Latimer Co., Oklahoma - 15 Lives Lost When Explosion Occurs in Lutie Five Submitted by: Hope Bronson Hopelina@aol.com ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** Latimer County News December 5, 1930 15 Lives Lost When Explosion Occurs in Lutie Five Two Other Workmen Seriously Burned. Thirty-eight Escape Uninjured: Rescue Work Done in Record Time At twelve-fifteen Saturday afternoon, November 29, an explosion occurred in the ten and one-half east entry of Number Five Lutie, Hailey-Ola property., and as a con- sequence, fifteen lives were lost, thirteen men dying later. The other two injured men were reported as im- proving in the hospital. Lon Swindle and L. B. Boyd were brought out of the mine alive, but death soon followed. The news of the explosion reach- ed Wilburton soon after its occur- rence and the road leading to the scene of the disaster was literally lined with traffic. Members of the families of the dead workmen, rushed to the mouth of the slope to learn of the fate of their loved ones. The scenes were heart-rending, but such experiences were not new in this community, since it was here that ninety-one men lost their lives in a mine disaster five years ago next month when an explosion at Twenty-one occurred. Wilburton and its little suburb mining camp, Lutie, Monday were scenes of sad activity as relatives went about the silent job of burying the dead of the No. 5 Lutie mine dis- aster, which claimed the lives of 15 miners Saturday. At the mine Monday morning, Miller D. Hay, chief mine inspector of Oklahoma, said that the official investigation into the cause of the explosion would be started Tues- day. The investigation was being help up until after the burial of most of the victims. Dan McAlpine, of Haileyville, manager and part owner of the disastrous mine, sent H. G. Phillip- pi, company official, to the mine vicinity to look over the situation and check the number of depend- ends left by the mine victims. Clear, sunshine sunshiny weather has been favorable for the out-of-doors fu- neral services. Saturday afternoon, while the rescuers worked on di- ligently, a steady rain beat into the faces of those anxious mothers, wives and children that stood faith- fully at the mouth of the mine, awaiting news from below. 38 other miners who were work- ing in various other entries of the mine heard the explosion in the auxiliary slope, and rushed up the main slope and emerged uninjured at the top of the mine. Fact that the explosion occurred in the small or panel slope, sending its force upward, was attributed by miners as having saved the lives of the 38 men in other parts of the mine. Thirteen of the lives were lost outright by the explosion and after- damp and two other men, Berl Boyd and Lon Swindle, died later in a Hartshorne hospital, where they were rushed as soon as they were brought to the top of the mine. Two other men, Louie Pate and Louis McMahan, the only two sur- vivors of the 17 workers in the 10 1/2 east entry, are in a Hartshorne hos- pital reported recovering. As soon as the 38 miners emerg- ed uninjured, they organized them- selves into rescue squads and re- turned to the scene of the explosion to remove fellow workers. Little trouble was had in restoring circu- lation to the entry in which the blast occurred, and as the explo- sion had caused no great rock falls, the rescuers were able to go into the entry. The four men who were injured, two of them critically, were brought up first and rused to a Hartshorn hospital. Rapid rescue work was continued and the last of the 13 dead bodies were brought to the surface at 3:30 p.m. just three hours and 15 minutes after the blast occurred. Old time miners marveled at the rapid work, as it was one of the quickest rescue jobs of a similar major disaster, ever known in this mining district. Rescuers said that the explosion had not blown out the stops to other entries in the mine, as the concussion had directed itself up- ward. One miner said that the ex- plosion probably would have been worse had not the mine been heav- ily covered with rock dust, a pre- caution against such accidents. Like most mines in this district, the No. 5 Lutie was a slope digging, its throat slanting north and slight- ly west into the ground. The disaster Saturday, which al- ready has cost the lives of 15 men, followed one month and two days in the footsteps of a similar explo- sion in the Wheatley No. 4 mine on the penitentiary farm, one mile west of McAlester, where 30 miners died. In the Wheatley disaster, rescuers were troubled with an enormous amount of rock fall at various points along the slope, and with large deposits of dangerous after- damp, making resue work hazard- ous; but these disadvantages were not present in the Lutie No. 5. A. L. (Bud) Snow A. L. (Bud) Snow was born in Alabama. His age was forty four years, eleven months and four days. He resided on his farm at Center Point, and leaves a wife and one child. Funeral services were con- ducted at five p. m. Monday by Rev. J. J. Gibson and interment was made at Center Point cemetery. A brother, J. M. Snow of Insley, Ala., was here for the funeral service. J. H. McMahan J. H. McMahan was twenty-nine years, four months and eighteen days old. His wife and four chil- dren survive him. Mrs. McMahan was the daughter of C. S. Hilburn of Red Oak. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. J. J. Gibson at five p. m. Monday and interment made at the Center Point Cemetery. August Mauer August Mauer was a single man fifty-three years of age and lived at the Main Hotel. He was well known at Red Oak and it was there his re- mains were laid to rest. Rev. W. E. McCartney officiated at the service Monday at two-thirty o'clock. G. W. Paden G. W. Paden was thirty-eight years of age and leaves a wife and four children. He had been work- ing at the Lutie Mine only five days. Funeral services were conducted Monday and interment was made at LeFlore. J. W. Wilburn J. W. Wilburn resided in the west part of Wilburton. He was forty- four years of age and leaves a wife and two children. Funeral services were held Monday at two p. m. and interment was made at the Center Point cemetery, Rev. R. W. Lackey officiating. L. B. Boyd L. B. Boyd, age twenty-two years, eleven months and eleven days, lived in the west part of town. He was unmarried and was the son of Jim Boyd. Funeral services were held at three-thirty o'clock Monday, Rev. R. W. Lackey officiating, and interment was made at the Center Point cemetery. Mike Maskasky Mike Maskasky was married and leaves besides his wife, three chil- dren. His age was forty-six years, nine months and twenty-five days. Funeral services were held Monday at two o-clock and interment was made at the City cemetery. The deceased lived in the sourtheast part of town. Tony Busselatto Tony Busselatto, age forty-nine years, three months and three days, leaves a family, of wife and three children. Funeral services were conducted Tuesday at ten a. m. and interment made at the Catholic cemetery. He resided near Lutie. Pete Busselatto The deceased was the son of Tony Busselatto, who also was a victim of the disaster. He was twenty years, three months and fourteen dayws old. Funeral services were conducted at the Catholic church and interment made at the Catholic cemetery Tuesday at ten o'clock. Louis Zoia Louis Zoia was sixty-two years and twenty-five days of age and leaves a wife and five children. Mrs. Mary Guerrinni, of Kinciad, Ill., a daughter, accompanied by her husband, were here for the funeral, which was held at ten o'clock Tues- day at the (Catholic Church?). George Taveggia, also of Kincaid, Ill., a brother of Mrs. Zoia, was here for funeral service Joseph Guerra Joseph Guerra was fifty-one years, seven motnhs and two days of age. He lived in the northwest part of town and leaves a wife and eight children. Two sons, Gabriel and Fred work for C. Carignano. Funeral services were conducted at ten O'clock Wednesday at the Cath- olic chuch and interment was made at the Catholic cemetery. Raymond Sutmiller Raymond Sutmiller had not yet entered manhood, having only been eighteen years, ten months and twenty-five days old. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Sutmiller, residing near Lutie. Funeral services were conducted Sunday and interment made at the Center Point cemetery, Revs. P.P. Parks and Tom Lucas officiating. Roy Everett Pate Roy Everett Pate was twenty years, nine months and twenty-four days old. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Major Pate, living south of Lutie and a brother of Louis Pate, who was taken to the hospital for injuries sustained, having been working in the entry with his brother when the explosion occur- red. Funereal services were held Monday afternoon at two O'clock and interment made at the Lutie cemetery. Rev. Tom Lucas offici- ted. Cal Evans Cal Evans resided near Lutie and leaves a family of wife and four children. He was born May 12, 1892, age thirty-eight years, seven months and seventeen days. Fu- neral services were conducted Mon- day and interment made at the Lutie cemetery. Lon C. Swindell Lon C. Swindell was thirty-eigth years of age and leaves a wife and two children. He was an ex-service man and belonged to the American Legion Post at Hartshorne. He resided between Lutie and Wilburton. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. R. W. Lackey and interment was made at the Degnan cemetery.