1931 – Jan 28, Gas Explosion, Little Betty Coal Mine, Dugger, near Linton, IN — 28
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 1-20-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 30 Logansport Press, IN. “Mine Explosion Kills 30.” 1-29-1931, p. 1.
— 30 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).
— 29 Kokomo Tribune, IN. “Seven Are Rescued in Linton Mine Disaster…” 1-29-1931.
— 29 Logansport Press, IN. “Blast Rivals Rail Wreck as Worst State Disaster.” 11-2-1963, 5.
— 29 Logansport Press, IN. “Mine Blast Dead 29; Seven Rescued Alive.” 1-30-1931, p. 1.
— 28 American National Red Cross. The Linton, Indiana, Mine Explosion. July 1931, p. 1.
— 28 Blanchard note on fatalities.[1]
— 28 Logansport Pharos Tribune, IN. “Resume Operations at Scene of Blast.” 2-2-1931, 10.
— 28 McCormick. “Historical Perspective: Coal mine disaster 80 years ago kills 28.” 12-4-2011.
— 28 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC. Mining Disasters. 2010.
— 28 United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. Little Betty.
Narrative Information
McCormick: “….A methane gas explosion at 2:57 p.m., on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 1931, propagated by coal dust at the Little Betty mine, five miles southwest of Linton, was the worst mining disaster in Greene County annals. When the dust cleared, 28 men were dead. It could have been much worse. The explosion occurred at the time that shifts were changing. There were only 38 men in the mine at the time of the blast.
“As mine explosions go, it was not particularly violent. Immediately afterwards, rescue crews were organized from men going off and coming on duty. Within a few hours, men from nearby mines joined them. At least 125 volunteers participated. An impromptu hospital was arranged in the mine office and several local doctors and two nurses from the Freeman County Hospital provided first aid.
“The first 11 casualties were reached early in the evening and brought to the surface at 7:03 p.m. A few were still alive. The remaining 27 were believed dead. At 6:30 a.m. the following morning a rescue party discovered that seven men — William Bedwell, Herman Brown, Jesse Crouse, Otis Hale, Charles Love, Ben Snyder and Juie (sic) Wellington — were saved by blocking themselves off in a gallery away from deadly afterdamp gas. Wellington, who survived the tragic City Mine explosion east of Sullivan on Feb. 20, 1925, that killed 51 men, was credited with saving the crew. Suffering severe burns on his hands and face, Wellington crawled to safety and guided his companions to an area where they were able to wall themselves in. Despite his burns, he helped erect a brattice curtain. Convinced that he was doomed, Snyder scratched the hour of the explosion on slate in case he was not found for a prolonged period of time….
“The local chapter of the American Red Cross established a relief fund with $1,209.62. The American Red Cross contributed $2,274.46. Public donations totaled $1,466.26. These funds were used primarily for payments on real estate notes and mortgages, educational trust funds for dependents of the deceased, burial expenses, medical aid and the replacement of household furnishings. Indiana Gov. Henry Guyer Leslie visited Linton and gave the city $1,000 from his contingent fund for emergency relief. Gov. Leslie worked closely with Dr. Earl V. Bull, mayor of Linton, and W. J. Hamilton, chairman of Leslie’s unemployment council for Sullivan.
“The only survivors other than the men saved by the brattice curtain were Don Burris, Fred Reed and Joe Wallace. Reed, a resident of Jasonville, initially was listed as dead — raising the official death toll to 29 — but he later was found alive.
“Early rescue operations were initiated by mine superintendent Pete Donie, who made several trips underground to seek his brother, pit boss Martin Donie, who later was found deceased.
“Harry Keenan, superintendent of the Vermillion Coal Company’s mines, spearheaded the organization of rescue crews. He was assisted by Albert Dailey, chief mine inspector, and two deputy mine inspectors, James A. Russell and Tom Gillespie. Several rescue workers, including Pete Donie, were overcome by gas but recovered quickly….” (McCormick, Mike. “Historical Perspective: Coal mine disaster 80 years ago kills 28.” Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, IN. 12-4-2011.)
Contemporary Newspapers:
Jan 28: “Linton, Ind., Jan. 28 (AP) – Thirty miners were killed late today when an explosion wrecked the west entry of the Little Betty shaft mine near here. More than six hours after the blast, five bodies had been carried to the surface, two miners were in a Linton hospital, one critically burned, and twenty-five others lay in the depths of the mine, hope for their survival abandoned by rescue workers. Mine officials said poisonous black damp which followed the blast filled the mine, and that the men would be found dead.
“The explosion was generally attributed to ignition of 600 pounds of blasting powder which was carried into the mine for the shot firers. Later, however, reports were current that the blast was caused by gas.
“Debris filled the entries, hampering rescue work as well as investigation of the cause.
“Had the explosion occurred ten minutes earlier, most of the 115 men on the day force at the mine might have been trapped.
“Highways near the mine were blocked with automobiles tonight for a distance of two miles. At the mine mouth hundreds of persons were milling about tonight, including many wives and children of miners. Many of the women grew hysterical and were restrained with difficulty.
“A call for additional workers was issued tonight and the volunteers were warned that they were risking their lives in entering the mine. It was hoped to bring all of the bodies out during the night.
“P. L. Doney is superintendent of the mine and George Walls is foreman. Neither of the officials was in the shaft when the blast occurred.
“Don Burris, one of the men rescued, told of the explosion from his hospital bed.
I was ahead of the gang coming out of the mine. The explosion occurred all of a sudden and the lights went out. I grabbed a trolley wire and followed it toward the mine mouth. I called to the gang to follow me. I went as far as I could and then everything went black and I don’t remember any more until some men were leading me into the fresh air….”
(Logansport Press, IN. “Mine Explosion Kills 30.” 1-29-1931, p. 1.)
Jan 29: “Linton, Ind., Jan. 29. — (AP) — The lives of twenty-nine miners were snuffed out in an explosion at the Little Betty coal mine near here late yesterday. With the rescue of two men last night and seven more this morning, all of the men in the mine had been accounted for.
“Identification of the victims proceeded slowly this morning. Many of the bodies were so badly burned and disfigured a check of the dead made identification difficult. Soon after the blast, it was understood the accident had been caused by a spark igniting a quantity of blasting powder. Later reports, however, stated the explosive had been found intact and that the disaster was the result of a gas explosion.
“The dreaded “black damp” quickly filled the passages of the mine and hampered the work of rescue crews. The men who were rescued this morning had barricaded themselves in an entry off one of the main corridors.” (Kokomo Tribune. “Seven Are Rescued in Linton Mine…” 1-29-1931.)
Jan 29: “Linton, Ind., Jan. 29 (AP) – Rehabilitation of the bereaved families of the twenty-nine victims of yesterday’s explosion at the Little Betty mine was begun today by an emergency relief committee. Governor Harry G. Leslie, who came from Indianapolis to counsel with relief- workers, pledged $1,000-from his state emergency fund.
“Rescue workers brought the last bodies from the mine shortly before the governor’s arrival. He visited the mine and talked with its officers and with Albert C. Daily, state mine inspector, who had started an inquiry in an attempt to learn the cause of the explosion.
“It was definitely determined that thirty-eight miners were in the entry in which the explosion occurred about 1 p. m. yesterday. Two of them slightly injured were taken from the shaft soon after the explosion. Rescue teams sent into the shaft reported that all of the other trapped men were certainly victims of the dreaded afterdamp that follows an explosion.
“A search for bodies was started and had been under way fifteen hours when the rescuers suddenly came upon seven men who had taken refuge in an entry and built a barricade against the fumes. The seven were brought to the surface where they were joyously acclaimed.
“Among those rescued today was Julie Willington. It was his second escape from a mine disaster. He was in the City mine at Sullivan when an explosion occurred killing fifty-one miners.” (Logansport Press, IN. “Mine Blast Dead 29; Seven Rescued Alive.” 1-30-1931, p. 1.)
Feb 2, 1931: “Linton, Ind., Feb. 2. – (UP) — Workmen resumed operations in the Little Betty coal mine today, while friends and relatives buried the last of the 28 miners whose lives were claimed last week in an explosion of gases in the mine. Both federal and state mine inspectors had completed their investigations of the disaster, and a report was expected to be made at. The office of Albert C. Daily, chief state mine inspector.” (Logansport Pharos Tribune, IN. “Resume Operations at Scene of Blast.” 2-2-1931, 10.)
Sources
American National Red Cross. The Linton, Indiana, Mine Explosion ARC 298). July 1931, p. 1. Photocopy Accessed 1-20-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/Little_Betty_Mine_Explosion_Red_Cross.pdf
Kokomo Tribune, IN. “Seven Are Rescued in Linton Mine…” Jan 29, 1931.
Logansport Pharos Tribune, IN. “Resume Operations at Scene of Blast.” 2-2-1931, 10. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=83964092
Logansport Press, IN. “Blast Rivals Rail Wreck as Worst State Disaster.” 11-2-1963, 5. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=84400396
Logansport Press, IN. “Mine Blast Dead 29; Seven Rescued Alive.” 1-30-1931, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=83503437
Logansport Press, IN. “Mine Explosion Kills 30 [Little Betty Coal Mine near Linton, IN].” 1-29-1931, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=83503427
McCormick, Mike. “Historical Perspective: Coal mine disaster 80 years ago kills 28.” Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, IN, 12-4-2011. At: http://tribstar.com/history/x1612757520/HISTORICAL-PERSPECTIVE-Coal-mine-disaster-80-years-ago-kills-28/print
National Fire Protection Association. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003). (Email attachment to B. W. Blanchard from Jacob Ratliff, NFPA Archivist/Taxonomy Librarian, 7-8-2013.)
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. “J. W. Gould Mining Company, Little Betty Mine Explosion, Dugger, Sullivan County, Indiana, January 28, 1931, No. Killed – 28.” Accessed 1-20-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/little_betty_news_only.htm
[1] The figure of 30 fatalities from the NFPA is probably based on early erroneous newspaper report. For several days it was thought that there were twenty-nine fatalities, until an additional survivor was found.