The Coal Miner's Canary Historical

The Coal Miner's Canary Historical (HM1WBA)

Location: Trinidad, CO 81082 Las Animas County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 10.086', W 104° 30.409'

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Inscription
For centuries, miners have been taking canary birds down into their mines to warn them of potential disaster. If a tunnel or shaft collapses or is blocked, thereby diminishing the oxygen supply, the canary will be the first to react, usually dying, alerting the miners to trouble and to immediately vacate the mine.

"Canaries, sometimes pigeons and occasionally mice, have been used in coal mines throughout the world to test for poisonous gases, especially carbon monoxide, which is colorless and has no taste or smell. Even very small amounts of the poisonous gas will cause a canary to swoon, due to its extremely rapid heart beat, before it becomes fatal to the miners. Often, the canary could be revived, if evacuated immediately with the miners." "Until modern detection devices came into mandated use, as they are today, canaries were brought into the mines in small wood or metal cages, especially after a fire or explosion, to provide a clear signal as to whether the underground conditions were safe. In the presence of carbon monoxide , the canary would sway noticeably on his perch before falling, in a dramatic indication of dangerous conditions."

Over the years, this yellow songbird has saved countless human lives.
Artist: Ms. Susan Norris


Left photo
"The Coal Miner's Canary" - book by Edward Allan Faine
Right photo
Miner holding canary in cage from 1928
Details
HM NumberHM1WBA
Tags
Year Placed2010
Placed ByThe Trinidad-Las Animas County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce & the Southern Colorado Coal Miners Memorial & Scholarship Fund Committee
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, December 16th, 2016 at 9:01pm PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)13S E 543784 N 4113634
Decimal Degrees37.16810000, -104.50681667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 10.086', W 104° 30.409'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 10' 5.16" N, 104° 30' 24.54" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)719
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 201-219 US-160, Trinidad CO 81082, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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