“For several days frantic women grouped about the opening of the mines and their shrieks of agony were enough to move the hardest heart to pity. Grief stricken mothers, wives, sweethearts, and sisters waited and watched and wept. Some prayed, some sung, and some, in their very ecstasy of sorrow were hysterical and laughed.”
– Illustrated Monthly W. Virginian (Nurses)
~7:00 pm
“Tonight the streets of both this town and Fairmont are crowded with people, while thousands line the hills in the vicinity of the mines. Every bar room in Fairmont and Monongah is closed and throughout the territory over sixty mines have suspended temporarily and about 6,000 miners are visiting here.” (DASB 12.8.07 pg. 1) (SFC 12.8.07 pg. 20)
“Tomorrow in all the churches of Fairmont, Clarksburg and Monongah special services will be held, and it is probable collections will be taken. It is the purpose of the ministers to establish a permanent relief fund.” (ES 12.8.07 pg. 1)
In Fairmont:
A long-planned pie social is given by the M.E. church but it is “not very well attended owing to so many of our community going to Monongah.” (FWV 12.13.07 pg. 2)
In Monongah:
“It was thought that it would be necessary to call out the militia to preserve order and expedite the rescue work, but tonight President Watson wired Gov. Dawson that there was nothing in the situation requiring the presence of soldiers.” (WH 12.8.07 pg. 1 & 13)
W.H. Bice’s body is brought back to Monongah from the Miner’s Hospital in Fairmont. It will then be taken to Reedy, Roane County to be interred. (FWV 12.7.07 – pg.1)
At the cemetery in Monongah:
“All day long men have been digging graves in the Catholic cemetery, located within sight of the mines.” (ES 12.8.07 pg. 1)
At the mines:
“Most of today was spent building defenses for the rescuers against the rush of foul air from the entries that lead to the rooms where the main body of men was working, and tonight they got everything in shape for the relief to proceed, without danger to the brave men who are willing to dare anything if only left to themselves.” (WH 12.8.07 pg. 1)
Company officials ordered rescuers to store bodies at the bottom of the mine shaft. It is arranged for them to only be moved after dark when the crowds diminish for the night. (McAteer)
“The almost frenzied relatives of the dead men still surround the mine entrance eagerly looking for the forms of their loved ones and no amount of persuasion has been sufficient to make them leave for more than a few minutes at a time.” (WH 12.8.07 pg. 1)
“The wails of the foreign women, inexpressibly weird, were very pathetic and caused tears among many of the men.” (ES 12.8.07 pg. 1)
At #6:
“Air is being…rushed back in…and by dark this brattice work will be completed.” (FWV 12.7.07 – pg. 1, Davis)
“36 horses and mules are known to be in the mine (#6) and the main heading is strewn with harness but no horses have yet been seen.” (FWV 12.7.07 – pg.1, Davis)
~8:00 pm
“The Fairmont Coal company tonight gave out the following official statement relative to the recent disaster:
“There were 406 men employed in No.6 and No. 8 mines. Fifteen have been located and are known to be safe. We have hopes that of the 391 whose names are given, a number were not at work. The company desires to thank the large number of people who have volunteered to help in the rescue work, which is progressing as fast as conditions will permit. We believe that No. 6 will be practically explored during the night. No. 8 is much slower on account of the greater damage to air courses. The origin of the explosion may not be located for several days. No. 6 fan has only stopped forty-two minutes. Two small fans have been installed at No. 8 and are doing good work in place of the large fan destroyed. Chief Mine inspector Paul Hahn has arrived with many assistants and will render aid and give instructions if he find them necessary.” (WH 12.8.07 pg. 1)
“While officials are as yet unable to give any idea of the cause of the explosion one tonight advanced the theory that it was caused by electricity exploding the dust. It is supposed by this authority that the electric motor and train jumped the tracks and tore down the trolleys and electric wires, making currents that shot flames into the dust.” (WH 12.8.07 pg. 13)
“Gov. Dawson, who has been in Washington attending an important political conference, wired tonight that he would start for the scene of the disaster to lend any assistance in the State’s power. He has given the State mine departments full authority to act for the executive and will insist on the most rigid investigation.” (WH 12.8.07 pg. 1)
At the mines:
“The mines…are giving up their dead tonight—not singly, but in groups of five and ten at a time, and by morning it is expected that at least half of the dead will have been recovered.” (WH 12.8.07 pg. 1)
“Only a few men saw the victims as they came from the mine.” (Forbes)
“A majority of men who have been recovered will be buried tomorrow.” (ES 12.8.07 pg. 1)
At #8:
“The body of J.M. McGraw, pit boss, and one of the best-known mining men in West Virginia, was recovered tonight in mine No 8. It was headless and otherwise disfigured; identification having been made by the clothing and shoes he wore.” (ES 12.8.07 pg. 1)
At #6:
Relief work at #6 is “progressing nicely and with plenty of air”. (FWV 12.7.07 – pg. 1, Davis)
“Over 100 of the best men that can be had” are working “and have now reached back to the junction of the two mines which is a mile back from the entrance.” (FWV 12.7.07 – pg. 1, Davis)
It is believed that the main body of miners will be found about 1 ½ miles back from the entrance in #6, in the direction of Farmington, and the bratticing work has almost reached this distance. (FWV 12.7.07 – pg.1, Davis)
“In going back all this distance only one more body was discovered except the ones already brought out, and this was a small boy who has lost both his legs. His body was not removed.” (FWV 12.7.07 – pg. 1, Davis)
~9:00 pm:
In Cumberland, Maryland:
“There has been a great demand for newspapers since the first tidings of the great disaster reached us and although many extras were ordered, there was not a paper left on the corner at Peel’s at 9pm Saturday.” (CET 12.9.07 pg.)
At the mines:
“At nine o’clock tonight a total of twenty-five bodies have been recovered from the mines…Scores of other victims are in sight of rescuers and it is estimated that at least 100 dead will be brought to the surface before daylight.” (News)
“However, the number of bodies recovered tonight and early Sunday depends entirely upon the condition of the mine, it is said.” (LODD 12.12.07 pg 1)
“…it was stated tonight by General Manager Malone that 478 actual miners were checked off as entering the mines yesterday. This number, it is further stated, did not include fully 100 trappers, mule drivers, pumpers, and boys who are not under the check system. Should these figures be correct the death list will be over 550 persons.” (News)
At #6:
The main heading is cleared up enough to allow horse and trucks to be used within the mine. Progress proceeds rapidly.
“In No.6 mine the main headway was cleared tonight from end to end, and during the night the rescue gangs will be able to reach the rooms where the 200 men met death. They have the fans working with good effect. “ (WH 12.8.07 pg. 13)
At the morgue:
Embalming is becoming difficult because of the sheer number of bodies. Only ¼ of the estimated death toll is accounted for so far. (McAteer)
~10:00 pm
“Albert Shingleton, who has been working around the Fairmont mines for twenty-four years, said tonight that the explosion had killed the best men in the mines. These were the prize mines and only the best men were employed there. Several representatives of foreign governments arrived in Fairmont today to look after the interests of their people and offer assistance if any is needed.” (WH 12.8.07 pg. 13)
At the mines:
“A score of men of the rescuing parties are in a critical condition tonight from inhaling blackdamp. Several of them are expected to die. One of these men, John Gabbert, was carried from the mine tonight almost a raving maniac. His lungs were filled with blackdamp, which produced a condition as one insane, and the services of four men were necessary to hold Gabbert while doctors attended him.” (ES 12.8.07 pg. 1) (CB 12.8.07 pg. 1)
“The officials in charge of the rescue work had hoped that they would be able to get most of the anxious ones away from the entrance by nightfall, so that they could bring the bodies to the surface. Tonight, they decided it was useless to wait longer and the relief parties got orders to proceed with the work.” (WH 12.8.07 pg. 1)
C.W. Watson makes an order for immediate burial due to the overflowing number & condition of bodies and fears that the situations of public grief with the women will get out of control. Wives and families of some of the victims are greeting bodies with emotional outbursts (sometimes violent, often self-inflicting). (McAteer)
Though this is a standard grieving process for the majority of the Eastern European immigrants, here in the Western world of the U.S.A. these types of reactions and public displays of grief have been steadily shamed and rendered ‘improper’ and ‘undignified’ since the Civil War. As a result, Western reporters are not very familiar with this type of display as having significant meaning and interpret these reactions of women just it as their society has dictated for the past 30 years: as “weakness”,” ugliness”, and “insanity”.
“The women and children surrounding the mine entrance are more like a colony of insane tonight than ordinary human beings. Gaunt of face, and with a frenzy of despair written all over them, they make a picture that no person actually seeing could realize. Strong men turned away from the sight after a glance. The horror of that one look will remain with them to the end of their lives.” (WH 12.8.07 pg. 13)
“Up to late today many entertained high hopes that some of the entombed men might be taken out alive. As the bodies recovered today however were brought to the surface horribly mangled, all hope was dispelled by the distressing scenes following.” (DASB 12.8.07 pg. 1) (ES 12.8.07 pg. 1)
More on How Death Gloated!
The Monongah Disaster 