Wyoming Town Honors Scores Of Miners Lost 100 Years Ago
Aug. 14, 1923, a local mine tragedy took 99 lives in Kemmerer Wyoming.
It was known as the Frontier 1 mine disaster.
On Tuesday, 14 August 1923, 136 men reported to work in the Frontier Number One mine.
That number was actually low. Ordinarily, 250 miners would have reported for work, but about 125 men took a holiday.
A terrible explosion took place at around 8:30 am.
The townspeople saw dense smoke coming out of the large mine fans.
Only thirty-six came out alive. Ninety-nine miners perished.
According to the investigation:
The explosion was caused by gas in No. 7 room 30 entry, same being ignited by fire boss when relighting his safety lamp, all victims of the explosion thereby meeting their death.
This accident was the second-worst mining disaster in the state of Wyoming.
There will be a ceremony at the Kemmerer cemetery on Monday, Aug. 14, at 10 am.
Folks can visit the graves of those who died in the mine catastrophe.
83 miners are buried in the Kemmerer cemetery.
Those graves will have flowers placed on them.
Years earlier another horrible disaster had occurred in Hanna, Wyoming.
Back on March 28, 1908, the Hanna Mine #1 exploded, trapping 18 miners. This was not their first disaster in that small town.
As the state mine inspector and 40 rescuers entered the mine, a second explosion killed 59 inside.
Recovery teams eventually removed 27 bodies, but another 32 were left in the mountain.
With the 1903 blast leaving 169 men dead in the mine, 201 men are still buried there today.
The 1908 double explosions left 31 widows and 103 orphaned children.
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