Item Detail
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30544
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7
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0
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English
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Tragedy at Scofield
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Utah Historical Quarterly
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Spring 1973
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41
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2
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Salt Lake City, UT
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Utah State Historical Society
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182-194
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On May 1, 1900, 200 men lost their lives in what was to that time the most disastrous mine explosion in terms of men killed in the history of the United States. The explosion at the Winter Quarters mine— located a mile west of Scofield in Utah's Carbon County—affected the course of labor not only in Utah but also in other parts of the country. The aftermath of tragedy brought intense human suffering to the families and friends of the dead. The emotional shock for those who lost husbands, sons and brothers was as great as the financial problems created by the loss of the family breadwinner. In a time when industrial insurance was unheard of, victims were left to the mercy of private relief, but the manner in which Utahns rallied to the support of the dead miners' families was generous and noble. More clouded was the controversy of the explosion's cause and who should bear the guilt and the intolerance exhibited by some toward the Finnish miners. This article attempts to place the events of May 1900 in historical perspective, looking at the human drama and weighing its implications in the future of the labor movement.
Forty days before the explosion at Scofield miners were forewarned of possible disaster. At the nearby Castle Gate mine, on March 22, a terrific blast caused extensive damage. Fortunately the mine was empty at the time of the explosion. It was company policy at Castle Gate to evacuate the mine before the shots were triggered by electricity. Such safeguards were not practiced at the Winter Quarters mine.