cost of compensation rests upon employer; but if
there are contractors, then on such contractors and the principal, jointly and
severally.
Compensation for death:
{a) A sum equal to three years’ earnings, but not less than £200 ($973.30)
nor more than £400 ($1,946.60), to those wholly dependent upon earn
ings o f deceased.
(b ) A sum less than above amount if dependents were partly dependent
upon deceased, to be agreed upon by the parties or fixed by a magis
trate or by the arbitration court.
(c) Reasonable expenses o f medical attendance and burial, not exceeding
£30 ($146.00), in case deceased leaves no dependents.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) A weekly payment during disability not exceeding 50 per cent of
employee’s average weekly earnings during the previous twelve months,
but not to exceed £2 ($9.73) nor to fall below £1 ($4.87) where em
ployee’s ordinary rate o f pay at time of accident was not less than
30 shillings ($7.30) per week. Total liability o f employer is limited to
£300 ($1,459.95). No payment is made for first week if disability does
not continue for a longer period than two weeks.
(b ) A lump sum may be substituted for weekly payments for permanent
total or partial disability, to be agreed on by the parties or, in default
o f agreement, determined by the court of arbitration.
Revision of benefits. Weekly payments may be revised at request o f either
party.
Insurance. Employers may contract with their employees for substitution of
a scheme of compensation, benefit, or insurance in place of the provisions o f
the act if the scheme is shown to be not less favorable to the general body o f
employees and their dependents than the provisions o f the act. In such case
the employer is liable only in accordance with the scheme.
Security of payments. When an employer becomes liable under this act to
pay compensation, and is entitled to any sum from insurers on account o f the
amount due to a workman under such liability, then in the event of his becoming
insolvent such workman has a first claim upon this sum. Compensation for
injuries sustained in the course of employment in or about a mine, factory,
building, or vessel is deemed a charge upon the employer’s interest in such prop
erty and has priority over all charges other than those lawfully existing at the
time o f the commencement o f the act.
Settlement of disputes. Disputes arising under the act are settled by the court
of arbitration under the industrial arbitration act. Where claim for compensa
tion does not exceed £200 ($973.30) proceedings may be instituted before a
magistrate whose decision is final, except that in cases where amount involved
does not exceed £50 ($243.33) either party may, with the consent o f the magis
trate, and in cases where the claim exceeds £50 ($243.33), without such consent,
appeal from his decision on any point o f law.
740
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR.
N O RW A Y .
Date o f enactment. July 23, 1894, in effect July 1, 1895.
Injuries compensated. All injuries by industrial accidents, causing death, or
disability for more than four weeks, or requiring treatment after that period,
unless intentionally brought about by the injured person.
Industries covered. Practically all factories and workshops using other than
hand power; mines and quarries; the handling o f ice, explosives, or inflam
mable wares; building and engineering construction, electric work, transporta
tion, salvage and diving, chimney sweeping, and fire extinguishing. Employees
in other industries may avail themselves of this insurance system.
Persons compensated. All workmen and overseers.
Government employees. Act covers employees in government or communal
service, when engaged in any of the industries enumerated above, unless at
least equal compensation is provided by special regulation.
Burden of payment. Cost of compensation rests upon employer.
Compensation in case of death:
(a ) Funeral benefit o f 50 crowns ($13.40).
(b ) Pensions to heirs not exceeding 50 per cent of earnings, to be dis
tributed to—
Widow, 20 per cent of earnings, until death or remarriage; in the latter
case a lump sum equal to three annual payments; or dependent wid
ower, 20 per cent o f annual earnings of deceased while disability lasts.
Each child 15 per cent o f annual earnings till age o f 15 years, if one
parent survives, or 20 per cent if neither survives; 15 per cent for each
parent to each child, when both parents have died as result of injuries.
Dependent relatives in ascending line, if there is a residue after providing
for above-mentioned heirs, a pension of 20 per cent of earnings until
death or cessation of need, to be divided equally; but living parents
exclude grandparents from participation.
( c ) In computing pensions, the excess o f annual earnings over 1,200 crowns
($321.60) is not considered.
(d ) Pension payments are in addition to prior allowances granted for
disability.
Compensation for disability:
(a ) Free medical and surgical treatment, or cost o f same, after four weeks.
(b ) I f employee is totally disabled for more than four weeks an allow
ance o f 60 per cent o f the earnings, but not less than 0.50 crown
(13 cents) per diem or 150 crowns ($40.20) per annum; and a propor
tionate allowance in case of partial disability.
(c ) I f injured employee is forced to stay in a hospital, dependents receive
allowances during that time equal to the pensions granted in cases o f
death.
(d ) If injured employee is not a member o f a sick insurance fund he is
entitled to receive from employer directly sick benefits and free med
ical treatment from first day of injury.
(e ) In computing allowances the excess o f annual earnings over 1,200
crowns ($321.60) is not considered.
Revision o f compensation. Compensation is subject to revision upon demand
o f either the beneficiary or the insurance office.
Insurance. A state central insurance office is established for the entire King
dom, in which all employees subject to the law must be insured by employer,
unless he is, for special reasons, relieved by royal order from the obligation o f
insurance.
Security of payments. Insurance office is guaranteed by the State.
Settlement of disputes. Appeals from decisions o f insurance office may be
entered within six weeks with the special insurance commission.
FOREIGN W O R K M E N 'S COMPENSATION ACTS.
741
QUEBEC.
Date of enactment. May 29, 1909, in effect January 1, 1910.
Injuries compensated. All injuries happening to workmen by reason o f or in
the course o f their work causing death or disability lasting over seven days.
Injuries intentionally caused by the person injured are not compensated.
Industries covered. Building, manufacturing, transportation, engineering and
construction work, mining, quarrying; stone, wood, and coal yards; any indus
trial enterprise using machinery operated by power. Agriculture and sailing
vessels are excluded.
Persons compensated. Workmen, apprentices, and employees earning not more
than $1,000 per annum. Foreign workmen or their representatives are com
pensated only if and so long as they reside in Canada.
Government employees. Government employees are not mentioned in the act.
Burden o f payment. The entire expense rests upon the employer.
Compensation for death:
(а ) Medical and funeral expenses not in excess o f $25, unless same are
provided by an association o f which the deceased was a member;
(б ) Four times average yearly wages, but not less than $1,000 nor mor
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