Clymer Mine Explosion - 100 Years Ago

On the occasion of our 250^th year as a nation, I reflect on those events that made up the tapestry that is America.  Parades, fireworks, speeches, and flags are all in the mix of these activities.  However, not all celebrations and anniversaries are occasions for joy: some call for somber reflection.  One of these events happened 100 years ago in Clymer.

August 26, 1926, was a warm summer day in Clymer, Pennsylvania.  It was Thursday, but this would be a very different Thursday.  This would be the day of the worst mine disaster in Indiana County history.  At 1 p.m., a violent explosion tore through the Clymer #1 mine of the CBC Coal Company.  The mine was located a mile and a half from Clymer at Sample Run. It was opened in 1904 and remained in production until 1953.  Five or six minutes later, a second gas and  dust explosion resulted in the total destruction of the First North Headings off the Main Entry.  First North was a mile and a half from the pit mouth.   There were 57 men working in the mine.  Forty-four men ranging in age from 17 to 52 were killed.  Nine who were working near the opening were able to escape uninjured, and four were saved by rescue workers after being overcome by lack of oxygen.  Newspapers of the day report this” lack of oxygen as “afterdamp.” They were transported to the hospital in Dixonville and recovered.

Clymer Mine Rescuers

The cause of the explosion was investigated by state, federal and company personnel.  The mine was gassy and no open lights (carbide) were used.  A fireboss was employed and an inspection was made prior to the explosion.  The exact cause of the accumulation of gas was never determined.  The dry and dusty conditions of the mine contributed to the violence of the explosion. Company rescue teams from local mining companies worked for two days to recover the bodies, and the last three miners were recovered on Saturday, August 29, 1926.  Father F.S. Kondria of St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church accompanied the first rescuers to enter the mine. Father Kondria would later officiate at many of the funeral services. Bodies were taken to the Company Machine Shop on Adams Street in Clymer for identification and preparation for release to loved ones.  As in most mine disasters, mothers, wives, sons and daughters gathered at the mine mouth throughout the hours of the rescue operation, hoping for any news of survivors. 

On Monday, August 31^st, funerals were held for many of the victims. They were buried in three separate cemeteries in Sample Run. Stores were closed in Clymer from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. as the town mourned its dead.  Over the years following the disaster, memorial services were held on the anniversary, and the men were not forgotten.   Then on Sunday, August 25, 1991, 65 years after the disaster, a memorial was unveiled in front of the Clymer Borough Building commemorating the disaster.  It is a bronze plaque affixed to a grey rock found in the fields surrounding Clymer. Louis Tate and Edward Puro unveiled the simple marker. Mr. Louis Tate of Clymer was a leader in this effort to commemorate the disaster.

In the years since the explosion, there have been no major mine disasters in Indiana County.  Improved mining methods, mine safety laws, and rigorous inspection requirements have made the job of the miner much safer.