1981 — Dec 8, Coal mine No. 21 (Grundy Mining) methane gas explosion, Whitwell, TN–13

— 13  Associated Press. “Explosion Kills 13 in Tennessee Mine.” New York Times, 12-9-1981.

— 13  Jones. “1981 Multiple-Death Fires in the U. S.,” Fire Journal, V.76, N.4, July 1982, 68.

— 13  Mine Safety and Health Administration.  Historical Data on Mine Disasters in the U.S.

 

Narrative Information

 

Dec 9: “Whitwell, Tenn., Dec. 8 — An explosion ripped through a coal mine shaft today, killing 13 miners about three miles inside a mountain. It was the third mine accident in the Appalachian coalfields in the last five days. William B. Allison, the president of the Tennessee Consolidated Coal Company, said in a statement that all 13 men had been found and that ”there were no survivors.” He said it was the worst accident in the company’s history.

 

“Emergency rescue teams equipped with air tanks and masks crawled through a shaft that is only 36 inches wide in some places to reach the men, said Steve Blackburn, a spokesman for the mine company. The cause of the explosion had not been determined.

 

“Mr. Allison’s statement said that the explosion occurred about noon in a section of the No. 21 mine operated by the Grundy Mining Company, a subsidiary of Tennessee Consolidated. The mine is about 30 miles northwest of Chattanooga, in a mountainous area of southeastern Tennessee.

 

“Mr. Parish said the explosion caused part of the mine to collapse, trapping the miners three miles inside Whitwell Mountain. The disaster left 24 men dead in mine accidents since Thursday of last week. Today’s accident was the nation’s worst coal mine incident since 15 men were killed last April 15 in an explosion at a mine near Redstone, Colo.

 

On Monday, eight coal miners died in eastern Kentucky when an explosion trapped them about 2,500 feet inside a mountain in Topmost, Ky. Five of the bodies were found Monday night, and the other three were recovered this morning at the Topmost, Ky., mine. Dr. George Nichols, the state medical examiner, said today that the men died of smoke inhalation.

 

“Three men were killed last Thursday in Bergoo, W.Va., when a 35-foot section of slate in a mine roof collapsed. Three miners escaped immediately after the fall, and three others were rescued.” (Assoc. Press. “Explosion Kills 13 in Tennessee Mine.” New York Times, 12-9-1981.)

 

Dec 9: “Palmer, Tenn. — Thirteen miners working 3 miles deep in a Dogwood Flats Mountain coal mine were killed in a shattering explosion apparently caused by methane gas….The wife of a coroner who later examined the victims at a funeral home said all were badly burned. ‘He (her husband) said they were almost unrecognizable with the coal that was on them and the burns,’ said Leona Hall.

 

“On Tuesday William B. Allison, president of Grundy Mining Co., a subsidiary of Tennessee Consolidated Coal Mining Co., waited until all of the relatives of the victims were gathered in a lunchroom of the squat, single-story brick mine headquarters building before breaking the news. ‘There were no survivors,’ he said….

 

“The blast was so powerful it blew out the headlights of trucks parked 100 feet from the mine entrance….

 

“Woody Duncan, director of the Tennessee Division of Mining said the blast was ‘possibly a methane gas explosion.’ Duncan said there was equipment in the mines to detect methane gas buildups but the victims may have dug into an old, adjoining shaft where the gas had collected….” (UPI/Steve Holland. “Appalachian mine explosion kills 13 workers.” 12-9-1981.)

 

Feb 19, 1983: “Jasper, Tenn., Feb 18 — Owners of a coal mine where 13 men were killed in a methane gas explosion in 1981 agreed today to pay 10 widows and their children about $10 million in damages over their lifetimes. Judge William Inman of Chancery Court approved the settlement between the owners of the Grundy Mining Company’s No. 21 Mine and five widows who had sought a total of $60 million. Five widows who did not sue will also receive payments under the agreement with the Grundy mine owner, the Tennessee Consolidated Coal Company. The concerns did not admit responsibility for the explosion in the settlement. Survivors of three dead miners seeking a total of $28 million in damages refused to accept the settlement.

 

“The No. 21 Mine near Whitwell erupted on Dec. 8, 1981, when a worker illegally flicked on a cigarette lighter, igniting a pocket of methane gas, an investigation determined.” (UPI. “Survivors Get $10 Million in Tennessee Mine Blast.” New York Times, 2-19-1983.)

 

May 5, 1982: “Whitwell, Tenn., May 4 — A cigarette lighter taken into a coal mine in violation of Federal regulations touched off a methane explosion that killed 13 men last December, the Labor Department said today. In a report on the Dec. 8, 1981, accident, the department accused the Grundy County Mining Company, the mine’s operator, of failure to evacuate workers from a methane-laden shaft, to adequately ventilate the shaft and to enforce a Federal regulation prohibiting smoking materials in a mine. ”We have no comment at this time,” said a spokesman for the Tennessee Consolidated Coal Company, the mine’s owner. John McGrath, a spokesman for the Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, said miners had been trying to create an exhaust airway to remove methane from a working section of the mine ”when one of the victims lit a cigarette lighter initiating the fatal explosion.”” (Associated Press. “U.S. Report Sys Lighter Caused Fatal Mine Blast.” New York Times, 5-5-1982.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Explosion Kills 13 in Tennessee Mine.” New York Times, 12-9-1981. Accessed 5-23-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/09/us/explosion-kills-13-in-tennessee-mine.html

 

Associated Press. “U.S. Report Says Lighter Caused Fatal Mine Blast.” New York Times, 5-5-1982. Accessed 5-23-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/05/us/around-the-nation-us-report-says-lighter-caused-fatal-mine-blast.html

 

Jones, Jon C.  “1981 Multiple-Death Fires in the United States,” NFPA Fire Journal, Vol. 76, No. 4, July 1982, p. 68.

 

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Historical Data on Mine Disasters in the United States. Arlington, VA: MSHA, U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed 10-5-2008 at:  http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/FactSheets/MSHAFCT8.HTM

 

United Press International/Steve Holland. “Appalachian mine explosion kills 13 workers.” 12-9-1981. Accessed 5-23-2017 at: http://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/09/Appalachian-mine-explosion-kills-13-workers/4372376722000/

 

United Press International. “Survivors Get $10 Million in Tennessee Mine Blast.” New York Times, 2-19-1983. Accessed 5-23-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/19/us/around-the-nation-survivors-get-10-million-in-tennessee-mine-blast.html