1926 — Nov 3, Barnes Hecker Iron Mine Cave-in and Flooding, Ishpeming, Michigan — 51
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 3-13-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–51 Bureau of Mines, US Dept. of Commerce. Excerpt; Barnes-Hecker Mine report.
–51 Cole. History of MSHA, slide 26.
–51 Mine Safety and Health Administration, DOL. Historical Data on Mine Disasters. 2008.
–51 NFPA. U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. December 2008, p. 22.
–51 United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. Barnes-Hecker
Narrative Information
Bureau of Mines. Excerpt. “Nov 3, 1926: Barnes-Hecker Mine, Ishpeming, MI; 51 Killed:
“The back of one of the stopes in this iron mine caved to the overlying glacial drift material and the mine was filled with water and quicksand. Within approximately 15 minutes of the time that the cave started, all the workings of the mine were completely filled; water rose in the shaft to within 185 feet of the surface, later receding to about the 540-foot level.
“Of the 52 men in the mine, only one escaped by climbing 800 feet of ladders in the shaft. The stope that caved had been worked by top slicing, starting 220 feet below the top of the ore body. Above this undermined thickness of ore was about 210 feet of glacial surface material, water-
soaked and containing small ponds.
“Although the mine workings were wet when opened, mining operations had drained most of the water from the ore stratum; the stope that caved had become dry enough to permit use of scrapers. The amount of water handled by the mine pumps had dropped from over 3,000 to about 700 gallons per minute.
“The only intimation of anything wrong noted by the man who escaped was a rush of air that blew out his light. He was on the second level and rushed to the shaft, calling to others to follow. The rush of water wrecked the shaft manway below the 200-foot level and carried out many of the timbers dividing the compartments; but the wall and end plates and lagging, which were embedded in concrete, were not disturbed.
“The sudden flow of water prevented use of prepared bulkheads and water doors, and although emergency escapeways, including a low-level connection to a neighboring mine, weren’t provided, men were engulfed before they could reach safety.
“Sand came through the connection to the adjoining mine for 3,000 feet, from the connecting raise to a point where the flow gradually decreased to nothing. Very little water came through here.
“A large depression formed in the overburden above the caved stope; the fine, sandy material was water-soaked, and the banks of the depression at one point reached the edge of a small muskeg swamp. The mine was sealed and was not recovered.
“Seven bodies were found in the connecting escape drift, and three others were recovered from the shaft when it was cleared to the first level.
“The conclusion of officials was that the cavity over the stope gradually enlarged as slicing progressed downward; this resulted in a sudden failure of the block of ore that had been left to support the overburden.”
Friggens: “At twenty minutes past seven, in the chill gray dawn of Wednesday, 3 November 1926, the day shift reports to work at the Barnes-Hecker iron mine in Michigan’s northcentral Upper Peninsula. They arrive from neighboring communities–Diorite, Ishpeming, North Lake, South Greenwood, Barnes-Hecker Location. They are immigrants and sons of immigrants; fathers, sons, brothers and friends. Their faces reflect the weariness of their labors and the pride of their heritage. They are strong and alive, laughing and sullen, as they prepare to toil underground.
“These miners lend their labor to the chief business of Michigan’s central Upper Peninsula, the production of iron ore. The field is growing steadily, despite a few economic downturns and industry slowdowns since ore was discovered in upper Michigan in the mid-nineteenth century. The Barnes-Hecker Mine, property of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, is a relative latecomer to the mining landscape; first explored in 1907, it was developed in a swampy area starting in 1917. A concrete shaft lining and underground dams are in place at Barnes-Hecker as safety precautions, but the draining of nearby North Lake and the overlying swamp in the early 1920s have made the biggest difference in keeping the mine a mostly dry working environment….
“Inside the mine today, workers are occupied on the first, second and third levels and on some sublevels as well. Some men operate locomotives to pull cars of ore to the shaft for removal, another repairs pipe and still others use their carbide lamps to light their work areas far from the main shaft. The mine captain, Walter Tippett, and county mine inspector William Hill are inspecting the mine this morning.
“At about twenty past eleven, a cage of miners leaves the mine—it is almost time to break for dinner. On the surface, they suddenly hear a roaring underground and, when attempts to ring the men in the underground pumphouses fail because electricity is out, two of them descend the shaft to investigate.
“Mud, rock, water and debris are pouring through the mine from above, and water rises through the main shaft as one man climbing the ladder to the surface meets the two coming down to investigate. A flashlight beamed into the shaft shows only darkness, and a terrifying crash sounds far below them. The three reach the surface at 11:30 A.M.
“By that evening, pumps have been brought to empty the mine of water, but because of still-high water levels and debris, only seven bodies—including the mine captain and the county mine inspector-can be retrieved. Forty-two women are widowed tonight, and 132 minor children lose their fathers….
“The cave-in site, a quarter-mile from the main shaft, is no longer a dry pit but a deep lake. Cleveland Cliffs abandons the mine and seals the shaft with concrete, then pays each dependent family twice the amount originally announced. Mining engineers and other observers never determine the cause of the cave-in, and no further investigation is ever done.” (Friggens, “No Tears in Heaven,” 1988)
Sources
Bureau of Mines, United States Department of Commerce. Excerpt. “November 3, 1926: Barnes-Hecker Mine, Ishpeming, Mich.; 51 Killed (From Bureau of Mines report).” Accessed 3-13-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/1926_Barnes-Hecker_Report.pdf
Cole, Jesse P. (MSHA District 4 Manager). “History of MSHA,” Leadership Intensive Course Mine Safety and Health Administration. No date. 48 slides. Accessed 1-11-2009 at: http://www.usmra.com/repository/category/mining/modified_History_of_MSHA.ppt#256,1
Friggens, Thomas G. “No Tears in Heaven: The 1926 Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster.” Michigan History, May/June 1988. Accessed at: http://michiganhistorymagazine.com/features/discmich/negaunee.html
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
National Fire Protection Association (John Hall, Jr.). U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 31 pages, December 2008.
United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. “Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, Barnes-Hecker Mine Inundation.” Ishpeming, Marquette County, Michigan, November 3, 1926, No. Killed – 51.” Accessed 3-13-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/barnes_hecker.htm