Rock Springs, WY Mine Explosion Injures Many, Sep 1907

FORTY MINERS INJURED.

SERIOUS EXPLOSION IN COLLIERY AT ROCK SPRINGS, WYO.

Rock Springs, Wyo., Sept. 14. -- Forty men were injured, twenty seriously, by an explosion at the mouth of the third entry to mine No. 10, owned by the Union Pacific Coal company. While a number of the injured are very badly burned it is not expected that any of them will die. The explosion was caused by lamps of miners setting fire to coal dust that had been stirred up by runaway coal cars in their flight down a grade after jumping the track. The slope at the point of the explosion was greatly damaged, great timbers being shattered and heavy bulkheads blown out. A number of the injured men were taken to the state hospital and the remainder to their homes. At the time of the explosion there were several hundred men in the mine and it was reported at first that twenty were dead. Only those at the mouth of the third entry were hurt.

The Dakota Huronite South Dakota 1907-09-26

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FORTY WYOMING MINERS INJURED

Dust Explosion Caused by Runaway Cars at Rock Springs

Rock Springs, Wyo. --- Forty men were injured twenty of them seriously by an explosion of coal dust in mine No. 10 of the Union Pacific Coal company Thursday afternoon. The explosion was caused by a string of five runaway cars which dashed down the slope on the rails for 200 feet jumped the track and continued several hundred feet farther on the floor of the slope raising a dense cloud of coal dust. At the mouth of entry No. 3 forty miners were waiting to be hauled to the surface. Their lamps ignited the dust cloud and a terrific explosion occurred. Every man was burned and battered and a score were seriously hurt. The mine timbers at the point were destroyed and a number of heavy doors were blown out. The damage is not sufficient to cripple the mine.

Eureka Reporter 1907-09-20
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!