1929 – May 27, Connellsville Coal Mine gas and dust explosion, Yolande, AL      —     10

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 2-8-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–10  Bureau of Mines, US DOC. May 27, 1929; Connellsville Mine, Yolande, Ala.; 10 Killed.

–10  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC. Mine Disasters.

–10  United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. Yolande.

Narrative Information

Bureau of Mines, US DOC. May 27, 1929; Connellsville Mine, Yolande, Ala.; 10 Killed:

“At 5:15 p. m. a blower fan in the right slope aircourse stopped when power was cut off by a low voltage release. The mine foreman restarted the blower and came outside. A main fan at the top of the manway slope also stopped and was not restarted until about 8:15 p.m.

 

“The night shift of 12 men went into the mine about 6 p.m., the night boss going with them without making a fireboss run ahead of the men or before the explosion at 7: 25 p. m. Six men were killed by flame and violence and 3 by afterdamp; 2 that were badly burned were rescued. One died 2 days later. One man escaped uninjured. Help was called, and rescuers entered by the manway slope after starting the fan. Oxygen breathing apparatus was used to recover one body.

 

“The working places had been driven too far ahead of air, the ventilating current was loosely conducted by curtains, and blowers and fans were operated intermittently. Examinations for gas were made only irregularly, although gas had been detected in the explosion area for several days.

 

“The explosion originated at a hoist on 1 right after gas accumulated because of the interrupted ventilation and was ignited by starting to operate a hoist. The explosion was spread by coal dust but was localized by rock dust and water.”

 

United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. Yolande:

 

“The deceased: [1]

  • Phillip Green
  • Eugene Herring
  • Grover Herring
  • Marcus Hulsey
  • Henry Kelley
  • Will Kelley
  • Will Kimbrell
  • Charley Patterson
  • Allen Pearson
  • John Turner

Sources

 

Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of Commerce. May 27, 1929; Connellsville Mine, Yolande, Ala.; 10 Killed (excerpt in United States Mine Rescue Association Connellsville Mine page). Accessed 2-9-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/1929_Connellsville_AL_report.pdf

 

NIOSH (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

Re-accessed 2-9-2025 at: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NIOSH-Mining/MMWC/MineDisasters/Table

 

United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. Yolande Connellsville Coal Corporation, Connellsville Mine Explosion, Yolande, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, May 27, 1929, No. Killed – 10.” Accessed 2-9-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/connellsville_news_only.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Cites as the source: Alabama Mining Accidents, 1891-1999