Scofield Mine Blows: 200 Lives Lost in Tragedy
The explosion happened at 10:28 a.m., exactly four minutes after the day shift entered the mine. Two hundred men and boys—some as young as twelve—were working Winter Quarter Mine No. 4 when 450 kegs worth of blasting powder ignited at once. The blast didn't kill most of them. Carbon monoxide did, over the next several hours, in total darkness. Scofield's population was 2,000. Every single family lost someone. Utah passed its first mine safety law eight months later, requiring two exits from every working area underground. The second exit clause still exists in federal code today.
May 1, 1900
126 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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