Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-11-24
"a BODIES HAVE
BEEN TAKEN OUT
OF NINE WHERE
BLAST OCCURRED
Twenty White Men and GA
Negroes Are the Death
Toll Of a Dust Explosion
Near Birmingham, Ala,
IS FOURTH DISASTER
IN STATES HISTORY
One Of the Most Severely
Injured Miners Writes a
Brief Description of His
Experiences


Birmingham, Ala, Nov. 20 tby
the Associated Press) Eighty
four bodies, twenty those of white
men and siXty-four those of ne
groes, lay tonight in undertaking
establishments, the death toll of a
coal dust explosion yesterday in
Dolomite coal mine number Of
the woodward Iron company. 16
miles west of Birmingham.
Eighty-two bodies were taken
from the mine early today and of
the 60 injured two succumbed
Reports received by officials Of
the company indicated that all of
those remaining in hospitals prob
ably Will recover.
The explosion was declared by
mining experts to have been a
freak, and so far as local records
show, only the third of it's kind
ever to have occurred in this
country.
Dolomlte number is a stope
mine, opened in I55c and operat-
ed until yesterday without a ser-
GUS accident. The stope opens
into the side of a hill and at an
angle of 60 degrees runs 500 feet
before reaching the level of the
workings. At the foot of the
stope is the mine railroad yald
where dump cars loaded with
coal are assembled and drawn by
cable to the surface and up the
tipple. A string of these dump
cars broke loose on the incline
literally dropped 500 feet to the
yard, where great clouds of coal
dust arose with the impact, and a
high tension electric cable sew
cred with the crash ignited the
dust.
Triple of Concrete
Only 500 feet from the surface,
the full force of the explosion
and the accompanying flame went
up the stope; the flash of flame
projecting beyond the tipple sew
eral hundred feet and firing
wooden construction at the stope.
The tipple ftse1r is or concrete
and only a wooden roof erected
as a shelter was destroyed. The
mine and slope were unchanged
and it was expected repairs to
the tracks and hoist would be
made in time to resume opera
tions Monday.
1t is believed about 40 of the
men who lost their lives were in
the yard at the foot of the slope
and were killed by the concus-
sion.
OF these six were foremen, the
blast wiping out all Of the mine
bosses. The deadly after-damp
formed Immediately and account
ed for the remainder of the VIC
Tins,
A peculiar feature discussed to-
day by officials OF the Woodward
company was the fact that when
rescue partiec entered the mine
the carbide miners head lamps
on the caps of some of the dead
still were burning.
Safety Precautions
Safety precautions observed by
the Woodward company prevented
an appalling disaster. -Four hun
dred and seventy-five men were
in the mine at the time. The
breaking Of electric cables with
the crasn and blast threw the
circuit breakers and the motors
operating the ventilating fans
came to standstill. The mine
is equipped with emergency fans
run by gasoline motors. Three
minutes after the blast the emer-
gency fans were in operation and
80 minutes later the first miner
to emerge from the stope ap-
peared. The mine was cleared of
the after-damp within short
time and the miners still inside
received fresh air.
1t was the fourth great fatal
mining disaster in the history OF
the Alabama field. In January,
1905, 112 miners were killed in
the Virginia mine; 115 lost their
lives In the Banner mine April s,
1911, and 80 were killed in the
Patos mine May 3. 1910.
Other accidents resulted in
death tolls ranging from to 81,
the total to date, including the
Virginia, Banner and Patos and
Dolomite disasters being $50.
Describes Experiences
M. D. Wilson. one of the most
seriously injured men, wrote to-
day brief description Of his ex-
periences. He said he knew what
had occurred as soon as he heard
the explosion.
II wrapped my woolen shirt
about my head after [ had soused
it into q bucket of water. This,
l suppose, kept my face from be-