April 8, 1911: The Banner Mine Disaster kills 128 people in a coal mine explosion near Littleton, Alabama.
The exact cause of the early-morning blast is unknown. It is likely that an accidental spark ignited gas in the air, which directly killed 7 men and knocked out a ventilation fan. Without the fan, levels of "blackdamp" rose in the mine. Another 121 miners suffocated. About 40 other workers were able to dig their way through rubble and escape.
The Banner Mine was run by Pratt Consolidated Coal Company, then owned by Tennessee Coal & Iron. Seventy-two of the casualties were black convicts leased from the State and from Jefferson County.
The explosion brought enough attention to horrific mine conditions for new Governor Emmet O'Neal to push a mine safety bill through the legislature.
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April 8, 1911 was a Saturday. Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. Professional basketball barely existed. The Ottawa Senators had wrapped up the Stanley Cup on March 16, beating the Port Arthur Bearcats.
In English soccer, while this was not yet a North London Derby, the team then known as Woolwich Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur, 2-0 at the Manor Ground in Plumstead, South-East London.
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