Item Detail
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32571
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0
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1
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English
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Hetacomb at Castle Gate, Utah, March 8, 1924
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Utah Historical Quarterly
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Winter 2002
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70
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1
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Salt Lake City, UT
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Utah State Historical Society
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63-74
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"Two explosions rocked the silence on Saturday morning, March 8, 1924, in the coal-mining town of Castle Gate, Utah. The entire work force of 171 men 'were victims of two violent explosions that shot through the mine turning the main tunnels into gigantic cannon barrels.' Frantic townspeople, hearing and feeling the reverberations, hurried to the portal of the Number 2 mine. Soon, rescuers rushed to the site from other Carbon County towns to embark on a difficult task. In the rescue process, one other man succumbed to the deadly gas, bringing the total dead to 172. Grieving widows, children left without fathers, and distraught family, friends, and neighbors remained to attend funerals or accompany bodies to other locations. Graves dug in the cemetery at Castle Gate peppered the landscape, and wooden coffins were stacked in readiness near makeshift morgues. The entire site played as a gruesome reminder of the dangers of coal mining and the frailty of human life. This photographic essay, comprised of images from the collection of Bill and Albert Fossat of Helper, Utah, focuses specifically on the aftermath of the explosion. The rarely seen photos, many first published in the Salt Lake Tribune, help to chronicle scenes of individuals gathered in hopeful-fearful anticipation, the mine entry and recovery process, funeral preparations, and burial procedures. The images speak for themselves. Captions assist in providing context and interpretation. Excerpts from the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune provide contemporary accounts of the disaster." [Author]
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http://utahhistory.sdlhost.com/#/item/000000031001160/view