http://www.usmra.com/saxsewell/farmington.htmConsol No.9 Mine
Mountaineer Coal Company
Division of Consolidation Coal Company
Farmington, Marion County, West Virginia
November 20, 1968 - 78 Killed
Book: No. 9: The 1968 Farmington Mine Disaster by Bonnie E. Stewart
See also Excerpts from Jane DeMarchi's book "National Mining Disasters"
At approximately 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 20, 1968, an explosion occurred in the Consol No.9 Mine, Mountaineer Coal Company, Division of Consolidation Coal Company, Farmington, Marion County, West Virginia. There were 99 miners in the mine when the explosion occurred, 78 of whom died as a result of the explosion. The other 21 miners survived the explosion and escaped to the surface; seven miners working in A Face Section, four miners working near the slope bottom, and two miners working near the Athas Shaft (areas not affected by the explosion) escaped unassisted to the surface. Eight miners working near the newly constructed Mahan Shaft when the explosion occurred were rescued via the shaft by a mobile crane equipped with a steel cable and a bucket large enough to accommodate three miners. All of the eight miners were on the surface by 10:40 a.m. of the same day.
The forces of the explosion extended throughout the west side of the mine inby Plum Run overcast which included nine active working sections. Generally, the ventilating controls, such as stoppings, overcasts, and regulators inby the Plum Run overcast, were damaged or completely destroyed. The Nos. 3 and 4 fans (Mods Run and Llewellyn) ventilating the west side of the mine, the hoisting equipment in and above the Llewellyn Shaft, and part of the combination lamp house, bathhouse, and supply house located near the Llewellyn Shaft on the surface were also destroyed.
Mine fires along with several additional major and minor underground explosions interfered with and eventually prevented rescue and recovery efforts. The mine was sealed at its surface openings on November 30, 1968. In September 1969, the mine was reopened and operations to recover the remains of the 78 miners were begun and continued until April 1978. Damage to the mine in the explosion area was extensive, requiring loading of rock falls, replacement of ventilation and transportation facilities, and in some cases new mine entries to bypass extensively caved areas. Investigative activities were continued, in cooperation with the Company, State, and United Mine Workers of America (UMW A) organizations, as mine areas were recovered. Between 1969 and 1978, the bodies of 59 victims were recovered and brought to the surface.
Recovery operations ceased and all entrances to the mine were permanently sealed in November 1978, leaving 19 victims buried in the mine and leaving some areas of the mine unexplored. The recovery and investigation lasted 10 years during which time organizational changes occurred in the four organizations involved in the recovery. Continuity of knowledge was therefore difficult, especially when considering the scope of the recovery. Lessons learned during early evaluation of this disaster were incorporated into the Federal Coal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969 (p.l. 91-173). However, the investigation was not completed and the actual cause of the explosion could not be determined. Specific recommendations have therefore not been made in this report.
Despite the fact that the investigation could not be completed due to the extent of the damage to the mine, MSHA received a number of requests for a report on the accident. A report was issued to accommodate those requests, and to make information available which may be of help in preventing future mining accidents. Records taken from Federal inspection reports showed that the total mine methane liberation in a 24-hour period was 6,671,000 cubic feet in April 1967, 6,147,000 cubic feet in April 1968, and 7,918,000 cubic feet in August 1968.
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