Monongah Mine Disaster...We have covered this story before, but it is worth repeating. This was the worst mine disaster in American history. When I lived in Fairmont, I lived about 2 miles from this site. There was no indication this coal mine ever existed. I have been in a coal mine twice and I never want to go in one again. On Friday December 6, 1907 there were officially 367 men in the two mines. At 10:28 AM an explosion occurred that killed most of the men inside the mine instantly. Officially, the lives of 362 workers including children were lost in the underground explosion, leaving 250 widows and more than 1,000 children fatherless. In October 1964 Reverend Everett Francis Briggs stated that a fairer estimate of the victims of the Monongah Disaster would be upward of 500. This estimate is corroborated by the research of Davitt McAteer, Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Administration at the United States Department of Labor. The blast caused considerable damage to both the mine and the surface. The ventilation systems, necessary to keep fresh air supplied to the mine, were destroyed along with many railcars and other equipment. Inside the mine the timbers supporting the roof were blown down which caused further issues as the roof collapsed. An official cause of the explosion was not determined, but investigators at the time believed that an electrical spark or one of the miners open flame lamps ignited coal dust or methane explosions. For more info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monongah_Mining_disaster youtube/watch?v=FA3Royf9_zM
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 04:29:21 +0000
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