Italian – Page 11 – The Monongah Disaster

Saturday, December 7, 1907 Midnight – 5:00 am

“Through the night the vigil of a large crowd of people did not lag from that during the day. Forbidden to approach near the opening because of the barriers and ropes and heavy guard, they waited on the trolley embankment anxiously awaiting above the opening and watching the work of those on the outside of the mine who assisted the rescuing party. Here the crowd is thick with the wives and daughters of the hundred entombed fifteen hundred to two thousand feet beneath the surface, and with tear-stained and drawn faces watch with unbroken gaze the opening.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Midnight

12.7.07 - pg 1 - disaster 2 — CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1

At #6:

“Of these victims six dead bodies had been taken from mine No 6 and sixty-five others were piled up in the entry awaiting the completion of facilities for bringing them to the surface.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8)

At #8:

“Deputy Mine Inspector F.E. Parsons, of Clarksburg, and General Superintendent John Brooks, of the Clarksburg Fuel Company, are leading the rescue work at this mine and are assisted by Superintendent Albert J. Ruckman and John Brennen, Superintendent of the West Fairmont shaft, with a squad of some twenty men.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

The Morgues:

As the bodies arrive on the surface, they are examined right at the mine by Dr. F.W. Hill and other medical volunteers.

In one of the nearby emergency hospitals at the mine mouth, now a temporary morgue, one of the dozens of volunteer undertakers from the area will search any remaining clothing pockets for personal items and make any notation possible of the body and its discovered location in hopes it will aid in identification.

In these first hours of systematically managing the dead, physicians require little time to ascertain how several met their death based on nothing more than their burnt and/or mangled bodies. Those in these conditions, like a brakeman who was found in one of the mines as nothing more than a headless and limbless torso, will be impossible to embalm and display for identification.

After each one is quickly checked for cause of death it is placed in a casket on hand or shrouded as best as possible. Several bodies are placed on a horse-drawn wagon filled with straw and carried across the river to east side of town where the temporary morgue in the First National bank is finally prepared to start accepting, washing, embalming, and dressing the victims.

Throughout the night and following day, throngs of families and onlookers crowd around the carts as they travel across the river. They frequently block the forward path and frighten the horses, making the transport slow and difficult.

“The bodies brought to the surface during the night were washed and made as presentable as possible by a dozen undertakers from this and surrounding towns and placed in one of the mine buildings which was converted into a temporary morgue.” (RIA 12.7.07 pg. 1) (ETR 12.7.07 pg. 1)

~1:00 am

At #8:

J.C. Gaskill moves from mine #6 to #8 and remains there “recovering bodies” (Inquiry)

Fire discovered once again in #8, this time in the 1st north heading about 450’ from the pit mouth. However, more brattice work will need to constructed in the area before the workers can actually reach the location of the fire.

“The openings in the ground were all covered with canvass to shut off the draft and the hose was turned on the fire soon after it was discovered.” (FWV 12.7.07 – pg.1)

~2:00 am

“…near No. 8 Howard Preston, colored, of Monongah, was taken out, and also four Italians, names unknown.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

~3:00 am

At #8:

#8 is still burning “…with no prospect of extinguishing the blaze and hundreds of dead miners will be burned. Excitement is intense and the whole town is out fighting the flames.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Dozens line up down the bank to the river and haul water brought in buckets to the mine mouth. Fire extinguishers have also been brought in from Fairmont.

At the mines:

“During the night few women were to be seen, but all day yesterday the women were the chief actors in most pathetic and heartrending scenes.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 1) (ES 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Throughout the night, men stood about the mouth of the mines. “They said nothing but when approached and asked questions they would give way to their emotions, often to tears.” (RIA 12.7.07 pg. 1)

~3:20 am

The body of Charles Honaker is brought to the morgue. (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

~3:30 am

At the mines:

“…eleven bodies had been brought from mine Nos 6 and 8 and placed in the temporary morgue.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

“To date eleven bodies have been taken out of #6 opening and two from a small opening about a quarter mile from #8 opening. All available means are being used to hasten an entrance into the mines where dead bodies are now entombed.” (FWV 12.7.07 – pg.1)

~4:00 am

“The officers of the company checked up their list of employees so far as possible, and later stated that at least 380 men were in the mine when the disaster occurred. Their list, they admit, is not complete, and statements that 500 men were caught by the explosion go unchallenged.” (TBE 12.7.07 pg. 1)

“It is given out by officials of the two wrecked mines that the number of entombed miners will reach 450. Mine officials have these classed as follows: Americans,100; Polanders, 150; Italians 275; Total, 450.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

“The mine records, time books and other information lead to the conclusion that 450 will cover the number completely, but it is not thought the number will fall under that and there exists the firm belief with the officials that all have perished.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

“There is no question whatever but that four hundred, possibly more, are dead, said Superintendent Malone this morning.” (RP 12.7.07 pg. 1)

“President Watson of the mining company stated this morning every possible investigation will be made to ascertain the cause and fix the responsibility.” (RIA 12.7.07 pg. 1)

~5:00 am

At #6:

“At 5 o’clock this morning seventy-nine blackened bodies had been recovered. Six bodies were brought from No. 6 mine.” (TBE 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Inside #8:

Workers are winning the battle with the fire in #8.

In Monongah:

“The wives and children of many of the entombed men have not left the mouths of the shafts since the first alarm was given. The night was a cold one and the mourners suffered intensely, but few heeded the offers of shelter from their friends. Several of the women fell unconscious or went temporarily mad from grief and exposure and had to be carried or forcibly removed from the scene of the disaster.” (WT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

In Fairmont:

FCC suspends operations in all mines today and Malone orders all experienced supervisors and craftsmen from surrounding mines to come and help speed the rescue. (FWV 12.7.07 – pg. 1 – noon)

Every undertaker in Fairmont is contracted and the supply of readily available coffins in the area is immediately exhausted.

“The company has sent rush orders for coffins to Pittsburg, Zanesville, and other towns, the total number ordered up to this time being 380.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 1)

“Four hundred coffins have been ordered by the Fairmont Coal Company. All of these boxes will be used—sooner or later—for it may be weeks before all of the victims of the mine explosion are recovered. Possibly the order will be increased.” (WT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

In Monongah:

“Gloom possesses the entire town as never before in the history of Marion county and excepting the piteous cries of bereft families,…the town was wrapped in death-like stillness last night.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Friday, December 6, 1907 11:00 pm – Midnight

12.7.07 - pg 1 - Monongah — TBD 12.7.07 pg. 1

12.7.07 - pg 1 - Monongah 7 — CET 12.7.07 pg. 1

“It is believed that the shock of the explosions displaced many of the heavier timbers in the galleries and whole rows where the unfortunate men were working collapsed upon them. In this case the work of reaching the entombed men will be infinitely greater. Some of them are now believed to be separated from the outer world by many tons of earth.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8)

“The hope that they are alive lies in the possibility that enough pure air remained in the mine to supply those who were not crushed outright until they can be reached by the rescuers.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8)

In Monongah:

“At eleven o’clock tonight the list of employees had been checked off, showing that 380 were in the two mines when the explosion occurred. Of these six had been brought to the surface dead and five escaped through air shafts. The latter are in the miner’s hospital here in a precarious condition.” (DASB 12.07.07 pg. 1)

For hours now, more than likely since the meeting with Pres. C.W. Watson, General Manager Malone has been sorting through the payroll lists for Monongah mines #6 and #8 to get a better idea of just how many fatalities they are facing. By 11:00 pm, he is as finished as he can be with this aspect of his research. However, he does not deny that this list of around 380 payrolled names does not include any non-payrolled workers (such as B&O railroad workers on loan or those hired and paid by the miner personally—what we would consider an Independent Contractor today), younger trapper boys, or those who have been hired since the last time this list had been updated some two weeks prior, nor will it include those who were known to have been hired the morning of the explosion.

None the less, the press and public will become fixed with this very first “official” number of 380 and begin to speculate on their own.

“Six charred bodies lying in the improvised morgue, five men near death in the hospital and 369 men imprisoned by tons of coal, rock and mine debris in the depth of the hills surrounding this mining town with chances all against a single one of them being alive is the most accurate summary obtainable at 11 o’clock tonight…” (SFC 12.7.07 pg. 1)

The company nor the press is yet aware of just how many workers, like Bill Sloane and this author’s own great-grandfather, did not go into work that morning. As each one begins to turn up alive over the next several days, the overall number of potential corpses continues to be lowered rather than a name simply getting checked off the potential identity list. Though the extra off-payroll workers are acknowledged by company, they are not included in their factors.

In Fairmont:

“Late in the night…the streets of the city were crowded with anxious people eager to snatch any news that came from the disaster. Every car that came from Monongah, the passengers were stopped while inquiry about the news was made by the waiting crowd but the passengers had little to satisfy the hungering ones.” (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 2 – noon)

At some point during the night at the Miner’s Hospital, William H. Bice, the fan engineer who was blown through the walls of the #8 fan house, dies of his injuries. Though many doctors and nurses have returned to the Miner’s Hospital, the morticians and undertakers are still in Monongah. As a result, Bice had plenty of care in his final hours of life, but in death there is no one on hand to care for his body at the hospital. His body, along with others, is simply left in the hospital morgue.

In Pennsylvania:

Clarence Hall has been on the site of the Naomi mine disaster for days, but now he boards a train and heads straight for Monongah. He is considered U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt’s personal representative as one of the few federal government agents attempting to remedy the ever-growing mortal cost of the mining industry in the country.

In Monongah:

Before the midnight hour, rescue work transitions into recovery work as the long process of removing bodies from the mines begins. As #6 mine was not as badly damaged as #8 and workers have been able to restore enough ventilation for rescue crews, the process begins there.

As each body is brought to the surface, Dr. F.W. Hill and several other medical volunteers briefly examine the bodies in hope to quickly determine the true cause of death before sending them over to the temporary morgue. Though Coroner Amos and many other morticians are expecting to have the chance to perform autopsies, they simple become too overwhelmed too quickly and decide against doing so. Due to the conditions of many bodies, it is impossible to embalm them and they must be prepared for burial and identified as quickly as possible.

~Midnight

“Of the victims six dead bodies had been taken from mine Nos 6 at midnight and six others were piled up in the entry awaiting the completion of facilities for bringing them to the surface. From mine No 8 at the same hour, fourteen bodies had been removed, and a number of others are ready to be brought out as soon as arrangements can be completed.” (LAH 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Outside #8:

Once the small fires in #8 are subdued, the temporary 8’ wide fan on loan from a local mine in Shinnston is started up once again. Though they manage to recover some bodies near the mouth and along the main shaft of the mine, the temporary fan is simply not powerful enough to purify the air in the mine and rescue crews only make it around 700 feet beyond the main entrance before they are once again driven out by toxic gases. However, this does not stop the rescue and recovery efforts. A fresh crew replaces those who came in contact with the gases and a round-robin system of smaller crews and shorter trips into the mine takes hold at #8.

In Monongah:

A large number of lingering physicians are “ordered out” of the town; “At midnight these messengers of mercy with pity and patience were on the scene ready to minister to the maimed and moaning, but there was little need for their services.” (FWV 12.7.07. pg. 1 – noon)

More on How Death Gloated!

Friday, December 6, 1907, Evening into Night, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm

“Tonight, thousands are gathered at …No 6 and 8, aghast of the horror of the explosions…in fact, the entire town of several thousand people are crowded about the mine openings anxiously awaiting the work of the rescue party, but without even the slightest hope of seeing any of their loved ones alive.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

~7:00 pm

In Monongah:

“Trolley cars and trains over the Baltimore and Ohio brought great crowds of people from Clarksburg and Fairmont, many of whom have relatives in the terrible catastrophe, all anxious to learn the worst, as all hope had been abandoned that any survived and the only hope that remained was that the bodies at least might be recovered.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Vice President Potter, General Manager Thomas Fitzgerald and Division Superintendent and other officials of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company heard of the horrible disaster and arrive to offer their services.

14 miners also arrive from Tunnelton, WV, to aid in the rescue (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 1)

“The general opinion in the town is that the number of dead and imprisoned will reach 500. A few persons believe this number will be exceeded, claiming that more than half the total force worked during the day, while on the other hand some think the number will be smaller. The most conservative estimates place the number of victims at 300 or more.” (DASB 12.07.07 pg. 1)

~7:30 pm

At #8:

Superintendent A.J. Ruckman finds the body of Charles Honaker. “…it was thought that Honaker had been blown in the river but he had not. He was lying about 70ft from the mouth of No 8. When he was found his watch was still keeping time and this property was the means of his identification. Mr. Ruckman still has his watch.” (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 2 – noon)

“Undertakers on the scene have converted the First National bank building into a morgue to take care of the bodies and all the caskets possible have arrived from Clarksburg and Fairmont with a special order on the way from Wheeling.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

~8:00 pm

At the mines:

“At this time the rescuers are hard at work digging debris, dirt, coal, timbers, and the like away so as to get further into the mine. The efforts are to rescue any live men who may possibly be in the mine and dead bodies are now being removed.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

“The chief efforts of rescue are at mine No 6, where the explosion was not so terrific.” “At No 8 the rescue work is difficult and proceeding very slowly on account of the afterdamp.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

In Monongah:

“The saloons have all been closed by order of the mayor. The great crowds still linger at the mines. The order is good.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

West Virginia Governor Dawson wires a message to Pres. C.W. Watson: “Inspector to arrive tomorrow. Do not hesitate to call upon me for assistance.” Watson replies, “Our accident was deplorable indeed. Very much obliged for your offer…glad to know Chief Mine Inspector Paul will be here in the morning. Impossible to tell extent of fatalities at this time. Will advise you early tomorrow.” (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 1 & 2 – noon)

~8:30 pm

Evening presses from major papers across the country are putting out some of the first words the country will read about the disaster in Monongah. At some point during the day, either General Manager Malone or someone who had talked with Malone had a telephone conversation with a reporter at the Associated Press. As a result of this too early conversation which will be reprinted again and again nationwide, much of the first and perhaps only words many people will read about the disaster over the next month are highly inaccurate.

CDT 12.6.07 pg 1

(ETR 12.6.06 pg. 1)

~9:00 pm

Inside #6:

Rescuers begin investigating side entries and rooms further from explosions. As each crew moves forward, they stumble over material debris as well as dead bodies of miners and horses.

“Relay parties bring no work of encouragement, to the contrary their only report is the finding of dead bodies piled up in the mine pits in heaps of twenty, indicating that when the explosion occurred, many of them rushed to the openings and perished on the way—overcome by gas.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

In Monongah:

Another special train arrives, this one from Baltimore carrying V.P. Wheelwright of Consolidated Coal Company, President Oscar G Murray and General Manager Thomas Fitzgerald from the B&O railroad company along with more company officials, volunteers, newspaper reporters, and sightseers.

It becomes clear to company officials that many burial sites will be needed, and the existing potter’s field is insufficient.

“C.W. Watson, president of the company, is deeply affected by the accident and refused to give out a statement tonight. He only observed that it was ‘Too bad! Too bad!’” (TS 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Outside #8:

“The deadly fire damp made it impossible to do much rescue work early in the day, especially at Mine No. 8, where the explosion had completely wrecked the fan, until another fan could be brought from Shinnston, twelve miles away, and put in working order, the men labored at a disadvantage…” (WH 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Relief crews have managed to create a stable air hole about a half mile from the mine mouth. A temporary 7-foot-wide fan has arrived from Shinnston and put into place at #8 mine. But, “When the fan that was installed at the mouth of mine No 8 was started…it caused a small fire.” (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 1 & 2 – noon)

Inside #8:

“One fire was discovered to the right of the main entry in No. 8 and a pipeline was immediately laid into the mine and the fire extinguished.” (FWV 12.10.07 pg. 2 – Floyd Parsons)

~9:30 pm

“Up to 9:30 Peter Roisberg is the only man brought out alive.” (TS 12.7.07 pg. 1)

More on How Death Gloated!

Friday, December 6, 1907, Mid-Afternoon – Dusk, 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm

“Not less than 400 are dead and the number may run to 700, as officials have been keeping down the number as much as possible.” (FWDN 12.6.07 pg. 1)

~3:00 pm

“At 3 o’clock this afternoon it is known that the mine disaster is the worst in the history of the country.” (FWDN 12.6.07 pg. 1)

In Parkersburg:

“Mr. Watson was in Parkersburg at the time of the accident and went at once to the scene.” (TBS 12.7.07 pg. 2)

In Baltimore:

“Mr. Wheelwright left here at 3 pm over the Baltimore and Ohio for the mines. He was accompanied by Mr. J.R. Buckingham, his secretary, and some of the others of the company’s officers.” (TBS 12.7.07 pg. 2)

“Mr. Clarence W. Watson is the president and Mr. Jere H. Wheelwright the vice-president, both of whom spend most of their time here in directing the executive affairs of the corporation. Mr. Watson has a home at Fairmont, where he spends the summer. On this estate, which is just on the outskirts of that city, he has recently built a magnificent stable for his famous show horses and also a half-mile track for their exercise.” (TBS 12.7.07 pg. 2)

In Monongah:

It is “Press Time” and some of the reporters are in line to use the telegraph or telephone in the company store post office or the company office just across the river from #6 to submit their reports in time for the evening papers. A majority have had to go into Fairmont to find more communication resources. (News)

Outside #6:

Carl Tarleton arrives from the mines just down the tracks in Enterprise to help with the recovery. He works personally with David Victor on restoring proper ventilation to the mines, despite only having one working fan. By this point they have only achieved breathable air in most of the main shaft of #6, but they are almost to the area where the two mines are conjoined. David Victor decides to go ahead and make an attempt at a fire examination of #6. (Inquiry)

~3:30 pm

The two staff writers for The Clarksburg Daily Telegram make “fast time” despite taking the back roads to Monongah. “…they arrived some time before the first train and about two hours before the first trolley car arrived from Clarksburg, beating other newspaper representatives.” (CDT 12.8.07 pg. 1)

Outside #6:

The second round of rescue crews is starting to be organized just as several experienced miners arrive from the Montana mines just outside of Fairmont. As these men already work together as a congruent team underground, they are formed into a rescue crew all their own. (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 1 – noon)

Outside #8:

Someone standing near a toad hole, possibly a company watchman, happens to hear a sound like moaning coming from the ground. He calls out to nearby work crews for help. Several run off to a nearby supply house to collect materials.

~3:33-3:35 pm

Outside #8:

The rescuers have returned quickly from the supply house with armloads of rope and begin tying critical hitch and harness knots in one end to safely support the men who will be lowered down through the toad hole.

~ 3:40 – 3:45 pm

Inside #8:

The first rescuer, a long slender rail worker in the mines named Charlie “Skinny” McGraw, has been lowered over 100 feet before getting to the floor of the mine. He unties himself from the lowering lines so they can be raised back to the surface for the next man to follow down and help.

He follows the moans through the dark and soon finds the Urban brothers. Stan is lying face down in a puddle of water and Peter is sitting atop Stan’s back sobbing uncontrollably, simply staring ahead into the dark space with wide glassy eyes.

~3:45 – 3:50 pm

Inside #8:

The second rescuer, Tom Weeks, has been lowered into the room with McGraw and the Urbans. As they come upon Peter and Stan, Peter begins to shout at them and protect his nonresponsive brother. The Urbans are from Poland (their original last name is Rosebeiq) and, unfortunately, Stan knew more American English than Peter and neither of the two rescuers speak or understand Polish. (News, Ancestry, Inquiry, McAteer)

Absolutely crazed by the trauma, fear, and utter darkness he has endured for the past 5-6 hours, Peter begins to aggressively fight with McGraw and Weeks to keep them away from his brother. He shouts at them but they do not understand him and again try to grab Peter and force him away from his brother. A full-on struggle ensues.

~3:50-3:55 pm

Inside #8:

Weeks and McGraw have managed to wrangle Peter into submission. They tie him into the rope hitch and give a signal to the men on the surface to start pulling. The workers on the surface grapple with the line as Peter continues reaching and screaming for his brother on his way back up the 100’ ascent to the surface

As Tom Weeks keeps an eye on Peter from below, Charlie McGraw rushes back to check on Stan’s condition. Despite the severe head injury and 5 hours face down in a puddle, Stan is still breathing but barely hanging on to life.

~3:55 – 4:00 pm

Outside #8:

Several people grab a hold of Peter as he nears the surface and assist in pulling him out. They get him safely out of the hole, pull him away to solid ground and untie his rope when, again, Peter begins to fight off the rescuers around him. The rope is dropped back into the toad hole again as Peter continues to struggle against those trying to help him.

Inside #8:

McGraw and Weeks have moved Stan out of the puddle and closer to the toad hole. They begin to tie him into the rope harness, just as they did with Peter. Stan is still breathing but unconscious.

~4:00 – 4:10 pm

Inside #6:

“For fully two hours nothing but wreckage, such as blocks of coal mine timbers and machinery rewarded the search, but at 4 o’clock in mine No. 6, twenty bodies were found in a heap a short distance from the opening. These were not brought out at the time as the purpose of the searches was to find if any survived the awful disaster and to bring them out first.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

“Men who entered the mine say there are twenty dead men sitting on one bench, where they were awaiting their turns to take cars.” (TS 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Outside #8:

Peter Urban manages to break free from the rescuers. He tears through the crowd of onlookers, screaming and crying, sprints down the bank towards the river but crashes full-force into a fence. Rescuers follow and though Peter gives them quite the chase he begins to put up another brief fight as they catch up with him. Peter is simply too exhausted by this point and they manage to subdue him again with little issue.

Inside #8:

At some point during the ascent back to the surface, Stan Urban dies.

~4:10 – 4:15 pm

Outside #8:

Dr. F.W. Hill quickly looks over Peter Urban for any sign of significant injury or need for hospitalization. Though Peter is so distressed and upset that he can not even give the doctor his own name, Dr. Hill finds no reason to hospitalize him and sends Peter home to his family to rest.

At the toad hole, Stan is pulled out and taken to the side. Though he shows no signs of life, the warmth coming off his body gives them hope. Resuscitation is attempted but soon it is accepted that they are too late.

Stanislaus Urban is put onto a horse drawn cart, sent across the river to the morgue.

~4:30 pm

Word has already begun to spread through town and reaches #6 that at least one man has been found alive and rescued from #8.

Outside #6:

Crowds swarm in the direction of #8. For some, especially many newspaper reporters who have arrived from out of town, this is the first notice they get that the #8 mine they have just submitted reports on isn’t actually #8 mine at all. Dozens of reporters who have been on or around the Iron Bridge all day have already gone to print and have mistakingly identifyied either #1 or #2 mine, which are across the river from #6, as being mine #8 simply because they can see smoke coming out of this mine from their vantage point.

Outside #8:

Despite the lack of ventilation and being driven out hours earlier by toxic gases, the discovery of Peter Urban alive and relatively well encourages another round of rescue crews to prepare to attempt another tour into #8. John C Thompson is in charge of one of those crews. (News, Inquiry)

Inside #6

By late afternoon, part of the broken trip that clogged the heading of mine #6 was removed and the entrance to the mine proper was clear enough to allow for the removal of bodies. “It was the blockade of broken cars that made it so difficult to get the work started.” (FWV 12.7.07 – pg. 1 – noon)

“The entry of No 6 mine, 300 feet from the mountain is piled high with wreckage of two strings of cars and two electric motors. Some of the rescuers have climbed over this and found dead bodies beyond, but have made no attempt to remove these to the surface, partly because it would be almost impossible to carry the bodies over the debris, but more particularly because they do not want to lose any time in reaching other sections of the mine where it is possible men still living may be imprisoned.” (ES 12.7.07 pg. 2)

~5:00 pm

At the mines:

By now, it has become very clear to the physicians and nurses who rushed to the scene that their services will not be needed. Some stay for the night to care for the rescue workers who are injured or overcome by the gases. Many leave on the 5 o’clock trolley car as a 3^rd round of rescue crews gets organized.

~6:00 pm

In Monongah:

By this time, only Stan Urban has been recovered from the inside of #8 mine and arrangements are being made to begin bringing bodies out of #6.

Dr. Hill calls on Peter Urban at his house just to check on his condition. Peter can finally tell the doctor his name and now that Peter is around those who can understand him, he tells them that not far from where he and Stan were found, another man was also trapped but still alive.

A special train arrives on the main B&O line from Parkersburg and pulls into the center of Monongah carrying C.W. Watson, president of Consolidated Coal Company and its subsidiary Fairmont Coal Company, along with his private secretary.

In Fairmont and other cities around the country:

Newspapers are already publishing reports in their evening editions which have been circulating for about an hour now. Local papers from Monongah’s neighboring cities will put out several special extra additions over the next few days in an attempt to keep the local populace as updated as possible.

The Fairmont West Virginian publishes these headlines along with an article written by reporter L.M. Davis who was on the very first trolley to Monongah and got the opportunity to watch the action go down all day long and speak directly to some rescue workers like Fred Shaver.

They also publish a list of those “known” to be dead or injured based solely on what little information they have received from rescuers like Fred Shaver and officials who are simply too busy at the time to give in depth, detailed statements.

In the next city south of Monongah, the Clarksburg Daily Telegram publishes slightly different information.

12.06.07 - pg 1 - special edition tonight

Unlike the Fairmont West Virginian, The Clarksburg Daily Telegram is not yet publishing personal reports from those directly on the scene, though they do include a small announcement that they have reporters on the scene and will put out a special evening edition with those updates. Rather, for this first printing they rely on an article created by the Associated Press after a candid conversation with an official from either the Consolidated Coal Company or Fairmont Coal Company, or possibly a combination of both.

At this point in U.S. history, the Associated Press has a practical monopoly over the spread of news across the country and a majority of U.S. papers rely almost entirely on the Associated Press for national news at this time. To battle what many saw as a corrupt control of information, The United Press formed earlier in the year to challenge that hold. Over the next month they will both make drastic, lingering mistakes in the mad dash to be the first to publish the latest information to the country.

The Pittsburg Press is just one of the many papers that uses the United Press to collect their information. On the evening of Dec. 6, it publishes what will become one of the most notorious headlines associated with the disaster, some of the first photos of Monongah, and several articles detailing events that have taken place through the day.

Almost all of it is wrong.

Monongah-MnDs-Ptt-Prss-1-Slope-Opening-Dec-6-1907

Monongah-MnDs-Ptt-Prss-2-Tipple-Dec-6-1907

Monongah-MnDs-Ptt-Prss-3-Power-Hse-Dec-6-1907

The Cumberland Evening Times in Maryland also uses the United Press as a primary source and reports that, “The accident happened in Monongahela mines Nos 6 and 8 and was caused by the fan house, which supplied the miners with air, failing to work.” They follow, “The mines were idle yesterday and that is why it is thought that the fans failed to work this morning.” They will also, unfortunately, report that “Over one hundred men are known to have escaped.” (CET 12.6.07 pg. 1)

~6:30 pm

In the Monongah offices:

C.W. Watson and several other company officials hold a meeting to bring the president up to date with events. Watson decides that, “the bodies of the miners, so far as could be reached should be taken out during the night.” From here, Watson personally supervises all rescue work aided by General Manager Malone. (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

At #8:

Word makes it back to #8 mine that Peter Urban has revealed that another man was still trapped in the mine, not far from where he and his brother were found.

General Manager Frank Haas is personally overseeing the rescue work at #8 but little progress has been made compared to #6. Nonetheless, rescue crews, again led by “Skinny” McGraw, reenter #8 through the toad hole. True to Peter’s word, 20-year-old Francisco Loria is found nearby, but it is too late.

Francisco will be the 5^th body to enter the morgue.

At the mines:

By dusk, rescue crews are once again pushed out of the mines by gases but it is confirmed to those on the surface that there is no hope of finding any survivors inside of #6.

“Men and women who had congregated around the mine knelt down in the falling snow and prayed, offering a miner’s benediction.”

More on How Death Gloated!

Friday, December 6, 1907, Early Afternoon, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Early Afternoon

In Monongah:

“The women around the mine entrance are going crazy with grief and can hardly be handled.” (FWDN 12.6.07 pg. 1)

Crowds are growing to uncontrollable numbers. (News)

Agents for the company begin to prepare for the worst.

~1:00 pm

On the east side of Monongah:

“At one o’clock this afternoon the officials of the Fairmont Coal Co. revised their figures as to the number of men at work in the mines, making it three hundred, instead of five, and they do not believe any have escaped death or injury of a serious nature.” (CET 12.6.07 pg. 1)

Coroner E.S. Amos prepares to set up a temporary morgue inside the unfinished First National Bank of Monongah (a new institution owned by the Watsons and others).

“The First National bank building…has been rigged up for a morgue and the dead will be taken there as soon as recovered.” (FWDN 12.6.07 pg. 1)

E.P. Knight brings the piece of broken coupling pin to Frank Morris in the office of the company store for safe keeping then returns to the relief work. (Inquiry)

~1:30 pm

Outside #6:

Dr. Cook sees first 3 bodies brought out of #6; the 3 men who were found in the shed at the foot of #6 slope. (Inquiry)

~2:00 pm

Outside #6:

8 bodies found near entrance of #6 “and had been taken out, but at that time dense volumes of smoke from a fire in the heart of the mine drove the rescuers to the open air and they have not since been able to return, although every effort is being made to get in.” (Pitt. Press Evening, 12.6.07 – pg.1)

“The fans were all blown out of mine No. 8 and it was the belief of some that the mine was afire.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

At the mines:

“Little was done…until after three o’clock when several men were rescued.” (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 1 – noon)

More on How Death Gloated!

Friday, December 6, 1907 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

12:00 pm – Noon

In Fairmont:

Within the next few days, this event will gradually become entangled in the news coming out of Monongah. With so many people and newspaper reporters in and out of Fairmont, entirely unfamiliar with the area, this is more than likely how various reports begin to spread across the country that the trolley which ran passed #8 coal mine just before the explosion was blown off of its tracks, wrecked, and that a young female passenger was injured in the process. Though there is no information about what happened to the trolley after it passed #8 nor are there personal accounts from any of its passengers, the trolley at Monongah was not thrown from its tracks and wrecked.

At the company offices, “Mr. S.L. Watson was called up by many newspaper men but was unable to accommodate them because of lack of news.” (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 2 – noon)

The Electric Theatre calls the Fairmont newspapers to make the announcement that they will give 5 percent of the entire receipts until further notice for the benefit of Monongah sufferers. (FWV 12.6.07 pg. 5)

12.6.07 pg 5 - Thater offers proceeds to Monongah — FWV 12.6.07 pg 5

Inside the mines of Monongah:

Localized explosions, ignitions, and fires continue consuming the oxygen throughout the mines. Afterdamp has had over hour and half to work through the mines and has already suffocated many. Some miners who survived the initial explosions are putting jackets over their heads or napkins over their mouths to try and prevent breathing in gases. (McAteer, News)

In the town of Monongah:

Monongah is getting positively ambushed with all varieties of people from the area. Train/Trolley loads of volunteers, mourners, amateur photographers and macabre sightseers start pouring in from Fairmont and surrounding areas.

Undertakers begin pouring into town, ”from Fairmont, Shinnston, and Clarksburg among whom are Clifford & Osborn, Sleppy & Warne, of Clarksburg, Harmer of Shinnston, and Musgrave and Bunningham*, of Fairmont, summoned at the instance of the coal company to take charge of the frightful morgue that will present itself when all the bodies are recovered.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1) (*should be “Cunningham”)

Transport wagons and crews are hired. W.S. Thomas Transfer Co. (Fairmont firm) sends all available wagons and teams to Monongah. (News)

Communications within town, let alone outside of town, are extremely limited and reports about the events going on in the area begin to conflict from the very start. (News)

“The bodies of three miners were recovered near the mouth of Mine No. 6 at 12 o’clock.” (CDT 12.6.07 pg. 1)

“Up to noon four bodies had been recovered. These were found at the entrance of the mine.” (CDT 12.6.07 pg. 1)

Inside #6:

“Besides the broken cars that clogged the heading much of the brattice work was demolished and this too added to the delay in bringing bodies out. Many of the brattices were constructed of brick and were supposed to be permanent, thought to be sufficiently strong to withstand any concussion that might arise from an explosion; but these went down and were but a mass of debris.” (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 1 – noon)

The rescue crew headed by Supt. Gaskill continue exploring beyond the shanty at the foot of #6. They find another body, one they assume must belong to the car coupler, Bill Sloane, based on its location. There’s just one little problem; unknown to everyone else, Bill Sloane is at home sick in bed. Fred Shaver will later tell L.M. Davis of the Fairmont West Virginian about the four men he recognized, including Bill, and all four names will be published as the first identified dead. (News)

Not far beyond here, the crew encounters more afterdamp and are forced to turn back until proper ventilation is restored to these areas. They do not take any of the discovered victims with them. (Inquiry)

Outside #8:

Someone coming across #8 trestle finds Joe Newton among the debris “more dead than alive”, gets him up, and rushes him over to the interurban car.

~12:30 pm

Outside #6:

Pat McDonald is found unconscious on the #6 trestle walkway covered with severe burns and lacerations all over his face and torso. The interurban car carrying Joe Newton is stopped just above #6. Pat McDonald is quickly placed aboard and the two are rushed to the Miner’s Hospital in Fairmont.

On the east side of Monongah:

#6 tipple foreman E.P. Knight finds a piece of the coupling pin that broke away from the train of cars and puts it in his pocket.

In Monongah:

“The first dispatches told of women who tore their hair, or clawed their nails into the flesh of their cheeks or threatened to throw their babies into the river. The wife of the Presbyterian minister told me that she saw these things. Such a woman had run back along the railroad tracks tearing at her face and hair. They quieted her. 3 sons, 3 brothers, and a husband—all were in the mines she said.” (Kellogg)

More on How Death Gloated!

Friday, December 6, 1907, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

11:00 am

“The American miners of the town have been placed in charge of the relief work but the Italians and other foreigners are working under them most faithfully.” (ES 12.7.07 pg. 2)

“Monongah…has a population…, most of whom are foreigners although there is a larger proportion of American miners in this district than in most of the other bituminous fields. Until about ten years ago the mines were operated almost exclusively by Americans, but during a general strike of Miners in the Pennsylvania and Ohio fields many of these West Virginia miners went out in sympathy to prevent the filling of contracts at lake ports and elsewhere with West Virginia coal by the companies in Ohio and West Virginia against which the strike was directed. At that time the mine owners brought a large number of foreigners into the field to take the places of the strikers and ever since the foreigners have been displacing Americans until they are now the majority.” (ES 12.7.07 pg. 2)

In the town of Monongah:

“The banks and hills surrounding the mine are literally crowded with anxious people, many women and children who are weeping and crying hysterically for love of their fathers, husbands and brothers known to be entombed. The foreign women are indeed to be pitied for their great sorrow and their way of expressing it by tearing their hair, scratching their faces with their finger nails until the blood runs down their cheeks. Several were witnessed in this condition leading their little children around through the mud and cold not noticing either in face or their great sorrow.” (FWV 12.6.07 pg. 1)

Company officials Frank Haas and J.J. Burrett arrive from Fairmont as well as the representative of the Italian consulate, G.D. Caldara, who “was doing much to pacify the women of his country, who were most loudly giving vent to their terrible feelings.” (FWV 12.6.07 pg. 1)

Over a dozen physicians are now on the scene: Dr. D.P. Fitch, Dr. John R. Cook, Dr. Brownfield, Dr. Jesse A Jamison, Dr. W.C. Jamison, Dr. Graham, Dr. Reidy, Dr. Bowcock, Dr. Durrett (mine physician of the New England mines), Dr. Howard, Dr. Carr, Dr. L.N. Yost, Dr. Sands, Dr. Nutter, and Dr. Hal Hall accompanied by nurses from the various hospitals in Fairmont. They begin to establish an emergency hospital in the blacksmith shop of #6. They have also arranged for the interurban trolleys and railroad companies to transport survivors to the Fairmont hospitals once they are tended and stabilized at the make-shift ER in the blacksmith shop (FWV 12.6.07 pg. 1) (Nurses on Front Lines)

“Medical men who came on the scene after…were: Dr. F.W. Hill, B.F. Bone of Fairmont, Drs. Culp and Thrash of Farmington, Dr. Falconer of Everson and Dr. Alkire of Chiefton.” (FWV 12.7.07. pg. 1 – noon)

Marion County Coroner E.S. Amos also arrives in Monongah.

Dr. Durrett of the New England mines tells a reporter with the Fairmont West Virginian that there is little hope for the men trapped in both mines; “He says that the force of the explosion traveled with the air courses and only those men who were in this air course were killed by the explosion or from the debris thrown in its wake.” (FWV 12.6.07 pg. 1)

Outside #6:

Carpenters are putting the last support boards along the roof of the approach which connects the mine shaft to the fan. It is just a temporary fix, but it is good enough to warrant restarting the fan.

In Washington D.C.:

Governor Dawson, A.B. Fleming, and a few other state/company officials receive word about the disaster. Gov. Dawson immediately telephones certain state officials while former Gov. Fleming immediately leaves D.C. for Monongah after sending word ahead to the sheriff to “preserve order”. (News, McAteer)

11:05 am

Outside #6:

35 minutes after the explosion, #6 fan is restored and started. However, the gage only rises “a little above 2” which is lower than prior to the explosion. This means that air is still not able to properly circulate through #6 because the partition which once divided the two mines has been destroyed by the explosion, allowing air to flow into #6 from #8. This needs to be a closed system in order to properly circulate breathable air and it will be impossible to close this system without getting to one of the deepest parts of the two mines. (Inquiry)

11:30 am

Outside #6:

“The rescue was started in mine No 6 about 11:30 after the fan was again put in running order and the rescue work is being vigorously pushed by Mr. J.C. Gaskill and other mine officials.” (FWV 12.6.07 pg. 1)

“As soon as the men could be organized for a plan of action forty rescuers began the work.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Three teams were organized: one headed by #6 foreman Charlie Dean, another by Supt. Brennon of #8, and the other by Supt. J.C. Gaskill.

The first party to enter #6 was “composed of Messrs. D.C. Dean,—Toothman, — Nichols, —Graham, —Clayton, J.G. Smith, —Clayton, … these men, armed with all the available necessary tools and safety lamps marched undaunted back into the scene of carnage…” This is an excellent choice crew. Being outside foreman of #6 mine, Charlie Dean still had plenty occasions when he had to go inside #6. He is the most ideal person available at the time to head the first relief crew and give instruction about what is and isn’t right about the conditions inside of #6 and what needs to be done to correct those conditions in order to get relief efforts underway. (FWV 12.6.07 pg. 1) (Inquiry) (News)

Dean and his crew have a primary goal—determine how far rescuers can get into the mine safely and if any victims can be reached. It is presumed that Dean and his crew are aware of the runaway trip which should most certainly be a pile of wreckage somewhere along the main shaft. Hopefully, they can reach this point and determine if the wreck and/or the explosion have caused any blockages of potential exits before they personally encounter any deadly gasses. (Inquiry, News)

~11:33-11:35 am

Inside #6

As these men steadily work their way down the #6 shaft portal, a second party of ten men headed by West Fairmont mine Supt. John Brannon prepare themselves for the decent. They enter #6, following along and continuing to clean the path already partially cleared by Charlie Dean’s crew. Naturally, Dean and his crew only cleared what was necessary for them to pass so they can survey conditions and try to reach survivors as quickly as possible. As these rescuers expect to find survivors inside of the mine, they must also make as clear and safe a path through and out of the mine as they can while still constantly pushing forward, knowing that more crews will be following to pick up where they left off. (Inquiry, News)

~11:38-11:40 am

Supt. John Brannon and his team catch up with Charlie Dean and his crew near B face entry, where the slope of the portal changes to a more gradual angle. It is here, at B face, that several other track lines which branch out to the rest of the inner workings of the mine intersect with the main shaft line. At this spot they discover one of their worst fears to be confirmed: the only true way in and out of #6, the main shaft line just before B face, is entirely blocked with wrecked coal cars and debris at the worst possible point, literally entombing every miner—dead or alive—inside with no chance of escape. (Inquiry)

Dean’s crew has already begun to tear away what debris they can to create at least enough space for one man to cross the wreckage. Charlie Price, a member of Supt. Brannon’s crew, also begins working on clearing a way through the debris. After only a few more minutes, they successfully break through near the top left of the pile. Charlie Price is the first to take in the air coming out from the enclosed workings behind the debris pile. In a matter of moments, he collapses. (Inquiry, News)

~11:45-11:50 am

Outside #6

Gen. Supt. J.C. Gaskill has assembled his own relief crew on the surface and they are preparing to enter #6 when Supt. Brennon’s crew resurfaces from the mine shaft. A few of the rescuers are carrying Charlie Price. He was overcome by the fire damp which escaped from the inner workings. At this, both crews fled #6 to avoid the same fate. Charlie is in serious condition and taken to the make-shift hospital in the #6 blacksmith shop which is still being set up by the physicians and nurses which have since arrived on the scene. (Inquiry, News)

Inside #6

“When the Brennon forces returned C.E. Gaskill headed another relief party, which continued the work.” (WH 12.7.07 pg. 1)*

Despite the knowledge that toxic gases have been released, Gaskill and his team consisting of mine foreman PJ McGraw, #6 fire boss Lester Trader, and an extended crew of carpenters like Fred Shaver press back into #6. They continue to clear away debris along the main shaft until they reach the wreckage pile by B Face. Gaskill notes that the wreckage is, “piled up pretty bad—a lot of cars piled up just like any wrecked trip…crossways and piled up generally.” However, it was “not so bad but we could pass…by climbing over…”. (Inquiry)

~11:50 am-12:00 pm

Outside #6

A key official of the Fairmont Coal Company, Supervisor and Chief Mine Inspector David Victor arrives in Monongah from the New England mines in Fairmont and immediately goes inside #6. He is aware that other crews of men are already working, including John Smith from Charlie Dean’s crew and Supt. Gaskill & crew, though he is not sure how much farther ahead they are at this point. (Inquiry, Victor)

Inside #6

“All of the headings leading off from the main entry are being cut off by canvas and barricaded as fast as they are reached by the relief workers, so that the inner most workings of the mine may be given the benefit of the ventilating system…” (ES 12.7.07 pg. 2)

Beyond the wreckage:

“The rescuing parties penetrated mine No 6 about 3500 feet before they came upon the first of the dead. A majority of the corpses will be found about a mile further back.” (LAH 12.8.07 pg. 1) (WED 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Supt. Gaskill and his team have successfully crossed over the wreckage pile and are now continuing along the main track into #6. At the very base of the slope, where the more gradual angle of the slope finally levels out to match the rest of the working areas, the team comes across a small shanty. Inside they find 3 men—all are dead. (Inquiry, News, McAteer)

The first is 23-year-old husband, father, and motorman Fred Cooper. He is lying on the ground, on his back, his head near the shanty door, his mouth wide open.

Another, 21-year-old brakeman Laurence “Larney” Hindman, is also on the floor lying face down with his feet toward the shanty door, the opposite direction as Fred.

The last man is still sitting upright on a bench, holding his opened dinner bucket between his legs, though his head and arms are drooped down. Lester Trader steps into the shanty and lightly pushes his head back to see the face. Coffee dribbles out of the lifeless mouth and Trader can tell it is 36-year-old driver John Herman.

This rescue crew of Gaskill, Trader, McGraw, Fred Shaver and others will not linger at the shanty long—their primary goal is to find survivors—though they do take a few solemn moments to examine and observe that not one of these men shows a single sign of traumatic impact to their bodies and yet their positions, paired with John Herman’s mouthful of unswallowed coffee, indicate an instantaneous death for them all. (Inquiry)

At the wreckage site:

David Victor makes it to the general area known as the ‘foot’ of the slope and sees the “badly wrecked” trip on the main track. He counts 14 loaded cars wrecked on the middle track but, “The fellow who had been cleaning up the cars told me that he had taken two off the trip that had come back down the slope.” As David Victor begins to examine the area “to a certain extent”, he notes that there is another trip with a motor about 20 feet away “standing on the side track of about the same number of cars, 2 or 3 of the first cars had been wrecked…”, behind that was another trip of coal cars. (Inquiry, Victor)

One of the first concerns relating to the cause of the explosion circles around the new addition of electricity and the relatively recent introduction of live, uninsulated wires inside the mines. Victor examines for any evidence of a short circuit in these wires which could have sparked a fire or explosion, but he finds that the wires are surprisingly still intact, hanging along the roof of the mine and no such evidence these wires fusing or burning at the foot of the slope or on any wires, the mine roof, or walls. He decides to move on. (News, Inquiry)

“I remember climbing over the wrecked cars but had plenty of room to go over. I remember the wrecked trip happened right on the switch where there were 3 entries opened up. The wreck had happened in the middle entry and that entry was closed. The entry to the left was not closed. I remember climbing over the empty cars in order to get through to build brattices.” (Inquiry)

Not far beyond the wrecked pile, Victor sees a coal car laying “crossways of the track” and just beyond that, the shanty at the bottom of #6 slope. He does not go in nor does he take any time to examine the 3 dead men other than to acknowledge their positions. (Inquiry)

More on How Death Gloated!

Friday, December 6, 1907 10:30 am – 10:45 am

“Those who were not incinerated in the first blast of flame were left to grope their way hopelessly in the inky darkness until the fatal afterdamp struck them down.” (TBE 12.7.07 pg. 1)

After 10:30 am

Debris continues to fall from the sky for the next 15 minutes.

Mines #6 & #8 flood with thick smoke, loud noises and continuous “lesser shocks as the unsupported galleries of the mine collapsed” for at least the next ten minutes. Toxic gases known as afterdamp and blackdamp occur naturally in these conditions and with no fan ventilation to push out poisonous air and replace it with breathable air, the deadly gases start to creep through the destroyed workings. (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8)

In the town of Monongah:

Fire Boss Lester Trader wastes no time in dressing and rushing back to #6 mine while, “Wives, mothers, and sisters of the entombed miners, living in cabins on the outskirts of the city, rushed to the shafts to find them blocked with debris. The face of the hills where the mines were located had been changed by the upheaval.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8) (Inquiry)

Outside #6:

A foreman from the powerhouse at #6 comes across to the engine room to tell Ed Fry that #6 has exploded. Fry follows him back to the powerhouse and sees smoke and dust pouring out of the #6 air shaft. (Inquiry)

Superintendent A.J. Ruckman could see from the office that #6 fan house is significantly damaged. He tells foreman Charlie Dean to get materials and men over to #6 while he goes to check on the fan at #8 saying, “If that fan is not damaged, we will reverse it.” (Inquiry)

Someone at the Monongah office makes a frantic call to the FCC office over 8 miles away in Fairmont where they have been waiting for notice since they first felt the impact. Though they are pretty sure of what has happened, they are not sure of exactly where it has happened until General Manager L.J. Malone answers the call. (Inquiry, News)

In the city of Fairmont:

“As soon as the explosions occurred the general manager’s office at Fairmont was notified and with all possible speed steps were taken to go to the rescue.” (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1)

Gen. Mgr. L.J. Malone receives the news and immediately calls the main offices in Downtown Fairmont to notify the higher company officials. He then gathers all available men at his office and they head down to the interurban station. (Inquiry, News, McAteer)

J.O. Watson II instantly calls to the interurban trolley barn and requests they begin to assemble all men who are available to help. He begins to race across town in horse and buggy to the company maintenance shop located on the Fairmont Avenue & 12^th Street block to collect these men. (Inquiry, News, McAteer)

Outside of #6:

J.H. Leonard crawls out from under the trestle and heads back to the #6 fan house, careful to avoid any failing debris, and begins to examine the state of the fan for #6. (Inquiry)

Outside of #8:

Hyre Stalnaker wakes up a few minutes after the blast, shocked at what he sees around him. The intensity of the blast has broken out all of the windows and caused much of the iron structuring of the carpenter shop to give way. He works his way out of the ruins of the shop and immediately heads to and across the #8 trestle tracks toward the smoking mine. (Inquiry)

Superintendent A.J. Ruckman arrives at #8 to find that the explosion has wrecked the boiler and fan house, “throwing them all the way over the river…” It is clear a whole new fan and supporting structure will be needed for #8 and carpenters are immediately put to the task of building a decent structure which can temporarily house a substitute fan. (CDT 12.7.07 pg. 1) (Inquiry) (McAteer) (News)

Inside #8:

The DePetris brothers are attempting to navigate their way back to the #8 mine mouth and quickly run into Dan Dominico in the dark. The three of them continue to follow the tracks through the hallway. (Inquiry)

Outside of #6:

Charlie Dean arrives at the mouth of #6 with a team of men. Leonard informs him that the fan is still functional, but the belt keeps slipping and it isn’t doing much good anyway what with the roof and back side of the building missing. The fan cannot be repaired while it is running. Charlie Dean instructs J.H. Leonard to stop the fan then he puts a team of men to the immediate task of bringing timbers from the supply yard to restore the fan house structure. (Inquiry)

10:35 am:

In the city of Fairmont:

Gen. Mgr. J.L. Malone and his crew of men arrive at the interurban trolley barn on Beverly Road and commandeer the first interurban car they can find. They pack as many men on to the trolley as they can, including J.O. Watson II & mine foreman, Perry Vernon, and head straight for Monongah. “The first car to Monongah was crowded with people, mostly physicians and surgeons as well as newspaper men and officials and employees of the Coal Company.” Among the newspaper men is L.M. Davis, a reporter for the Fairmont West Virginian. (FWV 12.6.07 pg. 1) (Inquiry) (News) (McAteer)

In the city of Clarksburg:

“The Clarksburg Telegram is represented at Monongah by members of its editorial staff. As soon as the disaster occurred two Telegram men left immediately for the scene of the accident. The interurban trolley cars were out of operation at the time, owing to the trolley wires being down, and as the next train did not leave for several hours, the Telegram men procured a team of horses and drove through the awful mud roads to Monongah.” (CDT 12.8.07 pg. 1)

In the town of Monongah:

Virtually the entire town is already on the scene as the entire west side of town is built on top of the two mines.

Inside #8:

Peter and Stan Urban are still running to find an exit when Stan trips, hits his head very hard and is knocked unconscious. Peter stops to try to help him up. When Peter realizes his brother has been knocked out, he tries to move him, but finds that he cannot. Peter does not run; he stays with his brother. (Inquiry) (McAteer)

The DePetris brothers and Dan Dominico crawl along in the darkness, following the rail tracks about 20 more yards where they run into Dan’s son, Leo Dominico. There they find that they could go no further due to the dense smoke and overwhelming heat coming from the main shaft area. Leo tells them of a crack in the mine roof he discovered nearby just days prior. The team turns around, now crawling and feeling their way in the pitch dark using the tracks as their guide, back in the direction from which they came. As they crawl, they can just barely hear the screams and cries of their fellow workers in the other areas of the mine. “These cries were half stifled by the gas that threatened to choke the tour.” (McAteer) (Inquiry) (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8)

Outside of #8:

Hyre Stalnaker is rushing across the trestle as quick as he can, dodging debris and wreckage which has landed on the bridge and the debris still in free fall overhead. Out of the smoke and chaos at the mouth of the mine, emerges Joe Newton (assistant fan engineer at #8), frantically running while cupping his face and head in his hands. As he gets closer to Hyre, he moves his hands away to reveal that the entire side of his face is covered in blood from a gushing head wound and one eyeball is dangling from its socket. Hyre recoils away at the sight and they both continue on in their opposing directions. (Inquiry, News, McAteer)

Hyre Stalnaker approaches the end of the trestle to find the fan house, basically, gone. Just outside of what was left of the fan house walls he sees the body of 40-year-old, William H Bice, engine house and fan foreman, imprisoned beneath timbers and other debris. Hyre tries to free him on his own but quickly recruits help from others. (Inquiry)

At some point, Joe Newton collapses on the #8 trestle. Amidst the immediate confusion of the chaos, it is first thought that he is missing when he is not found in the debris of the fan house. (Inquiry, News)

10:40 am

Just outside of Monongah, the first trolley car of officials and rescuers is racing at almost full speed toward Monongah, skipping all designated stops along the way. It drives right past throngs of panicked women, children, and men who are running on foot to the scene. Despite their desperate pleas, the trolley stops for no one.

Inside #8:

The DePetris and Leo Dominico help the injured Dan Dominico along as they crawl past their previous working spot and continue South toward the slope of the hill which naturally brings the outside surface within 6 – 8 feet or so of the inside man-made workings. There, in the very top corner of a dead-end room, Angelo could see the morning sunlight shining through the crack in the ceiling: “…the smoke and sun and light made a light that looked like fire.” The men began to grab ahold of anything they could find along the mine wall that could help them climb up and reach the hole. As one of the DePetris brothers gets enough of a footing to reach up and grab the perimeter of the hole, the other brother and Leo Dominico help to hoist him up. (Inquiry, News, McAteer)

Outside #8:

Life-long miner and #8 pit boss, Jim Rogers, is standing on the slope just above the streetcar line. Jim is 55 years old, hails from Scotland, and this makes his second stroke of luck when it comes to avoiding death by mine explosion by simply being absent from work. He also escaped from a serious explosion in the Newburg (W. V.) mines twenty years ago. “He has figured in a number of minor accidents and has each time escaped unscathed…in both cases he has had a peculiar streak of luck as his work in the mines as overseer of a gang keeps him at his post of duty regularly.” But on this morning, “…he hardly could tell why he remained out of the mines…for he was due to go in.” The Fairmont West Virginian will later report: “Though all at Monongah are bowed down with grief over the awful disaster, the Rogers family are deeply grateful for the sparing of their husband and father.” (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 1 – noon)

As Jim is trying to see through the dense smoke pouring out of every nook of the hillside, he sees a hand, then another hand stretching up and out of the ground just downhill of him. At first, the smoke is so dense he can hardly make out the actual location of the hole and he calls out to all workers and observers within hearing range for help. Altogether, they help pull Orazio, Angelo, Dan, and Leo out from the pit. The four men take only a few stunned moments to gasp for air and get their footing before stumbling over to what should be the front of #8 but instead, they find only a mutilated hillside. Still inside of #8 is Orazio DePetris’ son, Felix DePetris, who was recently hired as a motorman just like Leo Dominico. Despite his attempts, it is simply too hot from the fires still burning inside #8 to make any immediate attempt to go back in to rescue his son. (Inquiry, McAteer, News)

A large crowd begins to gather at #8 as word of the 4 miners’ escape spreads through the town. Watchmen are immediately placed at toad holes to listen for any more survivors and to prevent others from trying to go in. (Inquiry, News)

“The fear by the rescuers if that the men who were trailing after the four who escaped—how many the four men could not tell—were caught by the deadly gas that would accumulate just back of the choked entrance and that they died there of suffocation.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8)

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Friday, December 6, 1907 10:30 am

10:30 am

At the mouth of #6:

J.H. Leonard and Alonzo Shroyer are staring down the portal of #6 mine, bracing for the imminent impact of the runaway train of coal cars. Inside the #6 fan house, the clock connected to the sensitive pressure gauges of the fan marks that at 10:30 am the gages “go up a little then drop clean to the bottom” (Inquiry, Victor).

Somewhere in the deep recesses of the two mines, a massive explosion erupts. As it tears through the workings of the mine, following the paths of least resistance, it consumes all oxygen, extinguishes the carbide lamps of the miners, and destroys most of their belongings.

Many men within the mines die instantly as a result of traumatic injuries such as burns, blunt force impacts, and decapitation. Others get caught up in the blast and carried away as, “Every movable object shot with terrific force through the mine.” Majority if not all of the workers caught in this wave are utterly demolished, several of their bodies will be found “strewn at the mouth” or not found at all, having been disintegrated in the force. (Nurses) (LAH 12.8.07 pg. 1) (McAteer)

Inside #8 mine:

The DePetris brothers are violently thrown off their feet, the blast hurling them against a rib then to the mine floor. (McAteer, Inquiry)

Nearby, Dan Dominico is smashed to the ground with such force that his ear is badly cut and one arm is injured so seriously he cannot move it. (McAteer, Inquiry)

Outside #8 mine:

The south-bound interurban trolley is only a few yards beyond the mouth of mine #8 when the crowd of passengers begin to feel and hear the earth rumble around them. (News)

On the East side of Monongah:

George Peddicord has barely begun to cross the Iron Bridge between the two mines when he feels everything around him shake and hears a rumbling noise from up river, in the direction of #8. (Inquiry)

At the Traction Park Interurban station between #6 & #8:

George Bice is around 330 yards north of #8, by the Traction Park interurban station when he hears the report, “likened to the discharge of a cannon,” from behind. He spins around to look at #8 and sees tons of brick, 8×8 timbers, infrastructure, machinery, coal cars, tools and other debris from deep within the mine hurled up and out the entrance by the explosive force. The miners’ check-tag board is eviscerated, the brass ID tags scatter into the river and are lost. (McAteer, Inquiry, News)

At #8:

The large iron gate at the mouth of #8 is ripped away as the force exits through the mine mouth. But the pressure is simply too much and the force tears a 100-foot hole in the hillside where the entrance once stood, tossing the iron gate and chunks of concrete, one “weighing fully 1000 pounds”, across the river and embedding them into the eastern river bank. (McAteer, Inquiry, News)

“So great was the force of the explosion that one man was blown out of a pit mouth a distance of 400 feet.” (WT 12.7.07 pg. 1) Charles Honaker is caught by the first blast wave at the entrance of #8. His clothing is “lit ablaze” and his body is hurled into the air along with the debris and blown hundreds of yards away, toward the river. (McAteer)

The 10 ton, 30’ tall fan for #8 is considered one of the most powerful fans in the country. It is ripped from its concrete moorings, chucked across the river, and embedded in a hillside almost a half mile away from its original location. The large powerhouse, with all its large machinery and boiler room is blown all the way to other side of the river. (McAteer, News, Inquiry)

Electric wires about the mouth of #8 mine are ripped apart and strewn across the ground. (News, Inquiry)

Across the river at #8 tipple:

Otto Smith yells out to the #8 tipple boss, “I reckon the mine has blown up!”. He turns around to see a plume of fire and smoke shoot from the open hillside of #8 more than 60 feet into the sky. (Inquiry)

In the vicinity of #8:

Windows shatter in the buildings around #8, including those all the way across the river in the house next to the tipple. Hyre Stalnaker hears the blast inside the carpenter shop and attempts to run outside but the shock of the blast throws him back into the shop and knocks him out. (Inquiry, News, McAteer)

In the center of town:

George Peddicord can not see the #8 portal from his position on the Iron Bridge, but the force is so intense he can see the timbers and debris flying above through the air followed by a tower of black smoke. (Inquiry)

In Monongah:

Lester Trader was in bed, though not yet asleep, when “the whole house lifted, then the sound of a terrible roar and I felt the earth shaking with such intensity causing objects to fall from shelves…”. He rises from bed and races for the door.

Almost instantly, before Lester Trader can make it to his door, a second report comes from down river in the direction of #6. When he reaches his door, he can feel the wind still coming off of #8. (Inquiry, McAteer)

Inside #8:

Dan & Leo Dominico and the DePetris brothers are just getting to their feet when they are knocked down again by a second, equally powerful explosion. (Inquiry)

Peter & Stan Urban hear and feel the second explosion; they begin to run. (Inquiry, McAteer)

On the East side of Monongah:

Christina Cerdelli hears the noise of the blast in her doorway. She sees smoke coming from the toad holes all along the west side. The smoke is so thick and abundant some believe it is coming from St. Stanislaus Catholic Church. A bit farther up river, Lee Curry also sees the smoke above houses and St. Stanislaus on the west side of town from his vantage point on the #8 tipple. (Inquiry)

Beneath the #6 tipple, E.P. Knight hears something that sounds like dynamite with “a roar to it” come from #6.(Inquiry)

At #6:

Tons of earth are heaved high into the air around #6 and adjacent buildings are damaged. (News, Inquiry, McAteer)

At the mouth of #6, J.H. Leonard and Alonzo Shroyer are thrown back as the blast exits through the portal. Leonard is covered in rubble; his arm and ankle are very hurt. Shroyer slams into something hard, possibly the derailing switch, cutting him to the bone behind his right ear. (Inquiry, McAteer)

A piece of rail track comes down into the #6 blacksmith shop though the blacksmith, Will Jenkins, only sees a sootish-colored smoke with no flame coming from #6 in a steady blowout. (Inquiry)

Pat McDonald, who was still running toward #6 on the trestle, is also hurled over 100 feet backwards and badly injured. (Inquiry, News, McAteer)

The top of the #6 fan house is “blown in the air a considerable distance”, more than 400 feet. (FWV 12.6.07 pg. 1)

Ed Fry is in the doorway of #6 engine room when he is physically jarred by the second blast, though he hears no report. (Inquiry, McAteer)

On the East side of Monongah:

E.P. Knight is still on the telephone with John Talbott until he glances out his shanty window, then runs out the door to see a good bit of dark brown smoke coming out of the #6 air shaft. On the other end of the line, inside the company offices, John Talbott heard the report and saw the flash of fire at #8 through the 2 large bay windows in his office which faced both mines.(Inquiry, McAteer)

The outside foreman, Charlie Dean, and Superintendent of #6, A.J. Ruckman, are talking in the company offices in Monongah when they feel the building shake from the concussion. The loud report causes Charlie Dean to assume that the #8 boiler has blown up. A.J. Ruckman, looks out to #6 and sees smoke coming out of the air shaft “strong, under high pressure”. (Inquiry, McAteer)

Frank Morris feels the jar in his office inside the company store. He runs outside to see smoke coming out of the mouth of #6 and begins running toward the mine. (Inquiry, McAteer)

At #6:

J.H. Leonard does his best to crawl away from the #6 portal to an area where he could let himself down under the trestle and protect himself from flying debris with the door from a coal car. (Inquiry, McAteer)

In the center of town:

George Peddicord drops his buckets and rushes across the Iron Bridge, not to the mine, but to his home. (Inquiry, McAteer)

At #8:

The interurban trolley is rocked on its tracks by the concussion, but holds its bearings and continues on with a crowded car of stunned and terrified passengers. (News, McAteer)

In the surrounding areas:

The “shock from the explosion was distinctly heard” 12 miles away in Pruntytown. (FWV 12.7.07 – pg.1)

The concussion is reportedly heard up to 50 miles away and is “distinctly felt” in Grafton and in the school house at Hoult where the “erasers were jarred from the blackboard and struck to the floor with a bang.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8) (FWV 12.12.07 pg. 2)

“People for miles in every direction begin to make inquiries over the telephone…” (FWV 12.7.07 pg. 1 – noon)

Lee Lichtenstein of Columbus was 6 miles away in Fairmont at the time. He will later tell The Baltimore Sun that, “The explosion shook Fairmont…as if by earthquake…a rumbling noise, houses rocked to and fro, people rushed wildly to the street and it was 15 minutes before it was known what occurred.” (News, McAteer)

In the town of Monongah:

No one in Monongah needed to ask what had happened. “They divined instantly that another great mine horror had taken place.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8)

The sounds of the blasts were deafening. “The buildings of the cities tottered and waved as if they would collapse. The pavements were upheaved and some of the frailer structures fell into ruins.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8)

“Pedestrians and even horses were knocked off their feet… Fires started in various parts of the city.” (WED 12.7.07 pg. 8)

“In the shock of the explosion the school house at Monongah was shaken in such a way that it threw the children in a frenzy and they rushed to the doors and windows some thinking an earthquake had occurred. When the smoke from the mines was seen an uproar was started as it was then realized what had happened. Children screamed pitifully that their fathers were killed and the teachers were utterly unable to control them.” (FWV 12.10.07 pg. 8)

More on the Monongah Disaster of 1907

Introduction

Disclaimer and Guide

How Death Gloated!: A Timeline of the Monongah Disaster and Bloody December of 1907

Who is Guilty?: A Timeline of January 1908 and the Coroner’s Inquiry

Issues with the Monongah Timeline

Bibliography/Resources

About the Author

Contact Information

Friday, December 6, 1907, 10:15 am – 10:29 am

10:15 am

Outside #6

J.H. Leonard is just outside of the fan house and watches the trip of coal cars come out of the mine mouth, pass by the derailing switch, and begin to travel up the trestle toward the tipple. (McAteer, Inquiry) ◊

10:19 am

In East Monongah:

William Finley is standing on the street by the coal company’s office at the south side, not far from #6. (Inquiry)

10:20 am

Outside #6

Nick Smith is working at the forge in the blacksmith shop. (Inquiry)

Inside the fan house, the gauge for the fan pressure rises .4 inch. This is normal, typically caused either by general workings vibrations or the loaded trip of cars going, “with and against the current” of air being pushed through the mines. (Inquiry, Victor)

In Traction Park (between #6 and #8):

George Bice is walking down to the Traction Park interurban station to catch the trolley into Fairmont. George is a tracklayer in #8, but he is not scheduled to work today. (Inquiry)

Inside #8

Orazio DePetris notices a fire boss come into his area for a few moments and then leave. (Inquiry)

Angelo DePetris has just finished putting in a shot and begins picking from the roof. (Inquiry)

Peter and Stan Urban sit down to eat some lunch. (Inquiry)

Outside #8

Lee Curry, the stationary engineer, just finished dropping a trip of empty coal cars into #8 mine and has stopped it still. (Inquiry)

Carl Meredith is on the same loaded track, looking toward the mouth of #8 mine. (Inquiry)

On the opposite side of the river:

E.P Knight, #6 tipple foreman, is in the shanty under #6 tipple. He is talking on the phone with John Talbot in the shipping department discussing coal cars, or probably the lack thereof. (Inquiry)

Pat McDonald is walking on the haulage bridge, facing the mouth of #6. (Inquiry)

Outside #6 on the trestle:

The trip of cars gets stuck at the knuckle of the tipple; the rear car is about 50’ from the knuckle. (Inquiry)

10:21 am

A warning light in the engine room, connected to the main current line, which indicates that the train of cars is in motion turns off. (McAteer, Inquiry)

10:25 am

Outside #6

J.H. Leonard watches the stuck trip of cars and waits by the derailing switch. (McAteer, Inquiry)

Luther Toothman is on #2 tipple (directly opposite of #6). (Inquiry)

10:26 am

Christina Cerdelli is standing in the door of her home. (Inquiry) ◊

10:27 am

Levi Martin is at his home on Willow Tree Lane (just past Thoburn post office, above and behind #8). (Inquiry)

10:28 am

On the West side of Monongah:

George Bice reaches Traction Park interurban station. He is about 330 feet from #8 and ¼ mile from #6. (Inquiry) ◊

On the East side of Monongah:

George Peddicord is walking onto the Iron bridge with buckets of chains from the East end of town. (Inquiry) ◊

Outside #6:

Will Jenkins has just finished replacing one shoe on a horse in the blacksmith shop and is preparing to shoe the other foot. (Inquiry)

J.H Leonard hears a noise from fan house and, fearing the fan was stalling, turned away from the derailing switch and ran back to the fan house to check the fan engine. (McAteer, Inquiry)

10:29 am

Outside #6:

J.H Leonard barely gets into the fan house when he hears a large *snap*. (Inquiry)

At the top of #6 trestle:

The loaded tip of coal cars has been stuck for almost ten minutes when the coupling pin on the first car of the train snaps. (McAteer, Inquiry)

In #6 engine house:

Ed Fry notices the engine speed up once the trip breaks free of the rope. (Inquiry)

Across the river from #6:

E.P. Knight, who is still on the phone with Talbott, feels the #6 tipple jar and sees the wench rope jerk back. Before Knight can tell Talbott that the train broke loose, Talbott has already sat down the phone and started outside. (Inquiry)

On the trestle:

The loaded trip of cars begins careening back down the trestle toward the mine mouth. (McAteer, Inquiry)

Pat McDonald hears the trip break loose, turns and looks up to see it racing back down the trestle. He begins to sprint towards the derailing switch. (McAteer, Inquiry)

Outside #6:

J.H. Leonard turns around, runs out of the fan house and back toward the derailing switch. (McAteer, Inquiry)

Nick Smith watches the runaway trip speeding toward the #6 mouth from the blacksmith shop. (Inquiry)

The trip makes an “unusual noise”, startling the horse in the blacksmith shop causing the horse to trample Will Jenkins to the ground. (Inquiry)

Alonzo Shroyer is 50-60 feet away from the mine mouth and only notices the trip when it is passing right by him. (Inquiry)

J.H. Leonard makes it back to the derailing switch just in time to watch the last two cars go into the mine. (Inquiry)

In #6 engine house:

The lights in the engine room flicker off and back on. Ed Fry turns off the wench engine. (Inquiry)

At the mouth of #6:

J.H. Leonard thinks someone could get caught on the slope of the mine in the wake of the runaway train. He and Alonzo Shroyer run to the mouth of the mine and look down into the portal. Leonard braces himself for impact. (Inquiry)

Outside #6:

The power goes out in the blacksmith shop. (Inquiry)

Outside #8:

The interurban car, south-bound for Clarksburg, passes by and below the trestle to #8 mine mouth.

On the West side of Monongah, between #6 & #8:

George Bice sees the trolley heading south, passing by #8. He is worried he is too late and has missed the trolley into Fairmont. He turns north, toward #6, to see if it is already on its way to Fairmont. (Inquiry)

Inside #8:

The DePetris brothers are just bending over to pick up and load the coal they just shot down. (Inquiry)

Peter Urban is finishing up his lunch when he hears a noise in the distance and suggests to his brother, Stan, that they should run. Stan hears nothing over the noise of his work, shrugs off his brothers concerns and goes back to digging coal. (McAteer, Inquiry)

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