Hastings mine explosion
The Hastings mine explosion was a fire at the Victor-American Fuel Company coal mine in Hastings, Las Animas County, Colorado, on April 27, 1917, in which 121 people died.[1] A small monument marks the location, on County Road 44, about 1.5 km west of the Ludlow Monument, which commemorates those who died in a massacre during the Colorado Coalfield War. In June 1912, twelve miners were killed in an explosion at the same mine.[2]
Cause
A coroner's jury found that Hastings mine inspector David Reese caused the explosion when, deep in the mine, he opened his oil-burning, key-lock safety lamp (which generated light by burning the oil on a wick) to attempt to re-light it. Reese's body was found with matches in his pants pocket, a violation of mine-safety laws.[3][4]
References
- ^ Clare Vernon McKanna (1997). Homicide, Race, and Justice in the American West, 1880-1920. University of Arizona Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-8165-1708-4.
- ^ "Mine Explosion". The Examiner (DAILY ed.). Launceston, Tasmania. 21 June 1912. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Clements, Eric L. (Spring 2017). "The one-chance men: The Hastings mine disaster of 1917" (PDF). Colorado heritage. History Colorado. pp. 16–27. ISSN 0272-9377. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- ^ Paul, Jesse (April 27, 2017). "A 1917 coal mine explosion in southern Colorado killed 121, but it's just a faint memory in the state's history". The Denver Post. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
External links
- Photograph of the Hastings mine explosion monument
- Press account from Coal News
- Hastings Mine Explosion monument
37°20′0″N 104°36′0″W / 37.33333°N 104.60000°W / 37.33333; -104.60000
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- Dawson, New Mexico, 1913 (263 killed)
- Cherry, Illinois, 1909 (259 killed)
- Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania, 1907 (239 killed)
- Fraterville, Tennessee, 1902 (216 killed)
- Scofield, Utah, 1900 (200 killed)
- Mather, Pennsylvania, 1928 (195 killed)
- Eccles, West Virginia, 1914 (180+ killed)
- Cheswick, Pennsylvania, 1904 (179 killed)
- Castle Gate, Utah, 1924 (171 killed)
- Hanna, Wyoming, 1903 (169 killed); 1908 (59 killed)
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- Saunders, West Virginia, 1972 (125 killed)
- Dawson, New Mexico, 1923 (123 killed)
- Hastings, Colorado, 1917 (121 killed)
- West Frankfort, Illinois, 1951 (119 killed)
- Benwood, West Virginia, 1924 (119 killed)
- Layland Mine disaster, Layland, West Virginia, 1915 (115 killed)
- Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 1902 (112 killed)
- Hueytown, Alabama, 1905 (112 killed)
- Pocahontas, Virginia, 1884 (112 killed)
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- Everettville, West Virginia, 1927 (109 killed)
- Mammoth Mine disaster, Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, 1891 (109 killed)
- Krebs Mine disaster, Krebs, Oklahoma, 1892 (100 killed)