By Peter
Kauffman
On
January 28, 1931 a methane gas explosion in a coal mine that went by the name
of Little Betty killed 28 of the 38 workers on site.[1] Other mine explosions of
this caliber typically result in more deaths, but there were fewer workers at
the scene due to workers coming to and leaving shifts. Mine explosions, at the
time, were by no means uncommon, and were hard to prevent. News spread quickly
about the tragedy and local townspeople, of Linton, Indiana, reacted in an
effort to help. The disaster brought the people of Linton and nearby areas
close together to find the best ways to rescue and care for the victims, and to
find ways to prevent similar incidents in the future. This disaster showed how
local, state, and national efforts can come together to provide relief and
rehabilitation.
Linton,
Indiana, then apart of Sullivan County, was named after the politician Colonel
William Linton. The small town was officially named and incorporated in June of
1850.[2] Linton is located just
southeast of Terre Haute and is historically considered a coal mining town. Upon
being established in 1850, coal mines were brought up in, near, and all around
Linton. The blue collared town was made up of hard working people who
intertwined with each other making for a great community. In the fairly early
1900’s Linton’s population was even higher than it is today, which is 5,774 as
of 2010.[3] The people of Linton kept
themselves entertained by establishing multiple types of building ranging from
their many drinking taverns to the large number of churches. Weekly life at the
time consisted of long work schedules, friends and family, and church.
A large
portion of the male population worked in coal mines, one of the well-known local
mines was Little Betty. Little Betty coal mine was a fairly successful business
and never experienced any sort of disaster like the one that took the life of
28 people.
The
disaster could have struck a lot worse if not for the luck of timing. Working
shifts were changing and not near as many people were in the mine as there
normally was. A remarkably low seeming number of only 38 workers were actually
in the mine at the time of the explosion.[4] If the explosion had
happened only 15 minutes earlier or later, approximately 115 crew members would
have been affected. The methane gas triggered explosion immediately collapsed
the mine killing some by impact of the collapsed mine, and others by
asphyxiation. A large majority of the deceased workers were from Linton,
Indiana. Others varied from Pleasantville, Dugger, and Jasonville.
Rescue
workers and teams assembled almost immediately. Off duty workers, local
townspeople and family members, nearby miners all rushed the scene with the
motivation to help. Initially only 11 people were found and it was assumed the
rest were dead.[5]
Early the following morning seven men were found and had survived because they
had blocked themselves off from the deadly gases. Shortly after this the rest
of the bodies were retrieved; there was only 10 total survivors.
The
whole community came together and responded in effort to help. An impromptu
hospital was set up at the mine which consisted of local doctors and two nurses
from the nearby Freeman County Hospital.[6] The community responded in
a huge way with their relief efforts. Volunteers set up their own sort of
ambulances to transport bodies of the injured and dead. Even if people did not
play major roles in relief efforts, they were still apart of the team. More
volunteers took the time to provide sandwiches and coffee for the other
volunteers and injured. It was that some 150 volunteers had contributed during
this disaster. The Chapter Executive Board concluded to set aside $2,000 as a
relief fund. It was also determined to set up a local relief fund for anyone to
contribute to. Indiana’s State Governor, Governor Leslie, visited Linton the
following day and donated $1,000 from his contingent fund. Food, clothing, and
shelter was provided, for the families with family members involved in the
explosion, with this fund. A Red Cross Advisory program was set up, making it
possible to classify the emergency relief and rehabilitation as a unified
program.[7] Relief funds were strong,
but normally would have been much larger if not for the economic depression the
country was setting into. Red Cross had already spent a large amount of its
national budget on helping with drought relief; therefore, the amount of relief
money from them was much shorter than it normally would have been. Dependents
of the workers, as well as surviving workers, received full compensation
allowance. Each family involved would receive $4,950 through 300 weekly
payments of $16.50.[8]
Local,
state, and national relief efforts all came together to give the best care
possible. Local efforts played a large part as it provided the strength in
numbers of volunteers and rescue workers. Without the immediate response of
local people more deaths would have been more likely, and rehabilitation would
have been more delayed. Local hospitals dedicating resources to the scene was
also very important. State efforts came into play with generous donations from
the Indiana Governor and from other state wide policies. Another contributor at
the state level was the Indiana National Guard. The National Guard was
responsible for delivering over 40 cots for the impromptu hospital set up at
the mine.[9] National Guard members
also played a role in rescue work. Many members were involved in going down
into the mines in hopes of finding survivors. And of course on the national
stage, the American Red Cross played a massive role in rehabilitation, funding
so much of what was vital to proper recovery. Rescue work was done in a very
quick and efficient way. The locals at the scene were putting themselves in
very dangerous positions without any reward. Without the bravery of volunteers
putting themselves in a collapsed mine while exposing themselves to deadly
gases the survivors likely would have never made it out. State contributions
from Governor Leslie played a huge role in caring for families and providing
for volunteer workers. The state contributions were vital because they came
quicker than those at the national level. And then obviously reliefs would not
have been near as strong without the help of the American Red Cross on the
national level. Even in a time of economic struggle, funding for rehabilitation
and compensation was brought together from a combination of local and national
power.
Of the
10 survivors one of them, Fred Reed, was listed as dead in the initial reports.[10] Reed’s status was later
changed when he was eventually found and accounted for, alive. Reed’s
significance would be the inaccuracy of many articles released at the time
confirming that 29, rather than 28, were dead.
Linton
was a very small and social town. Maybe not so small to the point that
everybody knew everybody, but the explosion at the mine revealed a lot of
character about the people of the town. People reacted and came together,
people were there for each other, and the community reacted as a whole. The
disaster really shook up the town’s population, but together they were able to
not only provide rescue work, but relief and reconstruction. The townspeople
themselves raised over a thousand dollars for the families of victims. The
tragedy that was the coal mine explosion really showed that the people of
Linton were family, and that they knew how to come together and give their best
efforts.
The
disaster would forever change the way Linton would be shaped. Linton had always
been a coal mining city, and never really knew anything else. The Little Betty
mine was well known and respected; however, it did not last past its collapse. Linton
today is home to a State Park and a railroad museum. Its surrounding areas consist
of well-known colleges and attractions such as Holiday World and the
Indianapolis Zoo. Compared to the rest of Indiana, Linton now is a majority
senior citizen population and also largely female. The town is not known for
its high wealth rates and is about average in terms of racial diversity.[11] Mines were always trying
to make for a safer place to work and regulations had continually been passed,
and in 1969 the first big act had been passed. The Federal Coal Mine Health and
Safety Act making coal mines a much safer environment. In 1973 the Mine
Enforcement and Safety Administration was established.[12] This organization brought
about safer and healthier work environments and also required safety training
and for rescue crews to always be on duty, above and underground.
The
Little Betty coal mine explosion of 1931 was devastating to the Linton
Community. The explosion goes to show just how dangerous coal mines really were
in the old times. This tragedy was not single handedly responsible for any new
acts or laws, but was one of many similar incidents that led to today’s much
safer environments. This particular disaster goes to show how different levels
of groups of people can come together to reach a common goal. Response and
rescue was quick and effective at the scene of the accident, and the amount of
relief with the given circumstances was tremendous. City, state, and national
parties all worked together to find the best ways to care for the victims.
Local people of the city understood the tragedy and from their experience they
were able to contribute to preventing more accidents. The city of Linton and
its people responded as well as anyone could have to the tragedy, and really
came together as a community.
Bibliography
City
Town Info. N.p.: QuinStreet, Inc., 2013.
INDIANA COAL MINE EXPLOSION KILLS 20." The
Washington Post (1923-1954), Jan 29, 1931.
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview
Mike McCormick.
“Historical Perspective: Coal Mine Disaster 80 Years Ago Kills 28.” The Tribune Star, December 4, 2011.
Msha.gov. Accessed March 4, 2014. http://www.msha.gov/disaster/disaster.htm
New York Times (New York, NY). "31 Killed in Blast in Indiana Mine." January 29, 1931, 3. Accessed March 4, 2014. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/news/docview.
Wabash Valley Visions & Voices. Last modified 2007. Accessed March 3, 2014.
http://visions.indstate.edu1.
[1]
Mike McCormick.
“Historical Perspective: Coal Mine Disaster 80 Years Ago Kills 28.” The Tribune Star, December 4, 2011.
[2] City Town Info. N.p.: QuinStreet,
Inc., 2013.
[3] City Town Info. N.p.: QuinStreet,
Inc., 2013.
[4] Wabash Valley Visions & Voices. Last modified 2007. Accessed March 3, 2014.
http://visions.indstate.edu1.
[5] Mike McCormick. “Historical Perspective: Coal
Mine Disaster 80 Years Ago Kills 28.” The
Tribune Star, December 4, 2011.
[6] Wabash Valley Visions & Voices. Last modified 2007. Accessed March 3, 2014.
http://visions.indstate.edu1.
[7] Wabash Valley Visions & Voices. Last modified 2007. Accessed March 3, 2014.
http://visions.indstate.edu1.
[8] New York Times (New York, NY). "31 Killed in Blast in Indiana Mine." January 29, 1931, 3. Accessed March 4, 2014. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/news/docview.
[9] New York Times (New York, NY). "31 Killed in Blast in Indiana Mine." January 29, 1931, 3. Accessed March 4, 2014. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/news/docview.
[10]
INDIANA COAL MINE EXPLOSION KILLS 20." The Washington Post
(1923-1954), Jan 29, 1931.
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview
[11] City Town Info. N.p.: QuinStreet,
Inc., 2013.
[12] Msha.gov. Accessed March 4, 2014. http://www.msha.gov/disaster/disaster.htm
