1961 — March 2, Viking Coal Mine Dust Explosion, near Terre Haute, IN                   —     22

–22  Bennett, Mark. “Wabash Valley Native…” The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, IN. 10-10-2007.

–22  Logansport Press, IN.  “Blast Rivals Rail Wreck as Worst State Disaster.” 11-2-1963, 5.

–22  NFPA. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1961.” Quarterly, Vol. 55, No. 3, Jan 1962, p. 335.

–22  NFPA. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).

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

–22  Richmond, et al. Historical Summary of Coal Mine Explosions in the [US], 1959-81. P.3.

–22  Terre Haute Star, IN. “Investigation of Explosion at Viking Killing 22 Men…” 3-4-61, p.1.

 

Narrative Information

 

NFPA: “Viking Coal Company near West Terre Haute, Ind., Mar. 2, 7:20 P.M., 22 Killed; All Adults.

 

“Natural gas apparently seeped into the shaft where the victims were operating an automatic coal mining machine. The gas probably was ignited explosively by the electrically operated machine and, in turn, caused a coal dust explosion. All 22 coal minters were killed by the explosion. There was no ensuing fire.” (NFPA. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1961.” Quarterly, 55/3, Jan 1962, p. 335.)

 

Richmond: “An air dust explosion, originating near the intersection of 4-North Right “B” and 8-East Right “A” entries in the 4-North section of the northwest angles, killed 22 of 55 workers underground. The flame area encompassed most of the 4-North section from the track entries in the mains inby[1] 6-East and 7-West, 8-West, 7-East, and the face of the mains. Forces occurred from the mouth to the faces of 4-North, a distance of 1500 feet, and throughout 6-East, 7-East, 7-West, and 8-West. All workers in the 4-North section were killed while workers in other areas of the mine escaped uninjured.

 

“The mine was classified gassy. Evidence showed that the area where the explosion originated had encountered subsidence from the underlying mined out Nos. 3 and 4 coal seams. This may have increased methane liberation. Coal spillage and lack of adequate rock-dusting in this area added to the severity of the explosion. The inby door of the airlock in the 6-East was removed during material recovery operations which would short-circuit air from the right side of the 4-North working section if the remaining door at 6-East were latched open. The line curtain in 8-East Right “A” was removed when the continuous miner moved to the 4-North Right “B” entry. These conditions could have permitted methane to accumulate.

 

“Permissible equipment in the active faces of the explosion area consisted of Jeffrey Colmols and Joy Loading machines; nonpermissible face equipment consisted of Joy 6SC shuttle cars. However, the permissible equipment was not maintained in a permissible manner. Smoker’s articles were listed among the personal effects of many of the victims including the foreman. Underground employees were not searched for smoker’s articles before entering the mine. Either an electrical arc or open flame could have initiated this explosion.” (Richmond, et al. Historical Summary of Coal Mine Explosions in the [US], 1959-81 1982, p.3.)

 

Newspapers

 

March 3: “The bodies of two unidentified miners who were members of a 22-man crew trapped following an explosion last night at the Viking Coal Mine were brought to the surface at 2:05 o’clock this morning. Twelve other bodies had been found, rescuers said, as efforts continued. There was small hope that any would be found alive, mine officials announced about 3 o’clock this morning.

 

“The blast in the mine, which is located eight miles northwest of the city near the Wabash River generating plant, occurred about 9 o’clock three miles back in the mine and about 200 feet underground just off the west entry. This would place the scene about one-half mile north of Coal Creek Hill on the west side.

 

“The first dead were found just beyond the first panel affected by the blast. Rescuers then headed

700 feet away where more of the men were feared trapped. Forty-four men were at work when the explosion occurred, officials said. However, 22 of them reached safety. Wives and families were gathering at the scene praying desperately that their loved ones would be spared.

 

“State and local police, sheriff’s deputies and volunteer rescue workers were laboring feverishly in an effort to free the trapped men. Members of the Indiana Mine Rescue Squad were dispatched along with Charles Purcell, state director of mines and mining.

 

“Cause of the explosion was not immediately determined.

 

“Total employment is about 200 persons; many of the off-duty miners were aiding in rescue operations. Six full time rescue crews, including several Green Valley Mine employes and also some from Bicknell from the Lynch Reciprocal Coal Operators Association disaster crew, were working on a rotating basis battling intense smoke in an effort to reach the other trapped men.

 

“Two carloads of rock dust were brought in to spread over the area to prevent another explosion. Two men from Washington, D. C., were expected to arrive about 4 o’clock this morning at Hulman Field. They were James Westfield, assistant director of the United States Bureau of Mines, and Charles Ferguson, national safety director for the United Mine Workers.

 

“The Viking Mine was not considered a dangerous mine from the standpoint of gas. Precautions

were taken to minimize the dust hazard. It had established a record of no fatalities between 1947 and 1957.

 

“The worst mine disaster in Indiana history occurred in 1925 when 54 persons died in the City Mine explosion at Sullivan. Twenty nine miners died in 1931 when the Little Betty Mine.” (Terre Haute Star, IN. “Viking Mine Blast Traps 22.” 3-3-1961, p. 1.)

 

March 4: “What caused Thursday night’s ghastly mine explosion which snuffed out the productive lives of 22 workers? Did the men deep underground have any advance warning of the impending disaster? Were they aware of the tomb of death which surrounded them? These questions and many others remained unanswered yesterday as teams of safety officials prepared to subject the bleak cavern to a complete formal inspection this morning….

 

Blast Dead

 

Clarence Chubb, 37, Hymera.

Robert Davis, 27…Terre Haute.

Chester Gardner, 34, Fontanet.

William Gatti, 37…Terre Haute.

Burl Gummere…Terre Haute.

Jack Gummere, 31…Terre Haute.

Thomas Gurchiek, 52…Terre Haute.

David C. Hale, 50…Linton.

George Hill, Jr, 54…Sullivan.

Max M’Gaughy, 34…Terre Haute.

James L. Norton, 28…West Terre Haute.

Claude Parker…Terre Haute.

Amil Petit, 34…Shelburn.

Elmo Ranard, 54, Dugger.

John M. Randall, 62…Rosedale.

Wallace Rippy, 58…Terre Haute.

Joseph Sanquenetti, 45…Rosedale.

William Scott, 56…Terre Haute.

George S. Smith, 59…Clinton.

Roy Stout…Shelburn.

John Stultz, 49…Sullivan.

James Turley, 55…Farmersburg.

 

“….All of the men killed Thursday night…were survived by widows. It addition, there were 30 other dependents, it was reported….

 

“Last inspection of the mine by state authorities was only 22 days preceding the explosion, on Feb. 8. Last inspection by federal mine inspectors was in December. All faults found were corrected following inspections…”

 

(Terre Haute Star, IN. “Investigation of Explosion at Viking Killing 22 Men to get Under Way Today.” 3-4-1961, p. 1.)

 

Sources

 

Bennett, Mark. “Wabash Valley Native, Pulitzer Prize Winner Writes Song on Fontanet Powder Mill Explosion.” The Tribune Star (Terre Haute, IN), 10-10-2007. Accessed at:  http://www.tribstar.com/features/local_story_283191051.html

 

Kentucky Mining Institute. Kentucky Coal Education. “Glossary of Mining Terms.” 2007. Accessed 2-13-2020 at: http://www.coaleducation.org/glossary.htm

 

Logansport Press, IN. “Blast Rivals Rail Wreck as Worst State Disaster.” 11-2-1963, 5. Accessed at:  http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=84400396

 

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1961.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 55, No. 3, January 1962, pp. 310-349.

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. At:  http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/disall.htm > and http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/content/allminingdisasters.html

 

Richmond, J.K., G.C. Price, M.J. Sapko, E.M. Kawenski. Historical Summary of Coal Mine Explosions in the United States, 1959-81 (Information Circular 8909). Washington, DC: Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, 1982. Accessed 11-4-2014 at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/userfiles/works/pdfs/ic8909.pdf

 

Terre Haute Star, IN. “Investigation of Explosion at Viking Killing 22 Men to get Under Way Today.” 3-4-1961, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=119015132&sterm

 

Terre Haute Star, IN. “Viking Mine Blast Traps 22.” 3-3-1961, p. 1. Accessed 11-4-2014 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=119015112&sterm=viking+coal+mine

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] “In the direction of the working face.” (Kentucky Mining Institute. Kentucky Coal Education. “Glossary of Mining Terms.” 2007.)