1913 — Oct 22, Stag Canon No. 2 Coal Mine over-blast & dust explosion, Dawson, NM– 263

— 263 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 315.
— 263 Mason. Preliminary Report on Explosion at Stag Canon Mine…Dawson, New Mexico.
— 263 Mine Safety and Health Administration, DOL. Historical Data on Mine Disasters. 2008
— 263 National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996.
— 263 NFPA. U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. December 2008, p. 24.
— 263 Rice, G.S. U.S. Bureau of Mines Report; in US Mine Rescue Association website.
284 men in the mine at the time of the explosion.
-14 men who were in unaffected section and came out safely
270
-9 men found unconscious near bottom of airshaft and rescued
261
+2 Helmeted rescuers who ran out of air.
263
— 263 United States Mine Rescue Assoc. Mine Disasters in the [US]. “…Stag Canon No. 2…”
— 261 Chicago Daily News Almanac & Yearbook 1919, “Great Mining Disasters…,” p. 169.
— 261 History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, October 22, 1913. Coal Mine Explodes…

Narrative Information

History.com: “A coal mine explosion in Dawson, New Mexico, kills more than 250 workers on this day in 1913. A heroic rescue effort saved 23 others, but also cost two more people their lives.

“The coal mine, where 284 workers were on duty on October 22, was owned by Phelps, Dodge and Company. At exactly 3 p.m., a tremendous explosion ripped through the Stag Canyon Fuel Company’s number-two mine. The entire town could feel a jolt from the explosion and many immediately rushed to the scene. The cause of the explosion was typical of many early coal-mine disasters–a pocket of methane gas had been ignited by a miner’s lamp.

“The explosion blocked the mouth of the mine shaft with rocks, timber and other debris so effectively that it took rescuers eight hours to move 100 feet into the shaft. The rescue effort was further complicated when the fans that were bringing fresh air down the shaft broke and took hours to repair. Still, the emergency crews worked feverishly for two days, digging through the coal and debris and finding scores of bodies. Two rescuers died from gas inhalation during the operation.

“Finally, the rescue team found a group of 23 miners who had managed to survive. Many had broken bones and some suffered from illnesses related to gas exposure, but they were pulled out alive before a cheering crowd. Two hundred and sixty-one workers were not so fortunate.

“Thousands of early miners died around the world in similar disasters before battery-powered lamps greatly reduced the number of methane-gas explosions in mines.” (History.com. This Day in History, Disasters, October 22, 1913, “Coal Mine Explodes in New Mexico.”)

Rice/U.S. Bureau of Mines: “The mine, opened by drifts, employed about 300 men. Coal was undercut, mostly by machine but some by hand-pick mining. Permissible explosives were used, fired electronically from outside. The mine was dry, and sprays were placed at intervals to wet the dust; they were not effective beyond 6 feet. The mine was usually free from firedamp except for occasional pockets, coming from the roof. Open lights were used.

“At about 3 p.m. blasts carrying smoke and dust burst out of the main openings. The explosion doors and one side of the fan house were blown out but were repaired in less than 2 hours.

“Of the 284 men in the mine, 14 from an unaffected section came out safely, and nine others, unconscious near the bottom of the airshaft, were rescued by an apparatus crew about 8 p.m. They were revived by the use of pulmotors.

“Two helmet men were lost that night when they overtaxed the oxygen supply by overexertion and going in farther than instructed. The oxygen was supplied at a fixed rate and when they tried to remove the oxygen bottles to breathe from them, they were overcome by afterdamp.

“The explosion originated in a dusty pillar section where an overcharged shot had been fired. The explosion was propagated by coal dust along the haulage roads and into most of the workings, except where water and inert dust in the roads caused it to die away.

“The violence was not great, but cars were wrecked in some places and most of the stoppings blown out. Dynamite was used in blasting rock and may have been used in the pillar shot. The use of permissible explosives for all blasting, blasting only after the shift, and use of rock dust with the watering system were recommended.

Newspapers

Oct 22: “Raton, N.M., Oct 22. – An explosion, believed to have been caused by lack damp, entombed 280 miners in Mine No. 2, of the Stag Canon property at Dawson late this afternoon, according to a report received here which called for aid in rescue work. The explosion is said to have occurred deep in the mine, and though 100 feet of progress tonight has been made by the rescuers in their fight against the debris which has choked the mine entrance, only a few mangled bodies have been recovered and it is believed that blockades exist for hundreds of feet further into the mine.

“Aid has been summoned from Yankee, Sugarite, Koehler and Van Houten. The mine at Dawson is one of the largest in the district and the entire day shift, including General Superintendent McDermott, are said to have been caught by the explosion. According to reports here it is said that little hope is entertained for the rescue of the entombed men alive.

“Dawson is a town of about 1,500 inhabitants and is situated near the northern line of New Mexico. Coal mining in its chief industry.” (Albuquerque Morning Journal, NM. “Black Damp is Believed to Have Caused Horror; Little Probability of Rescuing Any of the Victims.” 10-23-1913, p. 1.)

Oct 22: “Dawson, N.M., Oct. 22. Two hundred and eighty miners were entombed in shaft No. 2 of the Stag Canon mine here when an explosion occurred at the property at 3 o’clock this afternoon, according to an unofficial estimate of the number of me employed in the mine. Two of this number, found on an upper level, were taken from the mine tonight and rescuers now are arriving from all parts of the southern Colorado Coal field. The day shift, working on shaft No. 2, numbered 280 men.

“The cause of the explosion is said to be as yet unknown. Fire has not broken out, though smoke is seen issuing from the second level of the shaft. It is believed by rescuers that this is smoke from the explosion and not from a fire….

“As yet, it is reported, there is nothing to indicate whether the 278 miners are dead or alive and the rescuers are working frantically to supply air to the buried miners. Reports from the mine do not state at which level the explosion occurred, simply that the mine shaft is blocked from the second level.

“The mine property is owned by the Phelps-Dodge company of New York….” (Albuquerque Morning Journal, NM. “Explosion in Dawson Coal Mine Entombs Two Hundred and Eight Men.” 10-23-1913, p. 1.)

Oct 23: “Dawson, N.M., Oct. 23. – Fourteen bodies have been removed and seven men have been found alive by rescuers early this morning working in shaft No. 2, of the Stag Canon mine, where an explosion yesterday afternoon entombed the day shift variously given as numbering 230 to 280 men…..”(Albuquerque Morning Journal, NM. “14 Bodies Removed and Seven Miners Found Alive at 2 A.M. Today; Death List Sure to Be Appalling.” 10-23-1913, p. 1.)

Sources

Albuquerque Morning Journal, NM. “14 Bodies Removed and Seven Miners Found Alive at 2 A.M. Today; Death List Sure to Be Appalling.” 10-23-1913, p. 1.)

Albuquerque Morning Journal, NM. “Black Damp is Believed to Have Caused Horror; Little Probability of Rescuing Any of the Victims.” 10-23-1913, p. 1. Accessed 5-28-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/albuquerque-morning-journal-oct-23-1913-p-1/

Albuquerque Morning Journal, NM. “Explosion in Dawson Coal Mine Entombs Two Hundred and Eight Men.” 10-23-1913, p. 1. Accessed 5-28-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/albuquerque-morning-journal-oct-23-1913-p-1/

Chicago Daily News Almanac and Yearbook 1919. James Langland, (Ed.). Chicago: Chicago Daily News Company. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=f6l-dsvnjhEC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

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

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, October 22, 1913. “Coal Mine Explodes in New Mexico.” Accessed 12-08-2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=10/22&categoryId=disaster

Mason, H. D. Jr. Preliminary Report [to G. S. Rice, Chief Mining Engineer] on Explosion at Stag Canon Mine of the Phelps Dodge Co., Dawson, New Mexico, October 22, 1913. Midland, Ark. Accessed 5-28-2020 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/stag_canon_1913.pdf

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Historical Data on Mine Disasters in the United States. Arlington, VA: MSHA, U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed 10-5-2008 at: http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/FactSheets/MSHAFCT8.HTM

National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996. Accessed 2010 at: http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1

National Fire Protection Association (John Hall, Jr.). U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 31 pages, December 2008.

United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. “Phelps Dodge and Company Stag Canon No. 2 Mine Explosion.” Accessed 5-28-2020 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/stag_cannon.htm