The Benwood Mine Disaster of April 28, 1924
“I remember…at nights, the flame that hurtled skyward from now cold furnaces of Wheeling Steel’s Benwood plant…Here dwell the peoples of lasting metal whose steel is the alloy of the hundred cultures and tribes of a vanished Europe. Serb, Croat, Greek, Slovene, Czech, Slovak and Montenegrin and Pole. Their singing tongues lit and ring in myriad babble on the bus to Benwood: voices rise in ‘sprechtgesang’; ―words made music – frail as eggshell, speech as sweet as Bartok folksongs from arid Bohemian plain.” – Davis Grubb, “The Valley of the Ohio,” published in Holiday Magazine, July, 1960.
“It breathed not smoke, but dust – a roof fall, the mouth of the mountain clamped shut, eating its children…” –from Kettle Bottom by Diane Gilliam Fisher
[The following text is adapted from The Wheeling Family Volume 2: More Immigrants, Migrants, and Neighborhoods. It is based on an April 26, 2011 presentation by Joey Tellitocci at the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books program, among other sources. Additional information about early twentieth-century coal mining techniques was provided by Becky Morgan and Jeff Phillips.]
Last Ray of Hope For Lives of Miners Gone
Ninety-nine years ago today, on the rainy morning of Monday, April 28, 1924, an explosion at the coal mine operated by the Wheeling Steel & Iron Corporation in Benwood took the lives of 119 men, most of them recent immigrants. There were no survivors. It remains the third worst mining disaster in the history of West Virginia, a state plagued by numerous coal mining accidents.
Actually there were two explosions. The first occurred in a pocket of methane gas at approximately 7:05 AM – about 25 minutes after the men had entered the mine. The second explosion –the one that probably killed most of the miners – was probably the result of coal dust being ignited by the methane explosion. The fire permeated the entire poorly ventilated mine. Many of the miners who weren’t crushed by falling rock and debris from the force of the violent explosion were burned to death. But most were probably killed by “afterdamp,” a deadly cocktail of toxic gases, primarily carbon monoxide, caused by the fire. A large number of dead miners were found with articles of clothing wrapped around their heads in failed attempts to block the afterdamp.
The rescue effort was slowed by a collapsed roof and fallen rock and debris as well as the presence of afterdamp. Blockage near the main entrance forced the rescuers to shift their focus to the air shaft at Browns Run. Rescuers from the Hitchman Mine (Benwood), Glen Dale, Bellaire, Bridgeport, Steubenville, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Williamson, W.Va. worked in relay teams. Nurses from the Wheeling Chapter of American Red Cross and a number of Wheeling physicians were on hand.
The scene was one of wrenching grief and confusion. Women and children rushed to the site, hysterically screaming and sobbing, asking for word of their loved ones trapped in the mine. Relatives and friends kept a constant vigil outside the main entrance and air shaft despite a heavy, drenching rain. Crowds of curious onlookers and news reporters descended upon Benwood, standing behind hastily constructed barricades. Wives of the miners tried to bypass the barricades, and some searched for alternative ways into the mine. Many simply wandered the streets of Benwood, sobbing.
According to one account, a grieving widow tried to drown herself in the Ohio River after learning of her husband’s death. Onlookers rescued her. On April 30, another woman in the crowd of onlookers was struck and killed by a speeding truck rushing supplies to the rescue teams.
Two men were found alive in the air shaft, but, despite efforts to revive them, both died before being brought to the surface. During the first few days, there was hope that some of the men who had not been burned to death or crushed by the explosion had barricaded themselves into old workings to escape the afterdamp. This early optimism soon waned, as one dead body after another was carried from the mine. After a few days, the odor of decaying bodies became overwhelming.
Temporary morgues were set up in the fields surrounding the air shaft at Browns Run. A morgue was set up at the Cooey-Bentz Building in Benwood, which then provided funeral services in addition to selling furniture and dry goods. Each corpse received a tag marked with the location in the mine where the body was found.
An overwhelming number of the dead miners were recent immigrants from eastern and southern Europe. The largest numbers were from Poland, followed by Italy and Greece. Others hailed from Hungary, Russia, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania, and the Ukraine. Among the dead were three pairs of fathers and sons, as well as five pairs of brothers, and three pairs of cousins.
Many of the deceased were Catholics who belonged to St. John Church in Benwood. On May 5, 1924, 22 of the deceased coal miners were buried side by side at Mt. Calvary, Wheeling’s primary Catholic cemetery. It was the largest mass burial Wheeling had ever experienced. The service was conducted in English, Polish, and Italian. The names on the tombstones included Kuprewicz, DiGiorgio, Ferri, Piechowicz, Pirrera, Dupla, Dlugoborski, Malyska, Kazemka, Rea, Shalayka, Staszewski, and Kopetz.
Miners who were burned beyond recognition were buried in a mass grave at Greenwood. Those Catholics later identified, largely by process of elimination, were moved to Mt. Calvary. Many, like the Greek miners, remained buried at Greenwood. Others are buried at local cemeteries around the Ohio Valley.
The three Hungarians killed included 36 year-old immigrant Istvan (Stephen) Vargo. Istvan was buried between his two Hungarian friends, Ignac Orban and Sandor Horvath. They were also buried at Mt Calvary, but in a different area than the well-known mass burial.
A relief fund was established for the widows and children of the miners at the Bank of Benwood. In a disgraceful twist, two bank employees embezzled the money, which was never recovered. The embezzlers were caught and convicted, receiving ten year sentences in the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville in June 1925. Damaged by the scandal, the Bank of Benwood closed that same year.
The Benwood Mine Disaster Memorial
Joseph Tellitocci’s extensive research to compile an accurate and complete list of the names of the Benwood Mine Disaster victims sparked a project to honor the lost coal miners with a permanent memorial. The monuments that now stand at the Boggs Run Road site are the result, thanks to the dedication, hard work and generosity of numerous individuals and organizations.
The Benwood Mine Disaster Memorial (3 large stones) commemorates the 119 coal miners killed in the April 28, 1924 explosion. The small stone off from the main monument commemorates the 5 coal miners killed in an explosion 18 years later on May 18, 1942 at the Hitchman Mine, also located in Benwood. The memorials were formally dedicated on Saturday, September 27, 2014.
The Benwood Mine Disaster Memorial Committee: Joey Tellitocci (co-chairperson and treasurer); his father, Joseph Tellitocci, Jr. (project coordinator); Susan Reilly (co-chairperson), Catherine Feryok (designer of the memorials); Ed Sherman; Gladys “Betty” Key; John D. Mercer; and JR Cross.
Anybody wishing to make a donation towards the continuing development of the Memorial Site can send a check payable to the Benwood Mine Disaster Memorial Fund to the Marshall County Historical Society, P.O. Box 267, Moundsville, WV 26041. All donations are tax deductible.
Watch a video of a 2020 program on the disaster hosted by Cockayne House’s Hungry for History and presented by Sean Duffy.
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Thank you for the work you do keeping the stories like this one alive. My great-grandfather was killed in the explosion and we do not know much about him because his children were so young when he died.
My grandfather was one of the miners in this disaster. Thank you for remembering them, God blessed their souls
Here are two Facebook comments that I repost here with permission:
Gigi Piehowicz Zaccagnini The photo is of my Great Uncle, Jan Piechowicz (John Piehowicz) He was 16 yrs. old when he died in the mine explosion. He came from Poland as an infant with his Mother.
Gigi Piehowicz Zaccagnini Sean, thank you for this article. I have tried to research as much as possible (I am a genealogy nut!) the newspaper articles, etc. at Ohio County Library regarding the explosion and attended the talk at the library. Your pictures were wonderful. I had not seen a few pf them before. Jan was left out of the book “They Died in Darkness”.. I am so grateful that you honoured his memory today. His father, Lukasz, passed away just weeks before Jan was killed. (April 9th, 1924) I often wondered if Jan went to work in the mine due to that. The family has passed down that Jan was not scheduled to work that day, but was asked to by another miner, so that he could have the day off.
My grandfather was also one of those 119 men. My father was 6 months in the woom when his father, whom he would never get a chance to meet, was killed. Still trying to figure out how my grandmother kept the family of seven children together during the depression without ever re-marrying. Was there a settlement package paid to the widows?
So far, we only know about the money embezzled from the bank as referenced above. We’re looking into the existence of a widow’s fund. I assume your grandfather was Feliks (Felix) Lisak? Do you have a photo of him that you would be willing to share for our ongoing effort to honor these men? Thanks for your comment and question.
Through my research I have found that my grandfather wasn’t even a miner. He was a baker and at night worked for the Court Magistrate as an interpretor/liason for new immigrant arrivals. He was said to own the one of the few automobiles on his block and thus when the morning broke that day (it had been raining all the night before) his friends were knocking on his door asking for a ride to the mine. Felix, thinking the day would be a washout of a day knew that the mine would provide a days wages. The rest is history.
Sean…I would like to know exactly where the mine was…There is a closed mine at 2nd Street in McMechen…Would that be another entrance to the Benwood mine?
According to Joey Tellitocci, the man mentioned in the story who got the monument built, the main entrance was at the Wheeling Steel mill in Center Benwood. The alternate entrance was at Browns Run (flows into Boggs Run).
Great article Joe! The history of Benwood was amazing hard to believe this disaster happen in our back yards
Thanks for this very interesting article. Although I don’t think any of my family members were there at this horrible event, I was told as a child that my Great grandfather was a mine ‘cop’ at one of the local mines. Are there any listings anywhere that name the miners or the mines they worked in? He would have been employed probably during the 1920’s or 30’s. Here in PA we have a site that has been established naming the mines, the addresses, and many of their employees. Again, thanks for the article.
Charlie Rose was one of the miners. He was my husband’s grandfather. May they all Rest in Peace!
Thanks for the excellent article. My father Antonia Cistone also known as Tony, was working at the wheeling steel Mining in Benwood West Virginia at that time. This was nine years before I was born. I recall my father had a pocket watch with a strap and a medal on the end of it. My mother told us that our father Tony got it for his rescue efforts and trying to save some of the miners down below. We were always proud to know that. I never knew the real details until many years after my father had passed away. I saw this medal in his dresser drawer. The back of the metal described why it was given to him. The opposite side identified the Benwood mine and the year of the explosion. I looked it up on the computer and after all those years I found out why my father Tony was sort of a hero. Thank you again for this wonderful summary of what has happened!
My great grandfather too. My Nana, his daughter, said that he told his wife that day he didn’t feel well. She told him to stay home. He said “I can’t I have 7 children to feed”. As soon as he got to work and went in the mine it blew up.
Hi, Sean. I can’t tell you how moved I by your piece. My grandfather, Joseph J Krupinski, and his brother, Andrew Krupinski, were two of the rescuers. I carry a medal with me always. I have an audio recording on 80s ear cassette tape of my grandfather reflecting on his recovery efforts if you are interested. I continue to be moved by the stoicism and brotherhood it reflects. Please let me know if you are interested.
Dear Jeannine, I’m sorry for the delayed response. Yes, I would be very interested in hearing your recording. Perhaps we can help you digititize it so that you have a backup, if you haven’t done so already.
My grandmother’s husband and brother and brother in law all died in this coal mining accident. Their names were Stanley Rudiewiec, Lorenz (Lawrence) Wiardrowski and Mikolaj Malecki. My grandmother remarried after the tragedy since she had a newborn (my aunt) to raise. My grandmother had many nightmares and could not handle crying or loud noises. Her father and brother had been killed by soldiers before she came to the US from Poland. I do have some information from the papers she had saved.
I never knew of this til my daughters father showed me the metal that his father received by helping to retrieve the miners. Paul Newman was his name. He worked at the Steel Mill if my memory is correct what was told to me. Sad day for a lot of families who loss several members of family and friends. R.lP. 😞
Thank you..my mom had 2 brothers and my dad’s father all died in that explosion…Shirley conti trull..florida…813 763 1020