268

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

Furnish props

SEC. 9. And be it enacted, That the owner, lessee or agent of every mine in operation in the said counties of Allegany or Garrett, shall furnish at their own expense all props and all the requisite timber that may be used in the working of said mines, and as the miners employed at work therein proceed with the working of their excavations it shall be the duty of the owner, or lessee, or agent of said mines to furnish a sufficient quantity of timber at the place where the miner is at work and whenever the said workmen engaged in said excavations shall deem it safe and proper to have any of the props or timbers removed from said excavations it shall be the duty of the person or persons so employed by. the owner, lessee or agent, to remove the said props or timbers to whatever point or place the workmen engaged

Remove props

therein may require, but no props or timbers whatever shall be removed that might endanger the lives of any of the workmen engaged therein by such removal.

Duty of Inspector.

SEC. 10. And be it enacted, That whenever any gases or impure air is known to exist in any of the mines in the said counties of Allegany and Garrett, and which is likely to endanger the lives of the miners employed therein, it shall be the duty of the mine inspector, upon the same being made known to him, to proceed at once to make a careful examination of the ventilating apparatus of the said mine, and if he shall find that the gases and impure air existing in said mine was the cause of the bad condition of the ventilating apparatus connected therewith he shall immediately notify the owner, lessee or agent to expel from the said mine all noxious gases and impure air existing therein and to properly ventilate the same.

Neglect or refuse.

SEC. 11. And be it enacted, That any owner, lessee, agent or operator of any of the coal mines in said Counties of Allegany or Garrett, neglecting or refusing to comply with the provisions of this act, or vio-

Penalty.

lating in any manner any of its provisions may be held and deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon indictment and conviction thereof may be fined for each any every said offence a sum not less than one