108 miners were asphyxiated, 2 rescuers killed.  Thomas W. Williams of Plymouth and David Jones of Grand Tunnel, entered what subsequently proved to them the pit of death.

Soon after the explosion in the Henry Clay Colliery, John Hays, outside boss, heard the alarm of those who managed to escape, and went into the mine to rescue others.  After proceeding about five hundred yards he fell, face down, in a pool of water and drowned.

Six men were asphyxiated in the Grizzly mine from carbon monoxide.  Three of them were killed in an effort to rescue others.  The cause of the accident is ascribed to smoke from the engine furnace on the tunnel level, the exit of which had become choked, and thereby smoke was driven back through the mine.

Twelve miners were overcome by toxic gas and suffocated while attempting to rescue the 6 victims of an explosion which occurred in the Old Savanna No. 2 mine near Savanna, Oklahoma.

Following efforts to extinguish the fire, John Eustice, the foreman of the mine, along with two volunteers, entered the mine to examine the extent of the damage.  When they did not return, others commenced the difficult task of finding the three men amid the smoke and gas given off by the fire.  The three were found within 130 yards of the shaft where they became victims of asphyxiation.  The two volunteers assisting Eustice were N. P. Akeyson and Jacob Williamson.

Peter Pascoe, Jr. and James Dower, Jr. were smothered by gas and smoke in the No.7 pit of the Republic mine. James Dower, Jr. lost his life in his gallant and repeated efforts to rescue his friend Pascoe.  Peter Pascoe, Jr., was night boss of No. 8 pit.  Shortly before noon he descended into the burning mine by No. 7 shaft to ascertain, if possible, the extent of the fire raging in Nos. 5 and 6 shafts.  He was accompanied by three others.  The whole party was overcome by gas and smoke.  The three that descended with Pascoe managed to reach the skip and were brought to the surface unconscious.  Young Pascoe had been unable to reach the skip and was left behind in the burning mine.  Then James Dower, Jr., Arthur Blythe, John Hodge, Thomas Lynch, and Llewellyn Evans descended into the mine to endeavor to rescue Pascoe.  But the smoke was so dense that they also were overcome and were unable to give the signal to be drawn up.  The men on the surface became alarmed at the length of time the party remained below, and hoisted the skip.  All the rescuing party were unconscious, and were resuscitated with difficulty, but Pascoe still remained in the mine.  James Dower bravely went alone down into this smoky hell a second time to rescue his friend.  He perished in the heroic attempt, for the skip came back empty.  Grant Kimberly ventured down and succeeded in recovering Dower's body.  Pascoe's body was at length found and brought to the surface.  But Pascoe had been three hours in the smoke and life was extinct.  Source document 

4 killed in gas explosion, 2 fire bosses suffocated by afterdamp in attempting rescue.

Ten brave men were risking their lives endeavoring to reopen the Diamondville No. 1 coal mine.  They were all knocked down, one by one, by blackdamp.  When help arrived, two were already dead, and the others were resuscitated with great difficulty.  The names of the dead are John L. Russell and Lee Wright.  Source document 

The initial blast occurred at about 6 p.m. on June 10.  About 1 hour after the initial blast, Superintendent William McCune (or McComb), Dennis Wortley, Michael Roy, several other bosses, along with about 20 other men went down Shaft No. 1 in search of 4 missing miners.  About 3 hours after the rescue party had been in the mine, more explosions were heard.

Four hours later, four more men volunteered to enter the mine, but as of 3 a.m. on June 11, they too had not returned.  Shortly after 3 a.m., W. Sweeney, Harry Beveridge and Frank Stratton worked their way out of the mine and were put under the care of physicians.  All three of these men later died.  Lawrence Settler and John Stakes were the only ones rescued from the mine.  While 19 is the official death toll, it is unclear exactly how many were rescuers.  See all related news.

Isaac James was killed while attempting to rescue 2 miners that were caught in a roof fall in the Packer No. 4 mine of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company, a second fall occurred killing him instantly.  Jeremiah Mahoney and Charles Lewis were timbering the Buck Mountain Slope when the initial fall of top rock nearly covered them.  Source document  

While the fires were being fought, a small explosion occurred, which injured no one, but blew out some of the brattices and allowed the smoke and gases to pass through into the adjoining West Mine.  Nine men in the West Mine were overcome by smoke and suffocated.  On November 22, 1901, a rescue party of eight men was also overcome by gases in the West Mine and suffocated.

As many as 3 rescuers were killed when a second avalanche hit the Liberty Bell mine at Telluride.  In all, 19 miners were killed on February 28 when the buildings and equipment were smashed and lives were dashed by 4 separate snow slides.

34 miners were killed following a magazine explosion in the Daly West and Ontario Silver Mines in Park City, Utah.  The magazine, located in the Daly West mine, exploded after miner, John Burgy, entered carrying a lit candle.  Three of the deceased were rescuers: John McLaughlin; James Smith; and Jack Ballon, all of whom died of asphyxiation while rendering aid and searching for survivors.  McLaughlin died after making his second trip into the mine.  Several of the dead were in the adjacent Ontario mine.  With the exception of Mr. Burgy, all the miners died from asphyxiation.

Mine foreman, Harry Rodgers; assistant mine foreman, William Blanchard; and fire bosses, John Whitney and John Thomas were overcome by the afterdamp while attempting to rescue other miners.

At the first alarm the 170 employees hastened to extinguish the flames.  The Mine Superintendent entered the tunnel through the fire and smoke to warn the entombed miners and to aid them to escape.  He returned and tried to enter the mine by the air shaft but fell from the ladder and was killed.

Daniel Davis died attempting to save William Monroe from suffocation, Sherodsville, Ohio, July 11, 1904.  Davis, 23, coal miner, was overcome by black damp while walking into a mine to rescue Monroe, 38, who was helpless from the gas but was later rescued.  Source document.

Nine of the ten men killed and all of the forty overcome by the sulphurous fumes in a tunnel of the Williamstown Colliery of the Summit Branch Mining Company at Williamstown were members of a relief party.  Enoch Morgan was the first man killed.  The rest of the victims were members of the rescuing party, which at one time was made up of more than 100 men.  Intimation of the presence of extraordinary amounts of sulphurous gas in the mine was first gotten by miners who were walking through the tunnel.  Shortly afterward a train came through and picked up some of these men who were overcome and hurried them to the Williams Valley side.  A relief train, loaded with reserves and members of the night shift, was hurriedly made up and sent into the mine to rescue the others.  Before the train had gotten any great distance the rescuers started to explore the mine, and in a short while these men were tottering and fell to the ground either fatally stricken or seriously overcome.  Investigators concluded that the victims were suffocated by coal gas from the locomotive, the accumulation of which at this particular time was due to high temperature on the surface, the effect of which caused the air to reverse, nullifying the action of the fan.  Source document 

A terrible explosion in the Phillips mine at Foster, Iowa, resulted in the death of John Stevens and Axel Carlson, shot firers.  It was supposed the explosion was caused by a windy shot.  The rescuers were unable to reach the victims for one hour.  When found, Carlson had his arms around Stevens neck.  It was thought Carlson was uninjured by the explosion and attempted to rescue Stevens, who was suffocated by firedamp.  Source document 

Of 175 mine workers underground at the time, the single survivor was the severely burned 16-year-old, Adolph Gunia.  Other casualties included Daniel A. Lyle and the mine engineer, Selwyn M. Taylor, who both gave their lives in rescue attempts after responding to the scene.  Greatly touched by Taylor's and Lyle's sacrifice, Andrew Carnegie had medals privately minted for their families, and within two months had established a $5 million Carnegie Hero Fund as a result.

49 miners died as a result of two explosions in the Zeigler Mine.  In an effort to recover the entombed men, five rescuers were overcome by afterdamp.  The rescuers were let down by hand.  In two instances, the men above were nearly overcome by gas.  Source document 1  Source document 2

Five hours after the mine ceased operations for the day, an explosion occurred in the Rush Run mine, in which 8 men lost their lives.  The explosion extended into the Red Ash mine, where 5 more men lost their lives.  To rescue these men, 11 men entered the Rush Run mine and were lost in a second explosion.  Source document 

Rush Run - Red Ash Mine Explosions

After a house was toppled into a pit cut by clay diggers in Haverstraw, NY, five men went to the rescue to aid their neighbors.  After the first house fell, twelve other houses went crashing over the precipice.  The wreckage quickly caught fire, and those who were in the mass were either crushed or burned to death.  Seventeen persons were killed.

Wasall Kircera gave up his life while trying to save three boys from death in an abandoned mine, where blackdamp was known to escape from the old workings.  The boys were playing and soon became senseless under the influence of the deadly gas.  Kircera saw the boys peril, plunged down into the hole and hurled two of them to the outside.  Then Kircera fell, overcome by the gas fumes.  A friend went down after him and, after throwing the remaining boy out, dragged Kircera up the bank.  The gas was too much for Kircera, however, and he died in a few minutes, while his friend was in a serious condition and not expected to live.  Source document 

To suppress a fire, the fan was reversed, which reversed the air current supplying fresh air to the fighters in room 6.  This resulted in forcing the noxious gases onto the men fighting the fire in room 6.  Six men lost their lives from the crew fighting the fire in room 6, while two of the rescuers, Roy Carey and Joe Bracey, lost their lives in a vain attempt to rescue the men fighting the fire in room 6.

Edward Jones, the inside foreman, led the first rescue party, and when that party failed to return in a reasonable time a second rescue party under Supt. Leckie followed.  Two of the Leckie party, John Odham and Ed Brown, were overcome by gas and died.  Leckie barely escaped with his life.  Then the third party was formed and continued the work.  In the meantime, the first party had reached another entrance to the mine in safety, and sent word over the mountain announcing that fact.

A rescue party of 7 men entered the mine and were exploring for survivors.  They had penetrated as far as the third heading when suddenly the current of air died away.  The motor which operated the large fan above the entrance had burned out.  Now exposed to the blackdamp, 4 of these men were quickly overcome.  Dan R. Jones died from asphyxiation and the other 3 were removed by reinforcements and revived under the treatment of physicians.

Victim's little son was waiting for his father to finish work so that he might ride the horse to the barn.  As the father was dumping his last car, the boy fell into the hot ashes.  The father jumped to rescue him and both were so badly burned that they died a few days later.

David Pittsley, 27, mine wireman, died attempting to save Michael Maloney, 42, from a mine cave-in, Rossiter, Pennsylvania, May 6, 1907.  Maloney was knocked to the ground by a fall of rock, and, without taking time to ascertain whether there was further danger, Pittsley ran to the spot.  While he endeavored to release Maloney, both were killed by a second fall.  Mr. Pittsley was posthumously bestowed the Carnegie Hero Award for his bravery.  Source document 

John Narey died in the mine rescue effort during the mine disaster at Monongah Mine, West Virginia Dec. 6, 1907. (from an article in the "Latrobe Bulletin," Latrobe, PA, Dec. 18, 1907.)  In all, three men are said to have lost their lives in the rescue work at Monongah, apparently overcome with smoke or poisonous gases lingering in the mines because they had no proper equipment for entering exploding mines, or proper equipment to revive rescuers or miners who had succumbed to their smoke and poisonous gases.

Monongah Mine Explosion

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.

Francis C. Skinner, 32, stationary engineer, died attempting to rescue Wesley J. Wright, 48, and John W. Rowe, 36, in a mine, Salineville, Ohio, May 27, 1908.  Wright and Rowe were disabled by an explosion, and Skinner, with others, was lowered 180 feet down a shaft, where the carriage stuck, ropes being used to get to the bottom 20 feet farther.  Having been released from debris, Wright was being carried to the shaft when a piece of timber fell, striking Skinner on the head and killing him instantly.  Francis C. Skinner was posthumously bestowed the Carnegie Hero Award.  Source document 

After extinguishing the blaze, five rescuers searching for 3 missing miners fell victim to toxic mine air.  In all, 6 were killed in the incident, including Victor Erickson, along with rescuers Peter McNini, Roy Coburn, Alf Johnson, A. W. Burns, and Gus Olson.  John Sunston and Otto Johnson were returned to the surface barely alive.

A fire broke out in this mine after the day shift had left the mine.  The fire was caused by crossed electric wires and although it was originally very small, it was expanded and originated several explosions and eventually brought about the death of 31 men who attempted to put it out.  Once Draeger helmets were purchased, a single man wearing one of the helmets was sent into the mine to reconnoiter.  It is reported that the cartridges were caked and the man panicked, pulled off the helmet and perished.

Details of the death of four men in the workings of the Utah copper company's mine at Bingham emphasized the reckless heroism with which the last three victims fought their losing fight with an invisible, intangible foe, deadly powder gas.  Three rescuers went into the mine in search of Italian miner, Dominick Shatto, and another miner thought to be missing.  Foreman F. Kent Smith started down an incline tunnel, followed by Hugh Burns and George Wilson.  They did not return.  Other mine employees waited a reasonable time and then ventured into the tunnel after taking the precaution to tie ropes to their waists.  The ropes saved their lives, for the first inhalations of the foul air robbed them of their strength and when dragged back to the surface they were unconscious.  Source document 

During recovery efforts following a fire at this mine, marsh gas from the west "C" south entries was carried over an area where the fire had raged and an explosion occurred which killed 26 men and again wrecked the mine.

After a miner fired shots in the Northwestern coal mine, an explosion occurred.  Another victim (Dinkler), with others, went to rescue the shotfirer, but was overcome by afterdamp before he could.

During recovery operations following a fire at this mine, an explosion occurred and three men were killed instantly.

Harry L. Biggs, 28, miner and laborer, died attempting to save Guy W. Dotson, 35, miner, from suffocation, Douds Leando, Iowa, June 12, 1909.  Dotson lay unconscious at the bottom of a shaft 30 feet deep, having been overcome following a powder blast.  Biggs, who had seen him fall, asked to be lowered to him.  He waited impatiently while a badly tangled rope was tied around him and then was lowered in a bucket.  While going down, he removed the rope from around his body, and when he reached the bottom, he got out of the bucket and stooped to tie the rope around Dotson.  As he did so, he was overcome and fell on top of Dotson.  Both were dead when taken out about 15 minutes later.  Harry Biggs was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal.  Source document 

Six times, Mine Manager John Bundy went down in an iron cage to rescue trapped miners.  He emerged six times, black and sweating, lifting survivors into the sun.  But on the seventh trip, Bundy and eleven volunteers were burned alive.  When the cage was hoisted, it held a charred and flaming pile of bodies.  Source document.

Cherry Mine Fire Narration by Ray Tutaj, Jr.

A member of the rescue crew who gave his breathing apparatus to one of the four men found behind a barricade stayed behind to wait for the party's return.  He was later found overcome in another part of the mine and died the next morning.

Michael L. Belangie, 33, miner, died attempting to help save Dennis Lynch, 53, repairman, and Stephen Hogan, 57, pumpman, from suffocation, Butte, Montana, January 14, 1911.  Belangie, who had already made two trips into a copper mine, was one of a party of four men who made two trips to the pump station on the 1,000-foot level in search of Lynch and Hogan, who had been overcome by smoke from a fire in the mine.  On the second trip through the station, Belangie was overcome.  The others went on and rescued Lynch and Hogan, but when Belangie was gotten out, about 10 minutes later, he was dead.  Lynch and Hogan were revived.  Michael Belangie was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal.  Source document 

On February 9, 1911, E. A. Sutton, assistant superintendent of the Cokedale mine of the Carbon Coal & Coke Company, Carbondale, Colorado, lost his life while wearing a Draeger helmet-type oxygen breathing apparatus after an explosion in this mine in which 17 men were killed.  In the same incident, Robert Meek, a volunteer rescuer, also lost his life.  Meek fell unconscious from blackdamp after venturing ahead of the air circuit.  He died a few minutes after he was carried out of the mine.  Source document  

William A. "Big Bill" Murphy, a 28-year-old cage operator, twice successfully descended into the Belmont Mine inferno to bring confused and unconscious co-workers to the surface.  Said to say "he was nearly done in," he made his third descent into the mine.  This would be his last.  In 2006, a statue was erected and dedicated in Tonopah to "Big Bill," the hero of the Belmont Mine Fire.

Two pipeline men noticed smoke coming from the direction of the shaft and discovered that the North Slope engine room was on fire.  When the fire in the engine room was under control, the crew noticed that the timbers and a large number of mine cars on the passing branch were also burning.

Victims included 69 miners and four rescue worker who fell victim to poisonous gas, including Joe E. Evans, who was the Foreman of Federal Rescue Car No. 1.  Also killed while attempting to help others were: Walter Knight, mine foreman; Isaac Dawe, fire boss; and John R. Perry.  These men rushed beyond the flames to warn others farther in the workings.

Within 1 hour after the discovery of the fire, an attempt was made to begin rescue operations without the aid of breathing apparatus.  Three bodies were discovered.  However, because of the reversal of the air current while erecting a stopping, the smoke became so dense that the shift boss ordered the men to return to the surface.  One man attempted to remain and finish the stopping but was overcome.  It was several hours before rescuers reached him, but he was dead.  Three of the others attempted to go out to the Cambria shaft but were overcome and were revived with great difficulty.

It is believed that the six dead miners, realizing that there had been an explosion, dropped their dinner buckets and ran further into the mine to rescue their fellow workmen.  The dinner buckets were found about a mile and a half from the innermost workings of the mine, which is five miles from the entrance.

John Ferrell of the U. S. Bureau of Mines was killed while exploring a mine in which a fire was raging. Ferrell had been in charge of the Bureau of Mines Rescue Car No. 5 since October 1911.  At a mine rescue a few weeks earlier at Briceville, Tennessee, Ferrell rescued five men.  It is unknown if any others were killed or injured in the Cherry Valley Mine Fire.

An explosion occurred in which 97 men were killed and subsequently one of the rescue party wearing breathing apparatus lost his life.  About 167 men were in the mine at the time of the explosion.  About 67 escaped uninjured through old workings, and three were rescued alive - one by the first rescue parties and 2 some sixty-hours later by exploring parties.

Five men were killed by blackdamp in a deserted shaft of a coal mine belonging to the Taylor Mining Company.  The men were working near the shaft when C. F. Frazier went to explore the abandoned digging.  He fell into the water and the four others who went to his rescue succumbed to blackdamp.  The miners attempting to rescue Frazier included John Killers, J. P. Ramer, F. Tourk, and Jim Porter.

Henry Fairhurst, a member of the first rescue party to enter the Imperial mine following the explosion, was overcome by gas and died soon after being brought to the surface.

Five miners met their death when they entered the East Brookside Anthracite Mine following an explosion there.  While attempting to rescue victims of the first blast, a second methane explosion occurred, sealing their fate.  The first explosion, believed to be caused by dynamite, killed 15 miners.  One of the rescuers managed to escape, but died a few hours later.

On September 30, 1913, Edward Evans, an employee of the Bureau of Mines, lost his life during mine rescue maneuvers at a mine of the Union Pacific Coal Company, Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Of the 284 men working in the mine, 14 men escaped from an unaffected area of the mine, and nine others, unconscious at the bottom of the shaft were later rescued by a crew wearing apparatus.  Two helmet men, James Laird and William Poyser, were lost that night when they overtaxed the oxygen supply by overexertion and going in farther than instructed.  The oxygen was supplied at a fixed rate and when they tried to remove the oxygen bottles to breathe from them, they were overcome by afterdamp.  Source document 

John S. Barrett died attempting to save Victor A. Erickson from suffocation in the Negaunee iron mine of the Cleveland Cliffs Company at Negaunee, Michigan on January 11, 1914.  During a fire in an iron mine, Erickson, 31, mine timberman, who was wearing an oxygen helmet, was overcome on a level over 700 feet below the surface.  Barrett, 44, night mine captain, and a younger man, each wearing an oxygen helmet, went 120 feet through smoke and gas and in darkness to Erickson.  They grasped him and dragged him about 70 feet toward a place of safety, going through deep mud as rapidly as they could, then Barrett released his hold on Erickson, called for help, and fell.  His companion proceeded to safety alone.  Others without helmets made efforts to drag Barrett to fresh air but were unsuccessful.  While these efforts were being made, Barrett requested one man leave him because of the danger to the man.  This man was overcome, but he was immediately removed to a place of safety and was revived.  Within half an hour a shaft was opened, and the smoke and gas escaped from the mine.  Barrett was taken to the surface and was found to be dead.  Erickson revived.  John Barrett was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal.  Source document 1   Source document 2 

E. E. Shumway, 51, president and general manager of the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company, died on January 12, 1914 as the result of inhaling poisonous gases while working with rescuers after the explosion at the Vulcan Mine on December 17, 1913 at Newcastle, Colorado.  Source document  

Three of the deceased in the Boston mine fire were Austrians, who on hearing that two of their countrymen were in the smoke-filled workings rushed in at 9 o'clock a.m. to attempt a rescue.  Their bodies were brought out at 10 o'clock that night by three rescuers wearing oxygen helmets.  The three attempting the rescue were Mike Osich, Josep Stemich, and Robert Duich.

Grant S. Miller, a member of the Black Hawk Coal Company's rescue crew, was overcome while fighting a mine fire, and died in spite of courageous efforts of his comrades to save his life.  Source document 1.   Source document 2. 

Apparatus man succumbed during recovery work.  Mr. Gomer Phillips was an employee of the Cambria Steel Company of Johnstown, PA.  Mr. Phillips was a voluntary rescue man in the Johnstown explosion and came to his death while wearing the apparatus in attempting to rescue the men in the explosion.  Mr. Phillips was the captain of the rescue team.

On September 17, 1915, Thomas Hendrickson, a foreman of the International Exploration Company, lost his life while wearing a Draeger 2-hour oxygen breathing apparatus during an exploration in the Alta-Quincy tunnel, near Salt Lake City, Utah, leased by the Albion Mining Company.

Approximately 195 men were hoisted to the surface in less than 45 minutes after the discovery of the fire.  Six men escaped through the 1,000-foot level to the Tramway mine.  Subsequently, two men lost their lives while wearing Drager apparatus during rescue and recovery work.

Lewis M. Jones, a mining engineer from the U. S. Bureau of Mines in Pittsbugh became asphyxiated in the Jamison No. 7 Mine fire at Barrackville, West Virginia. When Jones and seven others failed to return to the surface, additional rescuers were dispatched to bring them out.  All of the initial party recovered except Jones.  9 other miners lost their lives in the disaster.  Source document 

On November 13, 1917, Samuel T. McMahon and Bryce Warren lost their lives while wearing Fleuss oxygen breathing apparatus in a sealed fire area in the No. 7 mine of the Jamison Coal & Coke Company, Barrackville, West Virginia.

Eighteen men entered the mine and all were killed in the explosion, except one pumper who was burned but escaped.  A rescue worker without rescue apparatus was overcome and was killed by a fall from a ladder.

William Kirkley was overcome by gas while searching for a miner who was sent into the mine to make some repairs.  Kirkley's body was found in an abandoned working which had become gaseous.  It was later learned that the workman he thought was lost had exited the mine before Kirkley went in.  Source document  

Twelve rescuers descended into the Degnan-McConnell Coal Company's No. 5 mine following an explosion which killed two shotfirers, the only occupants of the mine at the time.  The rescuers were not able to proceed far before they were overcome by afterdamp, and fell prostrate in their tracks.  Each group succeeded in carrying back the fallen before they themselves were overcome by the gas.  Volunteers had to be called in to drag out the rescuers, and finally, when the last man was rescued, there were twelve prostrate men lying at the mouth of the slope.  Students from the Oklahoma School of Mines and citizens of Wilburton worked heroically with these men, resorting to artificial respiration.  All were saved except Tom Vickers.  A pulmotor was used in his case, but to no avail.  Several of those resuscitated re-entered the mine to continue with the rescue work.  Source document 

On May 6, 1917, Walter Kerr, a member of a mine rescue team of the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, died wearing a Draeger 2-hour oxygen breathing apparatus, while helping to recover bodies, after an explosion in the Hastings mine of the Victor-American Fuel Company, Hastings, Colorado, in which 121 men were killed.  The explosion was caused by a mine inspector striking a match to relight his safety lamp about 120 feet from the face of 7 South entry.

Two men obtained permission from the mine foreman to investigate the results of blasting on the 1,400-foot level.  When they did not return, the foreman went to investigate, returned, and with two others climbed down to the 1,400-foot level, where all three were overcome.  Before proper supervision could be obtained and rescue work begun, three others had attempted to help by going to the 1,400 foot level (all at different times).  Only one was able to return to safety.  Seven men lost their lives from asphyxiation.

On November 13, 1917, in an incident related to the initial disaster which occurred in October 1916, Samuel T. McMahon and Bryce Warren lost their lives while wearing Fleuss oxygen breathing apparatus in a sealed fire area in the No. 7 mine of the Jamison Coal & Coke Company, Barrackville, West Virginia.

Two rescuers lost their lives following an explosion in the Havaco mine in McDowell County, West Virginia.  They were asphyxiated by blackdamp caused by the leaky masks they were wearing.  Two other miners were killed in the blast.  Source document  

On February 26, 1918, David Murphy, an experienced mine rescue volunteer from Dawson, New Mexico, lost his life while wearing a Fleuss mouthpiece-type oxygen breathing apparatus during an exploration trip in the Government mine of the Carthage Fuel Company, Carthage, New Mexico.

On August 25, 1919, James S. Cunningham, foreman miner of Bureau of Mines rescue car No. 2, died while wearing a Salvus ½-hour apparatus in a gasoline storage tank of the Sinclair Oil & Refining Company, Trinidad, Colorado.

As the result of fire and gas fumes in the Mount Braddock mine of the W. J. Rainey Coal Company, two men died, four were trapped in the mine and two were rescued.  The dead miners, Samuel Hardy, 28, and Clyde Foltz, 33, lost their lives in an attempt to aid their trapped comrades.  The missing men were James Russell, 45, Frank Largen, 25, Charles Lurch, 27, and Elmer Matthews, 38.  Jack Cole, 32, and Herman Earhart, 36, were rescued at 6 p.m. on January 20.  Cole, Earhart, and the missing men entered the mine on an inspection tour when gas was discovered earlier in the morning.  When they did not return, Hardy and Foltz entered in a coal car to which a cable was attached.  Miners on the outside were to withdraw the car on signal.  After waiting 20 minutes the men withdrew the car and found both occupants dead.  Little hope was held out for the men that were still trapped.  Source document 

Following an explosion in the Submarine mine at Clinton, Indiana, James Smith, Art Thompson and Frank Hughes were victims of afterdamp while attempting to recover the body of John Howe.  Jimmie Needham, also a member of the rescue party, was injured.

A miner was electrocuted and instantly killed at a sub-station of the Washington Water Power Plant, when he was endeavoring to rescue a patrol man of the company, whom he found burned and unconscious upon going to the sub-station to investigate the cause of the power being shut off at the plant in which he was working.

On July 10, 1920, Henry DeWinter, Hugh Hughes, and James Hudson lost their lives while wearing oxygen breathing apparatus in an abandoned slope of the Black Diamond No. 2 mine of the Pacific Coast Coal Company, Black Diamond, Washington.

Three men lost their lives by suffocation in oxygen apparatus while opening a fire sealed area to see if the fire was extinguished.  The oxygen of one of the three-man crew was fully consumed and the two other men used up all their oxygen in attempted rescue of the one man who went down.

Six men were killed by firedamp in the Satanic coal mine of the Colorado Collieries Company, when they attempted to place a bulkhead on the 100-foot level of an abandoned shaft, used as an air course, to stop a fire.  The only man brought to the surface, apparently still alive, was Eugene F. Bovie, Sr., of Morrison, father of a young miner, who was overcome when he attempted to rescue his son.

On December 31, 1921, Albert Gilmore, a section foreman, lost his life in the No. 1 mine of the Ellsworth Collieries Company, Ellsworth, Pennsylvania, while wearing a Gibbs 2-hour oxygen breathing apparatus following a local mine explosion.

Gabrielle Pascuzzi, 20, and H. L. Wallace, 23 were killed and two others were injured when they were crushed under a fall of slate while searching for the bodies of 2 miners who met death in a cave-in several days earlier in the Strum Coal Company's Almena Mine.  Source document  

Reuben A. Brown, 50, mine driver, attempted to save Andrew J. Hamilton, 35, clay miner, from a mine cave-in, Brazil, Indiana, December 3, 1923.  Hamilton was caught under a fall of shale in a cross cut in a clay mine.  Brown, who was 14 feet from Hamilton, hurried to him but was unable to lift a large slab of shale that rested on his back.  Three other miners were attracted, and as Brown and two of them attempted to lift the slab off Hamilton, a second fall occurred.  Brown was struck and held fast against the wall, and one of the miners, J. Franklin Elson, was instantly killed.  Four other miners then arrived, and although bits of shale continued to drop, they freed Brown and Hamilton.  Hamilton sustained a broken arm and cuts and bruises.  Brown was severely lacerated and bruised and was disabled five weeks.  The following men were given the Carnegie Hero Award for their bravery: Reuben A. Brown; J. Herbert Batchelor; Amos J. Stamper; R. Delane Tabor; Walter Penman; Robert F. Buchholz; John E. Martin; and J. Franklin Elson (posthumously).

Two helmetmen were overcome, and late Saturday, George Wilson, head of a crew from Standardville, died from asphyxiation when the nose piece of his helmet became detached several hundred feet inside the main portal.

Sherburn Atkins was killed while engaged in rescue work following a mine disaster at Hyder, Alaska.  Mr. Atkins was crushed by a portion of a mine falling in while helping some of his comrades to safety.

Charles Hjurguist died while he and three others were searching for two miners trapped in the Fairview Gold Mine fire and cave-in near Nederland, Colorado.  One of the trapped men died in the fire and the other was removed in serious condition and hospitalized.  Three other smoke-affected rescuers were also hospitalized in serious condition.  Source document  

Immediately after the blast, Cecil Fulkerson, manager, led a squad of rescue men into the pit.  With him were Archie and Leonard Huter and George Brandon, Jr., whose fathers were killed in the explosion.  Archie Huter, Brandon, and two others were asphyxiated by blackdamp.  Fulkerson and Leonard Huter were overcome by the gas and their condition was serious.

Two mine rescue men sacrificed their lives in a fruitless effort to save a fellow rescuer from deadly gas in the Connellsville By-Product Company mine near Morgantown, WV.  The three victims were part of a crew from Parnassus, PA.  Crews of helmet men were sent in to explore sealed workings to determine whether flooding of the mine had extinguished a fire.  C. Roy Rushton, Frank Burns and William Heagy formed this crew.  For some unexplained reason, Rushton removed the mouthpiece of his breathing apparatus.  He soon collapsed, a victim of carbon monoxide.

Dewey J. Beck died assisting to save Fred Spencer from suffocation, Waco, Missouri, August 11, 1927.  Spencer, 48, driller, was overcome by carbon dioxide in a zinc and lead mine about 20 feet from the bottom of a shaft that was 330 feet deep.  He fell from a hoisting bucket to the bottom.  Beck, 28, driller's helper, and another man, who were fellow workmen of Spencer's and had been warned not to go below the point at which Spencer had been overcome, had themselves lowered in the hoisting bucket to go to Spencer's assistance.  When they were about 10 feet from the bottom of the shaft, Beck was overcome and fell out of the bucket to the bottom of the shaft. His companion fell shortly afterward.  All three of the men were dead when brought to the surface 40 minutes later, after the shaft had been ventilated.  Dewey J. Beck was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal for his bravery.

The three men in the connected No. 3 mine were killed by the forces, and 17 of those in No. 1 mine died in the afterdamp.  Five of the men in No. 1 mine successfully barricaded themselves and were rescued.  Three men of a fresh air crew were killed by a falling roof slab on February 7.  Source document 

On October 8, 1930, Rush D. Hiller, an undertaker of Canton, Ohio, lost his life while wearing a ½-hour McCaa oxygen breathing apparatus on the property of the Dalton Coal Company, Dalton, Ohio.

John S. Korfonta sustained fatal injuries attempting to help rescue Francis R. Yaros from a mine cave-in, Starford, Pennsylvania, March 11, 1935.  While Yaros, 21, was close to the face of the coal at the end of a heading of a mine, a rock six feet and a half in diameter and from two to 15 inches thick fell from the roof onto him.  The rock lay two feet from the face of the coal between two parallel rows of posts eight feet apart.  Only Yaros's feet and ankles extended from under the rock.  Frank L. Russell, Jr., heard the crash and went to another heading, where he notified Korfonta, 46, miner; J. Clair Irvin; Joseph C. Resovsky; and another man.  Irvin, closely followed by Russell, Resovsky, and the other man, hurried through a crosscut and the heading to the rock and then crawled over it to positions between the rock and the face of the coal.  Russell placed a crowbar beneath the edge of the rock, and his companions placed their hands beneath the rock to lift it.  Korfonta then reached the rock and began to crawl over it.  Another rock, five feet wide and eight inches thick, fell and knocked him aside onto loose slate.  Slate dribbled from the roof, and the men feared another fall.  After standing aside a moment, Irvin and Resovsky lifted a part of the rock, which had been split by the second rock, from Yaros's legs.  Russell and Resovsky then lifted the rock from Yaros's back.  Irvin grasped Yaros's ankles and pulled him to the face of the coal.  Russell and Irvin then carried Yaros toward the other side of the heading, the roof of which was amply supported by crossbeams, then for 25 feet over a pile of slate to a safe part of the heading.  Resovsky remained with Korfonta.  Russell ran to the entrance of the mine for help.  Irvin returned to the rock and crawled over the loose slate to Korfonta and Resovsky.  He and Resovsky then carried Korfonta over the same course to the crosscut and the other heading.  In the meantime, Yaros died.  Korfonta was placed in a minecar and hauled out of the mine.  He died of his injuries that evening.  J. Clair Irvin, Frank L. Russell, Jr., Joseph C. Resovsky and John S. Korfonta (posthumously) were bestowed the Carnegie Hero Award for their bravery.

During the time the State mine rescue team was erecting seals outby the fire, several motor trips of material were sent into the 7th north haulage road which is on the return for this section.  With these trips, there were between 15 and 20 men, who had been sent to assist with the sealing.  All of these men were more or less affected with carbon monoxide; nine of them lost their lives.

Two men persuaded a third to lower them to an area of dangerous atmospheric conditions.  The third man realized the seriousness of the situation but gave little or no thought to the atmospheric conditions.  He proceeded down the manway until he was overcome and fell to the bottom.  A fourth man, in a solitary attempt to rescue the third, was overcome and also fell to within 5 feet of the bottom.  When the shift boss and four others arrived, they attempted to recover the bodies.  Two men were lowered in the bucket, and both were overcome.

Columbia firemen were called to remove the four bodies and helped save a fifth worker who was in serious condition.  Mine owner Louis Metz and his father-in-law were overcome by gas as they went into the mine to pump water.  The miner's three younger brothers came to help and they too fell victim to the deadly gas.  Source document 

A spark from a locomotive ignited a body of methane in the first explosion, a fire ignited the 2nd.  Two were killed in the first explosion and 7 were killed in the second explosion.  The others died in an effort to rescue their fellow man, when a second explosion of gas took place.  Source document 

In an attempt to rescue Joseph Foran, who took refuge in an abandoned mine during a storm, Edward Woll donned a smoke mask and entered the mine.  After locating Foran, Woll was only able to travel 6 feet with him before collapsing.  The smoke mask of Woll was useless in providing protection in the oxygen deficient atmosphere.  Rescuers better equipped found both men 6 feet from fresh air.  Source document  

On this Saturday morning, 176 men were in the mine when an explosion killed 66 by burns and violence and 3 by burns and afterdamp.  Two others attempting rescue were asphyxiated, and 1 rescued man died 6 days later from effects of afterdamp.

On May 16, 1940, Andrew Wolfgang, a foreman of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co., and captain of a mine rescue team, lost his life while wearing a McCaa 2-hour oxygen breathing apparatus, in an attempt to rescue a miner at the bottom of a 50-foot, almost vertical, shaft at a "bootleg" mining operation.

On October 6, 1940, Reese Phillips and Gray Lacey lost their lives while wearing Gibbs oxygen breathing apparatus after entering a sealed fire area at the Wanamie Colliery of the Glen Alden Coal Co., Wanamie, Pennsylvania.

During the fire at the No. 15 mine of the Pursglove Mining Company, an act of heroism cost the life of Guy Quinn, 38-year-old night-foreman, who escaped after the fire but returned to open two ventilating doors in an effort to save his trapped comrades.  He had managed to open one door but was overcome while working on the other.  Source document 

Two of the victims were buried in an initial collapse, which occurred while they were preparing to shoot down a section of the rock suspected of being weak.  Six others were buried in a second cave-in, which occurred while they were attempting to dig out the bodies of the first two men.

One rescuer later succumbed from the toxic gas, after spending days looking for the miners.

Three employees of the disposal plant were killed by the inhalation of toxic fumes believed to be hydrogen sulfide or an oxygen deficiency.  Charles R. Miller, Water Treating Operator, was the initial victim.  Delmar W. Oldaker and Gerard Colwell were overcome during rescue attempts.

About 12:40 a.m., August 29th, or 2½ hours after the first explosion, a second explosion occurred in the same area, at which time there were 18 members of a rescue party in the affected section.  Two men of the rescue party were killed and 16 were injured.  Eight of the sixteen injured died after being removed to the hospital.  Total number of deaths from the second explosion was 10.

Firefighting crews were formed after all miners were withdrawn from the Katherine No. 4 mine to fight a fire discovered there at 11:00 p.m.  A subsequent explosion of methane and coal dust occurred, killing everyone in the mine fighting the fire at the time.  Windows were shattered in homes 2 miles away and buildings were rocked.

Immediately upon receiving the news of the fire, George Emery, a 45-year-old foreman and father of four children, went into the pit to help the trapped men.  Hours later he had not returned.

Edward Eugene Carey, 42, coal inspector, died attempting to rescue John Haluska, 33, truck driver, from a cave-in at a culm bank, Girardville, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1946.  When rocks, coal, and clay for eight feet from the top of a culm bank 60 feet high began to roll and slide down, Haluska was caught and buried upright to his waist.  Carey and three other men ran to Haluska and with their hands removed the culm from around him, freeing him except for one foot.  As Carey sat on his haunches continuing his efforts, he shouted a warning to the other men that a second slide had started, and they ran clear of the slide area.  Carey worked to free Haluska for a second or two longer and then started to follow the others.  After taking a step or two, the slide reached him; and he fell.  Carey and Haluska were buried under culm five feet deep.  Both were dead when removed three hours later.  Posthumously, Mr. Carey was bestowed the Carnegie Hero Award for his bravery.  Source document 

A heroic miner saved 10 comrades from certain death in the black depths of the Kempton No. 42 mine of the Davis Coal and Coke Company but paid with his own life for his efforts.  Peter H. Scripp, 33, succeeded in sidetracking a runaway string of cars racing toward the mine pit where the 10 men were working but the cars collided with others already on the siding, and Scripps was pinned against the side of the tunnel and crushed to death.  Miners said they were forced to dig away the coal behind him to extricate his body.  Source document 

One of those suffocated in the Nethken Mine was a miner, Robert Jackson from Kitzmiller, Maryland, age 25, who had gone down the shaft to warn the other 4 miners of the danger and lead them out.  He had been married less than 6 months.

Raymond J. Ey, 38, mine laborer, Joseph P. Wowak, and William J. Kelly, Sr., 48, died attempting to save William T. 0'Brien, 52, mine fireboss, from suffocation, Girardville, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1949.  All three men were awarded the Carnegie Hero Award for their bravery.

The fire was first detected by a pumpman who encountered smoke while being hoisted in the Lark Shaft from the 2500 level to the 1200 level.  He returned by cage to the 2500 level to notify the hoistman by telephone and died sometime later after closing the water doors when a power outage occurred.  The other four men died while attempting to rescue him.

Henry W. Eckley, Sr., 61, coal miner, died as the result of attempting to rescue Anthony Woznicki, 46, coal miner, from a cave-in.  During the course of the rescue, a large quantity of debris fell from near the ceiling and partially buried Eckley, who sustained severe internal injuries and a broken leg.  Eckley and Woznicki were removed from the entry by other miners and were taken to the surface.  Woznicki was disabled six months.  Eckley succumbed to injuries three days later.  Posthumously, Mr. Eckley was awarded the Carnegie Hero Award for his bravery.  Source document 

Three of the victims of the O'Brien mine disaster were men in an inspection party which entered the mine several hours after the original explosion.  They were Gerald Lane, 59; James Love, 54, and Thomas Little, 48.  They were in a party of five which entered the mine to look it over.  Love earlier had been a member of the squad which brought out the bodies of Harold Barnes and Ben Nichols.

Arthur Kaemmerer, 40, became asphyxiated while he and Andrew Yuengel were exploring the abandoned Little Oak mine preparatory to salvaging rails, wire, and other related materials.  The pair were equipped with non-permissible Bendix back-type oxygen demand masks, however, the oxygen supply provided was quickly exhausted.  Attempting to get help from those on the surface, Kaemmerer was found dead about 600 feet from the shaft.  Yuengel managed to reach the shaft bottom where he was hoisted to safety.

Two men died from asphyxiation and a third man was overcome in a rescue attempt at 7:15 a.m., Friday, October 12, 1956.

Robert P. Thompson, 14, schoolboy, died after rescuing John T. Vingless, 13, schoolboy, from a cave-in, Coupon, Pennsylvania, November 2, 1957.  While John and Robert were digging for coal in a small pit four and a half feet deep at an abandoned strip mine, one side of the pit collapsed and clay, slate, and coal in a high ridge above it slid onto them.  Both boys, who were kneeling in the pit with their heads two feet below the top, were covered chest-deep.  John's hands were pinned, and a lump of slate 18 inches square and four inches thick rested on his head, pressing his face into the clay so that he barely was able to breathe.  Although he had sustained serious injuries to his back, chest, and legs, Robert freed his hands and dug himself out.  Unable to stand, he began crawling toward a nearby road to summon help, but at John's pleas he dragged himself back to the pit.  Although in considerable pain, he moved the lump of slate from John's head.  John then dug himself out with some assistance from Robert, who removed several small pieces of slate.  John walked and Robert crawled 200 feet to the road, calling for help.  John's mother was attracted, and the boys then were removed to a hospital.  John sustained a wrenched back and hip injuries but recovered.  Robert's injuries were extensive, including damage to his spinal cord, which caused his death later in the day.  Robert P. Thompson was posthumously bestowed the Carnegie Hero Award for his bravery.  Source document 

Two miners suffocated in black damp in a pit just across the Allegheny County line near Finleyville.  The victims were brothers-in-law, and mine officials said one apparently died while trying to rescue the other.  They were identified as Martin Brandis and George Bero.  Both were dead when fellow-miners dragged them from an abandoned borehole a short distance from the main shaft of the Doyak mine, operated by the Curry Coal Co. of Broughton.  Another miner, John Webster of Library, had tied a rope around his waist and crawled into the hole 30 inches in diameter-in search of the missing pair, but It was too late.  George Boyka, who leases the 23-acre Washington County site to the coal firm, said Mr. Bero apparently had wriggled into the horizontal tunnel to investigate.  When he failed to return, he was followed by Mr. Brandis.  Both collapsed In the oxygen-starved air.  Both victims had reported on the 7 a.m. shift.   Their absence was noted around 7:43.  Source document 

Walter Alton Smith died while aiding in an attempt to rescue Edward L. Mason following an avalanche, Ouray, Colorado, February 14, 1958.  While Mason, 44, assistant mine foreman, was making his way to a mining camp through snow on a road in a mountain canyon, an avalanche occurred, burying him in a bank of snow 20 feet deep that covered the road for 500 feet.  Another man some distance behind him was caught at the edge of the avalanche but succeeded in digging himself out.  He made his way to the camp a mile and a half away and summoned help.  Despite the threat of a four-month accumulation of snow in dangerous slide areas on the mountains, Smith, 46, mine foreman, and another man, each operating a bulldozer, began clearing the road to the snow bank, aided by a miner who used a probing pole to determine depths.  Nearly three hours later, one of the bulldozers ceased to function within 600 feet of the snow bank.  As the three men discussed further action, a second and larger avalanche began at the mountain crest 2,800 feet above them.  Smith and the two other men ran along the road in an effort to escape the snow surging swiftly down the mountainside, but all were buried in a snow bank as much as 30 feet deep covering the road for 1,500 feet.  Rescue parties recovered their bodies six days later.  Mason's body was located the next day.  Walter Smith was posthumously bestowed the Carnegie Hero Award for his brave attempts.  Source document 

Ernest L. Bradley, 36, heavy equipment operator, sustained fatal injuries helping to rescue Jack W. Berryman, 45, heavy equipment operator, from a cave-in, Chillicothe, Ohio, August 6, 1965.  Bradley immediately entered the ditch and, kneeling in front of Berryman, began digging the earth away with his hands.  As Bradley continued digging, another man entered the ditch.  A man outside the ditch shouted a warning.  A section of earth weighing about six tons caved in from the side nearest Bradley.  The other man jumped back, and only one of his legs was trapped.  Bradley managed to place his arms about his head before the falling earth knocked him face down and covered him completely.  Workmen extricated Bradley and Berryman, both of whom had suffered fractures.  Berryman recovered, but Bradley, who also had suffered internal injuries, died.  Mr. Bradley was given the Carnegie Hero Award for his bravery (posthumously).  Source document 

William Adams, 33, of Barnesville, Ohio, was outside when a fire broke out deep inside the Morgan Mine near St. Clairsville, Ohio.  He ran into the mine and sounded the alarm.  Counting only 12 men running out, he then went inside again in search of Keith Spicer, 22, of Dillonvale, Ohio, a miner for only two months, and Tony Territti, 43, of Wheeling.  None of the three men surfaced from the mine.

After cutting into a void, resulting in an inundation of "blackdamp" in the Doverspike Bros. Dora No. 2 mine, two miners were instantly overcome.  The other 5 crew members managed to escape, however, three of them returned to help their fallen co-workers and were also overcome.  Those immediately affected were Sam Gaul and Ronald Moore.  Those attempting rescue included John Kramer, Robert White, and Hilton Neiswonger.

Lester E. Benbow, age 41, schoolteacher, Foresthill Elementary School, was asphyxiated in the Hazard Gold Mine in the early morning of June 20, 1970, when he attempted to rescue Clifford J. Cox, who was overcome in an oxygen deficient atmosphere.  He had no mining experience.  Cox was later transported to the hospital, and reportedly made a complete recovery.

A miner was electrocuted when he drove a portable drill rig with the mast up into a high voltage powerline.  In an attempt to rescue the truck driver, another miner was also electrocuted.

On April 16, 1971, at about 1:30 p.m., William L. Groves, State Deep Mine Inspector, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, was accidentally drowned during the firefighting operations.

Two brothers, William and Philip Long, entered an area of the mine and were subsequently overcome by Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S) gas.  An additional 5 employees made several attempts to reach the Long brothers and bring them to fresh air.  After finally reaching the downed brothers and loading them onto a locomotive to bring them out, they too were overcome and killed by the toxic gas.

A roof fall occurred in the Deep Creek mine that resulted in the death of two men.  During recovery operations later the same day, another man was killed and two more injured.  In an effort to help their friends, Alfred Willis of Huntington was killed and two other men were injured and hospitalized.

About 3:30 p.m., June 25, 1975, W. E. (Willie) Dodderer, millwright, age 27, was asphyxiated when he and Eric R. Willis, millwright, entered a caisson in an attempt to rescue Brent Black, millwright, age 35, who had succumbed earlier in an oxygen deficient atmosphere.

On March 11, 1976, at the time of the second explosion, 13 men were underground near the entrance of 2 Southeast Main; 11 died as the result of the explosion and 2 repairmen working a short distance outby escaped without injury.  Among the 11 killed on March 11 were 3 Federal Mine Inspectors: Kenneth Kiser, age 45; Richard Sammons, age 55; and Grover Tussey, age 45.  This disaster gave birth to the Health and Safety Act of 1977, including new rules for mine rescue teams, stations, and training.

William Joe Arden , and Willis Ison , and Richard L. Shelby  died attempting to save fellow workmen from suffocation, April 4, 1978.  Strickler Mullins  helped to save Charles L. Breeding in the same incident.

Arden, 25, Shelby, 56, Service Manager from National Mine Service, and Ison, 45, Mine Safety and Health Administration subdistrict manager, entered the tunnel to give aid but, before reaching any of the men, were overcome.

One of the three men was removed from the tunnel and revived; but Arden and the others died.  Messer's Arden, Shelby, Ison and Mullins were posthumously awarded the Carnegie Hero Award for their bravery.

Bradford Scott Reed died attempting to save Kenneth D. Long from suffocation, Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania, September 9, 1979.  Kenneth, 14, using a rope, descended into a mine sinkhole 20 feet deep, where he was overcome by carbon dioxide and fell unconscious on a ledge near the bottom.  Bradford, 16, high-school student, entered the hole and descended to Kenneth.  While attempting to lift Kenneth, Bradford also was overcome.  Both boys died.  Bradford Scott Reed was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal.

In the process of testing a newly installed rescue capsule in the 335 foot shaft of Consolidation Coal Company's Mathies Mine in Peters Township, Washington County, PA, company safety inspector, John Marn, plunged 180 feet to his death after the capsule's coupling device broke.  The Washington County Coroner, Farrell Jackson, ruled that Edward Nogal, federal mine inspector, was partially responsible for Marn's death.

The entire section crew, except for two roof bolters, who remained unaccounted for, boarded a scoop to ride to the surface via the man trip route.  Soon after, however, the section foreman left the fleeing scoop to search for the two missing roof bolters.  Later that afternoon, the bodies of the foreman and the two roof bolters - all victims of asphyxiation - were recovered.

After the explosion, Rocke Wilson and Ardy Johnson descended to search for two workman.  Shortly thereafter, both men were suddenly overcome by carbon monoxide.  Two hours later, the general partner and mine manager resumed the search.  During this effort, Johnson was found 75 feet from the portal and Wilson was found 100 feet from the portal.  Subsequent CPR attempts revived Wilson, but Johnson never regained consciousness.

Three miners died between 5:30 and 6 p.m., on May 10, 1982 in three separate incidents that involved a cave-in and fall-of-ground in the Magma Copper Mine in Superior, Arizona.  During a daring rescue and recovery which lasted through May 12th, one of the victims was recovered from the dangerous area, however, he died shortly thereafter from his injuries.  Joseph Granillo was also entrapped in the same manner, and while his rescue was being attempted, both he and his would-be rescuer, Joseph Cassaro, were killed when additional material fell.  For their brave efforts, the Carnegie Hero Award was bestowed upon Frank Frank Aldecoa, Andy J. Arroyos, Jr., Billy Ray Evans, Henry Lopez Rodriguez, George Anthony Gomez, G. Michael Martinez (posthumously), and Joseph Cassaro (posthumously).

Loading and hauling coal after a shot throughout the afternoon, a miner was overcome by CO when his scoop became stuck in the face area.  Two others attempting to save the fallen miner were also overcome.

Rick Wolfgang helped his injured brother from the No. 2 Slope of the MS&W Coal Company, but perished when he returned to the 4-foot wide tunnel to try to save his father, Gene Wolfgang.  Toxic gas flooded the area after the men set off a dynamite charge in the mine.  Frank Benner also perished in the accident.

After communicating with the section foreman about the events of the initial blast in 4 Section, 3 other miners entered the 4 Section to rescue the remaining injured miner.  Additional miners from other sections were notified and traveled toward 4 Section to lend assistance.  Five of these miners entered the Section and another 4 reached the mouth of the 4 Section.  The second explosion resulted in 12 fatalities and widespread destruction.

Team trainer, Theodore Milligan and team member, Dale Spring were fatally injured when they collapsed from excessive heat while evaluating the conditions in an inactive gold mine.  The pair's failure to have coolant cartridges installed in their breathing apparatus was identified as a principle contributing factor.

On August 16, 2007, three rescue workers were killed and six others were injured when a seismic jolt caused a mine accident during an effort to reach six men who have been trapped at the Crandall Canyon Mine since August 6.  The six men initially killed were Kerry Allred, Luis Hernandez, Carlos Payan, Don Erikson, Manuel Sanchez, and Brandon Phillips.  The three killed during the attempted rescue were Federal Mine Inspector, Gary Jensen, Brandon Kimber and Dale Black.

A miner, Nicholas Cappanno, did not return from an area of the mine where an explosive had been previously detonated.  The shift foreman, Rick Williams, went in to search for him.  Eventually they were both found by other miners working in the area, and those miners immediately evacuated the mine.  Mine rescue teams entered the mine and found the two others.  During the recovery operation, they detected fatal levels of carbon monoxide.  The teams brought the victims to the surface.  Twenty miners were taken to the hospital, and three were kept overnight.  All 20 were subsequently released.

Several explosions at the Barnsley Oaks Colliery, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England on December 12, 1866 led to the deaths of 361 people, 27 of whom were rescuers who were in the mine after the first explosion.

Of the killed, 39 were men who went into the pits to rescue those entombed.  Among these were government inspectors, including William Henry Pickering, chief inspector of mines, Yorkshire and Northmidland district.

Two rescuers died during a training exercise at the Duchy Colliery.  There were 6 men in the Duchy Rescue team. (Captain) James Morgan; John Evans; Bert Churchill; David John Williams; Thomas Williams; and William James Beer.

John Evans had got into a pocket of foul air and had been overcome.  Mr. Edward Thorne, the Instructor, had gone immediately to Evans aid and in doing so had got into difficulties himself.  Despite several desperate attempts by the others to rescue them, both men died.

At the inquest on the 2nd of April, it was determined that it was the Draeger breathing apparatus which was used by both of the deceased men that was responsible for their deaths.  See more.

There were two explosions at the colliery, one shortly after 6 p.m. which injured eighteen people, six of whom died from their injuries and this was followed three hours later by a second which injured twenty two, three of whom later died.  Those who died in the second explosion were - Arthur Woodcock, ripper, who died July 27th; John William Jones, a permanent rescue man who died July 27th; and William Preater, a permanent rescue man who died from burns on August 3rd.

Disaster struck again on Saturday (9/22) morning.  The Llay Main No. 1 Rescue team were sent into the airway.  The fumes killed off their canary before they had gone five metres.  The team continued in, found their way blocked and on the way back three rescuers - John Lewis, Bill Hughes and Dan Hughes - were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning.  Perhaps their equipment had been damaged in the chaotic scenes at the surface.

The Easington Colliery explosion death toll rose when two rescue men were killed, taking the number to 83.  They were Henry Burdess, 43, a Deputy, from Brancepeth Colliery, and John Wallace, 26, Back Overman.  These men died three days apart during the rescue effort.

Twelve miners, including 3 rescuers were confirmed dead after a falling roof triggered a gas explosion in a central Chinese coal mine operated by Xingyu Coal Mining Co Ltd.  The explosion occurred when 51 workers were underground at the mine in the city of Dengfeng in Henan province.

Seven miners were killed in the fire which engulfed two pits of the Dongshangcun Coal Mine in Hebei Province.  Six rescue workers also choked to death on thick smoke that billowed out of the mine.

Two miners went to the shaft without permission at 9:00 a.m. Sunday and were poisoned by the gas.  On learning of the accident, the deputy head of the coal mine rushed to the shaft to help the two miners, but was also poisoned.  All the three miners were found dead later.

Three rescuers were killed in a cave-in of a section of a colliery shaft Monday morning, when they were searching for miners trapped in a mine blast in Qitaihe City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The deaths occurred at a disused air shaft at a lead and zinc ore mine when two miners were overcome by a lack of oxygen and rescuers and family members went in to try and help.  One miner died, as did five rescuers and three family members who tried to come to the aid of the miners but were themselves overcome.

An initial investigation showed the accident occurred when two people allegedly sneaked into a non-operating gold pit to dig ores but became suffocated, while seven other folks who allegedly went down the pit to save the first two people also succumbed to suffocation.

On 4/27 three inspectors failed to return to the surface after entering the abandon underground pit 9 a.m. that morning to conduct routine inspections.  Eleven workers were then sent to look for them.  Of the 14 people who entered the mine, five escaped unharmed and one was later rescued.

Three rescuers died of heat stroke in fighting a coal mine fire in East China's Shandong province, according to the rescue headquarters of Zaozhuang Fangbei Coal Mine.  The fire first broke out on July 7th.

Five people, including one rescuer were killed after a fire broke out at the Xinglong Mining Company's gold mine pit in northwest China's Shaanxi province.  The rescuer was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning during the rescue operation.

Initially, four workers were trapped and suffocated in a manganese mine under construction while conducting examination work.  Four others tried to rescue them but were also overcome.  All eight were pulled out of the mine with one survivor.

The Babao Coal Mine saw two gas explosions on March 29 and April 2, which killed a total of 36 rescue workers and seven miners.  As of April 8th, ten people were still missing in the second explosion.

Three rescuers died during the recovery of nine miners killed in a fire at an underground limestone mine operated by the Jiuquan Iron and Steel Group.

A rescue worker died of suffocation while searching for survivors of a coal mine explosion in eastern Yugoslavia.  The total number killed in this disaster is unknown.

One rescue worker was overcome by gas following an explosion at the Altos Hornos Mining Company's Shaft No. 2 near Barroteran, Mexico.  There was some confusion in the number of miners in the mine that died at the time of the explosion, however, the company's General Manager, Juan Heitz, said the figure was between 145 and 168.

Five rescuers and a miner were killed on February 27 when an explosion struck the Severnaya coal mine near the far northern city of Vorkutsk, Russia.  They were searching for 26 miners who had been missing since another explosion earlier in the week.  Four miners were killed and nine injured in an explosion and fire at the mine on February 25.  The rescue was called off on 2/28 declaring the total loss of life at 36.

19 of the dead were rescuers who went into the sprawling mine after the initial blast.

An electrical outage cut the ventilation to a mine, killing one rescue worker and leaving another unconscious as they helped recover the bodies of three miners killed in the blast.  The ventilator that was cooling the tunnel stopped and the temperature increase, killing the rescuer.

The search for about 100 workers believed to have died inside a collapsed gold mine in Sudan's Darfur region ended on May 4th.  Included in that number were nine rescuers who were victims of another collapse on May 5th.

Two mining rescuers died in the CSM coal mine near Karvina, probably of intoxication while taking samples of air in the underground premises.  The rescuers were taking samples of air to find out whether it contains methane, carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide.  Five years ago, a fatal accident similar to the latest one occurred in the nearby Darkov mine, also claiming two mining rescuers' lives.

Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S) appears to have killed four people in a decommissioned mine, taking out first a mining contractor, then the worker who went looking for him and two paramedics who tried to save them both.  Source document 

Joseph Campbell, one of the expert miners who helped to rescue Dr. D. E. Robertson and Alfred Scadding was killed.  Campbell, trapped in a narrow incline of the shaft at MacGregor Mine, was struck and run over by miniature train carrying a full load of coal.

The first two victims died after choking due to Carbon Monoxide and their bodies were retrieved from the mine.  But more tragedy befell them when other miners on a rescue mission succumbed after running out of breath in the incident.  As the rescuers were trying to retrieve the bodies, two others collapsed, and died on the spot.

At a gold mine near Johannesburg, a supervisor and 7 rescuers died of heat stroke while searching for a repairman in an entry used to transfer heat from the underground works.  The missing miner had been sent there on a repair operation.

Two rescue workers were killed while trying to retrieve the body of a miner in Harmony Gold's Evander mine in Mpumalanga, the company said on Tuesday.  A third member of the external rescue team made it back to the surface unhurt.  The accident happened on Monday.