Salt Lake Telegram | 1923-02-25 | Page 31 | Frozen Water Pipe Blamed in Dawson Blast

i WATER rl I PIPE BlAMED IN INI I 1 DAWSON DASON BlAST Absence of Water fo for r Sprinkling Had Allowed Allowe d Dust to Fill Entries Ar Arc C Light Causes Explosion n SANTA SATA FE N. N M. M Feb 24 The Th The e pipeline of ot the sprinkling system In f n 1 1 the N No 1 mine at Dawson had bee been t ni i frozen for tor five days prior to th the te e explosion of oC February 8 8 which killed d t 1120 men according to a report made mad e f ito to tb Governor Hinkle today by W W. WV V. W RIsdon state mine Inspector The The mine Is owned by the Phelps Phelps- V corporation On February 14 the coroners coroner's ju Jury I y t which Investigated the explosion found that the bodies of ot Albert English Jr mine foreman Coreman and Others found others found In the mine cameto came cameto to their deaths by reason of ot a dust explosion In mine No 1 of oC the Dodge corporation at Dawson Daw- Daw son son NL N M. M that said explosion was caused by derailment of an out- out V o coming trip which knocked down timbers to which the trolley feed wire WAS was attached raising a quantity of dust which was ignited by by byan an anI I electric arc resulting from the feed teed j wire coming In contact with one of the Iron point cars Responsibility I V f w was was s not fixed b by the Jury MINE DECLARED DUSTY V In n his report RIsdon asserted that V for the five days' days period no water rater i had been sprinkled led on the roads roada to toay lay Jay the dust and that this condition f enabled the explosion to spread throughout the mine l RIsdon alleges there Is no reason 4 to to doubt that the blast was a dust explosion 1 have been told told said the Inspector Inspector In- In l by men In In charge of oC the mine that on Saturday February 3 1 five days before the explosion someone someone some some- one closed a valve In the pipeline thus sh shutting off oce the sprays and stopping the flow of water through 2 the pipes The extreme could weather ff froze the water in the pipeline and therefore the mine had not had any water on the roads for Cor five days A. A L V r preceding the explosion i I i ARC CAUSES BLAST f He claims th the accumulation of oC dust 1 furnished sufficient fuel to propagate propagate propagate gate the explosion through the mine wh when n a a. a charged feed wire dropped onan on onan onan an Iron car or rail following derail derall derailment ment of ot cars In the main entry Theair The Theair Theair air at this point Risdon said was filled with explosive dust Representatives Puryear r and Howard Howard Howard How How- ard announced In the house of ot representatives representatives representatives of ot the New Mexico legislature legislature legislature legisla legisla- ture today they would Introduce a resolution proposing joint Investigation tion of ot the causes causes of oV the explosion which cost the lives s of ot miners on February 8