By Phillip
Gamble
“The discovery of coal during the 19th century
brought prosperity to the Wabash Valley, particularly Greene, Sullivan,
Vermillion, Clay and Vigo counties.”[1] The city of Linton, like
many surrounding towns, was built to strive on the success of coal mines. These
mines provided many jobs and resources that the city used in order to become a
profitable community. Both before and after the explosion, Linton continued to
rely on the profits of the coal mines although they changed some of the ways to
mine in order for it to become a safer profession. Coal mining has been a way
of life in Linton, IN and it does not appear to be changing anytime soon. On
the morning of January 28, 1931, the residents of the small town of Linton, IN
awoke to what they thought would be just another normal day. Little did they
know that the greatest disaster in the city’s history was about to occur. At
2:57, the Little Betty Mine was in the midst of a shift change when an
explosion devastated the mine and the tiny town of Linton. The explosion that
was later reported as caused by gas killed twenty-eight of the thirty-eight
miners.
The city of Linton and other communities surrounding the
area have supplied jobs and resources through coal mines starting in 1859 when
the first mine was built. Not only did the resources provided by the mine
provide things needed for everyday living, they also allowed the city and
surrounding areas’ population to increase dramatically. “With just over 3,000
people in 1900, the city of Linton quadrupled in population within 10 years.”[2] Due to the large expansion
of the population, Linton was home to sixteen coal mines within a three mile
radius. With the large amounts of mines in the city, Linton was able to employ
“2,500 men and yield 20,000 tons of coal a day.”[3] The first mines built in
1859 were mainly used to process iron ore, and coal which the key to
manufacturing and transportation. Eventually the increase in mines and
employees boasted a religious diversity in the town by building “35 houses of
worship, and at least that many saloons,” which is larger than the city is
today.[4] Many of the people who
came to the town in order to find work in the mines were immigrants from
England and Scotland who were experienced miners, which made it easy for them
to find work. When the first immigrants came to the area to find work, “miners
were making 75 cents a day and glad to get it.”[5] For the little amount of
pay that the workers received, the working conditions were very dangerous. It
was not uncommon for the mines to experience breakdowns regularly, which would
cause the workers to lose one or two days of work. One of the biggest dangers
of the job was described by Fred Allen, who was interviewed by Jo Chipiro about
the history of Linton’s coal mines. Allen described the early days of mining saying
that, “buggies filled with coal were pulled by mules or horses. If animals were
not available, the laborious task fell to workers.”[6] Allen also stated that
miners wore hats with an open flame attached, and it was not uncommon for the
flame to ignite causing an explosion, like the one at the Little Betty Coal
Mine.
Quitting time on the typical day for a miner was 3
o’clock, which was a time when they could look forward to “a good hot shower,
the trip home and then the peace and quiet with wife, children or mother”,
however, those looking forward to that time of day we deterred when the blast
occurred just a few minutes before 3 o’clock.[7] As noted by several
people, “a terrific blast was felt through the passageways and entries of the
mine.”[8] Rescue workers were
immediately called in, but the conditions in which the blast left the
surrounding area made it very difficult for rescue work to be done.
Once the blast occurred, there were not many rescue teams
readily available, so most of the rescue efforts were done by fellow miners and
Pete Donie, who was the mine superintendent. As mentioned in an article by
Linda Horton, “Miners arriving at the shaft formed investigating crews to move
in the directions of the blast and see what damage to life and poverty had been
done.”[9] As for many who arrived at
the shaft, it took only minutes for them to recognize the seriousness of the
disaster. Although calls for medical aid and things such as safety lamps and
rescue equipment occurred shortly after the blast, it was difficult for
anything to be done due to the poisonous gases surrounding the area. In order
for the rescue workers and miners to enter the deadly mine, entries had to be
“bratticed off” and curtains were used to clear the air.[10] Once all of the available
equipment had arrived the workers were able to work their way further into the
mine to search for the men.
With the help of the miners and volunteers and people of
the community who donated things such as flashlights who showed up to work on
rescuing the men showed slight promise when the first bodies were removed at 5
o’clock. Seven men were pulled from the mine and rushed to the hospital, where
one of the miners would die three hours later. After those men were pulled out
it was announced that “no other bodies could be reached for two or three
hours.”[11] At this point in time
wives, mothers, and other members of the community began to surround the mining
area “expecting the worst, but praying for the best.”[12] As the rescue efforts
continues the bad air that remained in the mine began to take its toll on the
rescue teams who were in need of medical attention themselves. “First aid
equipment were pressed into service to give necessary relief and through their
efforts not a single fatality resulted in the rescuers who so willingly risked
their lives.”[13]
It was not until 11 o’clock that the rescuers were able to get to the other
miners, only this time they were overcome by devastation. Many of the bodies
that were pulled from the mine at that time were “burned beyond recognition
while others were unrecognizable because of the coal dust from the explosion.”[14] Up until 6:30 Thursday
morning it seemed unlikely that any other miners would be able to be pulled out
of the mine alive until “rescue workers reached a group of seven men who had
bratticed themselves off from the gas and damps and had created a chamber of
pure air unaffected by the poisonous gas.”[15] The men were trapped
inside the mine for sixteen hours and were able to walk without assistance
after being rescued. The rescue team that found the men said that the good air
in the room was almost completely used up and they could not have survived for
more than two more hours.
With the death of the twenty-eight miners for the Little
Betty explosion and the death of 20 miners in the Sullivan’s Baker Mine, which
occurred in 1937, it was apparent that a change needed to be made in order for
mining jobs to become safer for employees. The Red Cross set up a relief fund
that raised about $4,000 in order to help recover from the disaster and Indiana
Governor Henry Guyer Leslie visited Linton and gave the city $1,000 from his
contingent fund for emergency relief, but it was evident that much more drastic
changes needed to be made to the community and to the ways mining was executed.
The first changes that took place were the improvement of working conditions.
Such changes included: replacing the open flame lights with battery lights, and
machine loaders were used to dig for coal more efficiently. Mines were also
equipped with “wash houses where men could take showers and store dirty, coal
encrusted clothes until they were taken home for laundering.”[16] However, there remained
many small mines with hazardous and dangerous working conditions, which led to
the switch to strip mining around the 1950s.
Strip mining or “surface mining” is a category of mining
in which the soil and rock that covers the mineral deposit is removed before
digging. This appeared to be much safer than the underground mining that would
leave the overlying rock in its place and the minerals were pulled out through
the tunnels or shafts. Strip mining without a doubt did offer a safer
alternative to mining, but it also came with a cost. As explained by Fred
Allen, “equipment for strip mining was very expensive with a time period of
eight or nine months to build one stripping machine.”[17] Being that the process
was very expensive and took a long time to complete the transformation, some
mines continued to do the underground form of mining, but made an effort to make
the work environment safer.
The risk that is apparent in continuing to underground
mining speaks volumes to the structure of the community and how big of a role
mining plays into it. Linton has been reliant on the mining industry for many
years in order to survive and become a thriving community, and it does not
appear that is going to change in the future. Not only has the process of
underground mining continued in Linton today, it is making a comeback. Speaking
of the revival of deep mining, Fred Allen says, “In order to reap deeper coal,
deep mines are now making a revival. The mine industry will be no stranger to
Greene County and surrounding areas for years to come.”[18]
The Little Betty Coal mine explosion in Linton, 1931
changed the way that the people of the town view mining, without a doubt, but
it did not change the fact that mining was and still is an important and
profitable industry for the community to thrive. “There is still a lot of
reserve coal in Greene County, enough to last another 200 hundred years.”[19] Although the structure of
the city has changed in the years since the disaster, mining will always be at
its core. The occurrence of the explosion at the Little Betty Mine allowed the
town to recognize the dangers and problems within the mining community, and
offered a starting point for the beginning of a new and safer way to mine for
the present and for years to come. Physically, the death of the miners will
never be forgotten, but the incident has allowed the people involved in the mining
business to search for safer ways to complete the job in order to ensure the
employees safety. Socially, the incident brought the community together and
allowed for the people to help out their neighbors, friends, and family. As far
as politically, it caused the leaders of the town to reflect on how the mining
business is run and to evaluate what changes were necessary for the business to
be safe, yet remain profitable for years to come.
Bibliography
Chiparo, Jo. “Local man gives
history of Linton’s mines,” Greene County
Daily Word, January 7, 2013
Horton, Linda. “Linton, IN Coal
Mine Explosion Disaster, Jan 1931- Little Betty Disaster,” August 16, 2012.
Ksander, Yael. “The Golden Age
of Coal in Greene County,” November 9, 2009.
McCormick, Mike. “Historical
Perspective: Coal mine disaster 80 years ago kills 28,” The Tribune-Star,
December 4, 2011.
[1] Mike
McCormick, “Historical Perspective: Coal mine disaster 80 years ago kills 28,” The Tribune-Star, December 4, 2011.
[2] Yael
Ksander, “The Golden Age of Coal in Greene County,” November 9, 2009.
[3] Yael
Ksander, “The Golden Age of Coal in Greene County,” November 9, 2009.
[4] Yael
Ksander, “The Golden Age of Coal in Greene County,” November 9, 2009.
[5] Jo
Chiparo, “Local man gives history of Linton’s coal mines,” Greene County Daily Word, January 7, 2013.
[6] Jo
Chiparo, “Local man gives history of Linton’s coal mines,” Greene County Daily Word, January 7, 2013.
[7] Linda
Horton, “Linton, IN Coal Mine Explosion Disaster, Jan 1931- Little Betty
Disaster,” August 16, 2012.
[8] Linda
Horton, “Linton, IN Coal Mine Explosion Disaster, Jan 1931- Little Betty
Disaster,” August 16, 2012.
[9] Linda
Horton, “Linton, IN Coal Mine Explosion Disaster, Jan 1931- Little Betty
Disaster,” August 16, 2012.
[10] Linda
Horton, “Linton, IN Coal Mine Explosion Disaster, Jan 1931- Little Betty
Disaster,” August 16, 2012.
[11] Linda
Horton, “Linton, IN Coal Mine Explosion Disaster, Jan 1931- Little Betty
Disaster,” August 16, 2012.
[12] Linda
Horton, “Linton, IN Coal Mine Explosion Disaster, Jan 1931- Little Betty
Disaster,” August 16, 2012.
[13] Linda
Horton, “Linton, IN Coal Mine Explosion Disaster, Jan 1931- Little Betty
Disaster,” August 16, 2012.
[14] Linda
Horton, “Linton, IN Coal Mine Explosion Disaster, Jan 1931- Little Betty
Disaster,” August 16, 2012.
[15] Linda
Horton, “Linton, IN Coal Mine Explosion Disaster, Jan 1931- Little Betty
Disaster,” August 16, 2012.
[16] Jo
Chiparo, “Local man gives history of Linton’s coal mines,” Greene County Daily Word, January 7, 2013.
[17] Jo
Chiparo, “Local man gives history of Linton’s coal mines,” Greene County Daily Word, January 7, 2013.
[18] Jo
Chiparo, “Local man gives history of Linton’s coal mines,” Greene County Daily Word, January 7, 2013.
[19] Jo
Chiparo, “Local man gives history of Linton’s coal mines,” Greene County Daily Word, January 7, 2013.
