1932 — Dec 7, Morgan-James Coal Mine gas explosion, Madrid, NM — 14
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 1-12-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–14 Bureau of Mines, US Dept. of Commerce. “December 7, 1932; Morgan-Jones Mine…”
–14 NIOSH Mining, CDC. Mining Disasters: 1839 to Present. (Incidents with 5 or more deaths)
–14 United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the [U.S.]. “Morgan-James.”
Narrative Information
Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of Commerce. “December 7, 1932; Morgan-Jones Mine:
“At 7:43 a.m. a gas explosion caused the death of 14 of the 51 men in the mine. Two others were overcome but revived as soon as fresh air reached them; 35 others were uninjured and escaped unassisted.
“The fireboss examined only the working places, came out, and checked the men into the mine. They reached their working places between 7 and 7:30 a.m. Cars had been loaded by miners in idle days; and a contractor in 2d dip, 4th right main, had 16 cars to change. In taking out the loaded cars, bringing in the empties, and distributing them, he left 1 or 2 ventilating doors open for over half an hour.
“Gas accumulated in 2d dip and was ignited by an arc when a signal was given on the bare 60-volt a. c. signal wires by shorting them with a metal rod. One of the miners who escaped from the affected section telephoned the mine office from inside the mine, and officials promptly started rescue and recovery work….
“Rock dust placed on the 4th right entry and the dumping of several rock-dust barriers localized the explosion… Some coal dust was ignited in the affected area, but the explosion did not propagate through the protected entries. Underlying causes of this disaster were the dependence
on doors for maintaining ventilation and the unsupervised activities of the section contractor.”
United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States (Madrid):
“The dead:
- Bony Gabaldon, 37
- Augustine Padilla, 38
- Angel Ortiz, 34
- Guadalupe Morales, 23
- Pablo Escarino, 32
- Julien Ynostraza, 34
- Manuel Cabera, 24
- Telesfor Macias, 30
- Damacio Perez, 44
- Julien Garcia, 45
- Juan Acosta, 40
- Francisco Torejo, 25
- Batzar Oaxaca, 40
- Euseblo Ramos, 21.”
Sources
Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of Commerce. “December 7, 1932; Morgan-Jones Mine, Madrid, N. Mex.; 14 Killed [excerpt].” Accessed 1-12-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/1932_Morgan-Jones_Report.pdf
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mining Disasters: 1839 to Present. (Incidents with 5 or more deaths). Accessed 1-12-2025 at: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NIOSH-Mining/MMWC/MineDisasters/Table
United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. “Albuquerque and Cerrillos Coal Company, Morgan-Jones Mine Explosion, Madrid, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, December 7, 1932, No. Killed – 14.” Accessed 1-12-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/jones_news_only.htm