1891 – Jan 27, Gas explosion (“fire damp”), Mammoth coal mine No. 1, Mammoth, PA–>109

–>109 Blanchard.*
— 109 Cole (Mine Safety and Health Administration, District 4). “History of MSHA,” slide 4.
— 109 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 312.
— 109 ExplorePAhistory.com. Mammoth Mine Explosion Historical Marker. Accessed 5-21-2020.
— 109 Mine Safety & Health Admin. Historical Coal Mine Disasters in the Anthracite Region.
— 109 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC. Mining Disasters. 2010.
— 108 Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “Not Ready To Talk. Mine Inspectors Unable…” 1-30-1891, p.1.
— 100 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 92.
–>100 Willsey and Lewis. “Pennsylvania,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, p. 619.

* While 109 was the official death toll, a reading of the Pittsburg Dispatch of Jan 30, when the death toll was thought to be 108, discloses, just after the discovery of a dead boy in the mine, that “there are undoubtedly some bodies under the debris. There are four Hungarians missing, a trapper, two diggers and a hauler…” Our experience with reporting on other mine disasters at the time and for a long time to come, was that there were at times people in mines other than those officially on the mine payroll. Fathers would bring their sons or other relatives or “subcontractors” to help, particularly when pay was based not on hours worked but on tonnage attributed to a miner. Sometimes salesmen were in a mine, etc. Thus while there may well have been exactly 109 deaths, we use the symbol “>” to indicate “at least” 109 deaths.

Narrative Information

Cole: “Congress responded [to this and other recent mine disasters] March 3, 1891 – ‘An Act for the Protection of the Lives of Miners in the Territories.’ First federal statute for mine safety. (Cole, History of MSHA, slide 4)

• Established minimum ventilation requirements at underground coal mines.
• Prohibited operators from employing children under 12 years of age.
• No Enforcement Provisions. (Cole, History of MSHA, slide 5)

Willsey: “Over 100 miners killed by an explosion of fire-damp in the shaft of Frick & Co.’s coke works, near Mt. Pleasant…27 Jan. 1891.” (Willsey. “Pennsylvania,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, p. 619.)
Newspapers

Jan 27: “(From a Staff Correspondent.) Mammoth, Pa., Jan. 27. – ‘More volunteers to go down the shaft,’ yelled a grimy-faced man at the shaft entrance to the Mammoth No. 1 mine, as he flashed his torch in the countenances of the men who crowded around. There was no lack of response, for down in the bowels of the earth lay the bodies of over a hundred of their comrades.

“At 9 o’clock this morning occurred the worst disaster ever known in a bituminous coal mine in the State of Pennsylvania, if, indeed, it was ever equaled in this country. Mammoth was the scene of the catastrophe.
The Scene of the Disaster.

“At this place on the Sewickley branch of the Southwestern division of the Pennsylvania Railroad are located the mammoth mines and coke works of H. C. Frick & Co. There are two mines, No. 1 and No. 2. The form4r is entered by a shaft 107 feet deep, and the latter by a slope. The two mines are connected by interior workings.

“Gas, or fire damp, the bane of a coal miner’s life, was remarkable here for its absence. No trace of it had ever been found, and for that reason the common coal diggers’ lamp was used.

“Early in the morning Fire Boss William Smith had made his tour of the mines, in accordance with the laws of the State, and had found everything apparently in the best of order.

Going to Work for the Last Time.

“The men were ordered to work – 110 of them is estimated – and went down the pit shaft where in so short a time they were to meet their death, with laughter and with jests.

“A few minutes after 9 o’clock there was a dull rumbling sound like the dim mutterings of thunder behind distant hills, a cloud of smoke and dust shot up the shaft of Mammoth No. 1, 50 feet above the tall derrick and slowly settled down.

“For a few moments there was silence, and then the workers from Mammoth No. 2 began pouring out of the slope and rushing toward the shaft of No. 1. Many of these men had been bruised and shaken up by the force of an explosion, but none were injured seriously.

Discovery of the Deadly Fire Damp.

“Superintendent George Keighley called for volunteers, and at once 20 men stepped forward and were lowered down the shaft in the cage, which had not been injured by the explosion. When the party reached the bottom of the shaft, one glance, and the odor of the deadly fire damp was enough. Death lurked in these underground corridors. He had seized all he found there and was clamoring for more victims.

“The party returned to the top of the shaft and the ventilating fan, one of the most powerful in use at any coal mine, was at once started up at its utmost speed.

“Again Superintendent Keighley and his party descended. The force of the explosion was visible on every hand. The coal wagons used in the mines were splintered to pieces in some cases. In other places several of them had been jammed together in a solid mass. Mules were seen which had been driven against the ribs of the workings with such force that their bodies had utterly lost all semblance to the living reality. Here and there lay human bodies.

Appearances of the Human Victims.

“Some were mutilated and all were blackened by the deadly flame which had swept through the works. The bodies of those who had been killed by the effects of the explosion lay in distorted attitudes while others, who had apparently escaped the flame and concussion, but had rushed from the rooms in which they were working into the flats had succumbed to the stealthy, suffocating fire damp.

“There they were, some at full length with heads resting upon their hand as if asleep, others face downward with their heads in pools of water. One man had climbed into a wagon which had not been wrecked, and there, with his dinner bucket by his side, had laid down as if to dream of pleasant things.

“Enough had been seen for experienced miners to know that all the men in flats Nos. 2, 3 and 4 of the No. 1 Mammoth mine had perished.

Spreading the Sad Intelligence.

“General Manager Thomas Lynch at once notified the managers of the other coal mines belonging to H. C. Frick & Co., and sent messengers to Mt. Pleasant, Greensburg, Scottdale and surrounding towns for physicians. Drs. Wilson, Painter, Brown, Myers, McCormack and Clark at once responded and while they could render no aid to the dead took charge of the arrangement of the bodies, attended the rescuers who were overcome while working in the still foul mine, and helped in many instances to distinguish traces of humanity in the heaps of debris which the less-learned miners were passing unheeded. The physicians took their turns below nothing daunted by the unaccustomed danger and worked with a vim.

“….50 coffins were brought from Pittsburg, with a similar consignment to follow to-morrow….

“As soon as the mine experts had arrived a systematic plan for the recovery of the bodies was agreed upon. The first party went down the shaft to the Forrest flat No. 4. Three hundred feet from the shaft they found a wall of earth, coal wagon and human bodies which blocked further progress. This was tunneled through and the party turned off at right angles along a haulage road. At the extremity of this was found a man with his head completely blown from his body.

Some of the Rescuers Overcome.

“At this point several of the party, among them Superintendents Robert Ramsey and Laird, were overcome by the after damp, and had to be carried back to purer air. The entrance to each room opening into three flats was hastily closed with brattices to give a clearer sweep to the air being forced into the mine, and a few of them were explored.

“In the haulage road of No. 4 flat 35 bodies were found, and 15 were counted in one heap in flat No. 2. One man had both legs blown off. The body of a boy was found with a stick driven through his arm. Fire Boss W. Snaith was torn almost to pieces, and a rubber boot was found still encasing the foot and leg of a miner. The big pumps, which lift tons of water out at a time, were broken and scattered as if they had been made of straw.

The First Body Brought to Light.

“It was but a few minutes after the explosion when the first body reached the surface. It was still warm, but life was utterly extinct. The next man brought up appeared to be still breathing, but the utmost exertions of the physicians failed to resuscitate the victim.

“Then commenced the dismal procession of the dead, to which rank after rank is added as the cage comes to the surface. All day long it moved across the open lot in front of the shaft, and as the daylight faded and the darkness of night settled down upon the frowning hills the line of stretchers, almost unbroken, kept passing from the shaft to the building which had been hastily utilized as a morgue.

“The morgue is a roomy two-story frame structure, formerly used as a residence by former superintendent. It is a roomy building, and the bodies were taken into what had formerly been the sitting room. Here the undertakers with sleeves rolled up and swathed in apronts, endeavored to bring back to the maimed, scorched and blackened bodies some semblance of their former appearance.

“Then they were garbed in black shrouds and laid out on the long back porch. The porch was soon filled with bodies, 20 lying in a row at one time. The caskets were brought up, and as soon as a corpse was identified it was placed in a neat black walnut casket and the vacant place occupied by a new arrival.” (Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “A Horror Without Parallel.” 1-28-1891, p. 1.)

Jan 28: “Mammoth, Jan. 28. – Mammoth mine No. 1 has yielded up the bodies of 107 victims of the explosion and afterdamp and 79 have been returned to the earth in the little cemetery at Scottdale. The work of the rescuers was continued with unflagging energy from within a few minutes after the explosion occurred on Tuesday morning until noon to-day. Then Superintendent Keighley came out of the mine and said: ‘We can find no more bodies. I think we have got all of them out, with perhaps the exception of one or two who may be buried under the piles of debris piled together by the force of the explosion. It will take several days to clear this away. I am going home to sleep for a few hours.’

An Inspection of the Mine.

“During the day the mine was inspected by Mine Inspectors William Jenkins, of the Second district, Davis, of the Pittsburg district, Black, of the Fourth district, and ex-Inspectors August Steinert, Captain Schoomaker and General Manager Lynch. They arrived at the conclusion that the danger was over and that within a week or 10 days work would be resumed in the mine.

“Mine Inspector Jenkins, within whose jurisdiction this mine comes, was asked for a statement this evening in regard to the accident. He said, although with some reluctance: ‘We have carried out 107 dead men, and we can see no more bodies in the mine, still there may be some there yet, buried under piles of coal and earth caused by the explosion. I only know of one mine explosion which equaled this in its fatal results, and that was at Avondale in 1869, when 109 men were killed. The mine is all right, and as soon as all the after damp is forced out through the slope of No. 2, we can start work to repair whatever damage may have been done. I could not give an explanation of all the causes leading up to the explosion….

“There is no question but that, as stated in yesterday’s dispatches, the ordinary naked lamps and not the safety ones were used by the miners in the Mammoth. The officials explain this by stating that the pit was believed to be entirely free from gas.” (Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “A Little Gas in No. 3 Flat Found to have been the Immediate Cause of the Mammoth Horror. Just 107 Bodies Have Been Recovered…” 1-29-1891, p. 1.)

Jan 29: “(From a Staff Correspondent.). Mammoth, Pa., Jan. 29. – The frightful disaster on Tuesday will result in abolishing the torchlight from the mines of the bituminous region, and in making the use of safety lamps imperative. This is the general opinion of the miners of Mammoth, and is indorsed by Mine Inspectors William Duncan, Thomas R. Adams, James Blick and William Jenkins, and ex-Inspector Davies.

“The Mine Inspectors seemed troubled today, the mine officials were reticent, and the atmosphere was impregnated with anxiety and apprehension. Here and there about the works stood knots of gloomy men talking in undertones of a public ball held at Mammoth on Monday night…

“Mine Inspectors Blick and Adams were interviewed immediately upon their ascension from the pit this afternoon. They were very reticent, would volunteer no information and were not eager to answer direct questions. The conversation went this way: ‘Have you found the vein of gas which caused the explosion, Inspectors?’ ‘No.’

Only One Fire Boss.

“‘Is it true that on the third flat, where a pillar had been withdrawn, a big block of slate, four feet thick, had fallen from the roof and exposed the rock?’ ‘Yes; I believe it is,’ replied Inspector Blick.

“‘Doesn’t the gas in such mines as these always come from the rock?’

“‘Generally it does.’

“‘Is it still coming into the mine?’

“‘There is no gas in the mine now.’….

No Opinion to Express.

“‘Then you cannot say what caused the explosion, or whether it was the result of negligence?’

“‘No; we are here just to help Mr. Jenkins, the Inspector in this district. He will make a report to the Secretary of Internal Affairs, and I presume he will testify at the inquest on Thursday….

“The body of Andrew Loras, a Bohemian boy, was found early this morning. It was lying in the mud in the fourth flat, and had been overlooked. The falls have not yet been cleared away, and there are undoubtedly some bodies under the debris. There are four Hungarians missing, a trapper, two diggers and a hauler, and how many others may be found can only be conjectured. Several of the men around the shaft insist that there are 20 or 30 bodies still in the pit.

“The company’s clerks yesterday prepared a list, giving the names of 92 of the 108 killed. Thirty-one of the victims leave wives and families, and 61 of those identified, and probably all the unidentified, are single….” (Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “Not Ready To Talk. Mine Inspectors Unable or Unwilling to Explain the Causes Which Led to the Mammoth Disaster.” 1-30-1891, p. 1.)

Sources

Cole, Jesse P. (MSHA District 4 Manager). “History of MSHA,” Leadership Intensive Course Mine Safety and Health Administration. No date. 48 slides. Accessed 1-11-2009 at: http://www.usmra.com/repository/category/mining/modified_History_of_MSHA.ppt#256,1

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

ExplorePAhistory.com. Mammoth Mine Explosion Historical Marker. Accessed 5-21-2020 at: https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-2CA

Mine Safety and Health Administration. Historical Coal Mine Disasters in the Anthracite Region (District 1 – Coal Mine Safety and Health). Arlington, VA: MSHA, U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed 1-3-2009 at: http://www.msha.gov/District/Dist_01/Fatals/HISTFAT.HTM

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Safety and Health Research.. Mining Disasters (Incidents with 5 or more Fatalities). NIOSH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2-26-2013 update. Accessed at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/disall.htm
and http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/content/allminingdisasters.html

Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “A Horror Without Parallel.” 1-28-1891, p. 1. Accessed 5-21-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/pittsburgh-dispatch-jan-28-1891-p-1/

Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “A Little Gas in No. 3 Flat Found to have been the Immediate Cause of the Mammoth Horror. Just 107 Bodies Have Been Recovered…” 1-29-1891, p. 1. Accessed 5-21-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/pittsburgh-dispatch-jan-29-1891-p-1/

Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “Not Ready To Talk. Mine Inspectors Unable or Unwilling to Explain the Causes Which Led to the Mammoth Disaster.” 1-30-1891, p. 1. Accessed 5-21-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/pittsburgh-dispatch-jan-30-1891-p-1/

Simonds, W. E. (Editor). The American Date Book. Kama Publishing Co., 1902, 211 pages. Google digital preview accessed 9-8-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JuiSjvd5owAC

Willsey, Joseph H. (Compiler), Charlton T. Lewis (Editor). Harper’s Book of Facts: A Classified History of the World. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1895. Accessed 9-4-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=UcwGAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false