Life, 1908-02-06 · page 11 of 36
Life — February 6, 1908 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine satirizes mining industry safety practices through both illustration and text. **The Cartoon:** Shows a couple on a countryside walk. The caption warns against proposing marriage "four or five miles from the hotel," suggesting a long walk back—a light romantic joke unrelated to the mining content below. **The Main Article:** "Modern Mining Regulations" by Ralph D. Jones mocks mining companies' pretense of safety reform. The text sarcastically describes a company "perfecting a device whereby, in future explosions, only undesirable citizens will be automatically selected for slaughter" and offering workers a "twenty-five per cent reduction in wages" to cover inspection costs. The satire targets the mining industry's cynical approach to worker safety—offering wage cuts while claiming to implement protections, rather than genuinely improving dangerous conditions that caused "horrible disasters."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
DON’T PROPOSE TO HER FOUR OR FIVE MILES FROM THE HOTEL. Modem Mining Regulations By Exxis O. Jones HE following set of iron-clad rules has just been re- ceived from one of the most prominent firms in the mining business. These rules show conclusively that the recent horrible disasters were due to circumstances over which no one could possibly have any control: Employees killed or injured in mine explosions are positively forbidden from dying on the premises. This is purely a sanitary regulation insisted upon by the health board. ‘These mines are regularly inspected after every explosion. This is necessitated, not so much for the welfare of the miners, for they are mostly foreigners anyway, as by public clamor. Widows and orphans of exploded miners are requested to keep away from the offices of the company, as the officers are too tender- hearted to bear the sight of such misery. ‘The officers of the company take pleasure in announcing the perfection of a device whereby, in future explosions, only unde- sirable citizens will be automatically selected for slaughter. In view of the extra expense of this to the company, it has been deemed prudent to offer all employees a twenty-five per cent. re- duction in wages. IT MAY BE A LONG WALK BACK The officers of the company have decided, in the future, to spare no expense, consistent with profits, in protecting the lives of its employees. As a first step in this direction, each employce will henceforth be assessed ten per cent. of his weekly wage for the maintenance of an inspection department. Notice is hereby given that the United States Court has granted an injunction against the interference of exploded miners with those who remain at work. Miners who contemplate being blown up will, in future, please use abandoned mines. The reason for this is obvious. (Signed) Barr & Gon, Mine owners and trustees. This Is Bad (Special to The World) Weutsavrc, W. Va., Jan. 22.—Fifty heroic boy students in negligee escorted 100 frightened co-eds, most of them in their nighties, from the burning girls’ dormitory at the Bethany College, near here, early this morning. Despite the panic in the big dormitory none of the girls was injured, though three fainted in the street. ELL, well! This was highly improper. And how shocking to our New York aldermen who have decreed that women shall not smoke. A few moments later and all those girls might have been doing it.