The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-01-03
OFFICIAL REPORT!
ON NINE DISASTER
Yolande Explosion Is Explained
BY inspectors
OPINIONS ARE VARIED
Gray Believes the Trouble Started BY
Dynamite, While His Associates
Believe That Gas Was En-
countered BY Lamps.

Montgomery. January 2.-(Special.) THE
official report of the state mine inspec-
tors, j. M Gray, James Hillhouse and
Edward Flynn, on the Yolande mine dis
aster was received by Governor Conner
today.
Chief Inspector Gray expresses the
opinion that a miner allowed dynamite to
explode, while the two assistants are of
the opinion there was gas ignited as the
starter All three say they believe
dust explosion followed, which caused i'm
mediate loss of life and after-damp got
in its work later.
Certain regulations for the operation of
the mines in the future are set forth.
The Report In Full.
The following is the report in full:
Birmingham, Ala, January l. 1905
To His Excellency, B. B. Conner, Cover
nor of Alabama, Montgomery;
Dear Sir-The mine inspectors of Ala
bama beg leave to submit the following
report on the disaster which occurred at
Yoande Mine No. 1 on December 16 ut
1925 a. m, in which Sc men lost their
lives, 80 escaping from the mine after
the explosion.
Yolande Mine No. l is located on the
Birmingham Mineral railroad about z6
miles from Birmingham, in the northeast
corner of Tuscaloosa county, near the
line of jefferson county. The mine is
slope driven in about 1900 to 400 feet
deep, on what is called the big seam OF
coal. The coal pitches about 10 to Is de-
grees. The mine has return airway on
each side of the slope, one of which is used
as a man-way, and either could be used as
an escape-way, making three openings to
the surface The mine is ventilated by an
1S-foot exhaust fan, SO constructed that
the ventilatng current could be reversed.
The fan was producing on December 81
4S175 cubic feet of air per minute at
the mouth of the slope. Each entry had
a separate ventilatng current the split
system being in operation at this time.
There were seven entries working on
the day of the explosion as follows; First
right, all men escaped; third right, none
escaped; fourth right none escaped; fifth
right, none escaped; sixth right, none es-
caped sixth left, three escaped, one did
not; second left, all escaped, there being
only two men in this entry.
A number of bodies were badly burned
and some few mutilated, while the major
ity of them showed signs of death by
after-damp.
All of the overcasts and brattices ex-
cept about seven brattices and one over
cast, were destroyed by the explosion.
The brattices on the slope were construct
ed of brick and mortar.
The fan was damaged but very little,
but owing to the brattices and overcasts
being destroyed the air was short cir
cuited and the men left alive in the mine
died before they could be reached, ex-
cept one on the slope that came out of
the fourth left. The rescuing parties
had to carry the air current with them
by putting up brattices of ducking can
vas and bed ticking. This work was
necessarily slow from the fact that only
one crosscut could be stopped at time
and when one hole was stopped the res
cuing parties had to wait few minutes
for the air current to remove the after
damp before they could get to the next
crosscut.
Notwithstanding the eagerness of the
volunteers in the rescue work to go
ahead we had but very few men among
the rescuers overcome by after damp.
Overcome In Work.
C. c. Huckabee, the superintendent of
the mine; a young man by the name Of
Henry Gray, Mr.. Jim Paxton from Coal
burg, and Mr.. James Kennedy from Blue
Creek, were brought out for resuscitation
few others had to be brought back to
the fresh air current, but with these few
exceptions the rescue work progressed
steadily from a few minutes after the
explosion occurred until Wednesday aft
ernoon, at which time all of the bodies
except one had been recovered. There
was one man missing in a room that had
fallen in. Sixteen hours were spent by
big crew clearing up this fall looking
for the body, but after all the work he
was not found until Friday. when he was
located in another room, by smell. where
he had probably gone visiting just before
the explosion.
AS to the heroic work performed by
the volunteers in the rescue work, the
state at large owes to each and every
one debt of gratitude. The union and
non-union men, white and black, worked
together side by side with but one point
in view, and that to recover the bodies
of their fellow workmen.
OTricial examination.
The official examination of the mine
was begun on December 81 and all of the
working entries and rooms were exam
ined down to the sixth right The water
was UP in the sixth right and the exam
nation has been delayed on this account.
There was nothing found on the first right
to indicate any heat, but signs of con-
siderable force were indicated by the
brattices and overcasts being knocked
out The entry was dry from the slope
in for some 300 or 400 feet: from the top
of the incline it was wet to face. Third
right showed signs of heat ir the nature
OF charred bark and coke on the timber
In the neck of several of the rooms from
No. % up to No. 80. There was quite a
lot of water on the roadway in this entry
from room No. IL up to heading on day
of inspection.
Two sticks oi dynamite with cap
and fuse in them, one fuse being two
feet and the other IS inches long
showed that men in room No. 81 fired
their shots with short fuse. Consid-
cradle damage was done to this entry
in the way of destroying brattices,
overcast and falls of roof. Nothing
was found to indicate that the ex-
plosion originated in this entry.
In fourth right considerable coke was
found in this entry in the room necks,
overcast and brattices were destroyed
In room No. 8 powder can was found
bursted open as though small amount
of powder had exploded in it. There
was dust of the sidetrack on this entry
beyond where the slope air course
crosses for some 200 feet, beyond on
this there was water running down the
track all the way to the heading. Drip
pers of water from the roof was found