The Daily Alaska Empire

'HARDBOILED
HATS' FOR 'HARD
ROCK MINERS'

Much Discussed Protective
Headgear Approved and
in Use at A-J. 9 Years

"We not only approve of the so
called "hard boiled" hat as pro-
tective headgear for miners, but
have been using them for the last
nine years in many parts of the
mine and their use has been
compulsory by raise men for some
time," L. H. Metzgar, General Su-
perintendent of the Alaska Ju-
neau Mining Company said today
in speaking of the much talked-
of headgear.

The following synopsis of the
history of the "hardboiled" hat
and the development of its use
at the Alaska-Juneau Mining
Company, prepared by J. A. Wil-
liams of the Engineering depart-
ment of the mine, tells in inter-
esting manner the reasons its
being used increasingly in hard
rock mines.

Matter of Education
"Protective hats commonly
known as "hard boiled" hats, have
been in continuous use at the Al-
aska Juneau since 1924, or for
over nine years. The adoption of
the hard boiled hat, as was the
case of the carbide lamp, has been
a matter of education and the
overcoming of the prejudices of
the miners. Along with improve-
ment in manufacture has come
a realization by the miners of the
advantages to be had by the use
of 'hard boiled' hats.

World War Descendant
"The present head piece is a
direct descendant of the 'tin hat'
of the World War. The war-time
model found its first industrial use
in mining at Joplin, Missouri
along about 1919 or 1920. This hat
was heavy, of course, and did not
prove popular; besides the Safety
Movement was not yet squarely
behind it.

"In 1924, the first real improve-
ment over the tin hat made its
appearance. Since then the weight
of the hat has been decreased and
minor improvements made, but
essentially it has not changed.

"The use of protective hats and
caps is not confined to under-
ground mining. Hard boiled' hats
are now found in the oil indus-
try, steel industry, in quarrying,
in ship building, and in various
construction projects.

Present Day Model
"The present day hard hat is
made of a pressed fibre which is
a non-conductor of electricity and
is water and acid proof. It will
withstand the impact of a twen-
ty-pound object falling six feet.
The hat is provided with an in-
ner crown about an inch below
the hard outside shell. This in-
ner crown, which may be adjust-
ed by a draw string to fit the
head snugly, distributes the force
of any blow. The air space be-
tween the inner and outer crowns
along with ventilating holes, al-
low a freer circulation of air than
is found in ordinary hats.

"The hats come in a number of
styles; the standard southwester
guards the neck and shoulders as
well as the head, and also sheds
the water. In very wet mines a
slicker type is used, while in some
dry mines a cap with no brim
is used.

Alaska Juneau Style
"At the Alaska Juneau the Butte
style, which is a southwestern, on-
ly with a smaller brim, has be-
come the standard. Other types
were tried but were found to be
less suitable. In the early days
of protective head gear at the
Alaska Juneau its use was option-
al. Gradually, however, the men
in raises and shafts saw their
worth and asked for them. The cost of the hats, which at
that time was over $3.00, was
found to be the main obstacle to
wider application. Several years
ago the company realizing the
value of the hat as a safety ap-
pliance, began furnishing them at
a nominal cost; and made the
wearing of them compulsory for
raise men, and bulldozers. At the
present time nearly every one
else in the mine wears them so
that the old-fashioned cap is the
exception rather than the usual.

"Visitors to the mine notice the
'hard boiled' hat at once and
generally wish to procure one for
a souvenir.

Injuries Reduced
"The fact that head injuries
have been greatly reduced by the
use of hard boiled hats is proved
by the company's accident sta-
tistics, as well as by the scars
and abrasions seen on some of
the hats as the miners check in."