1911 — March 11, Ore Landslide, Oliver Iron Mine, Norman Open Pit, Virginia, MN– 14

–26  Nash. Darkest Hours, “Major Avalanches and Landslides,” 1977, p. 642.[1]

–26  NYT. “Bodies Taken From Mine…No Hope Saving Men Buried…Norman Pit,” 3-13-1911.

–26  New York Times. “Landslide Buries 26,” March 12, 1911, p. 1.

–14  Hyvarinen, Johnson, Kennedy. Major Disasters at Metal and Nonmetal Mines…, 1949, p13

–14  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC. Mining Disasters (5 or more).

 

Narrative Information

Newspapers

Hyvarinen, et al: “A number of men were engaged in raising and lining up the track in the approach to the large open pit when a landslide of a great quantity of ore from the north side occurred so suddenly that the men had no time to escape, and 14 were caught and killed. At the place where the accident occurred the pit was 358 feet wide from crest to crest of the ore body and 51 feet wide at the bottom; its depth was 205 feet. The bank thus had some slope, but the dip of the ore was toward the south, providing greater opportunity for sliding. It is assumed that the bank had been loosened by the alternate thawing and freezing. It appears that the men had no idea that the place was dangerous, because it was used as a place of refuge when blasting was being done.” (Hyvarinen, Johnson, Kennedy. “Norman Mine, Oliver Iron Mining Co., Virginia, Minnesota, March 11, 1911 — 14 Killed (5).” Major Disasters at Metal and Nonmetal Mines…, 1949, p. 13.)

March 11: “Virginia, Minn., March 11. – A mass of iron ore, rock, earth, ice, and snow to-night slid down on thirty track layers working in the Norman open-pit mine.  Only four escaped the slide, and three of these are in a hospital suffering from injuries that may prove fatal.

“The place that was an open pit is now almost a plain of rock, ore, and earth, with here and there parts of body in sight.  A big force of men with shovels is working desperately to recover the bodies.  It will be days before most of them can be recovered.  The mass of rock and earth probably ground some to shreds.

“So far as can be ascertained, all the men caught in the slide were Finns and Austrians.  Some left large families.  Paul Paulson, whose wife died a month ago, left seven children orphans.  The little ones formed a group at the edge of the pit to-night.”  (NYT. “Landslide Buries 26,” March 12, 1911, p. 1.)

March 12: “Duluth, Minn., March 12. – Ten bodies of miners, crushed in the Norman open pit mine at Virginia, Minn., where a cave-in occurred last evening, burying twenty-six miners, were taken from the mine to-day.  Sixteen bodies have not been reached, but the mine officials are bending every effort to expedite the work of rescue.  A large force of men is working vigorously, but it is not believed any of the miners will be taken out alive.

“To hasten the work additional ‘clams’ have been sent for, and these, capable of lifting many tons of ore, will, it is thought, bring to light the missing bodies before many hours elapse.  The accident was caused by thaws of the last few days suddenly loosening boulders and earth and causing the ore body to slide toward the bottom of the pit.”  (NYT. “Bodies Taken From Mine. No Hope of Saving Men Buried in Norman Pit,” 13 March 1911, p. 3.)

 

Sources

 Hyvarinen, John, Leland H. Johnson, and D. O. Kennedy. Major Disasters at Metal and Nonmetal Mines and Quarries in the United States (Excluding Coal Mines). Washington, DC: Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, April 1949, 22 pages. Accessed 12-13-2016 at: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/UserFiles/works/pdfs/IC7493.pdf

 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

 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 12-13-2016 at: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/content/mnmdisasters.html

 New York Times. “Bodies Taken From Mine; No Hope of Saving Men Buried in Norman Pit,” 3-13-1911, 3.  At: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9505E4DC1439E333A25750C1A9659C946096D6CF

 New York Times. “Landslide Buries 26,” 3-12-1911, p. 1. Accessed at: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F04E7D71331E233A25751C1A9659C946096D6CF

 

  

 

[1] Incorrectly dated by Nash as March 11, 1910 and incorrect as to death toll — assuming it was taken from a paper.