Preventing "The Needless Peril of the Coal Mine": The Bureau of Mines and the Campaign against Coal Mine Explosions, 1910-1940

Aldrich, Mark

doi:10.2307/3107239

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…in European countries toward the end of century probably were (Fishback 1986(Fishback , 1987(Fishback , 1992Aldrich 1995Aldrich , 1997acompare with Boal 2018, p. 135). As an example, an expedition of three well-respected European experts made recommendations on the backward state of safety in the US (Watteyne et al 1908).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity, Mortality, and Technology in European and US Coal Mining, 1800–1913

Silvestre

2022

Standard of Living

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European coal production underwent a period of dramatic increase from the early nineteenth century to 1913. A consensus exists, however, for a depiction of the coal industry as, to a high degree, technologically stagnant throughout the long nineteenth century. Macro-inventions, or general purpose technologies, in fact, appeared at either end of the period. In the interregnum, therefore, the increase in European coal production would have mainly been the result of adding more labor rather than developing new technology. This paper aims to revise this interpretation. First, long-term series of labor productivity and fatality rates data are presented. Second, a link between improvements in Europe both in productivity and safety in conjunction with a series of "small-scale", for the most part complementary to labor and closely related to questions of safety, technological innovations is proposed. A comparison of productivity and safety for European countries is established with the US.

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity, Mortality, and Technology in European and US Coal Mining, 1800–1913

Silvestre

2022

Standard of Living

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“…Legislation related to explosions was also inadequate. To begin with, coal dust was sometimes a key contributor to explosions (Aldrich 1995;Murray and Silvestre 2021). Thus, in the presence of coal dust, firedamp was inflammable or explosive at very low levels.…”

Section: The West Virginia Coal Basin At the Turn Of The Century: Gro...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the extent of the impact of this variable is difficult to predict, as quantitative information on the cost of an explosion is scant. Explosions may have engendered high costs derived from the interruption of mining activity, and even the destruction of the mine, as stated by owners, miners and inspectors from several basins (Aldrich 1995(Aldrich , 1997. 33 In his final report, the Joint Select Committee of the Legislature of West Virginia (1909, p. 820) points out that, after an explosion, "(…) the loss of thousands of dollars of property surely and unexpectedly follow."…”

Section: Data and Empirical Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With regard to further geological conditions (i.e., the presence of firedamp) of the mine affecting benefits or costs of technology adoption, the lack of information on depth is perhaps a limitation because ventilation may have become even more important as depth increased (e.g., Aldrich 1995). The WVDM reports, unfortunately, did not comment on this.…”

Section: Data and Empirical Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…See also, for example, Joint Select Committee of the Legislature of WestVirginia (1909, p. 579).20 The use of black powder instead, which was less safe but cheaper and more productive, may have been common(Aldrich 1995;McAteer 2014).…”

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Determinants in the adoption of a non-labor-substitution technology: mechanical ventilation in West Virginia coal mines, 1898–1907

Silvestre

Murray

2022

Cliometrica

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Accounts of technological change during industrialization processes based on labor-saving innovations are commonplace, even more so in the coal mining industry, in which the focus has until now been placed on the steam engine water pump and the coal cutting machine. However, to better understand technological change, we need to bear in mind the study of complementary capital. While previous research on complementary capital relies on evidence for manufacturing or the aggregate economy, this paper focuses on a case study, which provides more details on technology adoption decisions. This paper considers mechanical ventilation, a prominent and largely overlooked technology complementary to labor, as a response to stale air and explosions in the exploitation of coal. We examine the determinants in the adoption of the newer technology—the mechanical ventilator—through an economic model that is established at a high level of disaggregation: the mine. We concentrate on the West Virginia coalfield at the turn of the twentieth century, an apt historical setting for the study of technology adoption. We quantify characteristics of mines over time, so we are able to estimate a panel. We show the importance of various costs and benefits in explaining which type of mine converted from older technologies to the newer technology. The model is complemented with qualitative information, which helps to explain why an older technology slowed the process of adopting the newer as a result of different costs associated with the substitution.

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Breathing Apparatus for Mine Rescue in the UK, 1890s–1920s

Singleton

2022

Standard of Living

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Preventing "The Needless Peril of the Coal Mine": The Bureau of Mines and the Campaign against Coal Mine Explosions, 1910-1940

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

Productivity, Mortality, and Technology in European and US Coal Mining, 1800–1913

Productivity, Mortality, and Technology in European and US Coal Mining, 1800–1913

Determinants in the adoption of a non-labor-substitution technology: mechanical ventilation in West Virginia coal mines, 1898–1907

Breathing Apparatus for Mine Rescue in the UK, 1890s–1920s

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