1902 — July 15, Daly-West lead/silver mine explosion and asphyxiation, Park City, UT– 34

–34  Greenberg, Michael I.  Disasters: Terrorist, Natural and Man-Made. 2006, p. 17.[1]

–34  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC. All Mining Disasters.

–34  Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Thirty-Four Are Dead, 7-18-1902, p. 1.

–34  UPI (Ralph Wakley). “Disasters in mining-rich Utah.” 12-21-1984.

 

Narrative Information

 

NIOSH: “07/15/1902…Park-Utah…Park City…UT…34 [deaths]…Lead, Zinc, Copper, Silver [mine]…Powder fumes [type of loss].”

 

UPI/1984: “….In the worst reported non-coal mining accident, 34 Park City silver miners were killed July 15, 1902, at the Daly-West Mine when dynamite caps triggered an explosion in an underground powder magazine….” (UPI (Ralph Wakley). “Disasters in mining-rich Utah.” 12-21-1984.)

 

Newspaper

 

July 16: “Park City, July 16.–A fatal disaster occurred in the Daly-West mine at 1 o’clock this morning when two powder magazines exploded on the 1200-foot level. There were two powder magazines at the 1200 level of the Daly-West, one at each side of the shaft, with a capacity of one or two cars of powder each. A car of powder was added to the supply within the past few days. The dense fumes of the giant powder filled the underground workings of both the Daly-West and Ontario mines, asphyxiating many miners.

 

“Salt Lake City, Utah, July 16….A telephone message from Park City, at 10 o’clock, says that thirty-three bodies have been removed from the two mines. The following is a list of the dead:

[See listing of deaths at the end, wherein the names are rearranged alphabetically, and all the names are together, as opposed to split between the two connected mines. All information is from Ogden Standard unless otherwise noted.]

 

“John McLaughlin, one of the rescuers who went down the second time to help, died on being brought to the surface. He was asphyxiated.

 

“Eight miners escaped through the Anchor tunnel, unhurt.

 

“The fumes from the explosion were overpowering, and caused most of the deaths. Officials of the Daly-West state that only three more bodies are in the mine. Miners, however, claim that there are still twelve or fifteen unaccounted for.

 

“Park City, July 16.–James Smith, a member of the rescuing party who went down this morning, died shortly after noon. Jack Balton, a Silver King miner, who also went down with the rescuers, is unconscious and expected to die.

 

“The condition of the gas in the mine is such that the rescue work has been abandoned until tomorrow….

 

“Experienced miners say that John Burgy, the ‘powder monkey,’ was a green man and had no business handling explosives. The morning a rescue party found a foot, presumably that of Burgy.

 

“Twenty-five bodies are laid out at the undertaking place of Gardner & Barton. Of the number only two are in any wise mutilated, showing that the majority of the men met their death from the inhalation of gas and not from shock….” (The Standard, Ogden, UT. “Terrible Disaster in Park City Mines.” 7-16-1902, p. 1.)

 

July 16: “Park City, Utah, July 16.–This community is bowed down under the weight of a great calamity. In the middle of the night, when least expected, a blow fell that shocked the nation and carried grief and consternation into every home in Park City.

 

“By the explosion of a mass of giant powder in a magazine near the shaft on the 1200-foot level of the Daly West mine at 11:15 Tuesday night [15th], thirty-nine brave men were hurled into eternity or smothered in the poisonous gas that filled the tunnels in the Daly West and Ontario, where the miners were at work….

 

“No sadder incident of the whole sad day was there than the death of John McLaughlin. He was but a boy, but with so brave a spirit that he made five trips down into the deadly poison of the mine to rescue his fellowmen. On the last trip he fell near the foot of the shaft, overcome with the gas, and there died.

 

“From the best information obtainable thirty-three men died in the Daly West and six in the Ontario, and of these all but seven have been taken out. At the time of the explosion thirty-three men were at work on the 1400-foot level of the Daly West, and of these eight escaped through the Anchor shaft. It is not known how many were at work on the other levels, and for that reason it is not certain how many have perished. But two men, the powder man and a carman, are known to have been at work on the 1200-foot level, where the explosion occurred….

 

“Park City, Utah, July 16.–At 11:20 o’clock last night Park City was visited by the greatest disaster in the history of the camp….

 

“A few minutes after 11 o’clock John Burgie, a powder man in the Daly West mine, left the 900-foot level to go to the 1200-foot level for a supply of powder. A few minutes thereafter a terrific explosion occurred, the effects of which reached throughout the lower levels of both the Daly West and the Ontario mines. As a result thirty-nine of the miners then working in these mines lost their lives and many others are more or less seriously injured.

 

“It was about 2 o’clock before the alarm was given in town and in a few minutes the canyons leading to the above named mines were filled with citizens hastening to the scene of the disaster….

 

“Three rescuers, John McLaughlin,[2] John Ekstrom and Richard Dillon, lost their lives in the attempt to rescue others….” (Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “39 Men Die in Park City Mine.” 7-17-1902, p. 1.)

 

July 17: “Park City, Utah, July 17.–The last victims of the Daly West explosion were taken out of the mine this morning, making the number of dead thirty-four. This morning at 9:30 a.m. a party under Foreman Nimmo were sent down into the mine and four bodies recovered and brought to the top….

 

“At the Ontario everything is now clear. Foreman Connelly this morning made a thorough trip through the mine and approached the scene of the explosion from the Ontario side. Mr. Connelly stated this afternoon that the theory that the powder had only burned was a false one, for hundreds of feet of timbers are torn out of place, cars overturned, pipes twisted into knots, the track blown away and tons upon tons of earth caved down around things….

 

“Attorney Callis examined about thirty witnesses and the facts brought out by the evidence, especially that of the shift bosses and foreman of the mine, while in a measure meager as regards the immediate cause, all seem to go to prove that the condition of affairs was unsafe as there were tons of powder stored underground….

 

“The Coroner’s jury on the explosion case returned a verdict which no one here expected after the evidence in the case, holding the company entirely blameless for the explosion….”
(Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Thirty-Four Are Dead, 7-18-1902, p. 1.)

 

Alphabetical Listing of Fatalities Noted in Press[3]

 

  1. Baratti [or Barratto, or Beratto],[4] Ontario.           SLT, July 17.
  2. Burgy [or Burgie], John. Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17. Explosion vic.[5]
  3. Conlon, Mike, single. Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17.
  4. Crowley, Mike, single. Daly-West.
  5. Cullen [or Collen], Chris. Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17.
  6. Dillon, Richard, single. Daily-West. (rescuer) SLT, July 17.
  7. Ekstrom [or Extrum], John, sing. Daily-West. (rescuer) SLT, July 17.
  8. Featherstone, John, married. Daly-West.
  9. Gablin [or Davlin], John, single. Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17.
  10. Gablin [or Davlin], Harry, single Daly-West. SLT, July 17.
  11. Garvin, George. Mule driver.[6] “…killed probably by the concussion.”
  12. Gill, John, single. Daly-West.
  13. Haran, Peter, single. Daly-West.
  14. Jackman, Ray, married. Daly-West. [SLT, July 18 has an obituary note.]
  15. Kelly, Thomas A., married. Daly-West.
  16. Kindall, J. B., married. Daly-West.
  17. Lane [or Lance], William. Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17.
  18. Lively, John, single. Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17.
  19. Maduskia, Wade.                       SLT, July 17.
  20. McLinden, Charles. Daly-West.
  21. Maloney, John, single. Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17.
  22. McAuliffe, John, 24, single.[7] Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17 and 18,
  23. McGurvin, John. Daly-West.
  24. McKeon [or McKeon], Thomas. Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17.
  25. McLaughlin, John. Daly-West. (rescuer)   SLT, July 17.
  26. McLinder, Chris, single. Daly-West.
  27. Murnin [or Murvin], James. Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17.
  28. Neime, Charles, married.                       SLT, July 17.
  29. Nelson, C. E. Daly-West.
  30. O’Neil, Pat, single. Daly-West.
  31. Richardson, George, 18, single. Daly-West. (rescuer)   SLT, July 17. [Confirmed]
  32. Saderrup [or Saderup], Chris.[8]                        SLT, July 17.
  33. Sims [or Simmons or Simms], William. Daly-West. SLT, July 17.
  34. Swevell [or Sweifel], William                       SLT, July 17. Concussion.[9]
  35. Thomas, W. F.
  36. Tindall [or Tindell], J. B., married. Daly-West.
  37. Wigland [or Weggeland], W. A. Daly-West.                  SLT, July 17. Explosion.[10]

 

Sources

 

Greenberg, Michael I.  Disasters: Terrorist, Natural and Man-Made. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2006.

 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Safety and Health Research.  Mining Disasters (Incidents with 5 or more Fatalities). NIOSH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2-26-2013 update. Accessed at: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/content/allminingdisasters.html

 

Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “39 Men Die in Park City Mine.” 7-17-1902, p. 1. Accessed 10-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune-jul-17-1902-p-1/

 

Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Thirty-Four Are Dead, 7-18-1902, p. 1. Accessed 10-30-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune-jul-18-1902-p-1/

 

The Standard, Ogden, UT. “Park City Has a Day of Funerals.” 7-18-1902, p. 2. Accessed 10-30-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ogden-standard-jul-18-1902-p-2/

 

The Standard, Ogden, UT. “Terrible Disaster in Park City Mines.” 7-16-1902, p. 1. Accessed 10-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ogden-standard-jul-16-1902-p-1/

 

United Press International (Ralph Wakley). “Disasters in mining-rich Utah.” 12-21-1984. Accessed 10-29-2017 at: https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/12/21/Disasters-in-mining-rich-Utah/8609472453200/

 

[1] Writes “Fumes from lead, zinc, copper, and silver resulted in 34 deaths at the Park-Utah mine.” All the deaths were the result of a very large blasting powder explosion, with 2-3 deaths attributed directly to the explosion, and the others, indirectly to the large amount of gases and powder smoke released in the explosion.

[2] Noted that “Although not a miner he was one of the first to volunteer his services…”

[3] Apparently not entirely correct in that later accounts note 34 deaths and this list contains 37 names.

[4] “The remains of Stephane Beratto were taken to O’Donnells’ undertaking room…” (Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Thirty-Four Are Dead, 7-18-1902, p. 1.)

[5] Except for a foot, body not recovered. (Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Thirty-Four Are Dead, 7-18-1902, p. 1.)

[6] Buried at Park City, July 17. (The Standard, Ogden, UT. “Park City Has a Day of Funerals.” 7-18-1902, p. 2.)

[7] “The remains of John McAuliffe are at Evans’s undertaking rooms and will be shipped to Fargo, N.D., for burial. McAuliffe has a brother in Salt Lake…” (Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Thirty-Four Are Dead, 7-18-1902, p. 1.)

[8] Died “shortly after being brought up on top.” (Salt Lake Tribune, 7-17-1902, p. 1.)

[9] He and Garvin were mule team drivers ‘in the tunnel at the time and were killed probably by the concussion.” (Salt Lake Tribune, 7-17-1902, p. 1.)

[10] “With the exception of ‘Powder Monkey’ Burgie, probably the nearest man to the powder magazine at the time of the explosion was William A. Weggeland. It is thought that when the explosion occurred Mr. Weggeland must have been at the opening of the Daly West shaft…for his body was found but a short distance from there… his neck was broken…and his face and legs were considerably bruised.” (SLT. “Thirty-Four Are Dead,” 7-18-1902, 1.)