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A little after 7 a.m. on April 28, 1924, miners at Benwood in Marshall County were preparing their work areas for their daily shift. One miner approached a roof fall, thinking incorrectly that it’d been examined by the fire boss.
His open light ignited firedamp, which is an explosive mixture of methane and air. An explosion ripped through the mine, which was dry and dusty with poor ventilation and sprinkling practices. The explosion spread quickly, and slate and debris blocked portions of the main entry.
The rescue effort was slow, difficult, and dangerous. It began shortly after the initial explosion, but rescuers had little luck due to the risk of additional explosions and roof falls. 119 miners died in the Benwood mine, which was owned by Wheeling Steel Corporation. There were no survivors. Many of the victims were recent European immigrants, particularly Italians and Poles.
Benwood ranks as the third worst coal mine disaster in West Virginia history. Ironically, it occurred 10 years to the day after the state’s second worst disaster. Exactly a decade earlier, an explosion at Eccles in Raleigh County had killed 183.
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On Oct. 23, Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor, Eric Whitacre, will release a new album for choir, cello, piano and live electronics called Eternity in an Hour via Decca Records. Listen to the entire interview between Whitacre and Matt Jackfert.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsThe nonprofit newsroom ProPublica has been reporting on the use of public money to fund private education. Earlier this month, ProPublica published a series of stories about how they, along with Mountain State Spotlight, opened a school in West Virginia. Reporter Jennifer Smith Richards spoke with Chris Schulz about the experience and what it says about modern education.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsA U.S. Energy official visited the West Virginia University campus Tuesday, to promote an effort to increase the number of graduates with expertise in mining, minerals and associated supply chain technologies.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsOn this week's premiere broadcast of Mountain Stage, host Kathy Mattea welcomes The Jayhawks, Tift Merritt, Tanasi, and Candi Jenkins to the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV.
Continue Reading Take Me to More News
