CHAPTER 66. Original House Bill No. 135. VENTILATION OF COAL MINES. AN ACT to amend and re-enact Section 4435, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, relating to ventilation of coal mines, and records of ventilation. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming: Section 1. That Section 4435, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, be amended and re-enacted to read as follows: Section 4435. The mine foreman shall keep a record of such measurements, which shall be placed by him in a book kept for that purpose; said book to be open for the examination of the said State Inspector. He shall also, on or about the fifteenth day of each month, mail to the State Inspector of coal mines a true copy of the air measurements given, stating also the number of persons employed in or about said mine, the number of mules and horses used, and the number of days worked in each month, for which purpose blanks shall be furnished by the said State Inspector. It shall be the further duty of the mine foreman to immediately notify the owner or agent of the mine of his inability to comply with the provisions of this chapter. It shall then become the duty of said superintendent, operator, owner or agent, at once to attend to the matter complained of by the mine foreman and to comply with the provisions hereof. Every main-fan at gaseous mines shall be kept in operation continuously, day and night, unless operations are definitely suspended; provided, that should it at any time become necessary to stop any fan at any mine, gaseous or non-gaseous, on account of accident to part of the machinery connected therewith, or by reason of any unavoidable cause, it shall be the duty of the mine foreman, or the assistant mine foreman, in charge, after having first provided for the safety of the persons employed in the mine, to order said fan stopped for necessary repairs. Every main ventilating fan shall be provided with a recording instrument by which the measure of ventilation pressure in inches, water gage, may be determined at all times, and the mine foreman shall, before allowing a working force to enter the mine at the time for beginning any working shift, personally examine the record made by the recording instrument, satisfying himself that the fan has been in continuous operation for not less than the six hours preceding his examination of the chart, before permission is given any working force to enter the mine. All charts so made will be signed by the mine foreman, with date and hour of examination, and will be maintained intact for a period of one year for inspection of the State Inspector of coal mines or his representatives. Section 2. This Act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 20, 1925. CHAPTER 67. Original House Bill No. 136. SHOT INSPECTORS IN MINES. AN ACT to amend and re-enact Section 1 of Chapter 61, Session Laws of Wyoming, 1923, relating to shot inspectors in mines, and repealing Section 3 of Chapter 61, Session Laws of Wyoming, 1923. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming: Section 1. That Section 1 of Chapter 61, Session Laws of Wyoming, 1923, be amended and re-enacted to read as follows: Section 1. In all mines in this State where coal is blasted, or shot, and where more than ten (10) men are employed as miners, the operator or operators of such mines shall be required to employ forthwith at his or their own expense, a sufficient number of practical, experienced miners, who shall be citizens of the United States and be able to speak and understand the English language, as shot inspectors or shot-firers, and whose duty it shall be to inspect and fire as hereinafter provided, in said mines, all blasts or shots, which blasts or shots shall be prepared in a safe, practical and workmanlike manner, in all mines where the heighth of the coal and the physical conditions of mining make it practicable to blast or shoot coal but once each day, such blasts or shots shall be fired only when all miners and employees, except shot inspectors, shot firers, superintendents, mine foremen, assistant foremen and fire bosses, and such employees as may be necessary to care for pumps and stables or employees needed for the purpose of securing the workings in case of fire therein, are out of the mine; provided, however, that where any emergency or exceptional condition exists the operator or operators may be permitted temporarily to shoot during the day. In all mines where shot inspectors or shot firers are employed to fire blasts or shots, the operator or operators of such mines shall have the right, at their option, to also have the shot inspectors or shot firers prepare, charge and tamp the holes for blasts or shots. In all mines where the heighth of the coal or the physical condition of the seam or the method of mining makes it necessary to shoot or blast coal more than once each day, such shots, or blasts, may be fired at any time by the miners; provided, however, that no miner shall fire any blast or shot until given permission by the shot inspector. No miner shall be permitted to return to any working place where blasts or shots have been fired until given permission by the shot inspector, or mine officer authorized by the operator. In all mines that are on the retreat, and where there is no new work advancing, the employment of shot inspectors shall not be mandatory unless such old mines are gaseous mines or conditions exist therein which in the opinion of the State Inspector of Coal Mines or either of his deputies make shot inspectors necessary, and in such cases the State Mine Inspector or his deputies shall order the employment of shot inspectors. Section 2. Section 3 of Chapter 61, Session Laws of Wyoming, 1923, is hereby repealed. Section 3. This Act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 20, 1925. CHAPTER 68. Original House Bill No. 128. REPEAL OF STATUTE RELATIVE TO SALARY OF MEMBERS OF BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF COAL MINE INSPECTORS. AN ACT to repeal Chapter 271, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, relating to the Board of Examiners of Coal Mine Inspectors, and Chapter 38, Session Laws of Wyoming, 1921, relating to the salaries of Members of the Board of Examiners of Coal Mine Inspectors. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming: Section 1. Chapter 271, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, as amended and re-enacted by Chapter 38, Session Laws of Wyoming, 1921, are hereby repealed. Section 2. This Act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 20, 1925. CHAPTER 69. Original House Bill No. 137. QUALIFICATIONS OF CERTAIN EMPLOYEES IN COAL MINES. AN ACT to amend and re-enact Section 4447, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, relating to certificates of competency for fire boss, mine foreman and assistant mine foreman of coal mines, and providing for recognition of mining certificates issued by other States. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming: Section 1. That Section 4447, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, be amended and re-enacted to read as follows: Section 4447. No person shall act as fire boss, mine foreman or assistant mine foreman, unless he shall be at least twenty-three years of age and shall have been granted a certificate of competency by the Coal Mining Examining Board of Wyoming or has been granted a temporary permit by the State Inspector of Coal Mines, provided that any person holding a certificate from a proper examining board of the State of Colorado, or the State of Utah, or the State of Montana, certifying that he is competent to perform the duties of foreman or assisant foreman or of fire boss in coal mines, may perform the duties in Wyoming for which his certificate certifies that he is competent, without examination by the Coal Mining Examining Board of Wyoming. Any such person before assuming any duties in a coal mine or mines in Wyoming shall present his certificate to the Coal Mining Examining Board of Wyoming or to the State Inspector of Coal Mines and secure their or his approval of the certificate. Such person shall be subject to examination by said board at the request of the said State Coal Mine Inspector and cancellation of his certificate as if his certificate was issued by the Coal Mining Examining Board of Wyoming. No owner, operator, contractor, lessee, or agent shall employ any mine foreman, assistant mine foreman or fire boss who does not have the certificate of competency herein required. Section 2. This Act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 20, 1925. CHAPTER 70. Original House Bill No. 134. BARRIER PILLARS IN COAL MINES. AN ACT requiring barrier pillars between adjoining coal properties, and providing a penalty for the violation of this act. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming: Section 1. The operator of every coal mine which has another coal property contiguous to it or immediately adjacent to it shall leave barrier pillars at least fifty (50) feet in width along the boundary line of the contiguous coal property; provided, however, that nothing herein shall be construed as forbidding owners of adjacent properties from extracting the coal along the boundary line after they have entered into a written agreement providing that the said pillars may be pulled. Section 2. Any person or corporation violating any of the provisions of this Act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be subject to a fine of not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) nor more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment of not less than six months, or both. Section 3. This Act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 20, 1925. CHAPTER 71. Original House Bill No. 133. SAFETY LAMPS IN COAL MINES. AN ACT to amend and re-enact Section 4436, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, relating to safety in coal mines, and providing for flame safety lamps, and forbidding the carrying in such mine of instruments usable for opening of locked safety lamps, and providing for a penalty for the violation of the section. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming: Section 1. That Section 4436, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, be amended and re-enacted to read as follows: Section 4436. The flame safety lamps used for examining mines, or which may be used in working therein, shall be the property of the owner of said mine, and shall be of the type known as locked "permissable," bearing the approval of the United States Bureau of Mines, and shall be in charge of the agent of such mine. And in all mines the doors used in assisting or directing the ventilation of the mine shall be so hung and adjusted that they will close themselves, or be supplied with springs or pulleys so that they cannot be left standing open, and bore holes shall be kept not less than twelve feet in ad vance of the face of every working place, and when necessary on the sides of the same when they are being driven towards and in dangerous proximity to an abandoned mine or part of a mine, suspected of containing inflammable gases, or which is inundated with water. Any man working in a mine or mines where safety lamps or electric lamps are used exclusively shall be subject to search by the mine foreman or his assistants for matches or inflammable materials. No person shall have in his possession in any part of the mine where locked safety lamps are used, any matches or means of producing fire, or any lamp key or instrument for the opening of a locked safety lamp. Any person or corporation violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and be subject to a fine not to exceed Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00). Section 2. This Act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 20, 1925. CHAPTER 72. Original House Bill No. 132. MAN-TRIPS IN COAL MINES. AN ACT to amend and re-enact Section 4454, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, relating to safety of man-trips in coal mines. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming: Section 1. That Section 4454, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, be amended and re-enacted to read as follows: Section 4454. It shall be the duty of every person, company or corporation owning or operating coal mines to provide a wire cable or safety cable which shall have sufficient strength to withstand all strains which may reasonably be put upon it and which in all cases and under all circumstances shall be attached to each car on all trains of cars in a coal mine which are commonly known as "man-trips" and which said wire cable shall be attached to the hoist cable in such way. that if any coupling of the cars on said "man-trips" should become broken or unfastened the said wire cable so attached to the hoist cable would prevent the cars becoming uncoupled and running back into the mine. And such train of cars known as "man-trips" shall not be run at a greater speed than five (5) miles an hour. When tools are carried on "man-trip" they shall be carried in a separate car provided for that purpose, and it shall be a violation of the law for any miner or other person to carry his tools except as herein provided; provided further that no safety cable shall be required on special man-trips where the cars are equipped with dogs in such manner as to grasp the rails when the hoist cable breaks, and shall not be required on man-trips when hauled with motors on level seams and no hoist cable is used. Section 2. This Act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 20, 1925. |