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Colorado Fuel and Iron Company
Primero Mine Explosion

Primero, Las Animas County, Colorado
January 23, 1907
No. Killed - 24

Final State Investigation Report  (1.3 Mb)  PDF Format

See also: Primero Mine Explosion, Jan. 31, 1910

From the Google News Archives:  External Link
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Twenty Lives Go Out in a Mine Explosion Over in Colorado
Daily Nevada State Journal, Reno, NV
January 24, 1907

Trinidad, Colo., Jan 23--Twenty miners, according to the authentic information available his evening, lost their lives as a result of an explosion which occurred at three o’clock this morning in the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company’s Coal mine near Primero, twenty miles west of this city.

Twenty coffins have been ordered by the company from a local undertaking establishment.

Two of the dead are Frank Hobat, miner, and R. J. Lumbey, fire boss.  The names of the other men killed have not been learned, as the shift boss, who had charge of the men who went into the mine last night, is missing.  All the men except Lumley were foreigners, most of them being Italians.

The explosion stopped the air fan, which was not repaired until late today, and there is little chance that any of the men in the mine at the time of the explosion are still alive.

District Superintendent Robert O’Neil is personally directing the work of rescue.  Volunteers from adjacent mines are assisting.  Rescuers have been divided into two hour shifts and work will be kept up continuously until the entire mine is explored.

During the entire day excitement ran high and relatives of the entombed miners stood waiting at the entrance to the mine for a sight of any of the victims that might be brought to the surface.

The damage to the mine cannot be learned tonight.

An attempt is being made to force air into the mine in the hope that some of the entombed men may be alive, and thus prevent their suffocating.

Late advices are that the mine is badly wrecked.  The rescue party has penetrated three hundred feet and recovered four bodies, the names not being given.


Reno Evening Gazette, Reno, NV
January 24, 1907

Trinidad, Colo., January 24 -- Heroically at work, the rescuing party has so far succeeded in recovering but four bodies from the Primero mine where the explosion occurred yesterday morning.

Following is a list of dead whose bodies have been recovered:
  • Angelo Pezitti
  • Fortunato Gracamato
  • Enrico Stiffli
  • C. Casagranda
The missing presumed to be dead in the mine are:
  • J. Reece Lumley, mine boss
  • Madisto Formali
  • Louie Sipas
  • Joseph Sipas
  • John Tokar
  • John Toth
  • John Toth Jr.
  • M Omadono
  • Angelo Maddelena
  • Robert Fatur
  • John Fatur
  • Julius Randolph




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