ART. 1. ] MANUFACTURERS AND MINERS. 71

1878, ch. 157.

197. No person shall be eligible to the office of mine in-
spector until he shall have attained the age of thirty-five years,
and shall possess a competent knowledge of all the different
systems of mining and working and properly ventilating coal
mines, and the nature and constituent parts of noxious gases of
mines, and of the various ways of expelling the same from said
mines.

Ibid.

198. Before entering upon and discharging the duties of his
office, said inspector of mines shall take an oath to faithfully
discharge the same in an impartial manner; and for the faithful
performance thereof, he shall receive a salary of fifteen hundred
dollars per annum, which said salary shall be paid out of the
State's money, by a warrant of the comptroller upon the State
treasurer for the same.

Ibid.

199. It shall be the, duty of the said mine inspector to care-
fully examine all mines that may he in operation in the counties
of Allegany and Garrett, at least once in every month, and
oftener if necessary, to see that every precaution is taken to
insure safety to all workmen that may be engaged in said mines,
and to see that the provisions of sections 201, 202, 203, 204, 205,
206, 207 and 209, are strictly observed; and it shall further be
the duty of the said inspector, after being notified by a justice of
the peace or coroner of either of said counties of Allegany or
Garrett, to attend at every inquest that may be held on the body
of every person that may lose his life while engaged at work in
or about any of the coal mines of said counties, and he shall
examine closely into the cause by which said person lost his life;
and if it shall be fully proven that the said person lost his life
by any wilful violation of any of said sections or any wilful
failure to comply with any of their provisions, the widow or
lineal heirs of the person whose life shall be so lost, may institute
a suit against the owner, lessee or operator of said mine wherein
the accident took place, and may recover such damages as the
courts may determine, for the loss she or they have sustained by the
death of the person whose life has been lost while engaged at
work in said mines.