The Castle Gate mine disaster occurred on March 8, 1924, in a
coal mine
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
near the town of
Castle Gate, Utah
Castle Gate is a ghost town in the western United States, located in Carbon County in eastern Utah. A mining town approximately southeast of Salt Lake City, its name was derived from a rock formation near the mouth of Price Canyon. This for ...
(now dismantled), located approximately 90 miles (140 km) southeast of
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. All of the 171 men working in the mine were killed in the series of three violent explosions. One worker, the leader of the rescue crew, died from
carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...
inhalation while attempting to reach the victims shortly after the explosion.
Explosions
The explosions were determined to have been caused by a failure to properly dampen
coal dust Coal dust is a fine powdered form of which is created by the crushing, grinding, or pulverizing of coal. Because of the brittle nature of coal, coal dust can be created during mining, transportation, or by mechanically handling coal. It is a form o ...
in the mine during the previous shift. The first blast occurred between 8:00 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. in a chamber approximately from the entrance to the
Utah Fuel Company's Castle Gate Mine #2. A
fire boss in this chamber was investigating gas near the roof of the mine when his
carbide lamp
Carbide lamps, or acetylene gas lamps, are simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene (C2H2) which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O).
Acetylene gas lamps were used to illuminate buildings, as lighthouse b ...
went out. The miner attempted to relight his lamp with a match that ignited the
gas
Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma).
A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
and coal dust, setting off a gigantic explosion.
The force of the explosion was powerful enough to launch a mining car, telephone poles, and other equipment across the canyon, a distance of nearly a mile from the entrance to the mine.
The steel gates of the mine were ripped from their concrete foundations. Inside the mine, rails were twisted, roof supports were destroyed,
afterdamp
Afterdamp is the toxic mixture of gases left in a mine following an explosion caused by methane-rich firedamp, which itself can initiate a much larger explosion of coal dust. The term is etymologically and practically related to other terms for un ...
and coal dust filled the air, and the lamps of the surviving miners were blown out. As these men attempted to relight their lamps, a second explosion was sparked, killing the remainder of the workers in the mine. A third explosion occurred approximately 20 minutes later, causing a destructive cave-in.
Aftermath
Recovery of the bodies took nine days. Identification of the victims was only possible, in some cases, by recognizing familiar articles of clothing. The remains of one miner were exhumed from the small cemetery near the mine entrance in order to rebury his body with his head, which was found some distance from the mine entrance subsequent to the hasty funeral service he had initially received.
The nationalities of the men killed in the explosion reflect the labor force of mining industry in the United States in the early 20th century: of the 171 fatalities, 50 were native-born Greeks, 25 were Italians, 32 English or Scots, 12 Welsh, four Japanese, and three Austrians (or South Slavs). The youngest victim was 15 years old and the oldest was 73.
Two weeks prior to the explosion, the Utah Fuel Company had laid off many of the unmarried miners and miners without dependents during a period of reduced orders for coal.
As a result, 114 of the men who were killed in the disaster were married men, leaving behind 415 widows and fatherless children. The death benefits from the Utah State Workmen's Compensation Fund, established in 1917, provided $5,000 per dependent, paid out in $16 per week for six years. However, the Castle Gate Relief Fund, which had solicited funds from each county in Utah, continued to disburse benefits to some dependents as late as 1936.
Conclusion
With this explosion,
Carbon County, Utah
Carbon County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 21,403. Its county seat and largest city is Price.
The Price, UT Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Carbon County.
Histor ...
had suffered both the worst and the third-worst mining disasters in the history of the mining industry in the United States to that point. The Castle Gate mine disaster currently ranks as the 10th worst mining disaster in United States history
and the second worst mining disaster in the history of the state of Utah, following the
Scofield Mine disaster
The Scofield Mine disaster was a mining explosion that occurred at the Winter Quarters coal mine on May 1, 1900. The mine was located at near the town of Scofield, Utah. In terms of life lost, it was the worst mining accident at that point in Am ...
of 1900, which killed 200 miners.
Notes
References
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External links
Castle Gate Relief Fund Committee ExhibitPrepared by th
Utah History Research CenterHopes for Miners Fading. Head of Rescue Crew Killed by Gas in TunnelReport of disaster in ''Ogden Standard Examiner'' published on day of disaster.
Dead Brought from Mine. Rescue Workers Give up All Hope of Finding Any Survivors at Castle GatePublished in ''Ogden Standard Examiner'' March 10, 1924
Death Claims the Castle Gate MinersCommentary published in ''Ogden Standard Examiner'' March 10, 1924
One Family is Wiped OutBrief account, published in ''Ogden Standard Examiner'' March 10, 1924, of one miner who was killed in the Castle Gate explosion whose two older brothers were killed in the Winter Quarters explosion of 1900.
Dead Are Being Given up at Castlegate as Rescuers WorkReport of recovery efforts published in the ''Southern Utonian'' March 20, 1924
Last Body Has Been Recovered from Castle Gate DisasterArticle in ''Vernal Express'' describes the recovery of the last two bodies and how the town is adapting 10 days after the disaster.
"Will You Help These Fatherless Children?"Published plea in the ''Box Elder'' April 15, 1924, asking readers for financial assistance for the Castle Gate mine dependents.
"Lest We Forget"Published in the ''News Advocate'' (
Price, Utah
Price is a city in the U.S. state of Utah and the county seat of Carbon County, Utah, Carbon County. The city is home to Utah State University Eastern, as well as the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum. Price is located within short distances of both ...
) on the one-year anniversary of the Castle Gate mine disaster
"Fourth Anniversary of Mine Disaster"Published in the ''News Advocate'' March 8, 1928
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle Gate Mine Disaster
Carbon County, Utah
Coal mining disasters in Utah
1924 in Utah
1924 mining disasters
1924 disasters in the United States
March 1924 events