I found it interesting about the Speculation Mine Disaster in 1917. In my dad's book Orphan Boy by R. J. Milne, Jr. he mentioned about working at the North Butte Mining Company in 1921. He said, before my arrival in North Butte, there was a fire that was one of the great mine disasters of the era; between three and four hundred were killed by smoke. Some say many could have been saved, if the authorities had let the fire burn timbers in the shafts. Instead, they poured water down, putting the timber fire out and driving smoke farther below, suffocating the miners.
I found it interesting about the Speculation Mine Disaster in 1917. In my dad's book Orphan Boy by R. J. Milne, Jr. he mentioned about working at the North Butte Mining Company in 1921. He said, before my arrival in North Butte, there was a fire that was one of the great mine disasters of the era; between three and four hundred were killed by smoke. Some say many could have been saved, if the authorities had let the fire burn timbers in the shafts. Instead, they poured water down, putting the timber fire out and driving smoke farther below, suffocating the miners.
ReplyDeleteRuss, you may enjoy last night's talk by MHS archivist Rich Aarstad, "There is Power in a Union," now on YouTube:
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/wwa0FCOpx5A