Two rooms had passed through a roll and had been stopped. The roof was bad and needed timbering to maintain ventilation going to live workings in the adjoining entry. A contractor and his son attempted to put up a crib in one of the rooms and ignited gas by their open lights about 11:30 a.m.
The explosion spread over that section of the mine but without much force. Dust was ignited, as the sprinkling of haulage entries had little effect. The 19 dead men and 13 injured men were removed without use of apparatus. Three of the injured died later.
An explosion of the same type in 1913 in this mine, then called the India, killed 2 men and burned 6 others.
| Source: |
 |
Historical Summary of Mine Disasters in the United States - Volume I |
Official List of Those Killed:
- Archibold, Richard
- Chalvet, Adrain
- Creel, Martin
- Dorsey, Americus
- Douglas, Elliott
- Ferguson, Ed.
- Gordon, Jesse
- Hainsworth, Grant
- Hooks, Emora
- Hooks, Ensley
- Hooks, Lije
|
- Hooks, Will
- Hurt, Albert
- Johnson, Alexander
- Mitchell, T. H.
- Moseley, James
- Moseley, John H.
- Stubbs, Tom
- Tyson, Noah
- Walthwal, Jack
- Williams, Claude
- Williams, Roger
|
| Source: Alabama Mining Accidents 1891-1999 |
16 Miners Killed in Blast
The Sandusky Register, Ohio
April 30, 1919
Birmingham, Ala., April 29. -- Sixteen miners, all but two of whom were negroes, were killed, and eight others were injured probably fatally today by an explosion in a mine of the Majestic Coal Mining Company, located 22 miles north of Birmingham. All but four of the 106 men in the mine at the time of the explosion had been accounted for tonight.
The explosion is believed to have been caused by a fall of rock releasing a large quantity of coal gas which was ignited by a miner's lamp. Practically all of the men within 600 feet of the point of the initial explosion were either killed or injured and the wrecking of air brattices made it impossible to pump air into many nearby chambers which were filled with gas.
Mine rescue teams from all parts of the Birmingham district were called to the scene and a special train made up to bring the more seriously injured to this city.
