Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654 of 654

authorized a code committee to build up a code. We maintained there must be two means of exit and many other things that had to be done. Rudimentary safety rules require two means of exit from everything.

One of the reasons the employers were slow in accepting this was that they never had done it before. Secondly, they were operating under physical conditions that were difficult. It's very difficult. It's very difficult to make two means of exit from an underground mine. You have to sink another pit and that costs thousands and thousands of dollars. The means of exit must be remote from each other. One ought to be at each end. You can't obviously sink a shaft every twenty feet in a horizontal gallery. That really is asking too much of anybody. There really ought to be one at each end of the gallery. You assume that there may be an explosion so you have to be reasonable about it.

I don't remember that there was any great reluctance on the part of the employers to the adoption of a code. They were just bewildered by the situation. This had been a small mine. It had recently been extended. They meant to make another means of exit when they got around to it. They weren't sure where it would be because they didn't know just where the seam would go. There was all that kind of thing.