June 8, 1917: The Speculator Mine Disaster

June 8, 1917: The Speculator Mine Disaster kills 168 miners in Butte, Montana. It remains the deadliest mining event in North American history.

The copper mines of Montana were at full wartime production, to support the U.S. and its allies in World War I. Miners had been seeking improved working conditions, as they were at high risk.

As part of a fire safety system, the mining company was installing an electric cable into the Granite Mountain mine. The cable fell in an area approximately 2,500 feet below the surface  and was damaged. When a foreman with a carbide lamp tried to inspect the damage, he accidentally ignited the oil-soaked cloth insulation on the cable. The fire quickly climbed the cable, and turned the shaft into a chimney, igniting the timbers in the shaft and consuming oxygen in the mines.

A total of 168 miners died in the ensuing blaze, most from asphyxia. Some of the victims did not die immediately, surviving for a day or two in the tunnels. Some left notes written while they waited in hopes of rescue. A few managed to barricade themselves behind bulkheads in the mine, and were found after as long as 55 hours. The miners went out on strike to protest working conditions and the many deaths after the disaster.

A memorial honoring the miners killed in the fire was later erected at the site. Some of the notes written by the miners while they waited to be rescued can be viewed at the site.

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June 8, 1917 was a Thursday. Byron White, a star athlete at the University of Colorado who became a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was born.

These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians, 7-4 at the Polo Grounds. The Yankees scored all 7 runs in the 1st inning, knocking Jim Bagby Sr. out of the box. Ray Caldwell went the distance for the win. Tris Speaker went 0-for-2 with a walk.

* The New York Giants lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 2-1 at Redland Field (later Crosley Field) in Cincinnati.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known while Wilbert Robinson managed them from 1914 to 1931) lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-4 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Zack Wheat went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Irv Olson and George Cutshaw each had 3 hits. Honus Wagner, in his last season as a player, went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox, 7-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. Ty Cobb went 2-for-4 with a home run, a stolen base, and 2 RBIs. Babe Ruth did not play for the Red Sox.

* The St. Louis Browns beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 11-2 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. George Sisler went 2-for-5 with a walk and 2 RBIs.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Washington Senators, 11-4 at American League Park (later Griffith Stadium) in Washington. Shoeless Joe Jackson went 3-for-5 with an RBI.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs, 1-0 at Weeghman Park (later renamed Cubs Park and Wrigley Field) in Chicago. Eppa Rixey pitched a 4-hit shutout.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Boston Braves, 9-1 at Robinson Field in St. Louis. Rogers Hornsby went 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.