School examiners to hold two examinations each

year.

May hold one other examination.

Duty of county commissioner.

act to provide for the election of a county commissioner of schools, for the appointment of school examiners, to define the duties and fix the compensation for the same, and to repeal all existing acts or parts of acts conflicting with the provisions of this act," being section four thousand eight hundred eleven of the Compiled Laws of eighteen hundred ninety-seven, is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 4. The board of school examiners shall, for the purpose of examining all persons who may offer themselves as teachers for the public schools, hold two regular public examinations in each year at the county seat, which examinations shall begin on the third Thursday of June and the second Thursday of August in each year. From these two examinations certificates of all grades may be granted. The said board of examiners may also, in their discretion, hold one other public examination, which shall begin on the third Thursday of October and at such place as in the judgment of the board the best interests of the teachers may require. From this examination only certificates of the second and third grade may be granted. It shall be the duty of the county commissioner to make out a schedule of the times and places of holding such examinations and to cause it to be published in one or more newspapers of the county, at least ten days before such examinations.

Approved May 10, 1905.

Act amended.

Inspector of coal mines, who to appoint, duties of.

[No. 100.]

AN ACT to amend act number fifty-seven of the public acts of the year one thousand eight hundred ninety-nine, of the public acts of the State of Michigan, entitled "An act to provide for the protection of the health, lives and interests of the coal miners of Michigan, and to provide for the inspection of all coal mines in this State.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

SECTION 1. That act number fifty-seven of the public acts of the year one thousand eight hundred ninety-nine, of the State of Michigan, entitled "An act to provide for the protection of the health, lives and interests of the coal miners of Michigan, and to provide for the inspection of all coal mines in this State," is hereby amended to read as follows:

SECTION 1. That an inspector of coal mines shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Labor, whose duties shall be to inspect the coal mines of Michigan, and from time to time report the results of his inspections with such other labor statistics.

as he shall be directed to collect, to the Commissioner of Labor, upon such blanks and in such manner as the latter named official shall designate, and the results and findings of said coal mine inspectors shall be incorporated in the regular annual report of said Commissioner of Labor. Said inspector Compensation of. shall receive in compensation for his services four dollars per day and his necessary expenses of travel while employed and under instructions, it being further provided that the expenses and salary of said inspector shall not exceed two thousand dollars per year. And to provide for this expense an annual Annual approappropriation of two thousand dollars is hereby authorized, ized. and the same shall be placed with the regular appropriation of the Labor Bureau fund, to be expended by the Commissioner of Labor for the purposes heretofore provided, and as he shall authorize and direct.

priation author

of inspector.

SEC. 2. The inspector, when properly commissioned by the Right and power Commissioner of Labor, shall have the right and power to enter any coal mine for the purpose of inspecting or collecting statistics relating to the hours of labor, wages, industrial, economic and sanitary questions or matters of scales.

SEC. 3. That only a competent and trustworthy engineer Who permitted shall be permitted to operate the cages and hoisting devices in to operate cages, all coal mines of this State.

etc.

make oath.

SEC. 4. That all weighmen who shall perform the duty of Weighmen to weighing the coal, shall be sworn by some one competent to administer a legal oath, that they will perform their duty accurately and impartially as between employers and employes, and that they will honestly report and record all weights of coal to which they are intrusted.

name check

SEC. 5. That the coal mine employes shall have the right Employes may to name a competent and fair checkweighman, who shall be weighman. paid by the employes, and shall be sworn by anyone authorized

to administer oaths.

timber for props,

SEC. 6. That the owner, agent or operator of any and all Owner to keep mines shall keep a supply of timber constantly on hand, of etc. sufficient length and dimensions to be used as props and cap pieces, and the same shall be delivered to the miner at his respective place of work, of such dimensions as he shall designate.

furnished.

SEC. 7. For the purpose of ventilation, the mines shall be Ventilation, how furnished with one hundred cubic feet of air per minute for each person employed and three hundred cubic feet for each animal used therein, measurements to be made at any point of the intake airways. It shall be circulated through the mines in such a way that each working place will be kept in a healthy condition, free from noxious gases or deleterious air. To secure this result the current shall be split or subdivided when in the judgment of the mine inspector, such is necessary. But mines that have been in operation more than two years Certain mines prior to the passage of these amendments to the "Inspection change system in of Coal Mines Act No. Fifty-seven," public acts of eighteen part. hundred ninety-nine, shall not be required to change their sys

not required to

Ventilating doors, to be tight and kept closed.

Penalty for violation.

Entry breakthroughs, how closed, etc.

Gaseous mines, to be examined daily.

Employes in

Projected shafts, subject to inspection.

Passage-way,

how constructed.

Landings, how protected.

Cages, how constructed, etc.

Examination of.

Fitted with hand-holds.

tem of ventilation, in so far as they pertain to splits and subdivisions.

SEC. 8. All doors set on entries for the purpose of conducting ventilation shall be made sufficiently tight to effectually obstruct the air current, and any employe of the coal company who wilfully or maliciously refuses to keep such doors closed shall be subject to a fine not to exceed five dollars, or impris onment in the county jail not to exceed thirty days, or both, at the discretion of the court.

SEC. 9. It shall be the duty of the mine owners to close, or cause to be closed, all entry breakthroughs with air tight bratices, with the exception of the breakthrough nearest the working place of the employe, unless the area of breakthrough is too small to permit of the passage of air, when two breakthroughs may remain open. No obstruction of any kind to be placed in breakthrough nearest working face.

SEC. 10. All mines generating explosive gases shall be examined every morning by a duly authorized agent of the proprietor, to determine whether there are dangerous accumulations of gas. No employe shall enter his working place until such examiner shall have reported all such conditions safe for beginning work.

SEC. 11. Any shaft in process of sinking, and any opening projected for the purpose of mining coal shall be subject to the inspection of the State Inspector of Mines for the district in which said shaft or opening is located.

SEC. 12. At the bottom of every shaft and at every caging place therein, a safe and commodious passage-way must be cut around said landing place to serve as a traveling way by which men and animals may pass from one side of the shaft to the other without passing under or on the cage.

SEC. 13. The upper and lower landings at the top of each shaft, and the opening of each intermediate seam from or to the shaft, shall be kept clean and free from loose materials, and shall be securely fenced with automatic or other gates so as to prevent either man or materials from falling into the shaft.

SEC. 14. Every hoisting shaft must be equipped with substantial cages, fitted to guides running from the top to the bottom. Said cages must be safely constructed, they must be furnished with suitable iron covers, not less than threesixteenths inches in thickness to protect persons riding thereon from falling objects; the cages must be equipped with safety catches, which catches must be examined daily by the mine owners or their representatives. Cages, catches and rope fastenings shall be examined daily, and cages tested by drop quarterly, and a record of these examinations shall be kept by the companies, and said records shall be subject to examination by the mine inspector or any authorized representative employe.

SEC. 15. Every cage on which persons are carried must be fitted up with iron bars or rings in proper place, and a suffi

cient number to furnish a secure hand-hold for each person permitted to ride thereon. That no more than ten men be Number of perallowed to ride upon a cage at the same time, and no one be sons, limited. allowed on one cage while a loaded car is on the other cage.

SEC. 16. A light shall be provided at the top and bottom When light reof the shaft while men are being hoisted and lowered into quired in shaft. the shaft, except in daylight, when no light will be required at the top of the shaft.

two means of

SEC. 17. For every coal mine in the State, whether worked Mines to be by shaft, slope or drift, there shall be provided and maintained equipped with in addition to the hoisting shaft, a separate or escapement egress. shaft or opening from the surface to the coal vein or veins and communicating with the hoisting shaft through an opening in the mine, so as to constitute two separate means of egress to all persons employed in the mine.

SEC. 18. The operators shall commence the sinking of an When air shaft escapement or air shaft not later than three months after the to be provided. main shaft has been sunk, and men shall not be employed in mines for a longer time than three months before the sinking of an air shaft and necessary underground approaches are begun, and when begun, the work in both air shafts and approaches shall be continually prosecuted until completed. The area of shaft to be not less than sixty-four square feet. Area of. SEC. 19. The escapement shaft at every mine shall be equip- Escapement ped with safe and ready means for the prompt removal of shaft, how men from the mines in time of danger, and such means shall be a substantial stairway set at an angle not greater than fortyfive degrees, which shall be provided with hand rails, and with platforms or landings at each turn of the stairway. This sec- Not applicable to tion not to apply to mines already opened, farther than to provide the ready means for the prompt removal of the men in time of danger.

equipped.

certain mines.

shafts, exam

SEC. 20. All escapement shafts and passageways leading Escapement thereto, or to the works of a contiguous mine must be carefully ined weekly. examined at least once a week by the mine manager or a man specially delegated by him for that purpose. If obstructions are found they shall be immediately removed.

tween mines to

SEC. 21. When operators of adjacent mines have by agree- Roadways bement established underground communication between said be unobmines, as an escapement outlet for men employed in both, the structed. roadways to the boundary on either side shall be kept clean of every obstruction so as not to prevent the free passage of the respective operators or employes, and the intervening door shall remain unlocked and ready at all times for immediate

use.

boiler houses.

SEC. 22. Any building erected after the passage of this act, Location of for the purpose of housing boilers, shall not be less than sixty feet from shafts.

SEC. 23. Every hoisting engine used either for the sinking Hoisting engines, of escapement shafts or for the hoisting of coal shall be pro

equipment of.

Hoisting cables, how attached.

Code of signals, how displayed,

etc.

State Inspector to test scales.

Duty of mine foreman.

Safety hooks.

Powder, precautions used in handling.

Penalty for violation.

Illuminating oil.

vided with a good and sufficient brake on the drum, so adjusted that it may be operated by the engineer without leaving his post at the levers. When cylinder drum is used, flanges with sufficient height shall be attached thereto to prevent the rope from slipping off the drum.

SEC. 24. The ends of the hoisting cables shall be well secured on the drum and at least one and one-half laps of the same shall remain on the drum when the cage is at rest on the lowest cage rest in the shaft.

SEC. 25. The following code of signals shall be used in the hoisting of coal, and in the hoisting and lowering of men into and from the mines; said code of signals shall be displayed in a conspicuous place, so that they may be easily seen by the engineer and cager when standing at their posts:

One bell--hoist cage. Stop cage when in motion.

Two bells-lower cage.

Three bells-hoist car of dirt.

Four bells-men at cage ready to be hoisted. Cage must always be stopped at landing on four bells.

Five bells hoist slowly, danger.

Notice to men at bottom coming up-ring four bells.

After engineer gives one blast with whistle, get on cage and ring one bell to be hoisted.

Engineer wanting cage while on bottom will give four blasts with whistle before moving cage.

SEC. 26. The State Inspector of Mines is hereby empowered to test all scales used in connection with the weighing of coal in or about the coal mines. He shall have full access to everything used in the weighing of coal.

SEC. 27. It shall be the duty of the mine foreman or his assistant to visit each working place in the mine at least twice each week.

SEC. 28. None but safety hooks shall be used on buckets in sinking shafts.

SEC. 29. Every employe working in or about the coal mines of this State, and engaged in the handling of powder shall use every precaution to prevent premature explosion. In the preparing of blasts the following rules must be strictly observed in all cases: No lighted lamp, pipe or other article by which powder can be ignited shall be kept within four feet of the powder, and said lamp, pipe or other article must be on the windward side of powder. In blasts where fuse are used no miner or other person shall return to place of blast, when cartridge has failed to explode, before four hours have elapsed from the time of lighting the fuse. Any employe or other person violating these rules shall be subject to a fine not to exceed five dollars or to imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed thirty days, or both, upon conviction, in the discretion of the court.

SEC. 30. That only a pure animal or vegetable oil, or other oil as free from smoke as a pure animal or vegetable oil and