one shot shall be fired in the entry to two in either or both the crosscut and room-neck, at the same shooting time.

When not undercut or sheared, the entry and cross-cut may be advanced concurrently, but no room shall be opened in advance of the last open cross-cut, and after the entry has advanced fifteen feet beyond the location of a new cross-cut only one shot shall be fired in the entry to two in the cross-cut at the same shooting time.

Not more than three shots shall be exploded at one shooting time. ahead of the last open cross-cut.

(e) After the taking effect of this Act, the first cross-cut between all rooms off any entry shall not be more than sixty (60) feet from the rib of the entry. Additional cross-cuts shall not be more than sixty (60) feet apart: Provided, however, that if in any mine the conditions are such that in the judgment of the duly accredited representative of the Department of Mines and Minerals, expressed in writing, it is considered equally safe and more advantageous to leave a blind pillar between not less than every three rooms, the Department of Mines and Minerals shall have power to grant the authority to leave said pillar subject to review by the Department of Mines and Minerals on formal complaint of the representative of either party in interest and after an open hearing.

(f) All cross-cuts connecting inlet and outlet air courses, except the last one nearest the face, shall be closed with substantial stoppings to be made as nearly air-tight as possible. In the making of the airtight partitions or stoppings, no loose material or refuse shall be used.

Cross-cuts between rooms, except the one nearest the face, shall be closed sufficiently to carry to the working places the amount of air required by law.

(g) All possible care and diligence shall be exercised in the examination of working places, especially for the investigation and detection of explosive gases therein, and where found, such gas shall be removed by a special current of air produced by bratticing or from a pipe, before men are permitted to work in such places with other lights. than safety lamps.

(h) If, in any mine, the conditions are such that in the judgment of the mine manager or the judgment of the State Mine Inspector expressed in writing, it is necessary to use safety lamps only in working said mine, other lights shall not be used therein: Provided, however, that if in the opinion of the miners or operators, an injustice has been done by ordering said mine to use safety lamps only, the miners or operators have a right to appeal to the Department of Mines and Minerals, its decision in the case to be final.

(i) The air from the outlet of the stable shall not pass into the intake air current used for ventilating the working parts of the mine. (j) All doors in mines, used in guiding and directing the venti-. lating currents shall be hung and adjusted so as to close automatically. (k) At all doors through which three or more drivers are hauling coal on any one shift, an attendant shall be employed on said shaft [shift] for the purpose of opening and closing said doors when trips of

cars are passing to and from the workings: Provided, the mine inspector in case of specially dangerous conditions, shall have power to require in writing that an attendant be placed at doors through which less than three drivers shall pass. Places for shelter shall be provided at such doorways to protect the attendants from being injured by the cars while attending to their duties: Provided, that in any or all mines, where doors are constructed in such a manner as to open and close automatically, attendants and places for shelter shall not be required.

(1) If the inspector shall find men working without the amount of air required by law, he shall at once notify the mine manager to increase the amount of air in accordance with the law. Upon failure or refusal of the manager to act promptly, and in all cases where men are endangered by such lack of air, the inspector shall at once order the men affected out of the mine.

(m) In case the passageways, roadways or entries of any mine are so dry that the air becomes charged with dust, the operator of such mine must have such roadways regularly and thoroughly sprayed. sprinkled or cleaned.

(n) At all mines employing over one hundred (100) men underground and in all mines generating fire damp, the ventilating fan shall be run both day and night; at all mines employing less than one hundred (100) men underground, the fan shall be run at its usual speed for six (6) hours before men go into the mine to work. A recording pressure gauge shall be maintained in connection with each fan at all times: Provided, nothing in this clause shall apply to mines employing ten men or less.

(0) In all mines where closed electric lamps are used exclusively, a sufficient number of practical, experienced miners shall be employed by the company, whose duty it shall be to examine the mine for noxious. or inflammable gases while men are working therein; and, further provided, that the mine shall be examined by a competent person with a safety gas testing lamp on idle days, holidays and Sundays preceding the time the night shift goes on duty.

§ 19. (a) No blasting powder, or other explosives, shall be stored in any coal mine, and no workman shall have at any time in the mine more than thirty-five pounds of black powder nor more than twenty-five pounds of permissible explosives, nor more than three pounds of other high explosives: Provided, that nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the operator of any mine from taking into the mine, when miners are not therein, and in electrically equipped mines, while the current is turned off on roadways through which it is transported, a sufficient quantity of powder for the reasonable requirements of such mine for the next succeeding working day. The delivery of powder into coal mines shall be during the interval after the shot firers have come out of the mine and prior to the entry of the day shift into the mine in the morning; but in the interim before such powder is delivered to the men, it shall be kept in a closed receptacle.

Explosives shall not be carried in the same car with tools or other

materials.

(b) Every person who has powder or other explosives in a mine shall keep the same in a wooden box securely locked, with hinged lid, and said box shall be kept as far as practicable from the track; and all powder boxes shall be kept as far as practicable from each other and each in a scheduled place. Black powder and high explosives or caps shall not be kept in the same box. Detonating explosives and detonators shall not be kept in the same box.

(c) Whenever a workman is about to open a box or keg containing powder or other explosives, and while handling the same, he shall place and keep his lamp at least five feet distant from said explosive, and in such position that the air current can not convey sparks to it, and no person shall approach nearer than five feet to an open box containing an open keg of powder or other explosive with a lighted lamp, lighted pipe or other thing containing fire. No miner, workman or other person shall open any receptacle containing an explosive except by the means of opening the same provided by the manufacturer thereof, and it shall be unlawful for any person to have in his possession in any mine any receptacle containing explosive which has been opened in violation of this Act.

(d) The quantity of powder to be used in the preparation of shots shall not, in any case, exceed five (5) standard chargers full of powder in coal seams five and one-half (52) feet or over in thickness; and shall not, in any case, exceed four (4) standard chargers full of powder in coal seams under five and one-half (52) feet in thickness.

(e) For the purpose of determining the quantity of powder to be used in the preparation of any given shot, a standard charger is defined and prescribed to be a cylindrical metallic charger not to exceed twelve (12) inches in length and not to exceed one and one-half (12) inches in diameter.

(f) No person shall drill or shoot a dead hole as hereinafter defined. A "dead hole" is a hole where the width of the shot at the point measured at right angles to the line of the hole is so great that the heel is not of sufficient strength to at least balance the resistance at the point. The heel means that part of the shot which lies outside of the powder.

In solid shooting, the width of the shot at the point, in seams of coal six (6) feet or less in height, shall not be greater than the height of the coal, and in seams of coal more than six (6) feet in thickness, the width of the shot at the point shall, in no case, be more than six (6) feet.

In undercut coal, no hole shall be drilled "on the solid" for any part of its length.

(g) In no case shall more than one kind of explosive be used in the same drill hole.

(h) The needle used in preparing a blast shall be made of copper, and any metallic tamping-bar or scraper which is used for placing explosives for shots shall be tipped with at least five inches of copper. A scraper shall not be used for tamping.

(i) Every blasting hole shall be tamped full from the explosive to the mouth of the hole, and no coal dust or any material that is in

flammable or that may create a spark, whether the same shall be wet or dry, shall be used for tamping.

(j) When a squib is used to fire a shot it shall be unlawful to shorten or oil the match of the squib or to ignite it except at the end.

(k) Before firing a shot, the person firing the same shall see that all persons are out of danger from the probable effects of such shot, and shall take measures to prevent any one approaching by shouting "fire" before lighting the same.

(1) Not more than one shot shall be lighted at the same time in any working place unless the firing is done by electricity or by fuses of such length that the interval between the explosions of any two shots shall be not less than one minute, and in no case shall any shot or shots be fired or lighted which are termed depending or dependent shots, until after the expiration of ten minutes from the successful firing of the relieving shot or shots. When successive shots are to be fired in any working place in which the roof is broken or faulty, the smoke shall be allowed to clear away and the roof examined and made secure between shots.

(m) No person shall return to a missed shot, if lighted with a squib, until five (5) minutes have elapsed from the time of lighting the same, or, if lighted with fuse, until the following day; and no person shall return to a missed shot when the firing is done by electricity unless the wires are disconnected from the battery.

(n) No missed shot shall be withdrawn excepting by the use of coppertipped or wooden tools.

(0) Where shot firers are employed and fuse is used to fire shots, the length of the fuse shall be not less than three and one-half (3%) feet outside the powder.

20. (a) It shall be the duty of the mine manager:

1. To visit each working place in the mine at least once in two weeks.

2. To provide a suitable checking system whereby the entrance into and departure from the mine of each employee shall be indicated. 3. To have the underground working of the mine examined by a certificated mine examiner within eight hours preceding every day upon which the mine is to be operated. Such a mine examiner shall make the examination as provided in this Act, and he shall enter his report thereof with indelible pencil or ink in a well bound or properly protected loose leaf book provided for that purpose, before the men are permitted to enter the mine in the morning. This book shall be kept in some convenient place on top, but not in the engine room, for the information of the inspector and other persons interested therein.

4. To examine the mine examiner's report in the morning, and if the working places are reported dangerous, he shall withhold the entrance checks of men working in such places until he has taken every proper precaution to advise such men of the danger and instructed them not to work in such places until the reported danger has been removed, except for the purpose of removing same.

5. When there is to be a night shift mining coal, the mine manager shall require the places in which such night shift are expected to work to be examined for gas, or falls or dangerous roof, by the person in charge of such night shift or some competent person duly authorized by him before the men enter such places for work. The night shift may go into the mine while the night examiner is in the mine, excepting in mines where marsh gas has been detected in dangerous quantities, provided they do not go into the working places until the required examination is made.

Certificated mine examiners shall not be required for the examination preceding the night shift, excepting in mines where marsh gas is detected in dangerous quantities. The night examiner, or examiners, shall make a record of their examination in a special book kept for that purpose, which shall be kept in some convenient place on top when not in use by the examiner.

6. He shall provide a sufficient number of props, caps and timbers, when demanded, delivered on the miners' cars at the usual place, in suitable lengths and dimensions for the securing of the roof by the miners.

7. He shall see that the cross-cuts are made at proper distances apart, and that the necessary doors, curtains, and batteroes [batteries] are provided to secure the men in the mine the volume of air required by this Act, or by the written demands of the mine inspector; also, that all stoppings along air-ways are properly and promptly built.

8. He shall keep careful watch over all ventilating apparatus, and the air currents in the mine, and in case of accident to fan or machinery by which the air currents are stopped or materially obstructed, he shall at once order the withdrawal of the men from the mine and prohibit their return until the required ventilation has been re-established.

9. He shall measure the air current or cause the same to be measured at least once each week at the inlet and outlet, also at the last open cross-cut in each division or split, and shall keep a record of such measurements for the information of the mine inspector.

10. He or his assistants shall, at least once a week, examine the escapement shaft and the roadways leading thereto and all other openings for the safe exit of men to the surface; and shall make a record of any obstructions or other unsafe conditions existing therein, and cause the same to be promptly removed.

11. He shall examine or designate a competent person to examine the hoisting ropes, cages and safety catches every morning, and shall require the ropes to be tested by hoisting the cages before the men are lowered.

12. He must see that the top man and bottom man are on duty and that sufficient lights are maintained at the top and bottom landings when the miners are being hoisted and lowered.

13. The mine manager or his assistant shall be at his post at the mine when the men are lowered into the mine in the morning for work, and shall remain at night until all the men employed during the day shall have been hoisted out.