The dangerous gases which accumulate during the nights or on idle days, are discovered by the fire bosses when making their daily morning examinations, and only when their instructions are disregarded are these accumulations fired, and I am pleased to state that these cases are few, as the discipline which exacts obedience to the rules prevents it. But it is in cases where gas accumulates during working hours, that the most of the accidents occur and where the cases are resting entirely on the care of the persons exposed to the danger. In a gaseous mine, each miner should know the conditions under which fire-damp is likely to accumulate in his working place, so that he might be on his guard lest it be fired before he is aware of its existence. I need not enumerate the various causes for the accumulation of gas during working hours, for they are well known, and if there were no hasty, indifferent miners who are always careless we would have but few accidents to record.

Some people think that if all miners and laborers were compelled to work by the light of safety lamps only, that accidents by explosions of fire-damp would be effectively reduced. This perhaps is true, but owing to the poor light given by the safety lamp, it is believed that a greater number of accidents by falls of roof and coal would occur in consequence.

As usual, falls of roof or of coal were the causes of a large number of accidents. In 1895, thirty-three lost their lives and sixty-five were more or less injured by falls of material, either from the roof, sides or face of the working places. It is remarkable that most of these casualties occur in places looked upon as being comparatively safe where the miners are led to neglect the required precautions. In places that are plainly dangerous the accidents rarely take place. Here the miners and their laborers are incessantly careful and succeed very well in avoiding accidents. If all miners could be prevailed upon to exercise the same assiduous care in places that appear to be safe, the number of this class of casualties would be most certainly reduced.

Another prolific cause of mine accidents is the moving of mine cars underground through the unavoidably narrow passages, and over the diversified grades of the various tracks. In daylight this work would not be so dangerous, but with the very poor light emitted by a mine lamp, all work attending the moving of mine cars becomes to some extent dangerous. In the year 1895 fifty-one accidents of this class occurred, thirteen of which proved fatal. Much depends on the discipline of the driver bosses in reducing this class of casualties. The sufferers are chiefly boys and young men who are full of life, and who need to be watched closely and strictly governed to prevent them from committing deeds of daring reckless

ness.

To have good roads, clean and wide passages is also needed to prevent this class of casualties, and the writer is making efforts to have these in all the mines of this district.

The accidents from explosions of powder and from blasts, were five fatal and twenty-one non-fatal. Those which occur from explosions of powder at the boxes are invariably the result of carelessness in keeping the lamps or lighted pipes too close to the powder when handling it. The law makes ample provision to prevent this, and only where these provisions are disregarded do accidents of this description occur.

Those which occur from blasts are different. Occasionally one occurs when a hole is being charged by ramming a tight cartridge of powder into a hole that is not round, by the tamping bar striking a spark which ignites the powder and explodes it. But the greater number occur from either cutting the match too short or when the miner is returning thinking the squib has "missed" igniting the powder when it has not, and the blast explodes when he is approaching.

To cut the match shorter than the manufacturer has made it, is most assuredly attended with risk that should not be taken, but I regret to have to state that it has become almost a universal custom. Some do it carelessly, and by twisting off a piece of the match loosen the twist and cause the powder to fall down into the match. Hence the blast explodes quicker than intended and may cause injury of more or less extent to the person igniting the match. A large proportion of this class of accidents occur because the miner fails to watch properly to ascertain when the squib "fires." Neglecting this, and after waiting the time he estimates it requires to fire the squib he returns to try another squib, thinking that the former had "missed" but when on his way to the face and often when near the blast, it explodes, causing the coal to fly in all directions and very often causing him serious injuries.

The remedy for this class of accidents is plainly suggested by the manner of their occurrence and need not be stated here. Where a man's life is at stake he should be very careful to give ample time, yes, more than ample time before exposing himself to the danger of returning unless he is sure that the squib has "missed."

Besides the classes of mine accidents noted above, there are dozens of other ways by which men in the mines and on the surface are either fatally or non-fatally injured. A number are caused by kicks. by fractious mules, and this very often is the result of provoking or abusing the mule. Yet the mule is at all times unreliable, for he often kicks without apparent cause and it behooves all who have to pass him in a mine to be careful to avoid him.

Of the accidents which occur on surface I am pleased to state that few only occur in the breakers. The machinery and stairs are at all places so well guarded by boxing and fencing that no person can be injured without climbing or crawling into places where no one is expected to go. Yet we find that some do it occasionally and one now and then is hurt in consequence. Where so many boys are employed they will play "tag" or "hide and seek" and will crawl into dangerous places and get hurt. This can be prevented only by effective discipline. A more rigid discipline would, I believe, prevent a number of the accidents of each year, but with the class of people who are now employed in and about the mines and who can neither speak nor understand the English language, it is almost impossible. to enforce the rules and maintain obedience to them.

Disastrous Explosion at the Dorrance Colliery.

At about 4 o'clock Monday afternoon October 7, 1895, an explosion of fire-damp at the Dorrance colliery of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., resulted in the death of seven young men, five of whom constituted a corps of mining engineers. One was a fire boss and the other was a miner. Reference to the accompanying map of that section of the mine will assist the reader to understand the conditions when the accident occurred. The names of the victims were Daniel J. Davies, fire boss; William Jones, mining engineer; William P. Cahill, Llewelyn Owens, Robert Miller and Robert Blanchard, assistant mining engineers and Michael Morris, miner. The engineers had been in another part of the mine making surveys. Daniel J. Davies an experienced fire boss was sent with them to see that all places were safe before they entered. During the afternoon they went into the section of the mine shown on the accompanying map. The two places turning to the left from breast C were working, all those to the right of this had been finished and abandoned, including breast marked C. They surveyed the three places marked x x x and started to go out, but stopped to examine their map at C and found that the cross cut A was not measured and put on the map. Miller and Blanchard were left at this point with the instruments while Jones, Cahill and Owens, led by Davies went across through headings at the faces, intending to measure the said cross cut A. All carried naked lights.

Davies safety lamp was found hanging on his belt when his body was found, which proves that it was not in use at the time.

Shortly after they left Miller and Blanchard a terrific explosion occurred which caused a perfect tornado that blew away all the air stoppings and doors through a wide extent of workings. All the workmen in that seam felt the concussion and it extinguished their