Littleton, AL Banner Mine Explosion, Apr 1911 - Victims Number 128

EXPLORING MINE FOR DEAD BODIES

Victims in Alabama Disaster Number 128.

Banner Mines Cleared by Trained Corps of Rescuers - - - Gruesome Stream of Bodies Came Steadily From Mine During Sunday.

Banner Ala April 9 – With the precision of clockwork the trained corps of rescuers is tonight bringing a steady stream of bodies from the Banner mine of the Pratt Consolidated Coal company in which yesterday’s disastrous explosion occurred. It is believed tonight that 128 is the exact number of victims

This figure was obtained after making a careful check of all the men who entered the mine yesterday morning. There is no longer any hope of finding men alive underground.
Of this number five were free men. All the others were convicts leased by the state. Of the 128 dead only 14 were white.

Dr J J Rudledge and a party of ten government rescuers were overcome by after damp in the mine early this morning and for a time the lives of three of the party were despaired of It was 2 o clock this afternoon when the rescuers were able to establish working conditions in the mines and at 3 20 o clock the first three bodies were brought to the surface They were all negroes GEO LAWSON JOE BROWN and ARTHUR WELSH

Work of Rescue Pushed Rapidly
Within two hours ten more had been brought up including LEE JONES and O W SPRADLING both white It was also necessary to bring ten dead mules from the mine before the work could proceed satisfactorily From that time on the gruesome stream of bodies came steadily from the mine and State Mine Inspector James Hillhouse expressed the belief tonight that the mine would be cleared by morning. James Oakley, president of the state convict board accompanied the second party into the mine and upon returning had no comment to make He said his report to the governor would follow a thorough investigation in the cause of the explosion.

The general belief tonight is that powder caused the trouble the opinion being expressed that damage was heaviest near the point where the days supply of explosives was kept That the mine was thoroughly damp seems to be borne out by the fact that two victims were apparently drowned when they fell while stunned face downward in a puddle of water in the slope.

When the rescuers asked for assistance this afternoon company officials called for volunteers among the convicts stating that no man need not go if he were afraid Sixteen of the negroes in stripes stepped forward in response to the call and accompanied Inspector Hillhouse and six white men underground

Littleton Ala, April 9 – The first party of ten government rescuers headed by Dr. J J Rutledge who entered the mine at 3 o clock this morning, had a narrow escape from death An accident occurred to the boiler used for the fans and the air was stopped for a few minutes Within a few seconds a faint cry for help was heard from below and men with oxygen helmets hurried down. The entire party was overcome by the after damp, and when they were brought to the surface physicians had to work over them for nearly an hour before they were able to be moved to the rescue car

Members of the first party give a harrowing account of the experiences
We were going along all right until we got to the fourth entry said Dr. H H Hamilton and in a few seconds nearly every man in the party was down I attempted to carry one man over the lift, but failed and fell myself That is the last I remember until the surface was reached

Dr Caraway managed to stagger to the bottom of the shaft and cried to get us out we were dying It was when this cry was heard at the top that the second party headed by Dr Wright, was sent down

Those Overcome by Deadly Damp
Those in the first party who were Dr J J Rutledge U S Dr W S Rountree Dr Caraway J D Weldon, J W Newby A R Brown, U S J W Key U S William Routenlusch U S H H Hamilton George T Gambill and Harry McCrorie Rutledge. Rountree and Gambill were at first thought to be dead All returned to work a few hours later

The cause of the explosion is still a mystery Erskine Ramsey vice president and chief engineer of the Pratt Consolidated Company who is on the scene said this afternoon The cause of the explosion is unknown at present and according to the best information I have it seems that it was in the seventh entry left Here the track is torn up slightly and the men near there are mangled which did not happen in the case of the others

Men Killed by After-Damp
Whether the explosion was caused by powder or damp I am unable to say. However I believe the greater number of the men were killed by the after damp rather than by the explosion itself

While the loss of life at Banner is the most disastrous in the history of Alabama mining the damage to the mine itself is slight Mr Ramsey estimates that $1 200 will cover it fully
The entire state board of convict inspectors is on the scene consisting of James Oakley president Dr W A Burns and Hugh M Wilson They will make a detailed report on the disaster to Governor O Neal Of the 128 men in the mines before the rescue work stated five were free two whites and three negroes 123 were convicts twelve of whom were white and Practically all of them were short-term men sent from Jefferson county None had over two years against him One of the most pathetic incidents was the death of O W Spradling one of the mine foreman Following the explosion he escaped with others and then returned to the mine to render aid He was found sitting today on a rock with his head in his hands He was only a short distance from the open air He lived at Leeds Ala and leaves a wife and one child he had been handling convict men work for the past twenty years

The trips into the mine for the head bodies are being made intermittently and it probably will be Monday afternoon before all are brought to the surface Twenty convicts this afternoon dug a long trench in the convict cemetery for the burial of those convicts whose bodies are not claimed by relatives One hundred coffins were sent to Banner today from Nashville Tenn., and undertakers are preparing the bodies for burial as fast as they are taken from the mine

Dr J N Holmes, chief of the government bureau of mines, is en route to Banner to assist in the investigation of the disaster.

The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta GA 10 Apr 1911