Mining Laws of Ohio, 1921 Part 7

Sec. 970. [=Checkweighman for miners.=] The miners employed at a mine where the earnings of such miners depend upon the weight of coal mined, may, at their own cost, designate or appoint a competent person as checkweighman, who, at all proper times, shall have full right of access to and examination of the scales, machinery or apparatus used at such mine to determine the correct weight of coal mined, and whose duty shall be to see the coal weighed and to make a correct record of such weights. Not more than one person, however, on behalf of the miners collectively shall have such right at the same time.

[=Checkweighman for landowners.=] The landowners, or other persons interested in the rental or royalty at such mine, may, at their own cost, designate or appoint a competent person to act as checkweighman for them, who shall have the same rights as the checkweighman for the miners. Not more than one person, however, on behalf of the landowners, or other persons interested in the rental or royalty, jointly, shall have such right at the same time.

Checkweighmen shall not interfere with the use of or tamper with such scales, machinery or apparatus, nor make any false entry of any weight, or in any manner exceed the duties prescribed herein.

[=Check-measurer.=] The miners employed at a mine where the earnings of such miners depend upon measurements, may, at their own cost, designate or employ, not more than one of their number as check-measurer to accompany each mine-foreman or other person making the measurements and see them make such measurements, and make a correct record of same. Each mine-foreman or other person making measurements may have a helper, but such helper shall not be regarded as a person making measurements. The person or persons designated as check-measurer shall not in any manner interfere with or interrupt the work of the mine-foreman, or other person, while making such measurements. (Penalty, Sec. 976.)

Sec. 971. [=Crossing public highway.=] Any person, firm or corporation now or hereafter owning any land containing mineral, coal, stone or clay, and over any portion of which shall pa.s.s any state, county or township road or public highway, shall have the right and are hereby authorized to drill, excavate, mine or quarry through or under any such road; provided, however, that when any excavation is to be made in such manner that the top or highest level of such excavation will be extended within thirty feet vertical distance of such road, then and in that case before said work shall be commenced, such person, firm or corporation shall execute and deliver to the board of county commissioners in case of state or county roads, or to the township trustee in case of township roads, a bond, with good and sufficient surety in such amounts as shall be considered by said commission or trustees sufficient to cover any damages that may accrue by reason of excavating, mining or quarrying through or under any such road, the same to be approved by said commissioners or trustees; conditioned that while crossing over or mining or quarrying under any such road, a safe and un.o.bstructed pa.s.sageway or road shall be kept open by such person, firm or corporation for public use, and as soon as practicable such road shall be fully restored to its original safe and pa.s.sable condition. When such crossing is made by excavation at a depth of more than thirty feet below the surface of such road, the person, firm or corporation making same shall be liable to the county commissioners or township trustees for any damage that may accrue by reason of such excavation, and shall be held to fully repair any such damage and to restore such road to its original safe and pa.s.sable condition. The right to mine or quarry across or under public highways as hereinbefore provided shall accrue to the owner, lessee or agent of the land upon or through which such highway pa.s.ses. (Penalty, Sec. 976.)

=Right of action in case of accident.=

Sec. 972. In case of an injury to persons or property, occasioned by a violation of any of the provisions of this act or any willful failure to comply with any provisions of this act any owner, lessee or agent of a mine, a right of action shall accrue to the person injured, for any direct damage he may have sustained thereby. In case of loss of life, by reason of such failure or willful neglect, a right of action shall accrue to the widow, and children, or if there be none such, then to the parents and next of kin, of the person whose death was so caused, for like recovery of damages for the injury they shall have sustained.

Each person who performs labor in opening or developing any coal mine, mining coal, and labor connected therewith, shall have a lien upon all the property of the person, firm or corporation owning, constructing or operating such mine, for the value of such labor for the full amount thereof, upon the same terms, as mechanic's liens are secured and enforced. (103 O. Laws 67.)

=RELATING TO OIL AND GAS WELLS THROUGH COAL MEASURES.=

=Owner of well shall make and file map.=

Sec. 973. Any person, firm or corporation holding property in any coal bearing or coal producing township, in any county of the state of Ohio, either in fee, by virtue of a lease for oil or gas, mining purposes since January first, 1900, or otherwise, whereon wells have been drilled for oil, gas or test purposes, shall cause to be made by a competent engineer, an accurate map on a scale of not less than one inch to four hundred feet, showing on said map the location and number of wells as near as the same can be located, that have been drilled, whether or not any of such wells have been previously abandoned, or were drilled and abandoned by former operators, who have ever held the said property for oil, gas or mining purposes.

Said map shall show the name and address of the person, firm or corporation owning said well or wells, the county and township, the names of the adjoining property owners, and lines of the property operated with the distances of the wells properly measured therefrom and checked from the section and quarter section lines, as will be necessary for an accurate survey. The map shall show all the engineer's notations of angles, distances, starting point, or corner stones, together with the numbers given the respective wells, giving a legend as to the manner in which various abandoned or producing wells, are designated. The original map shall be retained by the owner or his agent, and one copy filed with the industrial commission of Ohio, division of mines, said copy showing thereon the sworn statement of the engineer making the map that same is correct.

=Well shall not be near mine opening.=

No oil well, gas well or test well shall be drilled nearer than three hundred feet to any opening to a mine used as a means of ingress or egress for persons employed therein, nor nearer than one hundred feet to any building or inflammable structure connected therewith, and actually used as a part of the operating equipment of said mine.

=Persons drilling oil and gas wells in coal bearing or coal producing townships.=

Any person, firm or corporation before drilling or causing to be drilled any oil well, gas well or test well within the limits of any coal producing township in any county of the state of Ohio, shall first file an application with, the industrial commission of Ohio, division of mines, on blanks to be furnished by said commission for such purpose, and shall show the following: The name and address of the applicant, the proper date, location of the proposed well--giving the name of the property owner, section number, township and county, the number of the proposed well, and signed by an officer or agent of such operator. No well shall be commenced until the applicant or operator has been granted a permit, which shall be granted by the industrial commission of Ohio, division of mines, under the following conditions:

=When well is adjacent to mine.=

If such proposed well is located within the limits directly adjacent to mining operations, such limits to be determined by the industrial commission of Ohio, division of mines, the application for permit must be accompanied by a map showing the location of the proposed well and answering the requirements in the preceding regulations for mapping.

=When well is not adjacent to mine.=

If such proposed well is not located within the limits directly adjacent to mining operations, but within the limits of any coal producing or coal bearing township, the industrial commission of Ohio, division of mines, shall grant a permit immediately upon receipt of the application, providing the applicant is a responsible person, firm or corporation. The industrial commission of Ohio, division of mines, may at any time after the well is commenced, if the responsibility of the applicant or operator is considered doubtful, cause such operator or applicant to show proper guaranty of his intention to fulfill the requirements of the section, or cause all operations to cease forthwith. If any person, firm or corporation continue drilling on property already surveyed in accordance with the preceding requirements, a complete blue print or copy of map shall be made at the end of each year ending June 30th, showing the additional wells properly surveyed by a competent engineer as above mentioned, and filed with the industrial commission of Ohio, division of mines, not later than the following first of September.

=When well is to be abandoned owner shall give notice.=

When any oil well, gas well or test well is to be abandoned, the person, firm or corporation owning such well shall notify the industrial commission of Ohio, division of mines, or the deputy oil and gas well inspector of the district in which the well is located, as many days in advance as will be necessary for the inspector to arrange to be present at such abandonment. No well shall be abandoned without an inspector being present, unless permission has been first granted upon good cause shown, by the industrial commission of Ohio, division of mines.

=Method of plugging well.=

When any oil well, gas well or test well is to be abandoned, it must first be plugged in some secure manner above the oil or gas sand or rock formation, either by placing or driving one or more good seasoned wooden plugs, or a lead plug, as the case may require, so that no gas or oil may escape, or any water or destructive matter force itself into the oil or gas sand, or rock formation. Upon such seasoned wooden plug or plugging material shall be filled at least thirty feet of cement properly mixed with sand, or thirty feet of good clay or rock sediment properly prepared.

If any well has pa.s.sed through a workable vein or seam of coal, it shall when it is abandoned be plugged in the following manner: A seasoned wooden plug shall be driven to a point thirty feet below the lowest workable seam of coal and the hole filled with cement to a point at least twenty feet above this seam of coal, at which point another wooden plug shall be placed and the hole filled for a distance of twenty feet with cement or properly prepared clay, or rock sediment. If there is more than one seam of coal the next seam above must be plugged off in like manner.

=When well penetrates the excavations of any mine.=

In the event that a well being drilled penetrates the excavations of any mine, it must be cased with casing of approximately the same diameter as the diameter of the hole, the hole to be drilled thirty feet or to solid slate or rock and not less than ten feet below the floor of such mine, and the casing shall be placed in the following manner: One string of casing shall be placed at a point above the roof of said mine so as to shut off all of the surface water; then the hole drilled through said mine and another string of casing put in. The bottom of the second string of casing, or the one pa.s.sing through said mine, shall not be nearer than ten feet, or more than thirty feet from the floor of the mine where it pa.s.ses through the same.

When any well which has been drilled is to be abandoned and has pa.s.sed through the excavations of any coal mine from which the minable coal has not all been removed, the person, firm or corporation owning said well shall leave in said well the casing pa.s.sing through said mine from a point not less than ten feet, nor more than thirty feet below the floor of said mine, and extending above the roof of said mine at least five feet. A seasoned wooden plug shall be driven to a point at least forty feet below the floor of the mine and the hole above said plug together with the casing left in, which extends through the coal, shall be filled with cement; then a seasoned wooden plug shall be driven on the top of said casing, and the hole filled with cement for a distance of not less than twenty feet.

=Interpretation--"coal bearing and coal producing township."=

A coal bearing or coal producing township of any county shall be interpreted to mean any, township as a unit, in which coal is found that, is being mined, or is of such thickness as to make it likely to be mined at some future time. Any well drilled in such township, whether or not it pa.s.ses through any coal, the same being barren in certain sections of such township, or the well being commenced below the line of outcrop of the coal, will nevertheless be required to be mapped and abandoned in accordance with the regulations and provisions of this section as given above, which shall apply uniformly throughout any coal bearing or coal producing township of any county.

=RELATING TO ILLUMINATING OIL FOR MINES.=

=Composition of illuminating oil for use in mines.=

Sec. 974. No person, firm or corporation shall compound, sell or offer for sale for illuminating purposes in any mine any oil other than oil composed of not less than eighty-two per cent, of pure animal or vegetable oil, or both, and not more than eighteen per cent, pure mineral oil. The gravity of such animal or vegetable oil shall not be less than twenty-one and one-half, and not more than twenty-two and one-half degrees Baume scale, measured by Tagliabue or other standard hydrometer, at a temperature of sixty degrees Fahrenheit; the gravity of such mineral oil shall not be less than thirty-four and not more than thirty-six degrees Baume scale, measured by Tagliabue or other standard hydrometer at a temperature of sixty degrees Fahrenheit, and the gravity of the mixture shall not exceed twenty-five degrees Baume scale measured by Tagliabue or other standard hydrometer at a temperature of sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Each person, firm or corporation compounding oil for illuminating purposes in any mine or mines, shall, before shipment thereof is made, securely brand, stencil or paste upon the head of each barrel or package, a label which shall have plainly printed, marked or written thereon, the name and address of the person, firm or corporation, having purchased same, the date of shipment, the percentage and the gravity in degrees Baume scale, at a temperature of sixty degrees Fahrenheit, of each of the component parts of animal, vegetable and mineral oil contained in the mixture, and the gravity in degrees Baume scale at a temperature sixty degrees Fahrenheit of the mixture. Each label shall have printed thereon, over the fac-simile signature of the person, firm or corporation having compounded the oil, the following: "This package contains oil for illuminating purposes in mines in the State of Ohio, and the composition thereof as shown hereon is correct." Each person, firm or corporation, manufacturing paraffine wax for illuminating purposes in any mine, or mines, shall, before shipment thereof is made, securely brand, stencil, or paste, upon the head of each barrel, box, or case, containing small packages, the name and address of the person, firm or corporation, manufacturing paraffine wax therein contained, the name and address of the person, firm or corporation, having purchased the same, and the date of shipment.

And each individual package contained within each barrel, box or case, shall have plainly printed thereon the name of the product, the name and address of the manufacturer thereof, together with the melting point, fire test, and the percentage of oil and moisture of the paraffine wax herein contained. But nothing herein contained shall prohibit the manufacture, sale or use for illuminating purposes in mines in this state, of paraffine wax with melting point at from one hundred five to one hundred twenty-four degrees of heat and minimum fire test not less than three hundred degrees Fahrenheit, with not over four per cent, oil and moisture.

=Acetylene gas in mines.=

Sec. 974-1. It shall be lawful to use acetylene gas in lamps in mines subject to the following conditions and restrictions: First, no person or persons shall take into a mine a greater quant.i.ty of calcium carbide than will be a reasonable supply for his own lamp for one day's work. Second, no person shall deposit, or keep in his possession in a mine any calcium carbide, or refuse from calcium carbide, in anything except air-tight containers, and these containers with their contents must be taken out of the mine at the end of each day's work, or sooner, if possible. Third, no person or persons, shall be allowed to use acetylene gas in lamps where there are old or abandoned workings where large quant.i.ties of black damp or other poisonous gases are liable to acc.u.mulate until such places have been examined by a competent person and p.r.o.nounced to be free from foul or poisonous atmosphere.

=Other illuminants.=

Sec. 974-2. No person shall use in any mine any other illuminant than those provided for in sections 974 and 974-1 of the General Code, unless with the consent of the chief inspector of mines.