The Farmington Mine Disaster | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror

When I heard people in Farmington "were witnessing one of the worst mine disasters ever to take place in West Virginia" I thought "Wait, how many horrifying mine disasters have happened in West Virginia?" After a quick Google search, the answer is "a ton"

Imagine if your job hazard list included "random massive explosions".

I'm a lifelong West Virginian and my family has been in the state since 1700. Thank you for covering this tragedy. Miners have been exploited and put in danger since mining started here. Many risked their lives for 'money' (company scrip coins) they could spend only at the company store until the eventual reduction of the coal business in the 1950s. MANY people died, in mining disasters of Farmington's scope or more, with the worst American mine disaster occuring in Monongah in 1907, where 367 miners died after an accidental explosion of 50 lbs of TNT. Companies still can be reckless, with 29 miners dying at Upper Big Branch in 2010. A coal baron, Don Blankenship, did go to jail for a year due to him ignoring reports of methane build up in the mine, but most industrial disasters in the state never led to criminal penalties. In the early days of mining here, it was cheaper to get a new worker in the mines than it was to get a horse or donkey, so men were treated with complete disregard. Miners were evicted and some even killed (by mercenaries hired by the coal companies) during the Mine Wars of the early 1900s. The history of coal disasters and human exploitation here are as dark and vast as the inside of the Farmington Mine. Thank you for shining a light on the sacrifices of my fellow West Virginians.

I dont know if i should be happy, or terrified that you never seem to run out of content

It's never the fault of the company apparently

I love the stories where members of the community rush in to help. That's humanity, folks. While the stories here are stories of tragedy, they often also showcase that humanity that brings back my faith in humans

what's scary is that the miners continue working unaware of the massive explosions that shook the surface.

I have a few coal miners in the family, to quote my father: 9 out of 10 accidents are caused by human error/purposefully ignoring safety protocols, not because of unforeseen circumstances.

I wish I had had the opportunity to ask my father if he had any memories of this. He would've been 32 years old and working in the southern coalfields of WV at the time. He'd been working in coal mines since before he was 16. He loved it. When he got a job stringing telephone lines across our county in the 50's and 60's he told everyone who would listen that he couldn't wait to go back to the mines. His favorite kind of mine was 'low coal' and it marvels me that a man who stood at 6 and half feet tall would enjoy crawling in a cold, wet mine. I know when we watch these videos we wonder why anyone would put themselves at risk. My father saw something in it that he loved and believed was worth it. Were the companies greedy and corrupt? Of course, but miners were and still are proud of their jobs. Intersting fact: Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia lost an uncle in the Farmington Disaster.

I was a child when this happened but remember how upset my grandparents were, as they knew people who lost family members. My grandfather was a miner in a neighboring county and just about everyone on their street lost friends and family in mine-related accidents. He contracted black lung but still lived well into his 80s.

You should think about doing the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 next!

hazel dickens wrote a lovely, haunting song about this disaster called, well, “the mannington mine disaster” and i’d like to share some of the lyrics from it: There is a grave way down in the Mannington mine There is a grave way down in the Mannington mine Oh, what were their last thoughts, what were their cries As the flames overtook them in the Mannington mine. So don't you believe them, my boy, That story's a lie. Remember the disaster at the Mannington mine Where seventy-eight good men so uselessly died Oh don't follow your daddy to the Mannington mine. How can God forgive you, you do know what you've done. You've killed my husband, now you want my son. well done as always, thank you for covering a horrible event with grace and class. peace to the lost souls.

My grandfather left school at 14-years-old and started working in the PA mines. He gave me great insight on what coal mining was like. Very dangerous work that paid little, but not much work back then to survive.

I always feel great sadness for those whose remains were not recovered. Not having that closure must be torture.

My mother was from not far away in West Virginia, her family had little to with the scourge of coal on WV but we did lose a relative at Farmington. WV is a beautiful State but graft and corruption have blighted it for 150 years and more.

this is a small thing to comment on but something I appreciate about your channel is how you provide multiple units of measurement (eg. km and miles) whenever talking numbers, it's a nice touch that not everyone bothers to include

Somebody in power AT LEAST tried to give the families closure and getting a bit of money for their families. I’m happy about that but a judge saying, it’s been 40-some years and dismisses the case. That must’ve been so hurtful, no judge took the case and it’s been waiting for some other judge to dismiss it like that. That’ll make anyone angry.

The part about oh the company has done all it can sickens me, knowing what came out in 1990 and 2008 about the company bypassing safety features and the mine company telling an inspector about it thoughk

This event was on the minds of mining folks in Kentucky when they held a strike to increase safety in the mid70s. It was captured in the Oscar winning documentary, Harlan County, USA. It's a fascinating look at the coal industry and how it affected the surrounding communities.

My family is from Farmington, WV and most of them grew up either in the mines or living above them. I heard lots of stories of mine explosions and collapses (my grandma was living directly above the #9 disaster of ‘54) and knew a lot of people who died in the subsequent years. A lot of my WV family with connections to this industry has passed, so I really appreciate videos like this because it’s like family history in a way, so thank you!!