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THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 61
MINE EXPLOSIONS FROM NATURAL GAS WELL*
By C, H Tarleton, Superintendent of Mining. West Virginia Division. The Consolidation Coal Company.
Iii the last few years there has been considerable
interest manifested on Ihe part of mining
men generally relative to the drilling of oil and
gas wells through workable coal seams, as well
as operating mines. There have been able papers
written on the subject pointing out many possible
dangers to mining, and the reading and discussing
of these papers have been the cause of a general
awakening on the part of the mining public
throughout the state. It is, therefore, not necessary
for the writer of this paper to go further
into the matter of iiossible dangers, neither is it
the intention to go into the question of what
should be done for the protection of mines and
coal seams or oil and gas wells. A brief description
of two explosions that were caused by gas
escaping from a well into mines will be given,
with a view to showing that the danger from the
conflict of the two industries can no longer be
regarded as a probability merely affording a good
subject for papers and discussion, but that it has
taken its place as an actual reality, foremost
among the many other hazards of coal mining.
On December 19. 1910, the officials of The Consolidation
Coal Co. were called upon to face a
disaster resulting from the above cause, and. as
is usually the case, the trouble came from an unexpected
source. About 6:50 A. M., an explosion
occurred in Consolidation No. 47 mine, which
caused the death of three men, and completely
WRECKED ONE SECTION
of the mine. On the same date, about 4:50 A.
M., Consolidation No. 49 mine was badly wrecked
and set on fire by an explosion, but fortunately
no lives were lost. Eventually both explosions
were found to have been caused by natural gas
escaping into the mines through the pavement or
bottom, from a gas well located over and drilled
through a pillar of coal in mine No. 47.
Mine No. 47 is located about eight miles south
of Fairmont. The opening to mine No. 49 is
about four miles by railroad from No. 47, but tinworkings
are adjacent to each other. Both mines
are drift openings and are operating the Pittsburgh
seam. Mine No. 47 was opened in 1899,
and previous to December 19, 1910, there had
never been a trace of explosive gas detected in it.
Mine No. 49 commenced operation in 1897, and
with the exception of some slight traces in clayveins
in the farthest advanced workings, no explosive
gas had ever been detected in it. In the
last year or two, numerous oil and gas wells have
been drilled through or near the mine workings.
'Paper read before the meeting of the West Virginia Mining
Institute. White Sulphur Springs. June 24. 1911.
These wells were always located so they would
pass through solid coal and where it would be
possible to leave a block of coal of yvhat would
he considered of ample dimensions to protect the
mine and the well. It was generally thought that
there would be no particular danger from these
wells until the time arrived for extracting the
coal around them. For this reason no one was
expecting the occurrence on the morning of December
19.
On the date mentioned, the miners at mine No.
47 started to their work as usual. Some of them
had already reached their places, while others
were on the main heading, when an explosion occurred
that threw them down and rolled them
quite a distance along the heading, but aside from
being slightly bruised and badly scared, those
on the main heading were uninjured, and were
able to make their
WAV TO THE OUTSIDE.
The fan was running as a blower, hut was immediately
reversed and a rescue party organized and
started in the mine. It was soon discovered
that tbe explosion had occurred on the first south
face, and had not extended beyond this immediate
section. The men beyond this section were able
to leave the mine through an opening on No. 3
south face and through an opening to mine No.
30, thus avoiding the afterdamp.
While the necessary arrangements were being
made to restore the ventilation on first south
face, a census was taken and all men accounted
for, except, five. By this time the rescue partywas
able to advance and explore the first south
face. A body was found at the neck of No. 2
loom, second butt, and two more at the junction
of tlie third butt. All were badly burned and a
statement of one of the doctors who made a post
mortem examination of one of them was to the
effect that death was caused b.v inhalation of flame.
After the exploration of the second and third butts
and the discovery of the three bodies, it was
thought that the other two were on first butt.
This heading was longer than the others and the
men were supposed to be a considerable distance
from the bottom; it seemed a certainty that they
would be dead. For this reason and from the
fact that there had been considerable gas and
some smouldering fire on the other headings, it
was not thought advisable to act hastily in restoring
the ventilation on this heading. The company's
Dreager Oxygen Apparatus had been sent
for. and was expected any minute. Wtih its arrival,
it was the intention to explore the heading
before any air was permitted to enter. While