page_title: Scotts Run, West Virginia
section_title: Mining disasters
hierarchical_section_title: Scotts Run, West Virginia / Mining disasters
context_page_description: Scotts Run is a geographical division of the Cass District in Monongalia County, West Virginia. Currently, it encompasses thirteen small, unincorporated communities. Located a few miles from Morgantown, WV, this area's predominant industry in the early twentieth century was coal mining and production. Scotts Run became well known nationally during the years of the Great Depression, when photographers and the relief efforts of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt publicized the impoverished conditions faced by the community. Since the decline in the coal industry in the area, Scotts Run's population has rapidly decreased. However, the current community is active in revitalization efforts to promote new businesses and heritage tourism.
context_section_description: The 13 mining communities along Scotts Run had a reputation of being "disaster free" before World War II. The owners of the Christopher and Pursglove mines, in particular, were known as being highly safety conscious, and had even won awards for the safety of their mines. However, in 1942 and 1943, the dangers of mechanization, coupled with the added production pressures placed on the mines by the war effort, caused three mine disasters to occur along Scotts Run within nine months of each other.
  On May 12, 1942, a locomotive cable short-circuited at the same time as a malfunction with one of the ventilation doors, and it caused a methane explosion and collapsing roofs. Fifty-six men total were killed in the blast.
  On July 9, 1942, the nearby Pursglove No. 2 mine experienced an explosion when a roof fall caused a 550-volt trolley wire to fall onto the track and ignite the methane and coal dust filled air. The mine had used substandard rock dust to coat the mine's surface, which could have contributed to the intensity of the blast. Twenty were killed.
  A third disaster occurred on January 8, 1943, when a haulage locomotive caught fire and 11 men sent to fight the blaze were suffocated by the smoke.
caption: Pursglove No. 2 mine in 1937, showing company store and typical hillside
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