Blast Wrecks Coal Mine; Four Reported Dead
Oakland Tribune, California
December 18, 1924
Tacoma, Dec. 18. -- Four men are dead, two injured and three are unaccounted for, according to a report at midnight from the Pacific Coast Coal Company's mine at Burnett, 29 miles southeast of here, according to a statement issued by N.D. Moore, Seattle, president of the coal company.
The dead:
Charles Kirby
B. H. Washburn
Elmer Crippen
Elmer Landis
The injured:
Harry Humecke, critical condition
R. Lazarus, slightly injured
Missing:
E. H. Ridley
E. J. Rush
The official statement issued at midnight by Moore said:
An explosion as yet of an unknown origin occurred at 6 p.m. in No. 4 south gangway of the Burnett Mine. At work in the various parts of the mine at the time were 46 men. Of these, all but eight were unhurt and soon brought to the surface.
Rescue crews of the Burnett mine at once went into the rescue and these were reinforced by crews from the Bureau of Mines and of the Pacific Coast Coal Company's other mines at Black Diamond, Newcastle and Carbondale.
