CHEMICAL-RESEARCH LABORATORY.

The chemical-research laboratory at Pittsburgh is under the supervision of J. K. Clement, physical chemist, with G. A. Hulett as consulting chemist.

At this laboratory, in addition to a large amount of routine work for investigations conducted by other divisions, the following special investigations were carried on:

Investigation of the origin of coal, H. C. Porter, chemist, and R. Thiessen, assistant chemist.

Investigation of mine gases and of natural gas, G. A. Burrell, chemist, assisted by F. M. Seibert, assistant chemist, and I. W. Robertson and G. G. Oberfell, junior chemists.

Clinkering of coal and fusing temperature of coal ash, A. C. Fieldner, chemist, assisted by A. E. Hall, assistant chemist, and A. L. Feild, junior physical chemist.

Investigation of the volatile products of coal, H. C. Porter, chemist, and F. K. Ovitz, assistant chemist.

OTHER INVESTIGATIONS.

A number of investigations and inquiries have been conducted for various periods of time under the immediate supervision of the director, and hence do not fall within any of the divisions mentioned. These investigations are as follows:

Iron mining in the United States, D. E. Woodbridge, consulting engineer.

Development of iron making in the United States, John Birkinbine, metallurgical engineer, and J. L. W. Birkinbine, consulting metallurgical engineer.

Production of alloy steels, H. D. Hibbard, steel metallurgist.

Gold dredging and placer mining, Charles Janin, consulting mining engineer.

Methods of utilizing lignite, in cooperation with the University of North Dakota, E. J. Babcock, assistant engineer.

Metallurgical practice in the United States, C. H. Fulton, consulting metallurgist.

Sampling and assaying methods, T. R. Woodbridge, Edward Keller, and W. J. Sharwood, consulting metallurgical chemists. Improvements in gas-producer design and practice, R. H. Fernald, engineer.

Proposed rules for metal mines, W. R. Ingalls, John Hays Hammond, James Douglas, J. Parke Channing, and J. R. Finlay, consulting engineers.

PROGRESS OF INVESTIGATIONS.

Some of the most notable accomplishments of the past fiscal year and a general review of the bureau's progress have been given. The purpose of the different investigations, the results achieved, and the significance of these results are stated in detail on succeeding pages.

WORK OF MINING DIVISION.

The organization of the mining division and the names of the officials in charge of specific investigations have been described elsewhere (pp. 627-630).

All of the district engineers gave or supervised instruction in minerescue and first-aid training, responded to the requests of operators and miners for information, and gave valuable assistance at explosion disasters and at mine fires. They were ably assisted by the foremen miners and the first-aid miners, who in many instances, in the absence of their district chief, proceeded effectively to accomplish the work in hand.

Some of the district engineers were so much occupied with training miners and supervising cars and stations that they were unable to do much investigative work; a number were detailed to special investigations, and during such times the routine work was in charge of the foremen miners.

INVESTIGATIONS AT PITTSBURGH AND EXPERIMENTAL MINE.

STUDY OF RESCUE APPARATUS AND SAFETY LAMPS.

J. W. Paul, mining engineer, with the assistance of H. D. Mason, jr., assistant mining engineer, continued to study the use of minerescue apparatus and the merits of different types of rescue apparatus and safety lamps.

EXPLOSIBILITY TESTS OF COAL DUST.

L. M. Jones, mining engineer, under the general supervision of the chief mining engineer, carried on at the bureau's experimental mine at Bruceton, Pa., a series of explosion tests. The results promise to be of great value. Standardization of the methods by which the inflammability of coal dust from typical mines are tested, with and without the presence of fire damp, and by which the amount of rock dust or other inert matter that must be added to make the coal dust safe is determined with reasonable precision, is the main feature of this work. Such direct information enables operators to know what is needed to make their mines reasonably safe from explosions.

OPEN-PIT MINING AND SURFACE SUPPORT.

Charles Enzian, mining engineer, cooperated with D. F. MacDonald, a geologist assigned to the Bureau of Mines from the United States Geological Survey, to investigate open-pit mining at Santa

Rita, N. Mex. A joint report of the investigations has been prepared. Mr. Enzian also continued an investigation of subsidence from coal mining in the Scranton district, Pa., and was called upon by the city of Scranton to make recommendations regarding proposed methods of supporting the surface.

ILLINOIS COOPERATIVE INVESTIGATIONS.

H. I. Smith, assistant mining engineer, was the bureau's representative in Illinois under a cooperative agreement between the State and the Bureau of Mines. Mr. Smith investigated the condition of the air in coal mines, a report on which is in progress.

A report by R. Y. Williams, former mining engineer of the bureau, on the humidity of mine air, with especial reference to coal mines in southern Illinois, was published during the year, and a second report on ventilation stoppings in Illinois mines is in press.

R. J. Hamon, chemist, who was assigned to this cooperative work, opened a laboratory for the analysis of mine-air samples at Urbana, Ill., where he made a large number of analyses, the reports of which are being tabulated for publication.

J. R. Fleming, assistant mining engineer, who was assigned to the Illinois work January 1, 1915, continued the work begun by J. W. Koster, junior mining engineer, on the use of permissible explosives in Illinois. A report is being prepared on this subject. Mr. Fleming also did some work in Indiana in cooperation with the Indiana mine inspection department.

USE OF EXPLOSIVES IN OKLAHOMA.

J. J. Rutledge, mining engineer, assisted by J. W. Koster and others, in the early part of the fiscal year conducted tests on the use of permissible explosives in Oklahoma. Subsequently every mine on the segregated land of the Indian tribes was visited and inspected by Mr. Rutledge and D. Harrington, mining engineer, during the latter part of the fiscal year. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how the mines could best conform to the order of the Secretary of the Interior requiring the use of permissible explosives, or the alternative of shot firing from the surface, with a view to lessening the large number of shot-firing explosions accompanied by loss of life or damage to property. Copies of the preliminary reports on the inspections were submitted to the operators for approval or criticism. Many of the operators conceded the desirability of adopting the recommendations and of conforming to the Secretary's orders. Some operators pleaded for delay on account of the bad condition of business, but none showed a disposition to refuse to meet the Secretary's orders though some question was raised as to the practicability of the means suggested. Recommendations are being prepared. At some mines it was found that by certain modifications in methods the purposes of the Secretary's orders could be fulfilled without literal compliance, as in the steep-pitching but naturally wet mines.

CALIFORNIA COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.

In California H. M. Wolflin, mining engineer, continued in charge of inquiries under a cooperative agreement with the California State

Industrial Commission regarding safety precautions in metal mines. Most of the larger mines were examined, and a comprehensive mining law is now being formulated by the Industrial Commission for submission to the State legislature. The cooperation has yielded valuable results during the past year and promises to be still more valuable because of the extremely liberal attitude taken by the commission.

HEALTH INVESTIGATIONS IN JOPLIN DISTRICT.

Edwin Higgins, mining engineer, during a part of the year, in cooperation with A. J. Lanza, passed assistant surgeon, of the Public Health Service, made a special investigation of the effect of rock dust in the sheet-ground zinc and lead mines of the Joplin district.

New methods for the collection of samples of dust in mine air were devised by Mr. Higgins, assisted by Messrs. Rice, Fieldner, and Burrell, which have proven effective.

Great good was accomplished by the cooperative work because both operators and miners took up suggested improvements with interest and energy, and marked improvement was made in many of the mines that contained the most dust. Although it is not expected that the lessening of silicosis, or miners' asthma, and of tuberculosis will be evident for a year or more, the cooperative work is expected to have a marked influence on the health of miners in the Joplin district

hereafter.

The measures advocated were employment of water-injection drills, placing of pipe lines and hose and spraying of dust, forbidding the squibbing of holes and the use of adobe shots except at the middle or end of a shift, as well as general improvement in hygienic conditions such as would result from the erection of wash and change houses.

OTHER METAL-MINE INVESTIGATIONS.

Although some other work was occasionally done by several of the mining engineers in metal-mining fields, the lack of larger appropriations for this class of mining prevented little more being done than the work indicated. It is to be hoped that in the future more investigation of safety in metal mining will be possible. It is regretted that the lack of funds prevented the continuance of tests of mine supports for both coal and metal mines, and it is hoped that this work will be taken up again in the future.

WORK OF CAR 8.

During the year mine-rescue car 8 was equipped with a full crew, in charge of D. J. Parker, mining engineer, the crew including a mine surgeon, Dr. W. A. Lynott, a foreman miner, a first-aid miner, a stenographer, and a cook. The car proceeded from mining town to mining town, the mining engineer investigating mines, giving lec tures, and supervising the work of the crew. The surgeon investigated health conditions at mines, and the foreman miner and firstaid miner gave training in rescue methods and in first aid. A large number of men were trained, and the car was also called to a num

ber of explosion disasters. It is hoped that sufficient funds will be provided to enable similar work to be done by each car.

SPECIAL WORK OF CHIEF MINING ENGINEER.

The chief mining engineer designed certain rock-dust barriers to prevent or check mine explosions. Application for patents covering the barriers has been made, and the patents, if granted, will be dedicated to the public. Mr. Rice also gave special attention to the introduction of permissible explosives in Oklahoma, and at the request of the Wisconsin Industrial Commission and the city engineer of Milwaukee, investigated a tunnel at Milwaukee, Wis., in which a fall of roof had occurred. The use of bulkheads in the tunnel to prevent accidents from flooding by an inrush of water from Lake Michigan, under which the tunnel was being driven. was recommended, and was adopted by the authorities.

MINE SANITATION.

The purpose of the sanitary investigations conducted was the conservation of health by encouraging better conditions at mines and mining communities. About 60 industrial communities in the Western States were investigated by J. H. White, sanitary engineer. A bulletin by Mr. White on houses for mining towns was issued; a technical paper on miners' wash and change houses was submitted for publication; and a bulletin entitled "Administration of Industrial Communities" is being prepared. Mr. White also prepared for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition an exhibit designed to show the progress being made in improving the living conditions of mine workers.

MINE-ACCIDENT STATISTICS.

Accurate statistics of mine accidents are essential to the development of intelligent plans for bringing about greater safety in mining. The collection and publication of such statistics by the Bureau of Mines under a cooperative arrangement with State or county inspectors has proved decidedly satisfactory, for the cooperation has assured reports that are accurate and are compiled in a uniform manner. This uniformity is highly desirable, because it permits intelligent comparison of the records of various States and thus saves time and expense to the Government, to State authorities, and to mining companies. Under the present arrangement the bureau publishes a monthly statement of coal-mine fatalities, and also prints an annual report on such fatalities within two months after the end of the calendar year.

A large bulletin, in which over 50,000 fatalities in coal mines have been tabulated by causes and calendar years, is being prepared. The figures include the returns from each State since the beginning of inspection service to the end of 1914, so that for the first time coalmine fatalities for all of the States are assembled on a calendar-year basis and under a uniform classification.

Reliable classified data relating to accidents in metal and miscellaneous mineral mining in the United States are still lacking. Only a few metal-mining States have inspection service, and the reports of