{"id":120,"date":"2014-05-16T15:14:38","date_gmt":"2014-05-16T15:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/?p=120"},"modified":"2014-05-25T13:35:17","modified_gmt":"2014-05-25T18:35:17","slug":"fraterville-mine-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/?p=120","title":{"rendered":"Fraterville Mine Disaster -largest in TN history, devastated Fraterville with only 3 adult males residents remaining"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_93743\"  width=\"849\" height=\"637\"  data-origwidth=\"849\" data-origheight=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8jiGFz4GiLU?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;\">The Fraterville Mine disaster on May 19, 1902, was the worst mining disaster in Tennessee history, killing 216 miners. Miners investigating a collapsed wall ignited a pocket of methane gas and caused an explosion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-124\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-1030x706.jpg\" alt=\"KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01\" width=\"849\" height=\"581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-1030x706.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-600x411.jpg 600w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-850x582.jpg 850w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-679x465.jpg 679w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-1358x931.jpg 1358w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-262x179.jpg 262w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-524x359.jpg 524w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-574x393.jpg 574w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01-1148x787.jpg 1148w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_23_1902__01.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 849px) 100vw, 849px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;\">Shortly after the disaster, the bodies of 89 of the 216 miners killed in the explosion were buried in what became known as the Fraterville Miners&#8217; Circle at Leach Cemetery in the nearby town of Coal Creek (modern Lake City). In 2005, this circle was placed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/800px-Fraterville-miners-circle-tn1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-129\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/800px-Fraterville-miners-circle-tn1.jpg\" alt=\"800px-Fraterville-miners-circle-tn1\" width=\"800\" height=\"471\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/800px-Fraterville-miners-circle-tn1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/800px-Fraterville-miners-circle-tn1-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/800px-Fraterville-miners-circle-tn1-600x353.jpg 600w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/800px-Fraterville-miners-circle-tn1-679x399.jpg 679w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/800px-Fraterville-miners-circle-tn1-262x154.jpg 262w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/800px-Fraterville-miners-circle-tn1-524x308.jpg 524w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/800px-Fraterville-miners-circle-tn1-574x337.jpg 574w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\">According to the Tennessee Commissioner of Labor, the Fraterville Mine explosion occurred around 7:20 on the morning of May 19, 1902. The explosion shot black smoke and debris out the mine&#8217;s mouth and ventilation shaft. Rescue efforts were organized by the mine&#8217;s superintendent, George Camp (E.C. Camp&#8217;s son), and a\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0b0080;\" title=\"Wales\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wales\">Welsh<\/a>\u00a0mine operator from nearby\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0b0080;\" title=\"Jellico, Tennessee\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jellico,_Tennessee\">Jellico<\/a>\u00a0named Philip Francis. The initial rescue party penetrated to just 200 feet (61\u00a0m), however, before they were forced to turn back and await the dispersal of toxic gases.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-126\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-1030x714.jpg\" alt=\"KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01\" width=\"849\" height=\"588\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-1030x714.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-600x416.jpg 600w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-850x589.jpg 850w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-679x470.jpg 679w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-1358x941.jpg 1358w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-262x181.jpg 262w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-524x363.jpg 524w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-574x398.jpg 574w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01-1148x796.jpg 1148w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/KnoxJournal_5_22_1902_01.jpg 1586w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 849px) 100vw, 849px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\">\u00a0A second rescue party entered the mine at 4:00 that afternoon, and using a makeshift venting system made of cloth and\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0b0080;\" title=\"Creosote\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Creosote\">creosote<\/a>, they inched their way into the main shaft,\u00a0where they observed the destruction, later reported by the Commissioner:<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"color: #252525;\"><p>Battrices had been destroyed, and along the main entry the force of the explosion was terrific, timbers and cogs placed to hold a squeeze were blown out, mine cars, wheels, and doors were shattered, and bodies were dismembered.<sup id=\"cite_ref-foundation1_2-3\" class=\"reference\"><a style=\"color: #0b0080;\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fraterville_Mine_Disaster#cite_note-foundation1-2\">[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\">Most of the miners were killed by the initial impact of the explosion, although 26 had managed to barricade themselves in a side passage. At least 10 were still alive seven hours after the explosion, but eventually succumbed to toxic air and lack of oxygen. Several miners wrote farewell messages to loved ones shortly before dying, stating they were struggling for air, and encouraging their families to &#8220;live right&#8221; so they would meet again in heaven.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/disaster-letter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-123\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/disaster-letter.jpg\" alt=\"disaster-letter\" width=\"500\" height=\"349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/disaster-letter.jpg 500w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/disaster-letter-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/disaster-letter-262x182.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\">\u00a0The last body was removed from the mine four days after the explosion.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleBodiesTrain.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-130\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleBodiesTrain.jpg\" alt=\"FratervilleBodiesTrain\" width=\"993\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleBodiesTrain.jpg 993w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleBodiesTrain-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleBodiesTrain-600x398.jpg 600w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleBodiesTrain-850x564.jpg 850w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleBodiesTrain-679x451.jpg 679w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleBodiesTrain-262x174.jpg 262w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleBodiesTrain-524x348.jpg 524w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleBodiesTrain-574x381.jpg 574w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 993px) 100vw, 993px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\">The precise cause of the explosion was never determined, or never disclosed. The mine&#8217;s ventilation furnace had been shut down all weekend, which could account for the accumulation of methane, an extremely explosive gas that can build up in poorly ventilated coal mines. When the gas exploded, probably kindled by the open flames of the miners&#8217; lamps, coal dust was blown into the air and subsequently ignited, adding even more force to the explosion.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleWidowsChildren1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-121\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleWidowsChildren1.jpg\" alt=\"FratervilleWidowsChildren1\" width=\"512\" height=\"462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleWidowsChildren1.jpg 512w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleWidowsChildren1-300x270.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/FratervilleWidowsChildren1-262x236.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The mine disaster devastated the small town of Fraterville, leaving both broken homes and a broken community. Only three adult male residents remained in Fraterville after the explosion. Many women lost every male member of their families&#8211;husbands, fathers, brothers, sons.\u00a0The oldest known miner was John REDICK, who was 57 years old. The youngest known miner was Henry WHITTEN, who was 12 years and 27 days old. There was one set of twins &#8211; J. Luke and William Luther LEACH<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\">http:\/\/www.coalcreekaml.com\/<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\">http:\/\/www.seventyyearsinthecoalmines.org\/fraterville.html<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #252525;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Fraterville Mine disaster on May 19, 1902, was the worst mining disaster in Tennessee history, killing 216 miners. Miners investigating a collapsed wall ignited a pocket of methane gas and caused an explosion.\u00a0 Shortly after the disaster, the bodies of 89 of the 216 miners killed in the explosion were buried in what became [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions\/133"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}