LXVII.
EXPLOSIONS IN MINES.
THICKNESS OF COAL SEAMS.—STUPIDITY OF A TURKISH MINING SUPERINTENDENT.—THE RESULT.—BLASTING IN MINES.—HOW IT IS DONE.—TERRIBLE ACCIDENTS.—MINES ON FIRE.—SCENES OF DEVASTATION.—EFFECT OF SUBTERRANEAN FIRE.—EXPLOSIONS OF FIRE-DAMP.—HORRIBLE ACCIDENTS.—STORIES OF SURVIVORS.—LOSS OF LIFE.—SCENE IN A WELSH MINE.—EXPLOSIONS IN ENGLISH AND AMERICAN MINES.—MODES OF RELIEF.—STORY OF TWO BROTHERS.—HOW THEY WERE SAVED.—THE SAFETY-LAMP.—ITS CONSTRUCTION.—THE FIRE-WALLS OF CHINA.—THE PENITENT AND CANNONEER.
After the shafts have been completed and the levels opened in the mines, the work may be said to be fairly under way. The seams of coal are of varied thickness. Sometimes, though rarely, there will be found a coal seam of thirty feet in depth, sometimes one of twenty, and so on down to two and three feet. A seam of three feet in thickness is considered a valuable discovery, and oftentimes the seams do not exceed twenty inches. In the deep coal seams the work is comparatively easy, as the space in the level can be hollowed out the full depth of the seam, and all that is necessary for supporting the roof is to leave a sufficient number of pillars standing.
There is a coal mine in Turkey where the seam is about ten feet thick. A superintendent, entirely ignorant of the business, was sent to take charge of the mine. On his first visit to the mine the men were below. He observed the pillars which were left to support the roof above. He gave one glance at them, and then turned to the workmen and said,—“Remove those blocks of coal instantly: this mine has not been worked properly.”
With that blind obedience peculiar to the Orientals, themen immediately knocked away the pillars, when down came the rock, killing half the men in the mine, and among them the stupid superintendent, who had ordered the removal of the supports.
DANGERS IN A COAL SEAM.
There are many dangers and difficulties to be encountered in opening a coal seam. The ordinary mode is to dig away the coal from the lower part of the seam, and allow the substance to fall down in large blocks. To perform this work the miner must lie on his side, frequently in a hot temperature, and in this position he digs away with his tools. It is not unusual for the coal to fall upon him, sometimes injuring him seriously, and sometimes killing him. In his work the miner is frequently stripped to his trousers and shoes, and sometimes he works entirely nude. The perspiration streams from his face and from his entire body, and he is unable to continue his labors for any extended period of time.
Sometimes the coal can be removed by means of tools, without the necessity of blasting, but very often it is necessary to employ the force of gunpowder. The rock is drilled, and then the charge must be placed in the hole. There is always more or less danger of premature ignition of a charge, and in consequence of such ignition, men are frequently killed.
The most dangerous place for blasting operations is in the shaft. The men can only retire after the charge is lighted, and when this is done it is imperatively necessary that they should be drawn up with all speed.
One day, at a mine in Pennsylvania where a shaft was being sunk, the men had lighted the fuse and given the signal to be drawn up. Somehow, just as the bucket was started, some of the machinery gave way, and the men remained at the bottom of the shaft. The fuse was slowly but steadily burning, and there was no time to be lost. One of the men jumped from the bucket and cut off the fuse when it had burned to such a point that another moment would have rendered the explosion inevitable.
A safer way than using the ordinary fuse, is to fire thecharges by means of electricity. This method, however, is not always practicable, owing to the expense and the difficulty of employing it in small operations.
Nitro-glycerine, which was invented in 1847, has been found to possess many advantages over gunpowder, and the day is not far distant when it will be used for all blasting operations on an extensive scale.
UNDERGROUND FIRES.
The firing of gunpowder and nitro-glycerine is not the only source of danger which threatens the miners by fire. There is frequently in coal mines a spontaneous combustion, produced by the heating of fragments of coal from the decomposition of iron pyrites in contact with moisture. When the small coal of certain mines is left in heaps within the mines, they speedily undergo this decomposition, especially in a moist atmosphere, which is accompanied by a great development of heat.
In such cases walls of clay are built up to shut off the fire. When these are constructed perfectly tight, and the atmosphere is carefully excluded, the fire goes out; but for some time the temperature in these parts of the mine will be very great, and the miners find much difficulty in working there. The work of building up the walls in such a case is very serious. The walls become very hot, and men are frequently rendered insensible. Sometimes carbonic acid gas has been used to extinguish fires created in this way. The portable apparatus known as the Fire Extinguisher has frequently been found very useful.
Sometimes, however, it is impossible to extinguish these fires; and in such cases the place is abandoned. In this country, and in England and Scotland, there are mines now burning which have been on fire for several, and some of them for many, years. One mine in Scotland took fire nearly forty years ago, and is still burning. The ground is black, baked, and scorched. The trees, and grass, and all kinds of vegetation have died, and there is a general appearance of sterility throughout the region.
EFFECT OF UNDERGROUND FIRES.
In several instances, where a fire cannot be extinguished byclosing the mines, it has been found useful to flood the works. In France, about twenty years ago, an entire river was turned into a burning mine, and allowed to flow through it for nearly three months. A mine in Pennsylvania took fire, and was filled with water, remaining so filled for nearly half a year before the fire went out.
At Brulé, St. Etienne, there is a coal mine which has been on fire nearly two hundred years. Hot vapors are constantly arising; sulphur, alum, and other natural productions are deposited, and one might suppose that it was the burning of the accursed cities formerly consumed by the fires of heaven and earth. An irreverent American, who visited this region, said that it looked like hell with the fires going out.
In the western part of England there was formerly a coal mine on fire. Snow melted as soon as it touched the ground. The gardens were very beautiful and fertile, and produced three crops in a year. Many hot-house plants were cultivated, and an eternal spring prevailed. It was the same principle, on a grand scale, by which plants are grown in hot-houses by running pipes of hot water through the ground. The people of this region imported tropical plants at a heavy cost, and cultivated them in the open air; but one day the fire went out; the place gradually resumed its usual temperature, and the tropical plants died.
EXPLOSIONS OF FIRE-DAMP.
In many coal mines there is great danger from what the miners call “fire-damp”—an inflammable gas produced from the coal. It is identical with the streams of natural gas, which burn readily, and not unlike the coal gas artificially produced in cities. Certain kinds of coal throw off this fire-damp in considerable quantities. The gas is a combination of hydrogen and carbon. Sometimes its presence is not noticed until an explosion, but in such cases the explosions are not very dangerous. Those who have been accustomed to this explosive material have received a vivid experience of underground life. No meteor, however terrible it may be supposed to be, can be compared to an explosion of fire-damp. A thunderbolt, a hurricane, a typhoon, a cyclone, or awhirlwind, is not more terrible in its effects than a fire-damp explosion. Imagine a discharge of a hundred cannon loaded with canister shot, the simultaneous explosion of a number of powder magazines, or the bursting of the boilers of a steam engine, and the effect will not be more terrible than an explosion of fire-damp in a coal mine.
EXPLOSION OF “FIRE DAMP,” AN INFLAMMABLE GAS GENERATED IN COAL MINES.
EXPLOSION OF “FIRE DAMP,” AN INFLAMMABLE GAS GENERATED IN COAL MINES.
The moment the gas comes in contact with the flame of a lamp, its tremendous explosive force is revealed, and it penetrates into every quarter of the mine. In an explosion of this kind everything is shattered far and near. Horses, men, doors, machinery, and everything else lying in its course is overthrown, and sometimes heavy machinery at the top of the mine is blown away. Dense clouds of smoke, and frequently masses of coal, stone, and timber, are sent flying from the shaft high into the air. The very ground shakes as if moved by an earthquake, and the general appearance of the shaft is not unlike that of a volcano in a state of eruption. Streams of water are sent into the air, and not a pane of glass for a long distance around remains unbroken; and to these horrors must be added the great confusion and alarm of the people, the wailing of the women and children whose nearest friends have perished, and even then the terrible picture is incomplete.
The stories of these explosions would fill volumes. In one mine three hundred and sixty men at one time were killed, in another two hundred, in another one hundred, in another fifty, in another twenty, in another sixty, eighty, and so on, through mine after mine, till the deaths from fire-damp could be numbered by thousands. Not those alone who are in the wreck of the explosion are the victims.
At a Pennsylvania mine a few years ago, a dozen men were at work in one of the galleries, and heard an explosion in a portion of the mine some distance away. They rushed to the shaft, and attempted to escape. Before the bucket was lowered to remove them, the choke-damp, developed by the explosion, overtook them, and the whole party were suffocated. Hundreds of stories might be related of explosions in coal mines. One of them will be sufficient for the present.
STORY OF AN EXPLOSION.
At one time, in one of the English mines, forty men were at work. At the mouth of the shaft there were a dozen or twenty men, when suddenly there was a loud report, like an explosion. It was at first supposed to be the bursting of the boiler; but a moment’s observation showed that the fire-damp had become ignited. The masonry at the mouth of the mine, and all the machinery above it, were blown away. At the moment of the explosion, a tub filled with coal was being hoisted up. It was a hundred feet or more from the surface, and it was blown into the air as if it were a bullet fired from a gun. The fragments fell around the mouth of the shaft, injuring several of the men who were there.
When an explosion occurs, the miners, and all attached to the establishment who may be above ground at the time, are ready to go to the relief of their comrades. In the present instance a relief party was organized at once. A pulley was rigged over the mouth of the shaft, and two men entered a bucket to be lowered down. They had not descended fifty feet before their lights were extinguished, and very soon they made a signal to be drawn to the surface, both of them being in a condition bordering on suffocation. They were ill through the night, and one of them did not recover his strength for several days. A second attempt was made, and resulted in nearly the same way. The lights were extinguished, and the men drawn up in a suffocating condition. The galleries seemed to be full of choke-damp, and it was almost certain that no one could be alive in the mine. A hose was lowered, and pure air was pumped into the mine. This work lasted three or four hours, and then two others descended and succeeded in reaching the bodies of some of their companions; but in the attempt one of the rescuers fell dead, and the other was nearly suffocated.
More air was poured into the mine, and it was then twenty-four hours from the time of the explosion before the explorers thought it safe to enter. Every man who was below at the time of the explosion was killed. At the stables near the foot of the shaft a horrible scene was presented. Accordingto the indications, three of the men were in the stables, taking care of the horses, at the moment of the explosion. The stables were thrown down, the men and horses were covered with the fallen debris, and death by suffocation seemed to have ensued in a very short time.
At the end of the gallery, where the explosion had taken place, the bodies of the men were found in some cases hardly scorched, while in others every particle of clothing had been burned away. In some instances the bodies were so baked that they could not be recognized.
HEART-RENDING SCENES.
Around the mouth of the pit the families of the miners were congregated. As each body was brought to the surface, there were shrieks and loud lamentations that could be heard for a long distance. A more terrible sight cannot be seen in the whole world, than at the mouth of a mine shaft after an accident of this kind.
A story is told of an explosion, in one of the Welsh mining districts, which caused the death of forty-seven men. Only two men that were below at the time escaped with their lives. These men were brothers. When the explosion was heard, one of the brothers rushed towards the other, who was a short distance away. A second explosion followed, more severe than the first, and threw the men down. Both were stunned, but they gradually recovered their senses, and were able to move. The air was thick and hot, and they could only move with great difficulty. The older brother had his can of tea, and bathed their faces with the liquid, so that they revived. Supporting each other, they tried to reach the entrance to the mine. They crawled on their hands and knees in the midst of darkness, over the bodies of their late companions, some of whom were still breathing, while the rest were silent and dead. After many narrow escapes, they reached the end of the gallery, near the shaft, and were saved.
AN INGENIOUS APPARATUS.
An apparatus has been invented by which a man can enter places filled with choke-damp, either to carry aid to suffering men after an explosion, or to make explorations. A bag, or case of leather, or metal, is carried on the back, into whichair has been driven under a heavy pressure. A rubber tube extends from the bag, and is fastened to the mouth and nose. It is furnished with two valves, one opening inward, to carry the air to the lungs, and the other outward, to carry off the air after it has been breathed. For long journeys extra bags filled with air may be taken. Some of these reservoirs, made of sheet iron, will resist a pressure of thirty or forty atmospheres. Another apparatus, fastened to the back, like a soldier’s knapsack, has a kind of valve, placed above the reservoir, allowing the air to enter the lungs at the ordinary pressure only.
A similar apparatus is made by filling an air-tight goat-skin with air. The same kind of tubes are employed, and sufficient air can be carried to last the bearer fifteen or twenty minutes.
To guard against gas explosions, Sir Humphry Davy invented a safety lamp. He protected the flame with wire gauze, on the principle that flame cannot be made to pass through a tube, however short, unless it is driven through. The wire gauze is in fact a number of short tubes close together, and thus, while the explosive gas may pass through, the flame cannot do so.
An improved lamp of this class has a glass cylinder around the flame, with gauze at the top and below. The glass is protected by stout wires. A great many forms of these lamps are in use in mines, but all are constructed on the same principle. By the use of this safety lamp, many mines that had been abandoned were re-opened; and Sir Humphry Davy is regarded as one of the greatest benefactors of this age. His lamp might well be called, like Aladdin’s, the Wonderful Lamp.
Sometimes, when fire-damp is very abundant, and is steadily given out, it is utilized for lighting purposes; the gas is collected, and by means of a pump a jet of gas is poured from a tube and is ignited. One of these jets has been burning for more than twenty years in an English coal mine. In the same mine the gas was collected in pipes, and carried outside, where it was used to run a steam engine.
CHINESE FIRE-WELLS.
A French traveller has given a vivid description of the famous fire-wells of China. He says that where the air escapes it is very inflammable, and if a match is presented at the mouth of the shaft, the gas explodes like gunpowder, and forms a great column of fire twenty or thirty feet high.
He says the largest fire-wells are situated in the mountains about one hundred miles from Wutung. They are in a valley, where pits were sunk in the hope of finding salt water. The water was not found; but suddenly a column of gas rushed out, bringing masses of earth and stones. The noise was terrific, and was heard a long distance. The mouth of the pit was surrounded by a stone wall six or seven feet high. As soon as the fire reached the mouth of the well it caused a terrible explosion, something like an earthquake. The flame was several feet high, and the force was sufficient to throw down some of the stones composing the wall. Several men carried a large flat stone to the pit, and placed it over the mouth. It was immediately thrown into the air, and some of the men were badly injured.
Neither water, stone, nor earth would extinguish the fire. After two weeks of hard work a quantity of water was brought over the mountains from a small river, and a lake was formed. The water being suddenly turned into the well, the fire was extinguished.
In some mines it is the custom, where the accumulation of fire-damp is gradual, to light it every night, so that the works may be always accessible in the daytime. The man whose duty it is to light the fire-damp wraps himself in a thick blanket, covering his face with a mask, and with his head enveloped in a hood like a monk’s. The fire-damp is lighter than the atmosphere, and always rises to the upper part of the level. Consequently the man crawls upon the ground in order to put himself in the best position for breathing. In one hand he holds a long stick, with a lighted candle fixed at the end.
He pushes the stick to its full length, and creeps along, firing the gas; and as soon as he has fired it he changes his position, and walks upright, since the fire-damp is always followedby the choke-damp, which is heavier than air, and sinks to the bottom.
THE PENITENT.
In the French mine this man is called apenitent, on account of his dress resembling that worn by some of the orders of the Catholic church. His name sometimes would seem to be a cruel jest, as he is liable to be blown away by an explosion, and never return alive. In other mines he is called thecannoneer, and when the fire-damp kills him he is said to have died at his post.