1951 — Oct 15, Bunker Mine Methane Gas Explosion Trotter Coal Co., Cassville, WV– 10
–10 Bureau of Mines, Final Report on Major Explosion Disaster, Bunker Mine…Oct 15, 1951.
–10 United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States.
–10 WV Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training. WV Mine Disasters 1884 to Present
Narrative Information
Bureau of Mines: “An explosion occurred in the A west section of the Bunker mine, Trotter Coal Company, at Cassville, Monongalia County, West Virginia, about 6:45 a.m., Monday, October 15, 1951. There were 40 men in the mine at the time, 10 of whom were killed by violence in the explosion area. The remaining 30 were uninjured and escaped without assistance….
“The explosion was caused by the ignition of methane which had accumulated in a pillared area. The exact source of ignition cannot be stated definitely, but the most likely source was an open-type combination trolley-pole and cable-reel locomotive; however, there were other sources of electric arcs in the ignition area. The explosion was confined to the A west section. The section consisted of four parallel entries, which had been driven 1,725 feet from the 6 south entries to the boundary where pillaring was started. The pillared area was about 600 feet deep and 700 feet wide….” [p.1.]
“A total of 310 men was employed; 37 worked on the surface and 273 worked under-ground, 3 shifts a day; 5 days a week, and produced an average of 3,800 tons of coal, daily, all loaded by caterpillar-mounted loading machines….
“The mine is opened by a slope, 311 feet in length, and two shafts, 110 and 220 feet deep, into the high-volatile Sewickley coal bed, which, in this mine, aver-ages about 66 inches in thickness.
“The immediate roof of dark shale averages 7 feet in thickness, and the main roof is a hard gray sandstone about 53 feet in thickness. The mine floor is a hard shale….
“Bureau of Mines tests and experiments have shown that coal dust having a ratio of volatile to total combustible in excess of 0.12 is explosive. The explosibility of coal dust increases as the ratio increases. It is obvious, therefore, that the coal dust in this mine [0.44] is explosive and could readily propagate an explosion….” [p.2.]
“The mine is rated gassy by the West Virginia Department of Mines. Methane had frequently been detected with permissible flame safety lamps. The mine was liberating methane at the approximate rate of 600,000 cubic feet in a 24-hour period….” [p.3.]
“This is the second explosion in this mine; the first occurred September 13, 1951, in a different section, and this resulted in three men being burned. Two of these have recovered, but one has not been released from the hospital. This mine is in an area which has experienced numerous other explosions and other-type disasters….” [p.4.]
Victims of Explosion, Bunker Mine, Trotter Coal Company, October 15, 1951 [Appendix A]
Joseph Slavensky 33 Section Forman 3 [dependents]
James W. Keener 29 Motorman 5
Lee E. Brown 35 Machineman 3
Leroy H. Compton 29 Faceman 4
Walter Pozza 29 Loader Operator 2
Donald Lee Shaw 22 Timberman 1
Ernest J. Sanders 25 Snapper 3
Albert Morant 45 Trackman 4
Laurence Aronholt 20 Trackman 1
Shallis E. Shirley 26 Timberman 3
Sources
Bureau of Mines, Region VIII, United States Department of the Interior. Final Report on Major Explosion Disaster, Bunker Mine, Trotter Coal Company, Cassville, Monongalia County, West Virginia, October 15, 1951. Fairmont, WV: Bureau of Mines Region VIII. No date. Accessed 6-21-2023 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/bunker_1951.pdf
United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. “Trotter Coal Company Bunker Mine Explosion, Cassville, Monongalia County, West Virginia, October 15, 1951, No. Killed – 10.” Accessed 6-21-2023 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/bunker_news_only.htm
West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training. WV Mine Disasters 1884 to Present. MHS&T, October 9, 2008 update. At: http://www.wvminesafety.org/disaster.htm