810 MINERALS YEARB0O~

 Gas or dust explosions caused 167 fatalities—54 in Virginia, 54 in
Iffinois, 23 in Kentucky, 14 in New Mexk,o, 7 in West Virginia, 7 in Pennsylvania
(anthracite), 3 in Pennsylvania (bituminous), 2 in Washington, and 1 each
in Colorado, Maryland, and Oklahoma.
 Explosives caused 32 fatalities (to which, however, should be added at least
as many morG~ if explosions due to exj~losives are included). Pennsylvania
(anthracite) h&t 14fatalities due to' explosives, Pennsylvania (bituminous)
4, Iffinois 3,. Kansas and Ohio 2 each, and each of the following 1—Arkansas,
Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Virginia, and West Virgin~a.
 Electricity (excluding explosions started by electric arcs) caused
48 fatalities underground in United States . coal mines during 1932.
Thirteen occurred in West Virginia, 6 in Pennsylvania (bituminous),
6 in Kentucky, 5 in Pennsyl4vania (anthracite), 4 in Alabama, 2 each
in Colorado, Indiana, New Mexico, Virginia, and Washington, and
1 each in Arkansas, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.
 Miriiiig maehines' caused 19 fatalities in coal nines in 1~32~—7 ~n
West Virginia, 5 in Pennsyftania (bitun1inbu~), 3q ~ K~entnek~ 2 in Illinois,
1' in Indiana, and 1 in Virginia.
 Shaft accidents cauSed 11 deaths in 1932: iii the coa] thinee of tile' United
Staths—2 in West Virginia, 2 in Iowa, and 1 each in OO~irado, Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and' Oklidn~. Surface fatalities at coal
mines numbered 63 m 1932—15 in ~e~t Virginia, 13: in Pennsylvania (anthracite),
1Q in Pennsylvania. (bi1~u-. rninous), 7 in illinois, 4 in Kentucky, 3 each
in Iowa and' in Utah,' 2 each in ' Kansas, Oklahoma, and Virginia,. and'
1 each in Ohio and" Wyoming. .
 Total uilderground fatalities in coal' mines' in 1932 numbered 1,092, shaft
fatalities 11, and' surface fatSlities' 63.
 There was much gratification at the close of 1931 when it became known that
the coal-mining industry, the division of the mineral industries of the United
States employing the largest number of men, had established a new low fatality
and injui~y rate besed on hours of exposure and time worked.
 The preliminary figures for 1932 indicate that compared with 1931 about
297 lives were saved in spite of the three major coal-mine disasters during
December 1932 in New Mexico, Kentucky, and Illinois, which resulted in the
loss of 91 lives. The largest contribution to this safety achievement in
1932 comes from Pennsylvania (anthracite), which had only 245 fatalities
(pre]iminary figures) in 1932 as against 383 in 1931, a decrease of 138,
showing that the safety campaign of the Pennsylvania State Department of
Mines in the anthracite region was effective. West Virginia had 88 fewer
fatalities in 1932 than in 1931 according to the preliminary figures, and
Pennsylvania (bituminous) had 52 less. Hence Pennsylvania and West Virginia
coal mines are responsible for 278 of the 297 lives saved in 1932 compared
with 1931.
 Strates that had fewer coal-mine fatalities in 1932 than in 1931 were Alabama,
Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri,
Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Penn-. sylvania (anthracite), Pennsylvania (bituminous)
Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. States that had the same number
of coal-mine fatalities both years were Texas and Washington.