The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-03-09
OFFICIAL REPORT ON MINE
EXPLOSION At KEMPTON
State Mine Inspector William Walters
Issues Statement of Details.

Mine Inspector William Walters, of
Allegany and Garrett Counties, after
most thorough and careful investigation
of the cause of the terrible calamity
in which fifteen miners lost their lives,
has furnished the following report:
On February 20, 1916, at $40 a. M,
an explosion occurred In Kempton Shaft,
No. AZ, located at Kempton, in Garrett
county, along the Western Maryland
railroad. operated by the Davis Coal
and Coke Company. resulting in the
death of fifteen persons. Of this num-
Der fourteen were killed outright and
one died after being taken out of the
mine, four others were injured, two be-
ing sent to the Davis Memorial Hospital
seventy-one men were in the mine when
the explosion occurred. The working
and ventilation of this mine had been
carefully planned, having overcasts and
regulators to give the required split for
each section OF the mine. Ventilation
is produced by large Robinson fan, ca
pable of producing $50, 600 cubic feet of
air per minute against a three-inch
water column. There never has been
any gas detected in this mine, which is
working the Lower Kittanning seam of
coal. The coal runs from a TO 81 feet
thick.
The shaft is four hundred and twenty
feet deep. The explosion occurred in
first left heading off dip heading and
did not affect any other section of the
mine.
Several men loaded their empty cars
and did not know that anything had
happened. There are twenty-One rooms
in this heading, and judging from the
conditions found after the explosion it
was conclusive that 1t was caused by a
shot. In room No. II, the room was
advancing and the last work done at
face was firing a shot in the middle OF
the breast, the hole being against the
roof u inches over sohd and from all
appearance this was the point of origin.
Evidence shows force coming down the
room, from the amount of coke and dust
found on the inside of props and debris
thrown into the middle of the road
Also the track in the top crosscut was
disconnected from the force passing
through. sweater coat was found
about feet from face and in the
pockets of same was found four No.
dtonators and two pieces of fuse Il in
s. ches long. Jacob Zukolich's body was
found nearby and was mutllated more
than any found. He had been working
alone in this room. There was no cut
through to No. II room the barrier be-
ing left solid for the benefit of drainage.
which proved very lucky as no damage
was done and no person hurt from No.
IL to No. q room.
Room No. 10 was just starting to
filler adjacent barrier line. Two cars
were standing in the cut-through to the
left, eighteen feet apart. Some coal
had been filled INTO the inside car and
end-gates on both cars were forced in;
also some coke on same. The force of
the explosion evidently went through
this cut-through to room No. 8. Two
bodies were found in this room.
In room No. 9 was found a great deal
of coke on the right side of the props,
and moisture on the roof near top of
the room. One body was found in this
room.
In room No. there were two cars in
the cross-cut to the left at the top of
the room. Front end of inside car was
off the track. Coke in the right side
of inside car; also coke on the right
side of props, which was more noticeable
than opposite cross-cut from room No g..
There was considerable moisture on the
roof. Two bodies were found in this
room.
In room No. was found two cars,
each off the track, with an accumua-
ton of dust on the inside end, also a