Tank's Poetry
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united states mine rescue association
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Tank's Poetry |
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Final Investigation Report
From the Google News Archives:  (news links open in a separate window)
Twelve Deaths in Explosion Nevada State Journal, Reno, Nevada November 7, 1910 The force of the explosion was terrific, showers of earth, timbers and bits of clothing, believed to be that of the miners, being blown from the slope of the mine. Timbers measuring 16 inches thick and eight feet long were blown half a mile. A big section of steam pipe was blown a similar distance and sank fifteen feet in the ground. The shock of the explosion, which was felt for miles around was so great that many thought there had been an earthquake. As soon as the extent of the disaster was known, volunteers were assembled and rescue parties were sent in on the water level to attempt the rescue of any miners who might be alive. It is not believed that any of the men in the slope escaped instant death. As far as known the sixteen men in the tram cars were the only ones in the mine at the time of the explosions. The coal mines at Black Diamond are owned by the Pacific Coast Company. Soon after the explosion the mine began to cave in, indicating that all the supports had been blown out and the tunnels wrecked. It is doubtful if the mine will be reopened. The damage is estimated at $250,000. The only cause the mine officials are able to assign for the explosion is that a fissure of gas may have opened and the gas ignited from a match struck by a workman in the cage ascending to the surface.
Note: The CDC/NIOSH list and the MSHA Fatality Archive Database indicate 16 as the official number of dead in this disaster. |
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