1926 — March 8, Crab Orchard No. 5 Coal Mine Gas and Dust Explosion, Eccles, WV– 19
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 3-14-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–20 Fayette Tribune, “Eccles Mine Explosion Monday Evening 20 Dead,” March 10, 1926.
–19 Bureau of Mines, US Dept. Commerce. Report on the Mine Explosion in Eccles No. 5 Mine… p48
–19 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC. Mining Disasters.
–19 West Virginia Div. of Culture and History. April 28, 1914/1924: Benwood Coal Mine…
–19 United States Mine Rescue Assoc. Mine Disasters in the United States. Crab Orchard No.5.
Narrative Information
Bureau of Mines. Report on the Mine Explosion in Eccles No. 5 Mine of the Crab Orchard Improvement Company, Eccles, West Virginia:
“Brief statement. About 6:55 p.m., Monday, March 8, 1926, an explosion occurred in the Eccles No. 5 Mine of the Crab Orchard Improvement Company at Eccles, West Virginia, and extended into No. 6 Mine which was mining a superimposed coal bed. Eighteen men were killed and 10 men were rescued in No. 5 Mine and one man was killed and 59 men escaped in No. 6 Mine.
….
“In the opinion of the writer the direct cause of the explosion was the ignition of a body of gas which had accumulated at or near the face of the short entry being driven towards the Main North West Headings from 2nd Left off A 1, by an arc from the cutting machine found at the face of the entry. Also the machine-man evidently neglected to make an examination for gas before he ran his machine into the heading. The gas explosion raised and ignited the coal dust in the various rooms and entries, thereby propagating the explosion through that part of the mine north and northwest of No. 5 Shaft….”
Newspaper
March 10: “….The dead who have been identified were: [incomplete listing]
- L. C. Blair, married, five children
- P. J. Click, married, four children
- J. A. Hendricks, married, five children
- George Hilton, single
- George Keith, married, five children
- L. S. Lybrooks, negro, married, three children
- W. A. Mullins, married, one child
- Clyde Muncie, married, four children
- Arch Price, married, three children
- K. H. Russel, married, no children
“Those unaccounted for after last night’s rescue were:
- William Cyrus, married, two children
- Edgar Clay, married, three children
- William Dickey, married, one child
- M. G. Holt, single
- Arthus Wilkens, married, one child
- G. H. Young, single
(Charleston Daily Mail, WV. “Ten Miners are Rescued after Barricading Selves from Deadly After Damp.” 3-10-1926.)
Sources
Bureau of Mines, United States Dept. of Commerce. Report on the Mine Explosion in Eccles No. 5 Mine of the Crab Orchard Improvement Company, Eccles, West Virginia. Accessed 3-14-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/crab_orchard_1926.pdf
Charleston Daily Mail, WV. “Ten Miners are Rescued after Barricading Selves from Deadly After Damp.” 3-10-1926. Accessed 3-14-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/crab_orchard_news_only.htm
Fayette Tribune, “Eccles Mine Explosion Monday Evening 20 Dead,” March 10, 1926. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com
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
United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. “Crab Orchard Improvement Company, Crab Orchard No. 5 Mine Explosion, Eccles, Raleigh County, West Virginia, March 8, 1926, No. Killed – 19.” Accessed 3-14-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/crab_orchard_news_only.htm
West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Time Trail, West Virginia. “April 28, 1914/1924: Eccles/Benwood Coal Mine Disasters.” Accessed at: http://www.wvculture.org/history/timetrl/ttapr.html#0407