1892 — Jan 7, Osage Coal Mine No. 11, blasting explodes gas and dust, Krebs, OK–>75-100

–>75-100. Blanchard estimated death toll range.

We know from the 2002 Memorial in honor of this mine disaster in Krebs that over 75 people died in that there are 75 identified dead, along with a note honoring “And Unidentified Others Too.” How many of these there were, we have yet to see a definitive accounting.

We see several sources noting exactly 100 or approximately 100. Anytime we see a nice round number like 100, 500 or 1000 we become wary and wonder how likely is it that exactly 100 died. We do not know which source first used 100 as the death-toll, but we speculate it is an approximation, given that the actual number was not known, given the way many bodies were either blown apart or burned beyond recognition, particularly if the victim had no family in Krebs. We speculate that other sources have copied from an original approximation of 100 deaths.

–~200 Hutchinson News, KS. “Horrible! A Frightful Mine Explosion at McAlister, I.T.” 1-8-1892, 1.
— 130 Goshen Daily News, IN. “Scores Killed…in the Indian Territory Mine Disaster.” 1-9-1892, 4.*
—<100 History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, Jan 7, 1892. “Mine Explodes in Oklahoma.” -- 100 Kalisch 1970, p. 334 -- 100 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC. Mining Disasters. 2010. -- 100 US Mine Rescue Assoc. “Osage Coal and Coke Company Mine No. 11 Explosion.” -- >75 Osage Coal and Coke Mine #11 Memorial – Krebs, OK. Listing of names on memorial.*
— 65 Eastern State Journal, White Plains, NY. “History of 1892.” 12-31-1892, p. 1.
— 63 Daily Journal, Logansport, IN. “A Deadly Blast. Further Details…” 1-10-1892, p. 1.*

* Goshen Daily News article notes that this number is the result of “A careful estimate by Assistant Manager Krebs…” and that an additional 200 were injured, “of these at least 100 will die, as they are burned [badly]…” It is clear from the article that the actual number of killed was not known because it was not clear exactly how many people were in the mine. Thus, it is noted, “it is only possible to ascertain their number by a canvass from house to house, which is being made…” This was for many years a common mine disaster problem. Particularly in mines that paid according to the amount of coal produced by individuals, miners “on the payroll.” Miners would bring in sons or relatives, or others whom that would sub-contract, in order to boost their yield and pay. Mining companies would frequently not make an effort, or at least not a serious one, to keep track of these individuals.

*Osage Coal and Coke Mine #11 Memorial (2002): We know that more than seventy-five miners died in that this memorial names 75 miners, with a note “And Unidentified Others Too.” From news accounts of the time we know that many bodies were not identifiable given the nature of their injuries.

*Daily Journal article: The report of 63 fatalities in from a telegram from the Superintendent of the Osage mine, who notes that 63 bodies have been removed and that “there may be five or six more bodies under the heavy mass of slate.” There is no mention of deaths of miners who got out or were rescued with life-threatening burns and other injuries.

Narrative Information

Colliery Engineer: “The mine has always given off a moderate amount of gas. The miners work with naked lights, and the mine is carefully inspected for gas before the miners go to work. Shot firers go into the mine after the miners are out between 6 p.m. and midnight. The entry men are the only miners allowed to fire their own shots, and they are not to commence firing until 5:30 p.m.

“At 5 o’clock hoisting of the men began. Five cages had been raised and 30 men landed on the surface, when a cloud of smoke and dust burst from the shaft. As the fan was undisturbed, the engine was given more steam to increase the speed.

“Rescuers were lowered in a basket. Many man, uninjured or slightly burned walked through the return airways, and escaped by No. 7 shaft.

“As no inspector was appointed for Indian Territory, a committee was appointed who determined that the explosion came from 1 or 2 shots in entry 0 fired at 5:04 p.m. The shots were badly located and blew out, firing the dust.

“The roadway was sprinkled, but much fine dust on the ribs and elsewhere carried the explosion to the shaft.” (Colliery Engineer, February 1892, pp. 160-162. In: US Mine Rescue Association. “Mine Disasters in the United States.”)

History.com: “A massive mine explosion leaves nearly 100 dead in Krebs, Oklahoma, on this day in 1892.”

“The disaster, the worst mining catastrophe in Oklahoma’s history, was mainly due to the mine owner’s emphasis on profits over safety.

“Southeastern Oklahoma was a prime location for mining at the turn of the 19th century. Much of the land belonged to Native Americans and thus was exempt from U.S. federal government laws and regulations. Although the mining company’s indifferent attitude toward safety was well-known, there were more than enough immigrants in the area willing to work in the dangerous conditions at the Krebs mine, where most miners were of Italian and Russian descent.

“The Osage Coal & Mining Company’s No. 11 mine was notorious for its poor conditions. This led to a high turnover of workers, and the company routinely hired unskilled labor, providing little in the way of training to get them up to speed. This was true for even the most dangerous jobs, like handling explosives and munitions.

“In the early evening of January 7, several hundred workers were mining the No. 11 mine when an inexperienced worker accidentally set off a stash of explosives. Approximately 100 miners were burned or buried in the explosion. Another 150 workers suffered serious injuries. Nearly every household in Krebs was directly affected by the tragedy.

“It wasn’t until 2002 that the victims of the Krebs mining disaster were honored by a memorial built at the site of the old mine.” (History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, Jan 7, 1892. “Mine Explodes in Oklahoma.”)

Kalisch: “The next disaster, the worst in Oklahoma mining history, killed 100 men at Mine No. 11 at Krebs on January 7, 1892. At this mine the men who fired the shots to loosen the coal went into the workings after the miners had quit for the day at about 6 p.m. At 5:00 that afternoon, the hoisting of the men out of the mine began. After only five cages had been raised and 30 of the men brought to the surface, a cloud of smoke and dust burst from the shaft. Rescuers were lowered but only a few men escaped alive. It was concluded that a badly placed shot had been prematurely fired and caused an explosion of gas and coal dust which traversed the entire mine. The Krebs disaster was the third worst in the U.S. Mining history up to 1900.

“It was noted that Oklahoma miners often practiced the less safe method of ‘shooting coal from the solid’ with no undercutting beforehand. This tended to scatter dust throughout the mine and the roof was ‘loosened more or less’.” (Kalisch 1970, 334)

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), CDC:
“1/07/1892…No. 11…Krebs OK…100 [killed]…coal [product]…Explosion [type]…UG [underground]…Coal [mining sector].”

United States Mine Rescue Association, “Mine Disasters in the United States”:
“Osage Coal and Coke Company Mine No. 11 Explosion
“Krebs, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma
“January 7, 1892
“No. Killed – 100.”

Waymarking.com. “Osage Coal and Coke Mine #11 Memorial. Krebs, OK. Disaster Memorials:

“A memorial to the disaster at Osage Coal and Coke Mine #11 stands in a turnout on the east side of the street in the 200 block of NW 5th St, Krebs, OK.

“…A massive mine explosion leaves nearly 100 dead in Krebs, Oklahoma [Indian Territory], on this day in 1892. The disaster, the worst mining catastrophe in Oklahoma’s history, was mainly due to the mine owner’s emphasis on profits over safety.

“It wasn’t until 2002 that the victims of the Krebs mining disaster were honored by a memorial built at the site of the old mine.

“The memorial is a tall slab of gray granite, with the following dedication:

“In Memory Of All The Miners Who Lost Their Lives In The Osage Coal & Coke 11 Mine On Jan. 7, 1892 Krebs, IT

“There is a photo of the mine, and the names of those who were killed are listed below:

[Blanchard note: we copied the narrative paragraph-style listing of names, enlarged the font, and broke individual names out, while inserting numbering.]

1. Thos. Bellutti,
2. Louis Blua,
3. Ed Brandon,
4. Frank Charles,
5. Angelo Ciocca,
6. Frank Cioli,
7. Joseph Clark,
8. Peter Collins,
9. Barney Compasso,
10. Jean Compasso,
11. Joseph Corado,
12. Alesso Coranto,
13. Joe Coranto,
14. Gandi Di Giacomo,
15. Michael Di Giacomo,
16. Joseph Edwards,
17. John Fabrizio,
18. Mike Falloth,
19. James Farmer,
20. John Ficcolleti,
21. Angelo Tiocco,
22. Sam N Grenzia,
23. Stephen Garzion,
24. Anthony Genise,
25. Joe Genisio,
26. John Green,
27. Charles Gregori,
28. George Gregori,
29. Peter Gregori,
30. Dominic Gruvetto,
31. George Harbon,
32. John Harley,
33. Frank Hathaway,
34. Wm Hopkins,
35. Lawrence Hunt,
36. Henry Johns,
37. Thos. Kain,
38. Michael Kennedy,
39. Ted Kibble,
40. George Lindsay,
41. John Lindsay,
42. Barney Lorenzo,
43. Robert McConnell,
44. John McDonald,
45. Michael McShane,
46. Michael McShane, Jr.,
47. Joseph Millocho,
48. William Mitchell,
49. Bennett Moss,
50. Peter Mustato,
51. Joel Nicola,
52. Albert Olinger,
53. Antonio Pistoli,
54. Giacomo Pistoti,
55. Pat Powers,
56. James Quinn,
57. John Quinn,
58. Matthew Quinn,
59. Joseph Rocco,
60. William Russell,
61. Lorenzo Santini,
62. Silver Sferra,
63. Latano Sferra,
64. Michael Taletti,
65. Bernard P. Tarochione,
66. Dominic Tarro,
67. Alphonso Theiry,
68. Louis Troube,
69. Louis Troube, Jr.,
70. John Vassallo,
71. Peter Vassello,
72. Steve Vassano,
73. William Walton,
74. John Williams,
75. Patrick Winn

“And Unidentified Others Too.”

Blanchard: At the time the Krebs mine explosion was the 4th worst mining disaster in the U.S. In 2009 it is the 27th worst such disaster.

Newspapers

Jan 8: “Kansas City, Jan. 8. – a special to the Star from McAlister, I.T., says: A most appalling calamity occurred near here last night. There was an explosion in a mine, and, as a result, over two hundred men now lie dead, about forty are fatally hurt and as many more badly burned. At 5:10 p.m. mine No. 11, owned by the Osage Coal and Mining company at Krebs, four and a half miles east of here, exploded. At the time 350 men were in the shaft, most of whom were waiting for the cage to take them out, and the foot of the shaft is now a mass of dead bodies. Eighty-five men came out by the old entry and forty-two were saved by the shaft most of whom are more or less burned and bruised, and half will probably die. This leaves about 223 men yet in the mine, and in all probably 200 are dead.

“At 7:10 a.m. ten bodies were recovered, but only one could be recognized, they were so mutilated. One man escaped out of a shaft 500 feet deep, by working from bracket to bracket, and was saved. Thousands of anxious wives and mothers eagerly watch the cage as it comes to the surface hoping to see their loved ones only to turn away disappointed. The explosion was caused by firing a shot while gas was in the mine. At this hour it is impossible to learn the names of the dead or wounded.
__________

207 Men Unaccounted For.

“St. Louis, Jan. 8. – The officials of the Osage Mining company in this city, the owners of mine No. 11, at Krebs, I.T., where the terrible disaster occurred last night, have received a dispatch from McAlister stating that 143 miners have been taken out of the shaft alive, but many of them are badly injured. As the press dispatch from McAlister states that 350 men were in the shaft, this report leaves 207 men unaccounted for. The miners were all white men.” (Hutchinson News, KS. “Horrible! A Frightful Mine Explosion at McAlister, I.T. Over Two Hundred Lives Supposed to Have Been Lost. Many Miners Imprisoned, With All Hopes of Escape Cut Off.” 1-8-1892, p. 1.)

Jan 9: “South McAllister, I.T., Jan. 9. – The horrors of the Diamond mine disaster at Braidwood, Ill., about eight years ago, were reenacted here Thursday night and Friday except that in this instance fire instead of flood was the instrument of destruction. As the miners were preparing to leave shaft No. 11 at Krebs, 5 miles from here, operated by the Osage Coal & Mining Company, shortly after 5 o’clock Friday evening, a terrific explosion occurred spreading death among 400 or more miners at work. It is impossible at present to obtain any accurate information as to the number of the lives lost or persons injured, but it is known that at least 100 men are entombed in the mine, and it is only possible to ascertain their number by a canvass from house to house, which is being made by a committee appointed for the purpose.

“A careful estimate by Assistant Manager Krebs places the dead at 130 and the injured at 200. Of these at least 100 will die, as they are burned so that the flesh is dropping from their bones. At 11 o’clock Friday night forty-nine bodies had been recovered from the shaft. Of these twenty-three had been identified….

“No attempt can yet be made to explore the mine. At every landing dead and dying are taken out. Many bodies are so burned that they are not recognizable by anyone. Fully fifty have been taken out still alive and placed in the nearest homes, but of these five cannot live. The burns are all of wide area, not to speak of the effects of the inhalation of gasses by the unfortunates. There are now thirty bodies in the blacksmith shop awaiting disposal or identification.

“There are two encouraging facts which urge the rescuers on to the work. No fire followed the explosion – at least there have been no signs of any – and there are known to be live men entombed in the tunnel behind fallen boulders. The rescuers can hear faint knockings and far off shoutings. They are digging in the direction whence the sounds come and hope yet to rescue some of the men alive.

“The mines have long been regarded as dangerous, as there are few escapes and the ground is very gasy. The exact cause of the fearful catastrophe is not known as yet, but it is believed by those who escaped to have been caused by a premature explosion, which took place before the usual safety precautions could be taken.” (Goshen Daily News, IN. “Scores Killed. Awful Loss of Life in the Indian Territory Mine Disaster.” 1-9-1892, p. 4.)

Jan 9: “St. Louis, Jan. 9 – A telegram received from Superintendent Cameron, of the Osage mine at Krebs, says that all the bodies that have been found have been removed from the mine. There may be five or six more bodies under the heavy mass of slate which was dislodged by the explosion. The superintendent says he has six exploring parties at work.

Sixty-Tree Dead.

“The death list will prove a great deal smaller than first reported. The list now stands sixty-three dead and about one hundred injured. Thirty coffins were sent from her Friday night and an order for thirty-five more has just been received.

“Those who first went down the hoisting shaft after the explosion describe the scene as terribly revolting. Legs, arms and headless bodies were lying in a mass at the bottom of the shaft and scattered all over the various approaches. Twenty-four bodies were found at that point, but only six of them could be identified. Six small boys, names unknown, who were tending the fans, were killed outright and were found dead at their posts.

Cause of the Disaster.

“It has been learned that the explosion was caused by George Lowery exploding what is known as a window shot. Fleming, the mining expert and former superintendent of the mine, but now general manager of the Southwest Coal and Improvement Company, of Colgate, I.T., says the men who fired the shot were to blame for the disaster, for they should not have fired until all the men were out of the mine. They fired the shot at 5:07 when they should have waited until 5:30. Had they done this there would have been only four or five men in the shaft and not more than four or five deaths would have resulted from the explosion.

“The entire neighboring country is offering help to the sufferers. Secret order lodges are sending committees as relief corps and everything is being done for the alleviation of the wounded and grief-stricken families.” (Daily Journal, Logansport, IN. “A Deadly Blast. Further Details of the Indian Territory Mine Explosion.” 1-10-1892, p. 1.)

Dec 31: “January 8. 65 deaths from fire damp [gas] explosion at Krebs, I.T. [Indian Territory]; injured, 115.” (Eastern State Journal, White Plains, NY. “History of 1892 – The Chronological Record of a Memorable Year….Demons of Destruction.” 12-31-1892, p. 1.)

Sources

Daily Journal, Logansport, IN. “A Deadly Blast. Further Details of the Indian Territory Mine Explosion.” 1-10-1892, p. 1. Accessed 2-7-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-journal-jan-10-1892-p-1/

Eastern State Journal, White Plains, NY. “History of 1892 – The Chronological Record of a Memorable Year….Demons of Destruction.” 12-31-1892, p. 1. Accessed 2-6-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/white-plains-eastern-state-journal-dec-31-1892-p-1/

Goshen Daily News, IN. “Scores Killed. Awful Loss of Life in the Indian Territory Mine Disaster.” 1-9-1892, p. 4. Accessed 2-7-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/goshen-daily-news-jan-09-1892-p-4/

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, January 7, 1892. “Mine Explodes in Oklahoma.” Accessed 12-6-2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=01/07&categoryId=disaster

Hutchinson News, KS. “Horrible! A Frightful Mine Explosion at McAlister, I.T. Over Two Hundred Lives Supposed to Have Been Lost. Many Miners Imprisoned, With All Hopes of Escape Cut Off.” 1-8-1892, p. 1. Accessed 2-7-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/hutchinson-news-jan-08-1892-p-1/

Kalisch, Philip A. “Ordeal of the Oklahoma Coal Miners,” pp. 331-340 in Chronicles of Oklahoma, Vol. XVLIII, No. 3. 1970. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=1TMUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA338&dq=Bureau+of+Mines+Bulletin+586&ei=OL1eSdaRFYPmzATs-ZS_BA#PPA263,M1

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 2-7-2022 at: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NIOSH-Mining/MMWC/MineDisasters/Table

United States Mine Rescue Association. “Osage Coal and Coke Company Mine No. 11 Explosion.” Mine Disasters in the United States webpage. Accessed 2-7-2022 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/mine11.htm