Wyoming Modern Mine Disasters 1920-2020

Date: 1920
Location: Wyoming, United States
Surnames/tags: Mining_Disasters Disasters Wyoming

Disasters | Mining Disasters | United States Mining Disasters | Wyoming, Mining Disasters | Wyoming Modern Mine Disasters 1920-2020

Contact: Wyoming, Mining Disasters

Contents 1 Mining Disasters in Wyoming 1.1 Afton, Lincoln County 1.1.1 Blind Bull Mine 1938 1.2 Kemmerer, Lincoln County 1.2.1 Sublet Mine No. 6 1920

Mining Disasters in Wyoming

These are mines that may be too new to develop yet in order to respect the privacy of living family members.

Afton, Lincoln County

Blind Bull Mine 1938

• Date: 11 Feb 1938
• Location: Afton, Wyoming
• Victims: # deaths, # injuries
• Cause:

Kemmerer, Lincoln County

Sublet Mine No. 6 1920

• Date: 26 Jul 1920
• Location: Kemmerer, Wyoming
• Victims: # deaths, # injuries
• Cause: Explosion

Kemmerer will be a city of mourning tomorrow when the funerals of eight victims of the mine magazine explosion are held. The latest tragedy of the local coal mines collected 100 per cent toll, as every man who was at the powder magazine at the Sublet mine when the mysterious explosion occurred, now lies at one of Kemmerer's two mortuaries, a burned and blackened corpse, hardly recognizable as a human being.

One man was killed instantly, three died before 10 o'clock last night, after being brought to the hospital in this city, and the remaining four passed away during the early hours of this morning.

The miners' union, which will have charge of the funerals, plans to assemble the eight caskets in the pavilion, the town's largest auditorium, and to have part of the last sad rites in the nature of a joint ceremonial. All of the victims of the explosion will be buried here or at near-by camps.

It is definitely known that the men were at the magazine to get their supply of black powder, of which they are allowed only eight pounds for each shift.

Wisniewski, the powder man, who was instantly killed, was at the door issuing the explosive and the men were in line facing him, as is shown by the fact that all were burned the worst in the face. Some of the men were on their way to join the night shift at the mine and others were on the way home and stopped for the powder for the next shift, which it is customary to take home overnight.

The theory is advanced by miner’s familiar with the procedure at the Sublet magazine that a metal keg of powder was opened with an iron instrument and that in passing through the metal a spark was generated which caused the explosion. ^[1]

Wyoming State Tribune, Cheyenne, Wyoming – 2 Aug 1920