A member of the nightshift who was killed around 1am as an explosion rocked the Laurel Mine of Southwest Virginia Improvement Company. The explosion shook the buildings for half a mile around the mine. Cars, timbers and debris were hurled from the openings with full force. The fan, mine buildings and surroundings on the surface in front of the openings were demolished. Fire succeeded the explosion and all that could be done was to seal the openings as the fire and smoke rapidly increased. After sealing, steam was conveyed into the mine form 5 boilers. The mine was opened in April to retrieve the bodies. It was thought that dust with possibly some gas, was ignited by blasting however the mine wasn't considered gassy and no safety lamps were used. Blasting was done at the end of each shift and shooting was 'off the solid' using excessive amounts of black powder. The force was so great that the mountain itself sustained damage as 3 homes were destroyed, killing along with the miners, 2 women and a child. One of the victims was 13, a doorman, and the pet of the camp. 112 employees were listed as being in the mine but reports place the total number of dead at 184 as many miners would bring in helpers during hard/long shifts.
A member of the nightshift who was killed around 1am as an explosion rocked the Laurel Mine of Southwest Virginia Improvement Company. The explosion shook the buildings for half a mile around the mine. Cars, timbers and debris were hurled from the openings with full force. The fan, mine buildings and surroundings on the surface in front of the openings were demolished. Fire succeeded the explosion and all that could be done was to seal the openings as the fire and smoke rapidly increased. After sealing, steam was conveyed into the mine form 5 boilers. The mine was opened in April to retrieve the bodies. It was thought that dust with possibly some gas, was ignited by blasting however the mine wasn't considered gassy and no safety lamps were used. Blasting was done at the end of each shift and shooting was 'off the solid' using excessive amounts of black powder. The force was so great that the mountain itself sustained damage as 3 homes were destroyed, killing along with the miners, 2 women and a child. One of the victims was 13, a doorman, and the pet of the camp. 112 employees were listed as being in the mine but reports place the total number of dead at 184 as many miners would bring in helpers during hard/long shifts.
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