1941 — May 22, Bicknell Coal Co., Panhandle No. 2 coal mine gas explosion, Bicknell, IN–14

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 9-24-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–14  Bureau of Mines, US Dept. of the Interior. Final Report…Panhandle Mine…May 22, 1941.

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

–14  United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. “Bicknell…”

 Narrative Information

 Bureau of Mines. Final Report…Explosion…Panhandle Mine…Bicknell…May 22, 1941:

“Introduction

“Between 9:30 p.rn. and 10:30 p.m. Thursday, May 22, 1941, an explosion occurred in the Panhandle mine of the Bicknell Coal Company at Bicknell, Indiana, resulting in the loss of 14 lives. Seventeen men escaped unhurt and unassisted.

“The explosion was limited in extent and violence, and ‘is believed to have been due to the ignition of an accumulation of gas either by an electric arc from the controller of an unapproved coal cutting machine or by smoking. It is not believed that coal dust entered into the explosion to an appreciable extent. The gas accumulation responsible for the explosion was caused by interrupted ventilation due to ventilation doors having been left open for unnecessarily long periods of time, and indicates extreme laxness on the part of the officials in charge.

“Of the 14 men killed only three were burned and, in the opinion of the coroner, they were not burned severely enough to cause death. The death of all 14 men was apparently due to asphyxiation and not to burns or violence.

“No water was being used at the face to allay dust and the mine was only partially rock-dusted. No rock-dust ·had been applied for several months prior to the explosion….” (p. 1)

US Mine Rescue Assoc. Mine Disasters in the United States. “Bicknell…Panhandle No. 2…”:

“This explosion is believed to have been the result of the ignition of mine gas by a “non-permissible” cutting machine.  Fourteen men were killed in the accident.  Two of the dead men showed signs of having been severely burned, while the other twelve apparently died from suffocation.  Fourteen other men in the mine at the time of the explosion succeeded in escaping unharmed.”

Sources

Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior. Final Report on an Explosion in the Panhandle Mine of the Bicknell Coal Company at Bicknell, Knox County, Indiana on May 22, 1941. Accessed 9-24-2024 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/05_22_1941_Bicknell%20Mine%20Explosion-1.pdf

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.htm

United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. “Bicknell Coal Company Panhandle No. 2 Mine Explosion.” Accessed 9-24-2024 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/panhandle.htm