1907 — Dec 19, Darr Coal Mine Explosion, Jacob’s Creek, Monessen, PA — 239

— ~500 Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. “Latest Mine Tragedy Kills Nearly 500…” 12-19-1907, 1.
–200-250 New York Times. “Mine Explosion Entombs 250 Men…” 12-20-1907, pp. 1 and 2.
— 239 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 313.
— 239 History.com. This Day in Disaster History, Disasters, December 19, 1907, PA Miners…
— 239 Minedisasters.blogspot.com. “After Century, Darr Mine Blast Still Worst in State.” 10-4-2007.
— 239 National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996.
— 239 National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health (CDC). Mine Disasters.
— 239 PA Dept. of Mines. Report of the Dept. of Mines of [PA], Part II, Bituminous, 1907.
— 239 Powell. “Scofield Mine Disaster.” Utah History Encyclopedia.
— 239 US Mine Rescue Assoc. Mine Disasters… “Pittsburg Coal Company Darr Mine Explosion.”
— 238 Fleming. “Organization of Safety Work in Mines.” Safety Engineering, 26/2, 1913, 108.
— 230 Chicago Daily News Almanac & Yearbook 1919, Great Mining Disasters…

Narrative Information

History.com: “A coal mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania, kills 239 workers on this day in 1907. Only one worker in the deep mine at the time survived the tragedy.

“The Pittsburgh Coal Company set up the Darr mine on the side of a mountain near the Youghiogheny River [about 40 miles east of Pittsburg and 18 west of Connellsville]. The mine was almost two miles deep and six workers at a time–most of whom were immigrants–would ride a wood bucket back and forth from the surface.

“At about 11:30 on the morning of December 19, 240 workers were below the surface when a huge explosion rocked the mine. It was so powerful that homes in Jacobs Creek rattled and windows shattered. Thick black smoke poured out of the mine before the entrance collapsed. Mrs. John Campbell reported her observation, ‘My husband was about due for his dinner when the loud report came and I looked out the back door toward the mine. Instead of my husband, I saw a great cloud of dust and smoke pouring out of the mouth of the mine. It floated upward and disappeared across the river’….

“Joseph Mapleton, who was near a side entryway to the mine when the explosion occurred, was the sole survivor of the disaster. The victims died from a variety of causes: Some were crushed to death from the collapse of the mine, others suffocated and the remainder was killed in the blast itself. The precise cause of the explosion was never determined, but most coal-mine blasts are set off when a pocket of gas is accidentally ignited. Prior to the disaster, there was much talk among the miners about the prevalence of gas pockets in the Darr mine.” (History.com. This Day in Disaster History, Disasters, December 19, 1907, “PA Miners Perish in Coal Mine Explosion.”)

PA Dept. of Mines: “….The Darr mine is a slope opening in the Pittsburg coal seam and it was never deemed a very dangerous mine, inasmuch as it generated only a small percentage of explosive gas and was worked with open lights.

“Daniel R. Blower, temporary inspector of the Nineteenth District, in which the mine is situated, reached the mine a short time after the explosion occurred. The inspector of the district, W. J. Neilson, and eighteen of the other inspectors, were notified by the Department of Mines to go at once to the assistance of Inspector Blower.

“The explosion had been so terrific in its force that the inspectors were convinced upon a superficial investigation that it would be impossible for any of the entombed workmen to be rescued alive, as the after damp they found pouring out of the openings would have smothered any persons that had escaped the force of the explosion….

“The progress made by the rescuers was very slow, owing to the fact that all the stoppings in the mine were blown out and had to be replaced as the men advanced, and great precautions had to be taken in conducting the ventilation for fear of fire smoldering in the coal or in old timber….

“Of the 239 miners killed more than half the number were Americans or English-speaking miners….

“After the bodies were taken out of the mine, the superintendent and foremen of the mine, with the mining experts and engineers for the company, made a thorough examination of the mine and were of the opinion that the explosion was caused by workmen crossing the danger mark and their open lights coming in contact with the gas. Their report is as follows:

….It appearing from the book of the fire bosses that right butt entries 3 and 4 off 28 entry were fenced off by the fire boss on the morning of the explosion and prior thereto as dangerous because he discovered danger from the roof falling, and the bodies of five miners being found in No. 3 butt and 200 feet or more beyond said fenced-off portion and in said dangerous and forbidden section, this is conclusive proof that miners were in dangerous and forbidden portions of the mine without the knowledge, consent, or approval of the owners of the mine; and with such facts established and together with evidenced we discovered in the mine, that the course of the explosion was from said fenced-off section into other parts of the mine, we are unanimously of the opinion that said explosion resulted from the presence of said miners in said fenced-off section, into other parts of the mine, we are unanimously of the opinion that said explosion resulted from the presence of said mine4rs in said fenced-off section, at a time when there must have been considerable fall and the possible liberation of gas; and that, for the presence of said miners in said forbidden section and the explosion resulting therefrom the owners of the mine are in no way to lame nor are they in any manner responsible.

(PA Dept. of Mines. “The Darr Mine Disaster.” Report of the Department of Mines of Pennsylvania, Part II, Bituminous, 1907. 1908, pp. xviii-xx)

A listing of fatalities can be found at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/Darr_Fatalities.pdf

Newspapers

Dec 19: “The mouth of the mine was wrecked and this circumstance, in connection with the fire which was discovered to be raging inside, prevented effectually up to 1 o’clock any attempt at rescue of the imprisoned men.” (Wisconsin State Journal, 12-19-1907, p. 1)

In a sidebar article to reporting on the Darr Mine Explosion, the Wisconsin State Journal runs another which states that “The coal mines of the United States are killing three times as many men per 1000 employees as those of most European countries. In the last seventeen years 22,840 men have given up their lives in mines of this country.” (Wisconsin State Journal, 12-19-1907, p. 1.)

Dec 20: “Jacob’s Creek, Penn., Dec. 19. – Another mine disaster was added to the long list in the bituminous region today. The Darr mine of the Pittsburg Coal Company was wrecked by an explosion at 11:30 A.M., which was heard for many miles about, and from 200 to 250 men are believed to have perished in the mine.

“The Pittsburg Coal Company in a bulletin stated that 125 coal miners took out their checks [tags] to work in the mine this morning. There would also be about 65 laborers, drivers, and other workers in the digging. Many of these were Greeks and Italians. Only two men escaped the deadly shock and live to tell the story of the disaster. It is believed that quite a number of men entered the mine to break down the coal who failed to take checks with them, as they did not intend to load the coal today.

“Five bodies have been recovered. These are so mangled, blackened, and scarred that they have not been identified and are lying 5,000 feet inside the mine in what is known as the pit boss’s office….

“That today’s disaster does not equal or even surpass in loss of life the West Virginia tragedy [Monongah/400-550 deaths] is due to the devotion to church duties of a considerable number of the miners. In observance of St. Nicholas Day many of the 400 or more Russians employed at the mine did not go to work this morning.

“The explosion followed a brief shutdown. It was 11:30 o’clock when the tenth train of loaded cars had been brought to the tipple that there came a rumbling sound, followed immediately by a loud report and a concussion that was felt for a radius of several miles. At the same time there came out of the mouth of the mine an immense cloud of smoke and dust that floated across the Youghiogheny River.

“Intuitively every one in the vicinity knew what had happened, and all started for the mouth of the mine. The river separates the mine from the homes of many of the miners, so that only a portion of those who started for the scene were able to reach it, there being scant facilities for crossing the stream.

“The ventilating fans were kept in operation almost without interruption, however, the power plant having withstood the force of the explosion, and up to this time the rescuers have found no fire at any place in the mine.

“Joseph Mapleton, a pumper, emerged from one of the side entries shortly after the explosion. He had left the part of the mine where most of the men were working and was on his way to the engine room for oil. ‘I was near entry 21,’ said he, ‘when I heard an awful rumbling. I started toward the entry, but the next instant I was blinded, and for a little time I did not know anything. Then I got to the side entry and worked my way out.’ Mapleton, after having his injuries dressed, returned to the mine and joined the rescuing parties.

“William Kelvington, Superintendent of the mine, was not in the mine when the explosion occurred, and he quickly organized rescuing parties, starting a force of twenty-five men with relief in the main entry and a similar force at a side entry.

“It is hoped to reach the greater part of the victims through the latter entry. So far little trouble has been encountered on account of gas or lack of air by the rescuers. While the officials and the rescuers have only the faintest hope that any of the men may be living, all work is being carried on upon the theory that some may have found places of safety. Every point of the workings will be explored at the earliest possible moment.

“The main office of the company is in Pittsburg, and immediately upon receipt of the news the officers hurried to the mine, and are leading and directing the rescue work.

“About 1,500 feet from the mouth of the mine a heavy fall of roof was encountered by the rescuers. It is believed that most of the men will be found nearly a mile and a half beyond this point. How long it will require to open a passage to these remote workings can only be conjectured, as it depends upon how frequently these falls are met with. It is hoped, from the progress made up to this time, however, that the further section will be reached early tomorrow.

“One unusual feature of this disaster is the almost complete absence of the harrowing sights usually seen at such disasters. The difficulty of easy access to the mouth of the mine is partly responsible for this, and those in charge of the work are doing everything possible to keep the women and children away.

“Mrs. John Campbell, wife of the mine foreman, whose home is located about fifty yards from the mouth of the mine, graphically describes the explosion. She said: ‘About 11:30 o’clock there was a loud report and the dishes in my cupboard and on the table were rattled and knocked out of place, while the glass in the windows was shattered. Instinctively I knew what had happened. I have for a long time feared an explosion in the mine, for I knew it was gaseous. My husband and I had talked of it, and he often referred to the gas in the mine. My husband was just about due for his dinner when the loud report came, and I looked out the back door toward a manway from the mine, through which he always came to his meals. Instead of my husband I saw a great cloud of dust and smoke pouring out of the mouth of the mine through the manway. It floated upward and disappeared across the river.

Location of the Mine.

“The Darr Mine is located on the west side of the Youghiogheny River, in Westmoreland County, along the line of the Pittsburg & Lake Erie Railroad, forty miles southeast of Pittsburg and eighteen miles northwest of Connellsville. The main line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad runs along the opposite bank of the river. It is one of a group of five mines within a radius of a mile and a half, and is part of the original Connellsville cokefields, its product being used for coking.

“It is a slope mine, opened in 1899, very similar to the Naomi Mine of the United Coal Company at Fayette City, when an explosion Dec. 1 killed thirty-four men. The two mines are about ten miles apart. The Darr Mine is one of the largest of the Pittsburg Coal Company’s having a daily capacity of 2,000 tons, and is modern in all equipments, including a complete electrical plant.

“The only means of reaching the mouth of the mine from Jacobs Creek, where most of the miners’ homes are located, is by means of a ‘sky ferry,’ a basket-like car suspended from a cable in which the men pull themselves back and forth. This car accommodates only six persons, and there is almost a riot every time it starts.

“There are fears of serious disorder tomorrow, and thee is a report out tonight that the State constabulary may be called here for guard duty until the rescue work is completed.” (New York Times. “Mine Explosion Entombs 250 Men…” 12-20-1907, pp. 1 and 2.)

Dec 20: That this disaster was not worse is attributed to the fact that many were immigrants who were members of the Greek Catholic Church and took the day off for a church festival. (Galveston Daily News (TX), “Mine Horror No. 3,” December 20, 1907.)

Sources

Chicago Daily News Almanac and Yearbook 1919. James Langland, (Ed.). Chicago: Chicago Daily News Company. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=vWQTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA788&dq=Ohio+River+Steamship+Disasters#PPA13,M1

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

Fleming, J.R. “Organization of Safety Work in Mines.” Safety Engineering, Vol. 26, No. 2, August 1913, p. 108. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=L9YMAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:LCCNsc80000582&lr

Galveston Daily News, TX. “Mine Horror No. 3,” 12-20-1907. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=42556155

History.com. This Day in Disaster History, Disasters, December 19, 1907. “Pennsylvania Miners Perish in Coal Mine Explosion.” Accessed 12-4-2008

Minedisasters.blogspot.com. “After Century, Darr Mine Blast Still Worst in State.” 10-4-2007. Accessed at: http://minedisasters.blogspot.com/2007/10/after-century-darr-mine-blast-still.html

National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996. Accessed 2010 at: http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1

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

New York Times. “Mine Explosion Entombs 250 Men.” 12-20-1907, pp. 1 and 2. Accessed 5-25-2020 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/12/20/issue.html

Pennsylvania Department of Mines. Report of the Department of Mines of Pennsylvania, Part II, Bituminous, 1907. Harrisburg, PA: Harrisburg Publishing CO., State Printer, 1908. Accessed 5-25-2020 at: https://archive.org/details/reportdepartmen00penngoog/page/n4/mode/2up

Powell, Allan Kent. “Scofield Mine Disaster.” Utah History Encyclopedia. Accessed 10-5-2008 at: http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/s/SCOFIELDMINEDIS.html

United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. “Pittsburg Coal Company Darr Mine Explosion.” Accessed 5-25-2020 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/darr.htm

Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. “Latest Mine Tragedy Kills Nearly 500; Disaster at Jacobs Creek, Penn. Today’ Third in Fortnight.” 12-19-1907, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=59126908