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Union Pacific Coal Company
Hanna No. 1 Mine Explosions

Hanna, Carbon County, Wyoming
March 28, 1908
No. Killed - 59

Final Investigation Report  PDF Format
List of the miners killed in the two explosions  PDF Format

See also: Hanna No. 1 Mine Explosion, June 30, 1903

From the Google News Archives:  External Link
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Rescuer Deaths

Mine Superintendent, Alexander Briggs, along with 19 volunteers were killed by an explosion in the Union Pacific Coal Company's Hanna No. 1 mine.  This group had gone into the mine to fight a fire that had been raging there since the previous Saturday.  A short time later, a second explosion occurred in the mine, killing 39 others, including State Mine Inspector, D. M. Elie, who had gone into the mine with hopes of rescuing the first group.  In all, 59 were killed in this disaster.


Gas Explosion Entombs Miners at Hanna, Wyoming
The New York Times, New York
March 29, 1908

Hanna, Wyo., March 28. -- This camp was visited by another disaster this afternoon, when twenty men were killed by an explosion of gas in Mine No. 1 of the Union Pacific Coal Company.

A fire had been raging below the tenth level since last Saturday, and the force of 200 miners had been laid off for the day, fearing trouble might occur.  Supt. Alexander Briggs and nineteen volunteers, all experienced miners, went down into the workings early this morning to fight the conflagration.

Shortly after 3 o'clock the town was startled by an awful roar followed by a heavy boom, the shaking of the earth and the trembling of buildings.  All knew what had happened, and there was a rush to the mine.  Both entries had caved in, and mine timbers had been thrown great distances about the outside workings.

Relief parties immediately went to work, though knowing that the miners had been killed.

The known dead are:
  • Alexander Briggs, Superintendent
  • Joseph Burton, Mine Foreman
  • D. M. Elie, State Mine Inspector
  • James Knox
  • Alf Dodds
  • Gus Reamey
  • P. A. Boyd
  • John Evans
  • Robert Herron
  • Harry Lyons
  • John Rimmer
  • William Pascoe
  • Robert Warburton
  • Benjamin Perry
  • Thomas Flint
  • Gappa Lahti
  • Emile Selfvast
  • John Yaknen
Some of the bodies have been recovered.

On June 30, 1903, an explosion of gas killed 169 miners in this same mine.




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