January 29, 1926

On this day in 1926, dozens of miners died in an explosion within the Mossboro Mine near Helena. A total of 63 workers were in the mine at the time of the blast, with 25 able to escape. Some of the survivors speculated that a pocket of gas had accumulated near the end of a cut wall, and was sparked. The mine was operated by Premier Coal, which was leasing the property from the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railway Company. This explosion was one of dozens that produced fatalities in the decades in and around the turn of the century.

Read more at GenDisasters.

Helena historical marker, 2017. (Bmbufalo, Wikipedia)

Helena historical marker, 2017. (Bmbufalo, Wikipedia)

Tipple at the Bessie Mine, Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Co., 1910. (Lewis Wickes Hine, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Old town Helena, 2008. (Civilengtiger, Wikipedia)

Buck Creek Dam in Helena, 2008. (Civilengtiger, Wikipedia)

First aid room in the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. Edgewater’s coal mine, 1920. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.