1938-05-19 — Page 6

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1938,

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The

Hongkong Telegraph.

THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1938.

WRONG TURNING

Yesterday was the anniver- sary of the first world movement for the preservation of peace. Nations met at the Hague in 1889 at the close of H century distinguished by several first class slaughters and tried to concoct some sort of scheme whereby civilisation might be preserved from such horrors as the Crimean and Franco-Prussian

Well

wars,

It always takes a major mine disaster to draw publio attention

fo the terrible risks run by mine-

workers.

Then, once the first shock dies down, people cease to ask what can be done to reduce those risks.

Until we get public ownership of the mines, unnecessary risks will con- tinue; but there are safety measures į which could and should be enforced at once.

Theso are explained below by Mr.Wil Lawther (Durham. Miners' Associa tion), vice-president of the Mine- workers' Federation of Great Britain and a member of the Trades Union Congress General Council.

STOP

These

AVOIDABLE

E

| XPLOSIONS

in

conl

mines may be caused by many things, and many different measures are, therefore, needed If they are to be averted. But it must be evi- dent to many people that one of the greatest causes of these all too frequent disasters is the use of explosives.

Big explosions involving heavy loss of life arouse public sympathy and concern; get it must be added that never in the history of coal mining have there been so many small ex- plosions as in recent years,

These would have been much larger, resulting in greater loss of life, had it not been for the excellent methods employed by mine managers to render coal dust harmless and the better and casler systems of ventila- tion.

occur?

+

OME people think at once of electricity, the use of which has been considerably extended in min- ing, when such awful calami- tics take place as that in York- shire.

Yet the question remains, within half century these why should any explosions same nations were to see wars more terrible and conquests more brutal than anything over before experienced. It almost seemed that the powers of evil were stimulated by the peace- seekers. Long before the dreadful days of 1914-18, the century had echoed to the crash of guns. There had been a war in South Africa, another in the them so swiftly. For them came the Balkans, and probably other little affairs buried under the debris of history and forgotten in the chaos which followed them so swiftly. For then came the greatest war of all, and out; of the mud and blood rose the

One hears anew strong views on the dangers attaching to the use of clectrical machinery in mines.

There is foundation in this. Badly applied electrical trans- mission is a serious peril.

Let us not overlook the fact, however, that in every known case where electricity is now

permanent peace structure of world, crushing out all chivalry,

Pit Deaths

by

This collier is undercutting the coat face with a pick. A shot may then be Ared to drive the coal down into the space which he has cleared.

WILL LAWTHER

used the explosions have been very small, because they have been confined to small places.

I regard the use of explosives, of which little or nothing la sald at these times, as a much greater source of danger.

It is a well-known fact that many collleries, on the score of safety, employ no other power than compressed air for driving their underground machinery; yet these collieries also destroy this safety factor by the use of high explosives.

During the last few years other means for breaking down the coal have been successfully adapted-methods by which no explosion takes place.

These include a system which embodies the use of carbon dioxide.

Unfortunately, the change- methods over to such newer brings us up against vested in- terests, the explosive manufac- turers, who still tell the outside world that the use of explosives is safer.

They urge us to pin our faith to high explosives. Much is said in support of these in their sheathed form. These are simply mixtures of nitro-am- monia, nitro-glycerine, 3017- dust and moisture in varlous

an

percentages, with

outer covering of bi-carbonato of sodu, or some other mixture for killing flame.

But before this mixture can be completely changed into its gaseous form at high tempera- tures and pressures it has to be subjected to detonation. то obtain this detonation, the cartridge is either opened or punctured with a small piece of wood.

When this is done, the out- side sheathing is rendered use- less, because it immediately allows the interior of the cart- ridge to become exposed to the outer atmosphere.

T

✡

HIS atmosphere, in a shot-hole, may be an explosive mixture con- talning 7 to 8 per cent. of CH4 (carburetted hydrogen), which cannot be detected on the safety lamp because this lamp cannot be pushed to the back of the shot-hole.

Furthermore, the coal may be broken from the back of the shot-hole to the back side of the "under-cut" made by the cutting machine, and the gases

the League of Nations. And the decency and humanity in human GRIN AND BEAR IT world hoped, or pretended to, nature." During the Crimean |

that wars would be ended. The War, Russia, "the most back-

Age hand.

of Righteousness was at ward nation in Europe, con-

فی

con-

By Lichty

tinued to pay the interest on its. To-day the League stands foreign loans to the very nations it was fighting against," he helpless and abandoned. In the past few years there has been goes on. "This was not

sidered at the time anything a glorious spectacle of progress;

extraordinary. The idea never scientific progress which has led to the "spraying of mustard seems to have occurred that a nation at war was justified in gas" on Ethiopians, 19 the

breaking its pledges." And he Bishop of Chelmsford writes.

draws a comparison with the Then came the civil war in

attitude of modern nations to Spain, and open intervention by!

their pledges and treaties. three powers, and as blood

Charles Swayne, writing in the flowed in Europe, Japan acted

Victoria Colonist, has, this to in the Far East and rained bombs on cities and machine- say: "There is an obvious de- cline in the element of decency gunned refugees, SO eye- witnesses say, until all the posseseed by human nature. Certain passions of distrust, dis- peace-loving folk shuddered and

to cried their unavailing, empty have been released by the pro-

honesty and brutality seem

protests. In the meantime a

'cessco of the Great War and savage persecution of Jews

these have remained unappenged was going on in more than one European state, and Wylie's all the energies of the sfory of their terror wrings the League of Nations, created to: bring about universal peace heart. All of these dreadful

The vencer of civilisation things have happened and are (if that condition has anything happening and are hated. But

to do with decency in conduct nothing-literally and finally

and a code of morals) is thin in- nothing-has the sane, unselfish civilisation which we boast done deed since it has disappeared to put a stop to the reign of among such a percentage of the

PEG LEG-FAILS DRIVER

VIOLIN MADE FROM PAPEL human race." The only thing avil. Well may the Bishop of that remains to the generations

ALAMEDA, Cal-A driver, under London-Sopper Herbert Wration, Chelmsford nak if it is worthwhose hands are clean of blood elenged the right of two patrolmen neers, stationed at Ismailia, Egyp

suspicion of being Intoxicated 52nd Field Company, Royal Engi❤ serving,

in this day is a conscience; and to impose on him the test of walking has been granted three months that has become dulled. We in a straight line "without DSRÍS- special leave to come to England to "A panic," he writes, "closely have missed the road to peace, tance. He insisted he was entitled patent a bapor violin. Wratton to assistance because, he had a woo- made the violin in his spare time resembling insanity, is running because we lacked the courage den leg, which he had. He was from compressed sheets of cartridge like an epidemie over the whole to take the rougher course. Jalled without the test,

"A pretty pass we're coming to when a taxpayer can't come in to fill his fountain pen without gatting a lot of sediment in the ink?"

paper.

may be percolating through from the under-cut."

Thus it is evident that we may have an undetected explo→ sive mixture in the run where the shot is being fired.

It is folly, therefore, to claim that the modern explosive is anfe, and especially foolish to sug- gest that it in safer than other aystems in which no explosion takes place.

A

NOTHER point which must not be forgotten is this. The correct ap- plication of sheathed explosives depends upon the human element. The carbon dioxide system was adopted in certain pits in the last two years, and the result was good

from the safety point of View.

It is significant that after the use of that ayatem was stopped three explosions took place in those pits, and it was proved.con- clusively that the use of high ex- plosives, both sheathed and un- sheathed, was the cause.

como

Defenders of high explosives be- cloquent about the small amount of fumes which may be given off from carbon dioxide used in shells.

But they take particular care to make no mention of the number of maka no men partially poisoned by the fumes from high explosives.

Nor do they say anything about the deaths, attributed to pocu-- monta, when the victims really loso. their lives through gas poisoning from the use of high explosives in narrow pinees where the tempera-. tures vary from 37deg, to 92deg. Fahrenheit.

*

HOT-FIRING, of course,

SHO

is not the only cause of explosions. They may occur from the fact that gob fires may be smouldering in the gobs waste material packed between the roadways) while gas-which is CH4 (carburetted hydrogen-Is near by.

There may also be danger from large outbursts of gas from virgin areas, though these can be safely dealt with in our present mining systems.

Again, small outpurata of gas may form an explosive mixture, duo to insufficient ventilation, bad roads in the various districts, and too few " splits."

A mine which is efficiently venti- fated has "splits" into districts, with defined barriers left between; and this would confine explosions to small districts.

There is added perl! to-day he the fact that these methods which were laid down by well-known. mining engineers are becoming more or less neglected, with the now systems of extracting coal quickly by machinery,

They could, however, be put in operation again, and it should be made legally obligatory for every colliery in the kingdom to do so,

W

cvi-

HEN the Mineworkers Federation gives dence before the Royal Commission on Safety in Mines, It will have proposals to make covering น much wider fold than I have touched in this article, but I want at once to draw public attention to the fact that accidents from shot-firing avoldable, and continued fulluro to adopt the available measures will be nothing short of a crime.

-To-day's Thought

Aro

Do not do unto others as you would they should do unto you-their tastes may be dif... ferent.

-BERNARD SHAW.