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At 5:23 a.m., November 20, 1968, 78 of 99 miners were killed when an explosion ripped through Consolidation Coals' Farmington No. 9 Mine in Farmington, WV. Rescue operations were able to begin immediately -- Farmington was no stranger to tragedy. Fourteen years prior to this incident, Farmington Mine, which was then called Jamison Coal Co., exploded, killing 16 men. In 1907, the worst mine disaster in history occurred 10 miles away at the Monograph Mine, resulting in 361 fatalities.
Shortly after the initial Farmington Mine explosion, 21 men escaped -- 11 through the slope, two out of Atha's Run Portal and eight lifted up by a bucket from the Mahan shaft. At this time, fire and smoke burst from the Llewellyn Portal, making conditions so hazardous that mine rescue teams could not enter.
On November 25, five days and many explosions later, rescue teams explored parts of the mine; due to life-threatening conditions, however, they returned to the surface with negative conclusions, eliminating any hope that survivors would be found.
By November 29, at least 24 additional explosions and fires had occurred. These conditions, along with dangerous levels of toxic gases, lead to the sealing of the mine.
The Mod's Run shaft was sealed with 26 tons of steel and concrete. Minutes after placement, an explosion blew out this seal. Later attempts to seal the mine shaft were more successful.(1)
While the actual causes of the explosions were never pinpointed, several were suggested, including high methane levels, violations of mine safety regulations or faulty electrical equipment.(2)
Sara Kaznoski, widow of a miner killed in the blast, thought:
It was too much gas that caused it (the explosion), but the company has never admitted it. There was so many strange things that happened about the tragedy. There'd been a fire in the mines earlier in the week (one week after the state mine inspection). The air fan wasn't working, you know. It had broken down. They never said so, but the fan wasn't working and there were very few escapeways in those days. They have to have escapeways now, but there weren't any then . . . and the men were just trapped.
As of this date, her husband's body has not been recovered from the...