1925 — June 8, No. 9 Coal Mine Gas Explosion, 2 miles NE of Sturgis, KY              —     17

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 3-22-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

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

–17  U.S. Bureau of Mines. Explosion at the No 9 Mine of the West Kentucky Coal Company…

–17  United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. No. 9 Mine.

Narrative Information

U.S. Bureau of Mines. Explosion at the No 9 Mine of the West Kentucky Coal Company…:

“About 8:45 A.M., June 8, 1925, an explosion occurred in the No. 9 Mine of the West Kentucky Coal Company, resulting in the death of seventeen men. [p. 1.]

 

General Information

 

“The No. 9 Mine of the West Kentucky Coal Company is located on the Illinois Central Railway about two miles northeast of Sturgis, Union County, Kentucky.

 

Story of Explosion

 

“The explosion occurred at about 8:45 A.M., shortly after the day shift had started work and was confined to the undusted portions of the 3rd and 4th left entries off the East slant. There were about 200 men in the min on the day of the explosion; fifty-four of these were working in the East slant section.

 

“There is no question in the minds of those who visited the East slant section following the explosion but that the rock dusting prevented he spread of the explosion, at least through the East slant section and possibly through the entire mine and was the means of saving a great many lives… [p. 19.]

 

“The man working in the face of the 4th Left had finished drilling one shot hole at the face, had taken down his post and was back at the crosscut filing his drills preparatory to drilling a second hole. He had sharpened one drill and had one prong of the second completed when the explosion occurred. The theory advanced by the company officials was that this man had drilled into a gas feeder in the hole he had completed and that his open lamp had ignited an explosive mixture that had accumulated at the head of the entry…. [p. 20] [See below, the writer disagreed.]

 

“Conclusions

 

“(1) The evidence all seems to indicate that the explosion had its origin in Room No. 28 or Room No. 29 off the 3rd Left, and was in all probability, due to the ignition of a body of gas by the open light of the track layer in either of these rooms. The fire boss was supposed to have made all of the rooms off the 3rd the morning of the explosion. However, no marks were observed at the face of any of the long rooms off the 3rd Left to indicate that he had inspected them. It is therefore believed that either the fire boss failed to go beyond the last room cross-cuts or that the gas had accumulated in the fur hours that had elapsed between the time of his inspection and the time of the explosion….” [p. 26.]

 

United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. No. 9 Mine:

“About 8:45 a.m., an explosion occurred in the No. 9 Mine of the West Kentucky Coal Company, resulting in the death of seventeen men. The deceased:[1]

  • W. R. Alexander, 29
  • A. H. Baird, 32
  • L. B. Barnett, 56
  • Clarence Cherry, 34
  • Lonzo Evans, 35
  • Riley Floyd, 37
  • Mathew Johnson, 34
  • Liston Merritt, 18
  • Henry Morgan, 37
  • Henry Patrick, 39
  • Dudley Quinn, 32
  • George Richardson, 49
  • Will Smith, 40
  • Will Thomas, 39
  • Tom Turner, 35
  • W. M. Washington, 21
  • Sam Woolfolk, 35”

Sources

 

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 3-22-2025 at:

https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NIOSH-Mining/MMWC/MineDisasters/Table

 

United States Bureau of Mines. Explosion at the No 9 Mine of the West Kentucky Coal Company, Sturgis, Kentucky. Accessed 3-22-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/1925-06-08-Sturgis.pdf

 

United States Mine Rescue Association. Mine Disasters in the United States. “West Kentucky Coal Company, No. 9 Mine Explosion, Sturgis, Union County, Kentucky, June 8, 1925, No. Killed – 17.” Accessed 3-22-2025 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/sturgis_1925.HTM

 

 

 

[1] Cites: Kentucky Mine Accident Index.