The McCurtain Mine Tragedy - Leflore County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Lynford Sharp 14 Oct 2007 Return to Leflore County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/leflore/leflore.htm ===================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ===================================================================== The McCurtain Mine Tragedy (This article appeared in the Spiro News March 16, 1961, nearing the 50th anniversary of the coal mine explosion that claimed 73 lives in McCurtain. The article appeared under the heading of "The Coal Miners," a series of columns written over the years by Ben Sharp for several LeFlore County newspapers including The Poteau News, LeFlore County Sun and The Spiro Graphic. My father was a coal miner for something like 40 years, living in Milton and Bokoshe. He died in 1990. He wrote the column. I have resurrected it, with some revisions, from an old and yellowing clipping in an attempt to save it and pass it on to others. There probably are errors in spelling of names. -Lynford Sharp.) By Ben Sharp --------------------------------------------------------------------- Chant-McCurtain, Okla. Mar. 20th, 1912. It is early in the morn­ing. The miners have gone to the mine, their wives are getting the children up to go to school. It looks like it will be a beautiful day. Before the men entered the mine they probably talked about fishing over the weekend in Owl creek or Mule creek. Back in town it is now 8 a.m. 'I'he stores are being opened. Per­haps Bill Craig looked up at the sky and thought it would be a beautiful day as he opened the store of Moody & Craig. How wrong he was. Dan Hopkins swe­eping out the store looked out to the northwest and wondered if this weather could last. Little did he know of the grief and anguish, pain and woes, that the people of McCurtain would suffer in the next several days. At the Haskell County trading store, Charley Self and Walter Savage probably were discussing bus­iness. Walter was the undertaker. What Savage couldn't know was that the worst catastrophe in Haskell County was about to happen, in which 73 coal miners were killed. Even Fort Smith wouldn't have enough caskets to bury the dead. At 9 a.m. Charley Edwards had just opened the bank when word came that something had happened at No. 2 mine. Ten men had come out of the mine. They said smoke got so dense where they were working in the 8th, south that they had to come out. They said they had heard no report nor felt an explos­ion. (Others said they did feel and hear a blast.) A team of miners entered the mine and found the stoppings blown out at the 9th, south. It was then a call for help went out to surround­ing towns. Helpers came from near and far. Those who had loved ones in there rushed to the mine. The slope mouth had to be roped off to keep them back. There was a drill hole out on the prairie with a pipe that went into the mine. Mrs. Petty tells of the women that would run up to the pipe and jerk each other back and shout down in the pipe. But, all was quiet down in the mine. By evening, rescue teams of miners were advancing slowly in the mine. They were building stoppings with canvas to carry air with them and all of this took time. Night came but the rescue effort went on. Not much hope was left for the men in the mine but their friends and loved ones stayed on, still hoping. Now reader, we will go in the mine ahead of the rescue team and see what is happening down below. At the 13th, south there was a compressed air pump in a cross-cut. The rescue team worked furiously in an attempt to force air down to any miners that might still be alive. They broke the pump line at an elbow and closed a sliding door in a wood stopping. They erected a canvas curtain to send as much air as possible down the shaft. Then the miracle of miracles happened. The advancing rescue team has discovered that 14 men are alive behind a barricade but it will take time to tunnel through and reach them. At 11 a.m. the next day the air pressure was down. Some of the men in the barricade were unconscious. Would the rescue crew get there in time? At 12 a.m. the rescue team came to a curtain on the slope. They hurriedly tore it down. This let fresh air reach the men in the barricade and they began to revive. It was five more hours before the rescue team reached the miners. At 5 p.m., more than 20 hours after the explosion, the rescue team began bringing them out. One of the men being rescued died. Rescued miners were John Izett, James Miller, Joe Miller, Willard Jenkins, John Koskoski, John Connoar, Frank Scott, John Tanner, Claud Gragg, Shy Gussio, John Koskoski Jr., V. Harrrison, Pete Parenti, Tom Farrimond. Space will not permit me to tell of the heroism displayed in that tragedy by the barricade leaders and the rescue team. rescue. the lead­ers in the barricade displayed. To me they were all heroes. The rest of the men in the mine never had a chance. They were probably killed in an instant. Most of the bodies were burnt so badly that they were unrecognizable. They were brought to the top wrapped in canvas, and placed in the engine room and other build­ings. Most of them were buried in the miners' cemetery. Here is a list of the dead and, where known, their ages and number of dependents: Nelson Barton, 17, single; Tom Burnskill, 30, wife, 2 children; Paul Bessa, 40, single; Ed Campbell, 27, single; F. W. Echols, 28, mother; John Golwas Sr., 54, wife, 3 children; Ralph Kenney, 15, single; Steve Luckenish, 31, wife, 4 children; Anton Madic, wife, 2 children; Rutledge Pool, 17, single; W. G. Oper, 24, single; Ollie Parenti, 47, wife, 8 children; D. W. Rutledge, 33, wife, 1 child; Walter Thomas, 32, wife, 3 children; George Grego, 38, unknown; William Steel, 22, single; W. A. Thomas, wife; Abe Skinner, 47, wife, 5 children; Joe Weberger, wife, 3 children; Charles Sabio, wife; R. D. Wimberly, 27, wife; F. W. Woodward, 37, wife, 3 children; Frank Martin, 36, single; B. McGuire, single; Bejamin Nelson, 41, single; Alex Oasis, unknown; W. C. Perry, 28, wife, 3 children; James Phillips, wife, 1 child; Sam Phillips, 35, wife, 5 children; Hal Phillips, 37, single; John Perko, 41, wife 4 children; Joe Romanio, wife, 4 children; Enoch Katchunis, 41, wife, 4 children; Joe Marosco, 33, wife, 4 children; Tom Kokot, 54, wife; Ed MiGuinnes, wife, 1 child; Peter Mattis, wife, 5 children; William Farramond, 38, mine foreman, wife, 4 children; John Golwas Jr., 17, single; Jack Gradis, 42, wife, 4 children; Crad Gough, 21, wife, 1 child; Joe Gussio, 23, wife; Tony Lavana, 28, wife; Fred Heinz, 51, wife, 3 children; Joe Comiski, 41, wife, 7 children; Oliver Smelser, 17, single. John Gough, 26, wife, 1 child; T. J. Izett, 33, single; Earnest Hankins, single; Sam Hicks, 17, single; Frank Aldman, unknown, wife; Tony Bench, 36, single; Frank Crooks, 40, fire boss, wife, 5 children; A. J. Cook, 50, unknown; Enrico Carbelio, unknown, single; Charles Cawardin, 39, wife, 2 children; John Gotto, unknown, wife; John Day, 29, wife; Grill Emberton, 31, wife; Cleveland Fields, 27, wife, 1 child; John Daniels (or maybe Daness), 46, wife; Daniel Compton, 22, unknown; Arthur Buckannan, 53, wife, 3 children; Omar Thomas, 18, single; N. Bardisoni, unknown; Albert Bonner, 35, wife, 2 children; William Cross, 29, wife, 1 child; Oscar Adams, 44, wife, 4 children; Arthur Andrews, 21, wife; George Bell, 38, wife, 6 children; Willis Andrews, 40, wife, 4 children; W. G. Birdsong, 36, wife, 1 child. The Rev. Emil Ghyssaert of Ponca City said that in his 50 years of priesthood, it was the most desolate sight he had ever seen. Forty members of his mission were killed. In one home, he said mass over five bodies for which there were no caskets. He recalled the cemetery on a hill. (The story, when it was written, says, "Next year, will be the 50th anniversary of this tragedy and we plan a mass meeting at the cemetery on the hill and we hope to bring the Rev. Ghyssaert back.") Thanks to all the old timers who helped gather information for this column, including Edward Madic and Charley Comiskey, employees of Lone Star Steel Co. Mr. Madic lost his father in Mine No. 2