“Dagos are cheaper than props.”
-Mother Jone Quoting a Mine Manager
Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday February 6, 1907
West Virginia – Another Mine Disaster at Thomas Mine
Yet another mine disaster in West Virginia occurred at the Thomas Mine near Elkins on February 4th. This follows on the deadly heels of two recent disasters in that state, one at the Lorentz Mine at Penco on January 26th, and the other at the Stuart Mine on January 29th. The combined death toll in the coal mines of West Virginia, during this 10-day period, is now over 100.
From The Fort Wayne Sentinel of February 4, 1907:
Elkins, W. Va, Feb. 4.-Twenty-five or thirty miners, the majority of them foreigners, are supposed to be dead in the mine explosion today at mine No. 25 of the Davis Coal and Coke company, at Thomas, near here.
It is not known how large the list of casualties may grow until further investigation as there is no way of determining how many men were in the mine at the time of the explosion. The explosion occurred before all the men had entered the mine. A number standing at the entrance to the shaft were hurled in every direction by the force of the explosion and seriously injured.
Five miners who were just entering the mine when the explosion occurred have been taken out so it is believed all the miners already in the mine have been killed.
From the Mount Carmel Daily News of February 5, 1907:
MANY MINERS KILLED
—–Third Disaster in West Virginia
Within Two Weeks.
—–
25 OR 30 MEN ARE DEAD
—–
Seven Bodies Recovered in Explosion
Near Elkins, and Deadly Gas Drives
Rescuers Away After One Dies
From Suffocation.
Elkins, W. Va., Feb. 5.-The third mine explosion in West Virginia with in two weeks occurred at the Davis Coal & Coke company’s mine No. 25, at Thomas, near here, and 25 or 30 miners are said to have been killed.
The bodies of six foreigners and one American were recovered at a distance of 100 feet from the shaft. Before further progress could be made a deadly wave of poisonous fumes enveloped the rescuing party, which was composed of General Manager Ott, D. M. Boyd, Superintendent Henry Mine, Daniel Jones, the mine boss; Arthur Steward and John Jenkins. Before the rescuing party could reach the surface Jones, the mine boss, died from the suffocation.
Efforts are being made to enter the mine again, but without success. The air fans were demolished by the explosion and the mine is full of dangerous after damp.
There is no possible hope that the men still in the mine are alive. While the exact number of entombed men is not known at this time, the number is estimated at about 30, and it is thought possible that there might be more.
Pitiful scenes are being enacted around the mouth of the mine. The families of the missing men are frantic with grief and strenuous efforts are necessary to keep them from throwing themselves into the mouth of the mine.
Just a few minutes before the explosion a large party of miners had entered the mine by way of an unused opening at Coalton. When they heard the muffled report they retraced their steps at top speed and thus saved their lives. No fire lamps were used in the mine, not being thought necessary. Officials of the company say the accident may have been caused by an accumulation of gas in a pocket being ignited by a shot of dynamite or by a miner’s lamp. The mines were owned for many years by Henry Cassaway Davis, former United States senator and vice presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket, and are now the property of the Western Maryland Railroad company.
———-
From The Baltimore Sun of January 27, 1907:
Sadly, The Sun cannot seem to stop itself from denigrating Italian workers even during such a tragic time as this.
TWELVE MINERS KILLED
—–
More Dead Bodies May Lie In
West Virginia Colliery.Weston, W. Va., Jan. 26.-Five Americans and seven Italians are known to be dead as the result of an explosion of fire damp in the Pennsylvania Company’s mine at Lorentz, W. Va., near Buckhannon, W. Va., which occurred about 5:30 this evening.
Immediately following the explosion the mine caved in and nearly caused the entombment of all the miners, estimated at 100.
The bodies of 12 dead men have been recovered. It is not known at this time whether any others met death.
The Americans who were killed are:
CHARLES BOSERMAN.
WILLIAM BAILEY.
JAMES SCOTT.
CHARLES JOHNSON.
GLEENN MILES.The bodies of seven Italians have also been recovered, but as they are known only by numbers their identification is not possible until later.
The explosion occurred just as the day force was leaving the mine. Only a few of the men had reached the surface when, with a terrific report, the firedamp exploded. The mine elevator had just started for the top, carrying about 20 men, and almost 80 men were still at the bottom of the shaft. Immediately there was a panic among the men still in the mine. There was but one direction in which they could run, and this was back into the drift. From this direction, however, a strong flow of gas was slowly enveloping them. Almost suffocated, they huddled closely together and cried pitifully up the shaft for assistance.
Several rescuers took possession of the elevator car and quickly ran it down into the shaft. There was accommodations for about 20 of the men at a time, however, and the foreign miners, who were crazed from fright, fought like demons to board the car, greatly retarding the work of rescue. The car was finally loaded and run to the top. With great precision and quickness the elevator continued to make the trips until all the men at the bottom of the shaft were brought to the surface. On the last two trips a majority of the miners were unconscious and had to be carried from the car…
From The Pittsburgh Post of January 31, 1907:
SPECIAL TO THE PITTSBURGH POST.
CHARLESTON. W. VA., Jan. 30.-Lying in mangled heaps at the foot of the shaft, the remains of 30 miners in the Stuart mine proved to the first party of explorers to go down the shaft the tremendous force of the explosion of dust that yesterday wrecked the mine and instantly snuffed out their lives.
It was 4 o’clock this afternoon, more than 24 hours after the catastrophe, before such repairs could be completed as rendered it possible for men to go down in the mine and come back alive. A bucked was the makeshift for taking down the first party of rescuers consisting of Fred Dixon, Tom Davis and James Whistle. As they were slowly lowered into the blackness many anxious ones watched and feared that they might not return alive.
Sight of Horror.
When they reached the bottom of the shaft a sight of surpassing horror was presented. The force of the explosion had thrown masses of timbers, mine cars, mules and men into a great sickening heap all around the foot of the shaft. The bodies found were mangled beyond recognition, leaving no hope that any living thing might be discovered in the mine. It was estimated that the remains found in this great heap of debris were those of at least 30 men. It is thought the mutilated remnants may be brought up by daylight. The only body that could be brought up in the bucked was that of John Quack.
At Least 75 in Mine.
It cannot yet be told with absolute certainty how many men were in the mine. It is thought, however, there were at least 75 with a possibility of more.
The company owning the mine has 20 mines and employs a regular inspector, S. S. Cooper, a man of large experience in the business, and especially in gaseous mines. Both he and State Inspector John I. Absolom gave excellent reports of the condition of the mine.
———-
SOURCES
Source for Mother Jones quoting a mine manager:
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=Gj46AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&source=gbs_atb&pg=GBS.PA2630
The Fort Wayne Sentinel
(Fort Wayne, Indiana)
-Feb 4, 1907
https://www.newspapers.com/image/29150033/
Daily News
(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)
-Feb 5, 1907
https://www.newspapers.com/image/75770787/
The Baltimore Sun
(Baltimore, Maryland)
-Jan 27, 1907
https://www.newspapers.com/image/214435679/
The Pittsburgh Post
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
-Jan 31, 1907
https://www.newspapers.com/image/86374377/
IMAGES
Thomas (WV) Mine Disaster, Ft Wayne Sentinel, Feb 4, 1907
https://www.newspapers.com/image/29150033/
Stuart (WV) Mine Disaster, Ptt Pst (PA), Jan 31, 1907
https://www.newspapers.com/image/86374377/
See also:
West Virginia Mine Disasters 1884 to Present:
http://www.wvminesafety.org/disaster.htm
All Mine Disasters in the United States-1907
http://usminedisasters.com/Mine_Disasters/search_all_year.asp?ACC_YEAR=1907&x=19&y=5
Dream of A Miner’s Child – Johnson Mountain Boys