|
|
Violent and Deadly Explosives Disasters
See All Explosives Detonation Disasters
Butte Hardware Company Warehouse
Explosives Detonation and Fire
Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana
January 16, 1895
No. Killed - 57
Horrible loss of life on January 16, 1895 — Not a mining company, but a business which owed its existence to serving the needs of area mines near Butte, Montana in the 19th Century.
A fire broke out in the Montana Central yards and soon several cars loaded with powder caught fire. Just as the firemen were closing in around the blazing cars an explosion occurred, killing a number of firemen and spectators and maiming many others. The firemen who had escaped immediately rallied and were beginning another attack when a second explosion, more violent than the first, took place.
Union Coal Company
Bowen Mine Explosives Detonation
Bowen, Las Animas County, Colorado
August 7, 1902
No. Killed - 13
The powder house at the mouth of the mine, containing about one thousand pounds of powder, was exploded by the shock from the mine and great damage was done at the mouth of the slope.
Pulaski Iron Company
Pulaski Mine Powder Explosion
Eckman, McDowell County, West Virginia
December 14, 1906
No. Killed - 6
An explosion at Eckman today of 10,000 pounds of powder, which was being transported on three mine cars from a freight car to the powder house of the Pulaski Company.
Union Portland Cement
Union Limestone Quarry Explosives Detonation
Devils Slide, Morgan County, Utah
June 1, 1910
No. Killed - 25
Five tons of powder had been placed at the mouth of the tunnel prior to loading the "pockets," and a ton and a half of the powder had been placed in position when the explosion occurred It is supposed the entire five tons went off.
Keating Gold Mining Company
Keating Gold Mine Explosives Detonation
Radersburg, Broadwater County, Montana
January 18, 1911
No. Killed - 6
Six men died of asphyxiation as a result of the detonation underground of approximately 600 pounds of 40-percent dynamite.
North Butte Mining Company
Granite Mountain Mine Explosives Detonation
Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana
October 19, 1915
No. Killed - 16
Men were killed at the Granite Mountain mine of the North Butte Mining company at 1:30 o'clock today by an explosion of 500 pounds of giant powder.
M. A. Hanna Company
Silver Open Pit Mine Explosives Detonation
Virginia, Saint Louis County, Minnesota
June 27, 1918
No. Killed - 18
It is said at least nine tons of dynamite went off, some in holes and some in boxes.
A. B. Terry of Roanoke, Virginia
Terry-Butterskill Quarry Explosives Detonation
Union, Monroe County, West Virginia
May 17, 1930
No. Killed - 6
Two workmen and four children were killed when six boxes of explosives let go with a terrific force in a blacksmith shop at a rock-quarry operated by A. B. Terry of Roanoke, Va., sub-contractor of a road improvement project a mile and a half from here.
United Electric Coal Company
Fidelity Mine Explosives Disaster
Du Quoin, Perry County, Illinois
February 14, 1941
No. Killed - 7
This disaster was due to the accidental detonation of approximately 650 pounds of explosives contained in a soaking box in which the carbon filled cartridge sacks were being saturated with liquid oxygen. It was impossible to determine the cause of the detonation of the explosives as all evidence was destroyed by the blast and all of the employees at the plant were killed.
Liquid oxygen explosive, usually referred to as L.O.X. is a high explosive of about the same strength as 40% nitroglycerine dynamite and consists of a combustible absorbent saturated with liquid oxygen.
Lehigh Portland Cement Company
Sandts Eddy Quarry Explosives Detonation
Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania
March 26, 1942
No. Killed - 31
About 20 tons of dynamite - 4,000 sticks of TNT had arrived from the Hercules Powder plant. Some of the explosives were already placed in the drill holes. State experts later concluded that the crew was placing the dynamite in hole No. 33 at the time of the blast. The explosion came without warning. Twenty tons of TNT went up all at once. For a radius of 100 miles the ground shook. A sheet of flame swept the quarry, killing all in its path. Bodies of quarry workers were ripped limb from limb.
Kennecott Copper Corporation
Santa Rita Open Pit Explosives Detonation
Santa Rita, Grant County, New Mexico
March 31, 1954
No. Killed - 5
Five men were killed in a premature detonation of 700 pounds of explosives.
Seminole Rock Products, Incorporated
Broward Mine and Mill Explosives Detonation
Miramar, Broward County, Florida
September 9, 1971
No. Killed - 3
In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it was assumed that the explosion originated in the drill steel and flying metal from the bursting steel detonated about 1,200 pounds of explosives remaining on the explosives truck which was located about 20 feet away from the drill rig The six or seven fully loaded holes drilled earlier in the pattern had also detonated.
|
|
| |
