Two rooms had passed through a roll and had been stopped. The roof was bad and needed timbering to maintain ventilation going to live workings in the adjoining entry. A contractor and his son attempted to put up a crib in one of the rooms and ignited gas by their open lights about 11:30 a.m.
The explosion spread over that section of the mine but without much force. Dust was ignited, as the sprinkling of haulage entries had little effect. The 19 dead men and 13 injured men were removed without use of apparatus. Three of the injured died later.
An explosion of the same type in 1913 in this mine, then called the India, killed 2 men and burned 6 others.
Source:
Historical Summary of Mine Disasters in the United States - Volume I
