Post by Eric Standridge on Oct 20, 2011 8:43:32 GMT -6
This is a rough draft of the description of the explosion at the Witteville coalmine found in Chapter 5. The chapter begins with a narrative of how court came to Poteau. It also covers sections on new oil discoveries, the introduction of telephones, electricity, and municipal water to the city, and concludes with Oklahoma's statehood. As this is a rough draft, it still requires editing before it can be marked as complete.
Explosion at the Witteville Coal Mine
Coal mining in the early 1900’s was always a dangerous occupation. Across the country, thousands lost their lives due to human error or machinery malfunctions. At the Witteville coalmines, accidents were common, but none exuded the horror of the 1906 explosion.
The day began as any other typical day in January at the coalmines. A thin sheet of ice covered everything, and the miners could see the heavy mist of their breath as it rose in the air. Dismal faces looked stoically forward as they loaded themselves into the pit cars for the descent into the yawning mine.
As they moved deeper into the pit, it soon became apparent that the air pumps were not working correctly. Still, nobody said a word; for most, they simply needed the money. Their families were waiting at home, many of them barely surviving off the meager income the miners brought home. Blackdamp, the mixture of air after the oxygen is removed, began to accumulate heavily throughout the day. The pit lights on the miner’s caps burned dimly as breathing became difficult, but the men worked steadily on, seemingly oblivious to the disaster that would soon come.
The nervous men tried whistling or singing while they worked, but nothing seemed to diminish the ominous feeling that surrounded them.
On January 24, at 1:45 in the afternoon, mine No. 6 exploded, sending an array of splintered wood, jagged rocks, and limp bodies through the air. The explosion was set off by the massive amounts of carbon dioxide and methane gas in the air. Of those who were in the mine, none survived.
Just moments after the initial explosion occurred, a secondary aftershock rocked the other mines. Those miners in No. 3 were saved purely by luck, as the old No. 3, now abandoned, absorbed most of the shock and blocked the inferno from entering, but those in No. 4 weren’t as lucky. Fire and rock set off by the aftershock engulfed the miners, instantly killing everyone inside...
Explosion at the Witteville Coal Mine
Coal mining in the early 1900’s was always a dangerous occupation. Across the country, thousands lost their lives due to human error or machinery malfunctions. At the Witteville coalmines, accidents were common, but none exuded the horror of the 1906 explosion.
The day began as any other typical day in January at the coalmines. A thin sheet of ice covered everything, and the miners could see the heavy mist of their breath as it rose in the air. Dismal faces looked stoically forward as they loaded themselves into the pit cars for the descent into the yawning mine.
As they moved deeper into the pit, it soon became apparent that the air pumps were not working correctly. Still, nobody said a word; for most, they simply needed the money. Their families were waiting at home, many of them barely surviving off the meager income the miners brought home. Blackdamp, the mixture of air after the oxygen is removed, began to accumulate heavily throughout the day. The pit lights on the miner’s caps burned dimly as breathing became difficult, but the men worked steadily on, seemingly oblivious to the disaster that would soon come.
The nervous men tried whistling or singing while they worked, but nothing seemed to diminish the ominous feeling that surrounded them.
On January 24, at 1:45 in the afternoon, mine No. 6 exploded, sending an array of splintered wood, jagged rocks, and limp bodies through the air. The explosion was set off by the massive amounts of carbon dioxide and methane gas in the air. Of those who were in the mine, none survived.
Just moments after the initial explosion occurred, a secondary aftershock rocked the other mines. Those miners in No. 3 were saved purely by luck, as the old No. 3, now abandoned, absorbed most of the shock and blocked the inferno from entering, but those in No. 4 weren’t as lucky. Fire and rock set off by the aftershock engulfed the miners, instantly killing everyone inside...